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Affordable slider phone with music player
- Fast EVDO data speed
- One-touch navigation interface
- Talking GPS, text message functions
- Great speakerphone
- Choppy video playback
- Some reviewers dislike the music player
- Sluggish web browser
The Samsung Highnote SPH-M630 is a slider cell phone on the speedy EVDO data network that, as indicated by its name, emphasizes music playback. Reviews disagree whether it's anything special in that regard, but even the most critical reviews from PCMag.com and InfoSyncWorld.com say it's no worse than good overall, just nothing very inventive or dazzling. PCMag's Sascha Segan goes as far as to call the music software "dismal" and says it's straight out of 2005, while a couple of other reviews say it takes nearly a minute to boot up the music player. PCMag's Segan does recommend the Samsung Highnote SPH-M630 as a car phone because of the "powerful" speakerphone and a GPS system that outputs spoken directions. MobileBurn.com's Michael Oryl also praises the Samsung Highnote's ability to read out text messages to you as you drive.
Most reviewers like the customizable, intuitive Sprint One Touch interface -- up to 15 shortcuts to the apps you choose -- but the web browser takes some hits for being "underpowered and sluggish," as InfoSyncWorld.com's Philip Berne terms it. Reviews say the 2-megapixel camera/camcorder is decent enough for a cell phone, but critics generally agree that video and Sprint TV playback is choppy on the 2.1-inch screen. The microSD memory card slot supports up to 16 GB, and a 1 GB card is included. Some sources' battery tests fall short of the promised five hours of talk time, but not significantly so. PCMag's Sascha Segan says the Highnote's call quality is "average." Despite its loud speaker, he finds that a lot of background noise seeps in. Some reviews suggest spending about $30 for a Samsung Instinct (which has a better web browser) or $50 more for a Samsung Rant (which includes the same One Touch interface, plus better call quality and a full QWERTY keyboard).
We found a plethora of credible professional reviews for the Samsung Highnote SPH-M630, the best being at CNET, PCMag, InfoSyncWorld.com, PC World and, if you have a subscription, Consumer Reports.
Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET's Kent German says the Samsung Highnote SPH-M630 is "very good" and is "one of the better Sprint music phones," with audio sounding relatively good even on the speaker. Call quality is judged "enjoyable." Battery life tested at a bit less than five hours; less than promised, but still not bad.
Review: Samsung Highnote -- Red (Sprint) Review, Kent German, Oct. 15, 2008
2. PCMag.com
PCMag says the music software is "dismal" and streaming music is "choppy," yet the rating still is "good" because it's useful as a car phone (it can be loud enough). For a music phone, reviewer Sascha Segan recommends the Samsung Instinct, mentioning that it offers better web surfing, too.
Review: Samsung Highnote SPH-M630 Review, Sascha Segan, Nov. 10, 2008
Reviewer Philip Berne says the Samsung Highnote's music functions are "nothing special," yet the Highnote still has the fifth-highest score among multimedia phones listed at the bottom of this review (at this writing). He says the web browser is slow for an EVDO phone.
Review: Samsung Highnote Review (Sprint), Philip Berne, Oct. 24, 2008
4. PC World
Unlike some other major reviewers, Ginny Mies praises the Samsung Highnote's music capabilities. Her sharpest criticism is directed at video playback. She also finds navigation to be "counter-intuitive."
Review: Samsung Highnote, Ginny Mies, Dec. 11, 2008
5. ConsumerReports.org
The Samsung Highnote is among about 50 standard cell phones rated, with links from the chart to individual reviews. You'll need a subscription to see this report.
Review: Cell Phone Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
The gist is that while the Samsung Highnote "really isn't a bad phone," you'll get better call quality plus a QWERTY keyboard if you get a Samsung Rant instead. Battery life is tested at five hours of talk time -- less than the promised 5.8, but still judged to be "impressive" for this caliber of phone.
Review: Samsung Highnote Review, Editors of PhoneArena.com, Oct. 24, 2008
This is shorter than MobileBurn's usual lengthy reviews and skips typical elements like a battery test. Still, it's obvious Michael Oryl used the Highnote before giving it a Recommended tag. He likes a feature that will read text messages to you while you're driving.
Review: Quick Review of Samsung's M630 Highnote, Michael Oryl, Oct. 23, 2008
