Samsung SGH-T339

The Samsung SGH-T339 has more features than most low-end clamshell cell phones, but it still doesn't attract much attention from professional reviewers. Such inexpensive cell phones usually don't. CNET has the only credible professional review we could find, and although reviewer Kent German rates the Samsung SGH-T339 as "good," ultimately he suggests the Nokia 6301 as being similarly featured but just a bit better overall. Both have Wi-Fi calling options, which will save you cellular minutes; you can't use Wi-Fi for web surfing though. T-Mobile phones in general are criticized in reviews for blocking third-party apps from accessing the Internet, so you can't upgrade to the Opera Mini web browser to improve your web surfing experience. CNET's German says call quality is OK -- though not as good as the Nokia 6301 -- and performance, as usual, is better on Wi-Fi calls. The Wi-Fi feature is missing from the Samsung SGH-T339's less expensive little brother, the Samsung SGH-T229.

Otherwise, the features are fairly plentiful but not high-end. The camera/camcorder is just 1.3 megapixels. CNET's German says the "generic music player barely makes an effort," but at least you have a microSD memory card slot to store a decent selection of songs. Owner reviews complain that the phone shuts itself off, and some users say they find none of the 15 ringtones appealing. It does have Bluetooth and support for text and instant messaging. CNET tests the battery and gets nearly eight hours of talk time, about 90 minutes more than advertised.

CNET offers a professional review, and there are about 15 owner reviews that combine to give the Samsung SGH-T339 the same rating as reviewer Kent German. We also found about 10 owner reviews at PhoneArena.com; they're a little less impressed than users at CNET. At this writing there are no owner reviews at Amazon.com, and while ConsumerReports.org rates more than a dozen T-Mobile phones, the Samsung SGH-T339 isn't one of them.