Samsung SCH-u740

Samsung SCH-u740 is pleasing to the eyes in every respect; it has good aesthetics, style element, dynamics, color, and is handy as well. Further, its dual hinge design lets the user open the handset vertically or horizontally. In the regular clam shell mode if to talk or to take pictures, and in the other way around, which reveals the QWERTY keyboard, for text messaging, email, or IM. It weighs as much as Motorola Razr, even with this much keys. Even though the keypad is convenient, the Samsung SCH-u740 has 36 keys minus the navigation and phone controls. The standard Blackberry has only 35 keys!!

The hinged design is convenient in most aspects, but for certain glitches. For example, if tried to open games from the clamshell mode, it might ask the user to go to the rotated mode. Sometimes, this delegation of ‘mode’s can be a bit irritating.

The screen of Samsung SCH-u740 is quite large – 2.25-inch – 176 x 220 pixel, 262K-color TFT LCD. The outer screen is 96 x 96 pixel, 65K color external LCD that displays incoming calls, messages, time, date, power, and signal strength. An inch to the top lays the 1.3 mp camera; the picture quality is ok, but the absence of an exterior camera button makes it difficult to take self portraits. For those who do not train their mobile cameras on themselves, this is not going to be a big handicap however. The special video/camera button is not friendly either, even though there is a decent array of options.

In terms of memory, the Samsung SCH-u740 comes loaded with 60 MB of memory and it runs on 7.66 MB of RAM. However, there is the option to plug in a microSD card.

SCH-u740’s standard features include address book – each entry having space for five phone numbers, 2 email addresses, and a personal note – call timer breakdown, alarm clock, calendar with scheduler, notepad, calculator, world clock, stopwatch, and light.

The music quality is good, even though the speakers on the opposing ends of the screen do not provide the best of sounds. It is best suitable for use as speakerphone or some basic music, and not for pleasure. The headset adapter can be found on the left side. The My Sounds function lets users to record 60 seconds of music and use it as ring tones. A glaring negative – the music function is only available in the horizontal mode.

Wireless web access is quite quick (with pages loading in less than 5 seconds); so, no complaints on that aspect. Regarding Bluetooth connectivity, the handset’s Bluetooth capabilities support most basic protocols like Headset Profile (HSP), Object Push Profile, and Dial-Up Networking Profile (DUN) that enables the handset to be used as a wireless modem in conjunction with a laptop for web access. However, the latest A2DP protocol is surprisingly missing in Samsung SCH-u740.

Finally, battery life and there the SCH-u740 scores below par. Its battery endurance is far lesser than many of the competing models. It can be best described as average.

Overall, the Samsung SCH-u740 is a good phone, with good sound quality and web access, but certain aspects such as the keypad, jack, lack of AAC compatibility, and lack of direct access to music player etc can be frustrating. Final call – average!