Digital Trends

Samsung MM-a900 June 14th, 2006 | by Stewart Wolpin

Performance

For conversations, the voice quality on the A900 through both the earpiece and the speakerphone is a bit thick and is a little below the quality of the RAZR. Although, the A900 maintained a more consistent connection to Sprint's network than the RAZR to Verizon's or Cingular's with fewer drop outs and dropped calls.

On the camera side, the A900's rotating lens enables a wider variety of shooting angles, although we found self-portraits problematic -- we always appeared upside-down in the viewfinder for some reason. Picture quality is above average for phones with a 1.3 megapixel resolution and a plastic lens. The flash helps a bit in dim lighting conditions.

Web access via the Mobile Web 2.0 WAP Web browser, music and video clip downloading from Sprint's online music store and Sprint TV channels, and photo uploading using Sprint's EV-DO network was noticeably faster than comparative downloads, uploads, and streams using the RAZR on Verizon's EV-DO network. Web pages, clip and streaming TV, and picture uploads all took less than 10 seconds; song downloads took on average around 30 seconds to a minute.

For video, beyond the RAZR's slightly more contrasted screen, RAZR's one main advantage is its ability to view downloaded or streaming video in landscape mode by holding the phone sideways. Video on the A900 can only be viewed within the normal vertical portrait screen.

None of this addresses Sprint's high-priced music downloads -- a head-scratching $2.50 a track that allows you to get two versions of the song, one stored on your phone and the other on your PC. Verizon charges $1.99 per track when downloaded via the phone and just 99 cents using Windows Media Player for the same dual usage. Sprint's confusing array of TV pricing plans and the lack of clarity between included vs. premium content also pale in comparison to Verizon's simpler V CAST menus and pricing.

At a miserly 3 hours, talk time is surprisingly short on the A900, probably a consequence of the thinner battery. Obviously, watching TV on the large LCD will shorten this time considerably.