Released for T-Mobile, the Samsung SGH-T509 boasts an ultra-thin profile of only 9.8 mm, the slimmest handset in the U.S. to date. Including a large and vivid 262K-color screen, the SGH-T509 is ideal for watching streaming videos or viewing images taken with the integrated camera. Bluetooth wireless technology lets users pair peripheral devices with ease, while T-Mobile's high-speed EDGE network gives the SGH-T509 access to browse and download data files at faster speeds faster than ordinary GSM handsets... [Continue reading Samsung T509 Review]
Samsung T509 Features
Stylish and super-slim profile measuring just 9.8 mm, even thinner than the Motorola RAZR and SLVR
Bright and vivid 262K-color screen for clear and crisp imaging
Integrated VGA camera with 4x zoom and dedicated one touch video capture and playback
Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free conversations
Enhanced T9 for text messaging via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and instant messaging on the most popular platforms (AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger)
WAP 2.0 compliant browser with EDGE for high-speed data transmission
CONS:
sometimes too imperceptible: ringer volume not loud enough and vibrate not very strong, internal antenna reduces reception
IN-DEPTH REVIEW:
i was on the brink of going crazy with t-mobile. my contract had been up for two months and my previous phone (motorola v300) was killing me--i couldn't stand the phone anymore. i scoured the internet trying to find out when t-mobile was coming out with new phones and that's when i came across this little guy.
this phone fit my needs (almost) perfectly. my prior v300 was somewhat of a bulge in my pants and definitely wasn't the most comfortable thing to carry around when going out for the evening. that is why the slimness feature of this phone had such great appeal to me. i can carry it in my front pocket of my jeans and it isn't cumbersome at all. actually, the size aspect is also a double-edged sword: sometimes the phone is too imperceptible. often i find myself leaving the phone around the house because it is so unnoticeable and then find that i have already missed several calls because the ringer volume is not very loud. i know that different phones have different scales of loudness, but this one only goes up to 5, and 5 is not very loud, at all; furthermore, the vibration is not very strong either. in somewhat baggy, mens shorts i could not feel the phone when on vibrate in the front pocket. this is probably my biggest grievance about this phone. it gets high marks in every other category, but ringer alert in both forms is very poor. it just seems to take a little extra awareness, which is ironic since that is exactly what the thinness aspect is supposed to dispel.
i hated the user interface on my v300 and i think that samsung has done a notably improved job over motorola. the only slight complaint that i have here is that motorola allowed me to customize my soft keys and arrow shortcuts. if there is a way to do this on the t509, i have not discovered it yet. while not a huge issue, it is kind of annoying everytime i hit the upper-right soft key thinking that it is my calendar only to find myself connecting to t-zones.
i am super satisfied with the large screen this phone has to offer. i feel like it really makes a difference when scrolling through menus and viewing contact information, everything is more comprehensive and less disjointed.
oh yeah, if there is anyone out there debating between this phone and the slvr, other than the improved user interface, the keys on the t509 are a lot more practical and useable.
also, i am not one for the 'fancy' features that now seem to dominate the cell phone market. i do not care for my cell phone to play my mp3s... that's why i have an mp3 player! even though the phone has bluetooth, i do not use it.. i will admit, however, that the camera is a nice feature to have and it is markedly improved over the v300's. other than that, i love this phone because it is so basic and very intuitive for me.
the only other thing i would have to say is that my reception does not seem to be quite as strong and i am pretty sure that it is due to the phone's internal antenna. i think one other reviewer had problems with the sound quality, i have found the sound to be plenty loud and clear (reception permitting). although, i do have to keep it at its loudest setting and i have not tried using it in a crowded or noisy setting.
overall, i gave this phone a high rating because i love it for what it is: beautiful design, very functional and easy to use. the slenderness is very attractive and i am proud to use it (if that doesn't sound too weird). again, the only hard thing is actually knowing when you are receiving a call sometimes. but, even with the aforementioned shortcomings of this phone, it is still the only phone i would buy that is currently on the market.
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188 out of 193 people found this review helpful.
2. Posted by tattud_gurl
Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:51 pm
I got my phone and messed around with it and didn't like it at first. My last 2 phones were Motorola phones and I knew how to navigate thru those.
The navigation is different, to say the least. The text messaging keys are way different, but now that I have it figured out, it's ok.
The guy that said the ringer isn't loud enough and the vibrate function isn't very good, is deaf. My ringer is plenty loud enough and the vibrate mode makes my entire body vibrate when it's in my back pocket.
He must have a different phone.
I use the alarm on my phone on a regular basis and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Don't know why. I'm working on figuring that out.
All in all.I like it. It's lightweight, easy to use and smaller than my razr.
It's just a different brand, so things work differently. It's just like buying a new car.you have to get used to the way it works and looks.
I'm glad I purchased it.
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13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
3. Posted by cybermky
Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:45 pm
This is a good little phone. It's amazing the thing can do everything it does in such a small package. However... it is really small! Almost too small in that it barely fits in my female hands.
One thing I really really have a beef about now is it doesn't really support mp3 ringers. It will let you play mp3's but it won't let you select one as a ringer. I went to a T-Mobile store and the sales guy thought it did and once I showed him mine and he tried out the floor model he was surprised it didn't. Where you select ringers, the mp3's are greyed out while the others aren't. The phone even comes with a couple mp3's and you can't select them.
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46 out of 51 people found this review helpful.
4. Posted by trinitycelest
Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:31 am
I have had Sprint for the past 5 years and decided to go with TMobile because they were the ones who gave me the best deal on a phone. But now that I think of it, I should have shelled out a little more money for a nicer phone and gone with Verizon or better yet, Cingular.
My last phone was an oldie by today’s standards. It was a Sanyo and it had a camera but not video or Bluetooth. The phone I bought from TMobile is the T509. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks now.
I am sad to report that I have more gripes than compliments. Before I bought the phone I saw this forum about the phone and against the better word, decided to come to my own opinion.
Pros:
It’s slim and light. The screen is sharp and clear. Camera is pretty good. Zoom is a nice feature. Video is alright (considering that I did not have this on my previous phone.) Basically, it is cosmetically nice.
Cons:
Unfortunately, I have to jump on the band wagon. The ringer is not loud at all! The vibrate setting is really, REALLY weak. I don’t ever hear the phone when I have text or voice msgs waiting and I barely hear it when it rings.
The reception is horrible. I live in Miami, so it’s not like I live in the country or mountains somewhere, where good reception is not to be expected. But EVERY call that I have made so far has ended with either myself or the person on the other end saying, “Call me back from a land line. I can’t hear you.”
Oh, and another thing…. When you talk to someone, the highest volume is weak. I can barely hear anyone and have to talk to them on the speakerphone but with it to my ear like a regular call. I’m pretty young, and my hearing is VERY good. So I see no reason why I have to almost shove my phone INTO my ear to hear someone. And just barely at that.
Summation:
I am pretty disappointed with this phone and would not recommend it to anyone. My last phone was a clam shell and this time around I wanted an open face one. I am sad that my return time has expired and I seem to be stuck with TMobile for the next 2 years. I don’t see paying $300 + for a phone. I don’t need it to be my IPOD or my Organizer or my Internet connection. I just need to talk. And maybe snap a pic or 2. Maybe in time, TMobile will come out with another phone I like, and then maybe I won’t have to shell out a quarters’ week pay on a phone. But so far, it looks like I’ve made a bad decision.
Bottom line: When you try to take the cheap way out, you end up paying double!
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21 out of 24 people found this review helpful.
5. Posted by morgenhistory
Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:14 pm
My only complaint is the volume of the ringer and the message tones. I can't hear this phone ring and I can't hear the message indicator. Also, even though I've set the message indicator to ring every minute, I never hear it after the first ring. If I can't resolve this, I'll have to try to get around it somehow by recording or importing an extremely loud tone (will that even work?) or by trading it in. OR, I'll just have to let people know on my voice mail that I can't hear either the ringer or the message indicator and that I'll get back to them whenever I notice I have a message. Maybe that's not so bad after all!
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18 out of 22 people found this review helpful.
6. Posted by Renzen
Thu May 04, 2006 12:37 pm
Yeah this phone is slick. I happened to walk into a T-Mobile store the week it was released looking to buy a new phone, anyway. I prefer the straight phones as they're not as bulky as any clamshell phone. Being a guy opposed to any type of bag I was looking for something that wouldn't take up precious pocket space. The price with a new contract at $50 was something I could deal with, and far cheaper than a lot of others out there.
I love having the ability to send text messages to multiple people at once, which is something the cheaper phones I'm used to couldn't do.
One thing that was odd for me was the navigation arrows. When I simply pressed some of the arrow keys it seemed the cursor only moved when it felt like it! I was ticked off and actually took it back to get an exchange. They obliged and the same problem was on the second phone. Then after calming down I noticed the directional keys formed a small, circular bowl. So in order to be consistent, rather than pushing down on the outer edge of the bowl as I was doing at first, it works if your thumb is more on inside of the bowl, pushing outward.
Sometimes my big fingers get clumsy on the small keypad and I end up tiptoeing around.
I'll be using my headsets very little as I like putting the stick right to my ear. This phone is as slick as you think it is.
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83 out of 103 people found this review helpful.
7. Posted by daskoda1
Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:47 am
I really don't like this phone very much.
I bought it when all the hype was going on right after they released it. The guy at the store pushed me towards it alot. I got the impression that they were just trying to get as many of them out the door as possible.
I will say that the phone has been a pretty sturdy phone. I have a tendency to drop my phones, and this one has held up really well. The battery cover comes off too easy now, but thats to be expected with a bit of abuse. I like the slim fit, it is bery comfortable to hold in my hand while I talk on the phone. Most "clam shell" phones give my hand a cramp if I have to talk on them for more than a couple minutes, but this one doesn't.
I really don't like the UI. I prefer motorola's UI, but that is just a matter of preference. I just feel like I had a whole lot more options on my last motorola phone (and that has been a while). This one is very simple to use, but I like a more customisable interface.
I have the same problem with the alarm as everyone else. I have the same problem with the ringtone volume. I did some reseach, and found a couple programs so that I could create my own ring tones (chop up MP3's and convert them to .SMAF) but even when I increase the mater volume of the song in the data file, the volume is pittifully quiet.
The vibrate function blows as well. I almost always have mine on vibrate because I am at work or in school (I do both full time) and it is hard to tell sometimes if it vibrated or not. It also randomly vibrates at times when I am not getting a call or a message. Maybe I have dropped it to many times, but I think it has done that from day one.
The last thing I don't like is the predictive text. I enter words into the dictionary when it doesn't have them, and the same word isn't always there. Sometimes it remebers my entries and sometimes it doesn't. I know I have entered the word "meow" like 15 times, and it just doesn't seem to hold the words I put in.
I wouldn't buy it again.
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7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
8. Posted by trinitycelest
Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:04 pm
Hey tatud,
I have the same problem with the alarm. It won't go off sometimes and other times it will.
I like the text messaging in this phone, although sometimes a little red or blue paper icon comes on at the top and then I have to delete all my messages to get rid of it.
The ringer is loud. But the vibrate I still think is weak. The other problem is that the talk volume is NOT loud at all. If I am in the street or in a crowded place, I can barely hear the person calling.
I personally would never buy this phone nor recommend it. Even though I have gotten used to it.
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6 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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