Reviews icon Samsung FlipShot Review

Samsung FlipShot Review

Verizon Wireless 3MP phone

Verizon Wireless 3MP phone

Published on: 29 December, 2007 by PhoneArena Team

Performance:

The reception and call quality of the FlipShot are both excellent and are equal to that of the Gleam, but still not quite as good as the V9m. We were able to place and receive calls in fringe areas, where other devices such as the Juke could not. The sound quality through the earpiece speaker was identical to that of the Gleam, lacking in any background noise or interference. We could only hear a slight distortion during calls when raising the earpiece volume to High. Using the Speakerphone sounded good, as long as the volume remained around Medium, since raising it to high would also cause some distortion. During our test calls, people that we spoke to using lands-lines said that our voice sounded natural and did not have any static or interference present.

Accessing any of the downloaded applications is easy and there is very little delay in opening them up. We also did not encounter the random re-boot problem that happened a few times while we were testing the Gleam. The FlipShot has a total of 56MB of internal memory, but only 35MB is available to the user. For additional storage of music, pictures, and videos, you can install a microSD card up to 4GB in size.

The included 880mAh battery is rated by Samsung to have 3.5 hours of talk time or 10 days of standby time on a full charge. Our testing revealed 3 hours of talk time on a full charge.


Conclusion:

The Samsung FlipShot is a nice upgrade from the A990, but we were anticipating a lot more. Both the Sound Quality and Reception are excellent, so using it as a phone is highly recommended. The redesigned keypad is easier to use, the new themes look nice, and the MP3 player sounds good. Unfortunately the Camera, which is its main selling point, is also its biggest disappointment. Even though images are captured at 3MP, the AutoFocus system is too slow and images don’t look as good as other 2MP phones, such as the V9m or Voyager, nor as good as a cheap 3MP digital cam. Because of this, we can’t recommend the FlipShot for someone who is looking for a top quality camera-phone, since the V9m and Voyager are both better choices. But if you have you heart set on a 3MP camera-phone for Verizon, then the FlipShot is your only option.

Pros

  • Excellent call quality and signal reception
  • QVGA internal display that can rotate 180-degrees
  • FlashUI themes
  • Bluetooth music support

Cons

  • Small external display that shows wallpapers too dark
  • 3MP Camera is not up to par with most other “high end” cell phones
  • Browser has problems displaying large HTML sites
  • TV-Out cable must be purchased separately

PAppeal

Christian Dior:
4 of 10
Low

The FlipShot is not as stylish as the Gleam or V9m, but the red color is more fashionable than the black.

Average Joe:
4 of 10
Low

The FlipShot misses its mark with the average consumer. Some may be attracted by the 3MP camera, but images are not as good as from other phones. It is not as thin or stylish as the Gleam or V9m. Despite these drawbacks, the Call Quality and Reception are both excellent, but you can spend less for the Gleam and still sound as good.

Corporate US:
1 of 10
Very low

Not a Smartphone.

High-Tech junkie
5 of 10
Average

The FlipShot is the only 3MP Camera Phone for Verizon, but it is not as advanced as the Voyager with a HTML Browser, Mobile TV, and a Touch-Screen.

expand ratings

PA phone rating

  • Design 8
    • Keyboard 8.0
    • Build Quality 8.0
    • Look 7.0
  • Display 7
    • Additional Display 4.0
    • Quality 7.0
    • Resolution 8.0
    • Size 7.0
  • Camera 7
    • Resolution 8.0
    • Quality 5.0
    • Features, Comfort 8.0
  • Sound Quality 8
    • Incoming 8.0
    • Outgoing 8.0
    • Ringing 7.0
    • Signal Reception 8.0
  • Battery 6
    • Talk time 5.0
    • Stand-by time 7.0
  • Connectivity 6
    • Local 6.0
    • Internet 5.0
    • Data 7.0
  • Multimedia 6
    • Interface Comfort, Options 5.0
    • Quality 8.0
    • Supported formats 6.0
    • Connectors (3.5/A2DP) 6.0
  • Organizer 5
    • PIM 5.0
    • Phonebook 5.0
    • Messaging 5.0
Good
6.5
out of 10
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Check prices

Check prices

Model Carrier Price Today Price after rebate
Samsung FlipShot SCH-U900 Black
$99.99 $99.99 Buy
Samsung FlipShot SCH-U900 Red
$99.99 $99.99 Buy
 
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Comments icon User comments

User comments

Show only comments with rating Display mode
0
1.
I think this phone's camera's awesome but otherwise it's nothing new/different. Swivel-screens are cool but more than required. If one buys this, you'll be happy but I doubt it'll be worth the extra $$. Just get the Gleam (u700).
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0
2.
Thanks!
This was a very helpful guide! Thank you for all of the detailed pictures!
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0
3.
what you need to know is that the a990 was a 3.2 mp camera and the price point on that phone was double the flipshots even after it was discontinued. i never thought it was a good idea to spend 3 to 4 hundred on a phone unless it was badass. 150 right now for the flipshot is worth it if your main thing is the camera.
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0
4.
Programming Bug
I decided to buy the flipshot phone in January only to find a programming bug when trying to use the calendar. If you attempt to save both weekly and yearly data, the data becomes altered irreparably. If you use your calendar often to save dates, hold off on buying the phone until Samsung fixes this program
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0
5.
To #4
This bug has been in a few Samsung phones for a while now, and they sitll haven't fixed it.
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0
6.
The pictures are awesome with this phone. The phonearena's review says the pictures didn't impress them and were lower quality than the envy(I think) the voyager and a few others. The envy doesn't hold a stick to the pictures this phone takes. everything else seems great and no complaints. I love that it is different and a very nice looking phone.
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  Total: 6 post(s)
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