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Entry-level clamshell cell phone with good call quality and battery life
- Affordable
- Battery life tested at six hours
- Text-to-speech mode
- Headphone jack
- GPS support
- VGA camera is pretty bad
- No microSD card slot
- No music player
- Screen hard to see in direct light
The Samsung SCH-U430, a minor update to the Samsung SCH-u410, is a basic black clamshell cell phone with a VGA camera and no music player. It stands out in two areas, according to a review by CNET -- "quite good" call quality, and battery life that tested at more than six hours of talk time. The same review, however, says the photo quality is poor even for a VGA camera -- "shots were blurry and rather dim," editors say. There's no flash, no video recording, and no microSD slot (the phone does have 16 MB of built-in memory). The main upgrades from the SCH-u410 are an improved menu and "text to speech," a feature that will read text messages to you. One owner review describes that sound as a "sultry female Stephen Hawking sound-alike" voice.
Among the standard features are text and instant messaging, email, a basic WAP 2.0 web browser and speakerphone. Because it's Verizon, there is support for VZ Navigator, a GPS function. The phone has a 1-inch monochrome exterior display screen and a 2-inch low-res interior color screen. CNET's review notes some difficulty with viewing the main screen in direct light. The SCH-U430 does have Bluetooth capability as well as a (nonstandard) 2.5 mm headphone jack. If you want something simple but still a bit of an upgrade over the Samsung SCH-U430, reviews are favorable for the Pantech Breeze on AT&T, which has a better LCD screen plus a camcorder. PCMag.com points to the LG VX5400, now replaced by the well-reviewed LG VX5400 as a good budget pick for Verizon users.
We found the only full-featured professional review at CNET, which is thorough in its hands-on testing, including battery life. CNET and PCMag.com also publish roundups of the best inexpensive cell phones. While the Samsung SCH-U430 isn't included in either, these roundups will give you an idea of what features can be expected in a budget cell phone. ConsumerReports.org rates lots of Samsung cell phones, but not the Samsung SCH-U430 or SCH-U410. We found no owner reviews at Amazon.com, but there are a few helpful user reviews at CNET and PhoneScoop.com.
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Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET gives the Samsung SCH-U430 a "good" rating, saying it's OK for phone calls but that the camera is poor and the plastic body is "somewhat flimsy." The handful of user reviews are entirely negative, most saying call quality is poor, but it's not an adequate sampling to be a true consensus.
Review: Samsung SCH-U430 (Verizon Wireless), Kent German, Oct. 6, 2008
A few owner reviews combine for a generally positive overview of the Samsung SCH-U430, all of them saying it's fine if you want something simple to make phone calls, although the reception could be better.
Review: Samsung SCH-U430, Contributors to PhoneScoop.com
3. Tech-FAQ.com
Reviews here appear to be written off the spec sheet rather than as the result of hands-on testing. The article praises the Samsung's compatibility with Verizon's Navigator Location Based Services and its Bluetooth connectivity.
Review: Samsung SCH-u430, Editors of Tech-FAQ.com
