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Inexpensive flip phone boasts thin body but too-flat keypad
- Uses high-speed 3G network
- Extremely thin for a flip phone
- 3-megapixel camera
- MicroSD slot
- Decent 2.3-inch display screen
- Frustratingly flat keypad
- Poor battery life
- No external music keys
Reviews generally rate the Helio Fin, also known as the Samsung SPH-a513, as good or very good, with lots of features and a better-than-average camera. The Samsung-made Helio Fin is extremely thin (0.45 inches) for a flip phone, but the chief drawback is an irritatingly flat keypad frequently cited by reviewers as the phone's major drawback. Most of these reviews were written well before Helio's acquisition by Virgin Mobile USA in July 2008, and their evaluations of value for price (most say mediocre) are out of date. At this writing the Helio Fin sells for around $30 (for new Virgin Mobile subscribers), about one-sixth of the price mentioned in most reviews. The rest of the reviewers' observations still hold true; although the Helio Fin does many things well, most reviewers prefer the Helio Ocean, which has a full QWERTY keyboard. Several reviews suggest that email fanatics would be better off buying a BlackBerry instead. The Helio Ocean is being phased out to make room for its replacement, the Helio Ocean 2, which offers many upgrades.
One of the Helio Fin's strengths is its 3-megapixel camera, which is considered better than average (though it has no self-portrait mirror) and what reviewers say is a quality 2.3-inch display (there's also a tiny exterior OLED screen). You can even edit photos using the phone's built-in tools. On the downside, reviews say battery life (about three hours of talk time) is mediocre to poor. Otherwise, there's the host of features that take advantage of the speedy 3G network: web browsing, GPS and ability to upload photos and videos directly to Flickr and YouTube. Reviewers rate the Helio Fin's audio quality as decent to excellent. Most reviewers say the Fin is okay as a music player, but there are no external music keys. The Fin has 100 MB of internal memory plus a microSD slot (up to 4 GB), inconveniently located behind the battery.
We found the best review of the Helio Fin at WirelessInfo.com, which offers the greatest detail and compares it with five other cell phones. CNET and PCMag.com offer good hands-on testing and assign overall scores that make it easy to see how the cell phone rates against other models. We also found good coverage at MobileBurn.com and InfoSync. Unfortunately, Consumer Reports doesn't include Helio phones in its ratings, and we found no user reviews at Amazon.com.
Our Sources
This review of the Helio Fin offers great detail, rating almost every phone feature. Editor Alfredo Padilla makes comparisons with five other cell phones, recommending the LG Chocolate over the Helio Fin. While the Fin gets praise overall, the flat keypad and short battery life are noted as major drawbacks.
Review: Helio Fin (Samsung SPH-a513) Cell Phone Review, Alfredo Padilla, Aug. 29, 2007
2. CNET
CNET tests lots of cell phones and says the Helio Fin is "very good" overall, with great call quality. But the flat keypad is "unpleasant to use" and, unless you are attracted by the thinness, "We would probably advise the finger-friendly Helio Drift [since discontinued] or Helio Ocean over the Fin," says reviewer Nicole Lee.
Review: Helio Fin, Nicole Lee, Aug. 23, 2007
3. PCMag.com
Although PCMag.com rates the Helio Fin as "good" with excellent call quality, reviewer Sascha Segan dings it for its flat keypad, slow email and web browsing, and short battery life. "I strongly suggest you get Helio's Ocean instead," Segan says.
Review: Helio Fin/Samsung SPH-M513, Sascha Segan, Oct. 5, 2007
This is a very detailed professional review based on hands-on testing, lacking only in that it doesn't grade the Helio Fin against other phones except to give it a Recommended tag. One oddity is noted about the music player: Album tracks are played in alphabetical order rather than their intended order.
Review: Review: Helio Fin by Samsung, Michelle Ruhfass, Sept. 19, 2007
Reviews here are thorough, covering the various features in detail, but there's no comparison to other products. Overall, reviewer Philip Berne rates the Helio Fin "good" despite the flat keypad and the poor camera lens.
Review: Review: Helio Fin Multimedia Phone, Philip Berne, Aug. 22, 2007
