Samsung Messager III

Kent German of CNET calls the Samsung Messager III "a case of one step forward, two steps back," because while Samsung updated its design, the phone has a downgraded camera and exhibits performance problems. PCMag.com's Jamie Lendino says that while it's a good option for its low price, MetroPCS offers better choices. Reviewers are pleased by the Messager III's solid build, though it's not as sturdy as the Messager II, according to CNET. Lendino praises the 320-by-240-pixel display for its sharpness, but criticizes the home screen and user interface for looking "drab." The wide full QWERTY keyboard is the phone's best feature, Lendino says, but it receives a lukewarm reception from German. The latter also notes that the numeric keypad keys are raised enough, but quite small. Messager III's 1.3-megapixel camera produced passable test photos, but the Messager II had a 2-megapixel camera, which raises criticism.

Reviewers find the phone's media player slow and short on features, and its Myriad 6.2 web browser sluggish. MetroPCS offers subscribers a mail@metro email service, but it's subject to the browser's slow loading times. The phone's other main features are messaging and free turn-by-turn directions. Reviewers find call quality mostly acceptable, but complain of static and robotic voices. The inability of the Nuance-powered voice dialing to recognize Lendino's commands leads him to conclude that the phone's processor is too slow. He also stresses the need to make sure that users live in the best coverage area for optimal call quality. Rated battery life is 5 hours of talk time, and reviewers get about 4.5 to 5 hours in their tests.

Few experts weigh in on this prepaid phone. CNET's review of the Samsung Messager III examines most of the phone's features, and heavily criticizes the downgraded camera. PCMag's review is more comparative, and lists a number of other devices Lendino deems better than the Messager III.