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More…It's standard for cellular carriers these days to tout a music service and phones that work with it. But most of these so-called "music phones" can't compete with dedicated digital audio players. This certainly holds true for Cingular's Samsung SGH-a707 (Sync) phone. And unlike competing services from Verizon Wireless and Sprint, Cingular's music service doesn't take full advantage of the device's mobile capabilities.
Samsung SGH-A707 SYNC Cell Phone
- Spec Navigator
- Processor
- Display
- Operating System
- Camera
- Form Factor
- Battery
- Storage
- Dimensions
- Carrier
- Cellular Frequency Technology
- Features
- Audio
- Connectivity
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Media
- Messaging
- Sync
- User Interface
- Video
Display
| Diagonal Display Size | 2.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 240 x 320 inches |
| Display Type | Color |
| Number of Displays | Two |
Cellular Frequency Technology
| Cellular Technology (Voice + Data) |
|
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Phones »
Pros
Good Web functionality
Good external, touch-sensitive controls
Cons
No over-the-air music downloads
Earbuds cost extra
Bottom Line
For a device that claims to be a music phone, the Sync makes listening to music more difficult than it should be.
Samsung SGH-a707 (Sync)
SGH-A707 SYNC Cell Phone Review, by Alan Stafford March 28, 2007
For example, the Sync lets you connect to Napster Mobile and Yahoo Music via Cingular Music--but you can't actually download music over a cellular connection. And though you can select tracks to buy, that merely sets them up for downloading to your computer. If you want to listen to downloaded music, you must transfer the tracks to the phone over USB or by copying them to an optional microSD card.
The phone, which is available from Cingular for $100 (with a two-year contract), gives you access to streaming audio from MobiRadio, XM Radio Mobile, MySpace Mobile, and Billboard Mobile (plus streaming video from a few providers), but of course, these are subscription services--MobiRadio, for example, costs $9 per month, on top of your voice plan charges and your data plan charges. In my tests, the audio from MobiRadio sounded surprisingly good over the phone's speakerphone, with few dropouts; but despite offering 50 stations, the selection seemed a little limited.
Why did I listen only through the speakerphone, you ask? Like many phones, the Sync lacks a standard headphone jack; instead it relies on a proprietary port that accepts only Cingular's earbuds. But the earbuds don't come with the phone, and Cingular didn't send them to us for our evaluation. A $40 kit contains the earbuds, a USB cable, and software; alternatively, you can use the phone with a set of Bluetooth headphones.
You can use the kit to transfer your own ripped music to a microSD Card while it's still in the phone--a big help because inserting and removing those tiny cards can be difficult. Some very nice touch-sensitive music controls on the phone's exterior work whether the phone is closed or open. The small (96-by-96-pixel) LCD on the outside shows the music track name and an attractive visualizer. But the phone's other music controls are pretty limited.
The Sync has a built-in 2-megapixel digital camera with a fixed-focus lens and no flash or LED illuminator, so low-light pictures look pretty drab. Pictures taken in moderate lighting looked okay, with adequately reproduced colors, but highlights got blown out easily, and most shots were at least slightly fuzzy. The phone captures video in 176 by 144 resolution at 15 frames per second, yielding movies that look fuzzy and choppy; an option lets you limit clips to conform to Cingular's miserly 300KB Multimedia Messaging Service transfer limit.
As a Web browser, the Sync supports Cingular's HSDPA network, so it's pretty fast for a cell phone. It formats pages well for easy reading, and you can adjust the size of pages. Quick-access menus help you handle instant messaging and Web mail, though you have to use the keypad to input text. The keypad numbers are sufficiently large but very slick, with little tactile feedback, so I had to look closely to make sure I was pressing the right keys.
Voice quality ranged from okay to terrible. One person I called insisted that I call back on another device, though I could hear her just fine. I called back on a Verizon Motorola E815, and she said that the quality was dramatically better. Another person I called said that she heard static, but that it wasn't too bad (she, too, agreed that I sounded better over the E815). A half-inch-tall sticker at the bottom-rear of the phone says, "For optimal call performance, do not obstruct this area during a call." It isn't hard to avoid the area, and I didn't find myself obstructing it in my calls, but it irked me to have to worry about it. In our lab tests, the phone's battery lasted 3 hours, 42 minutes--near the vendor's claimed talk time but among the shortest of any standard cell phone we've tested.
If you're looking for a phone that lives up to the "music phone" hype, you'll be disappointed in the Sync. It is inexpensive and does a good job with Web content, but it didn't win fans with its voice quality or talk time.
Alan Stafford
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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44
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79
-
70
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Phones
44
68
68
100
Performance
| Battery Life Average (hh:mm) | 3:42 |
| Battery Life Word Score | Poor |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Samsung SGH-A707 SYNC Cell Phone
2 Reviews Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
-
Reviewed by: missallison
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Large vibrant screen. Great call quality. Good MP3 player. Extremely fast 3G downloads! Among other things!
Weaknesses: The external display shuts off after about 15 seconds.
Overall: The SYNC is a great gadget for someone that kind of wants a little bit of everything in one affordable device. It has a great interior display screen. The MP3 player is a nice addition, it won't replace your MP3 player, though. The phone itself is a bit large, but it feels really sturdy in your hand and it isn't uncomfortably big. Overall its a really nice phone, and well worth the low price with a 2 year contract.
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Reviewed by: hecalder
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: I really like the mulitmedia capabilities and even though were I currently live I do not have the near broadband coverage the evdo does wonderful. Calls were clear. camera is good 2.0 megapixel and easy to use..
Weaknesses: as a phone for music it is good but I hate the idea about not being able to download music direct. and also having to buy the earbuds/microsd/datatransfer package.. seperately.. hey already paying 19.99 for mediamax200 whick limits you to 200 messages only..
Overall: I think except for the music the 2.0 megapexil does good enough. and sound quality is good, have had no issues.. I love the high speed when I traveled to Tampa.. nice speed.. for the money of 49.99 after rebate it is a good deal.. shop around you can get the phone for free with a 2 year plan commitment, thru wirefly/letstalk.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: kornertool
Strengths: Large Display. Good graphics. Lots of features. Good Camera. MP3 Player. Speakerphone. Look Good.
Weaknesses: Has a cover for charging area that is sort of a pain to access. Cannot turn off the sound when you take pictures. No way to take a picture with the phone closed.
Overall: Would recommend checking 3G network coverage before buying (does not work well in rural areas with limited 3G coverage). I live near large city and coverage is fine - no dropped calls. Screen has large clock with time and date that I like. Lots of gadgets like tip calculator, currency converter, world time, stopwatch, and timer. Camera does not zoom on best quality setting.
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Reviewed by: dogtired1
Strengths: Nice graphics, lots of features, good call quality when it works.
Weaknesses: Pretty much usless as a phone.
Overall: Welcome to the world of dropped calls. In areas where other phones have 2 to 5 signal bars, this phone has none. It is almost impossible to carry on a conversation as the call drops before you can complete a sentence. Often the display will say "emergency calls only". I am sending it back to AT&T to try another one. Before you buy this phone, check the AT&T Samsung forums.
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Reviewed by: EaglezFootball54
Strengths: Nice picture, Good graphics...an overall nice phone to have.
Weaknesses: It's kind of to big to fit into your pocket.
Overall: This is the best phone I think that Samsung has ever made I mean look at it...It's super fun to mess around with and easy to learn how to work it.
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