Samsung SCH-U340 Review
Described as ‘Simple Satisfaction with a Twist of Style’- The SCH-U340 (released for Verizon) makes life simple by packing a suite of tools into Samsung’s highly popular clam-shell design, such as a speaker phone, powerful speech recognition, Calculator, Calendar, Note Pad, Alarm Clock and World Clock.
While Samsung is known for making amazing cell phones that practically do everything, the SCH-U340 is a back-to-the-basics, no-frills, cheap and easy-to-use phone that does just the most important things you need, without spending a lot and getting bogged down with a time-intensive learning curve.
The SCH-U340 gives above average reception, and you can dial only using your voice, as well as take pictures and send them to your loved ones and friends. Though the SCH-U340’s speaker phone is unimpressive, and may be too simple for intensive multi-media users-
The SCH-U340 creates a delicate balance between price, features and ease of use, and is especially well suited for those who are just now considering making the migration into full multi-media capabilities in the palm of their hand.
And although the SCH-U340 is a low-end camera phone, it stands and delivers on the most common multi-media applications.
Introduced at the same time as the EV-DO, Verizon decided to make a quality lower-end alternative equipped with a camera, speaker phone, and basic instant messaging features.
The SCH-U340, however, lacks the fancier ‘bells and whistles’ such as Bluetooth, a music player, or even a basic WAP 2.0 (wireless) web browser.
Aside from the speaker phone quality, itself. The call quality was decent and the design was very easy to use- great for those looking for a reliable cell phone to make calls with; while at the same time able to enjoy the option of a camera phone.
The SCH-U340 is a solid performer at under $20 (with service) – even free if purchased online.
SCH-U340 Design
The SCH-U340 is a bland design that borrows design elements from previous Samsung phones, with a handset that highly resembles Samsung’s M500 (Sprint), and the same basic flip phone design- including the monochrome display (external) , the camera lens at top of the front flap and an internal antenna.
The SCH-U340 is fairly compact, measuring in at 3.5 inches x 1.8 inches x 0.8 inches, weighs a modest 2.8 oz, and is comfortable feeling in the hand.
The microscopic external screen (96 x 96 pixels) shows the time, date, signal strength, battery life, and caller ID. The SCH-U340 does not accommodate external (expandable) memory and does not come with a flash.
The SCH-U340’s internal screen (128 x 160 pixels) supports 65K colors- decent overall, but if you’re used to a 260K+ color screen, you’ll definitely notice the difference.
However, compared to Verizon’s unsavory user interface design, the SCH-U340’s menu interface (available in 2 styles) is much more user-friendly; allowing you to easily change the font color and style, backlight time, and the contrast.
SCH-U340 Features
-500-contact phone book (each entry can include 2 e-mail addresses and 5 phone numbers;
-Assignable Caller Groups, with one of nine ringtones (32-chord polyphonic);
-Vibrate mode;
-Both text and multi-media instant messaging;
-Voice dialing and command;
-The SCH-U340’s VGA camera takes pictures in 3 resolutions (640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120), with 3 quality settings (economy, normal and fine), a self-timer, 4x digital zoom, 5 color tones, 4 shutter sounds (plus a silent option), and brightness and white-balance settings;
-AMPS single-band and CDMA dual-band coverage (AMPS 800 MHz. / CDMA 800 MHz. / 1900 Mhz.);
GPS; PC Sync.
The SCH-U340’s VGA picture quality is average, and the colors aren’t really shap. Images tend to be a bit blurry, there is zero video recording. The SCH-U340’s rated battery life is 3.5 hours (talk time) and 9.2 days (standby time), with independent tests achieving as much as 4 hours and 10 minutes of talk time.
In classic telephony tones are quite important part. Depending from telephone tone frequencies line is busy, open or under test or some of many other default statuses.
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