Samsung SGH-A237

The Samsung SGH-A237 is an entry-level clamshell cell phone made for AT&T, and professional and owner reviews say it's about what you'd expect for the price, with one exception: battery life. Owner reviews generally mention battery life as a plus, and CNET's tests reveal a whopping 10 hours of talk time between charges, about double the manufacturer's estimate. Reviews also say the Samsung SGH-A237's build is sturdy for the price, but call quality is a bit below average, with some interference noted. Other than that, most features are standard low-end: a VGA camera (no video) with no flash, a tiny monochrome external display and a low-res 2-inch color screen inside.

The Samsung A237 can do a lot -- email, send instant and text messages, surf the web -- and the alphanumeric keypad is described as generously sized with a good tactile feel. In reviews, some owners say they have problems with Bluetooth connectivity. There is a speakerphone and voice recorder, but no music player and just 3 MB of internal memory with no microSD slot to expand that memory. The Samsung A237 is available in red, blue and black. In roundups of "best cheap cell phones" and "best basic phones" by PCMag.com and CNET, respectively, Samsung is represented, but the top choice for PCMag is the Pantech Breeze, also an AT&T phone.

Reviews are scarce for low-end cell phones like the Samsung SGH-A237. At this writing, CNET offers the only professional review. ConsumerReports.org covers lots of Samsung models, but not the SGH-A237. We found no owner reviews at Amazon.com and just a smattering at ATT.com and GSMArena.com.