Samsung Reclaim M560 Review

Introduction:

Green is in, there’s no doubt about that.  Everything from cars to computers and even water is marked as green and eco-friendly these days, but oftentimes it is just that - marketing.  The Samsung Reclaim M560 is not.  Its bio-plastic housing is made from corn, the highly efficient Energy Star charger uses 12 times less energy than the Energy Star standard and its packaging is made from 70% recycled material and printed with soy ink.  Sprint is putting their money where their mouth is as well, for every Reclaim sold $2 will be donated to The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program.  Of course, none of this matters if the product doesn’t deliver, read on to find out!

Included in the box you’ll find:

•    Li-Ion battery
•    Energy Star AC adapter
•    Quick Start Guide (the user manual is now online to save paper)
•    512MB microSD card


Design:

The Samsung Reclaim M560 has nearly identical dimensions as AT&T’s Propel, but looks much pudgier due to rounder lines.  It’s short and squat, but feels comfortable in the hand.  Like the LG Lotus it’s a bit awkward at first, but it’s narrower which makes it easier to hold.  It comes in two very eco-hip colors: Earth Green and Ocean Blue.



You can compare the Samsung Reclaim M560 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Sliding the phone open reveals a full portrait QWERTY keyboard.  The keys are small and flat, but we didn’t have too many issues typing accurately.  Our biggest gripe is the small spacebar.  To either side are four keys, and we feel it would do well to lose one on each.  We found ourselves inserting random periods and zeros, which flank the spacebar.  The device is rather small though, and overall Samsung did well with the space they had but could have improved it with some shape to the keys.





The 2.6” QVGA landscape display is crisp, but we’ve come to expect that from Samsung.  We had little trouble reading it, even in direct light.  Below it sits the same 5-way d-pad and 6 navigational keys we’ve seen on past models like the m520 and Exclaim, but they are much larger than what we’ve seen before.

On the left side of the phone is the 3.5mm headphone jack something we very much appreciate seeing and the volume rocker.  The right side has the microSD slot, microUSB charging port and camera key.  The camera is revealed only when the slider is slid up, much like the m520.  The back simply houses the Reclaim’s single speaker.



We were pleasantly surprised with the Reclaim’s design.  It looked awkward in pictures, but works in real life.  The keypad probably isn’t for larger hands, but we didn’t have issues with it beyond the tiny spacebar.   The build quality was top notch, as always, and the slide mechanism is very solid.  The display is as good as it gets for a mid-tier phone and the quirky design grew on us once we got it in our hands.

Interface, Phonebook and Organizer:

The Samsung Reclaim M560 runs Sprint’s One Click UI, which we’ve seen on several devices at this point.  We gave a full rundown when it debuted on the Rant, and still enjoy it very much.  As far as carrier UIs go, this one is by far the best.  In keeping with the green theme the Reclaim has a green-themed tile preloaded with tips on how to save the environment and other links.  MySpace and Facebook also have preloaded tiles, though they have been available to add on other One Click phones. The main menu has the familiar 12 icon layout that most Sprint phones feature at this point, nothing new to report.



The phonebook has undergone a slight upgrade since the Exclaim, and there is now room for an address, memo and birthday, as well as job title and company.  It’s a needed upgrade; as dumbphones are getting smarter a more full featured phonebook is essential.  Perhaps this slipped by us before with other One Click devices, but similarly to a BlackBerry, you can begin typing from the homescreen and it will match from your contact list.  Voice dialing is as always handled by Nuance.



Other features remain standard as well.  The user is given a basic personal calendar, and exchange calendars are supported by the Sprint Mobile Email program.  The latter feature is very cool, but we just don’t see many people who have an Exchange account using a phone like the Reclaim. Other basic amenities include an alarm, calculator, world clock, memo pad and voice memos.

Messaging and Multimedia:

Again, everything is pretty much the same here.  Text messaging is threaded so the user sees conversations in their inbox, not messages.  The included IM client supports AIM, Yahoo and Windows Live Messenger.  Sprint Mobile Email is one of the better email clients we’ve seen for basic phones.  It supports most everything you can throw at it, including Exchange, but unfortunately uses POP instead of IMAP.



As an EVDO phone the Samsung Reclaim M560 features all of Sprint’s multimedia offerings; Sprint TV, Radio and Music Store.  With support of 32GB microSD cards it acts as a decent on the go mp3 player, though we don’t think it will be replacing many iPods.

The 2-megapixel camera follows in the footsteps of the Rant and Exclaim and performed well for what it was. Colors were a bit muted, but detail was good for a mid-range phone.  The interface has gotten an overhaul, and there are now mosaic and panoramic modes.  The latter works essentially the same way we’ve seen from high-end Samsungs like the Omnia II; the user snaps the first shot and then slowly pans the camera to either side while the phone automatically takes the next seven.  The end result is decent enough, but only 1360x192 in resolution which makes the feature more of a novelty than anything.

Performance:

The Samsung Reclaim M560 was a standout performer.  Callers said it was one of the best phones we’ve ever tested, and gave us a 9.5/10.  It was equally good on our end; callers sounded loud and clear even in a particularly noisy environment.  Rated at 6 hours of talk time, battery life is well above average for a CDMA device as well.  All-in-all the Reclaim gets very high marks in this category.

Conclusion:

Samsung has a very good device on their hands with the Reclaim.  The green angle is in earnest, and the product is solid.  With a quirky design and keypad a bit on the small side it’s definitely not for everyone, but it offers a quality user experience for those who don’t need a smartphone.  Top it all off with excellent phone performance and we think the Reclaim will be a hit.

Samsung Reclaim M560 Video Review: