Samsung G600

26 Jan 2008
The Samsung G600 is a hugely popular slider phone from Samsung. The G600 weighs just 104g and measures 102 x 48 x 14.9 mm. This slim phone is thicker than the equally popular Nokia 6300 (11.9mm) or ultra-slim Samsung U600 but has a feature set to match the larger and more expensive Nokia N95 (21mm).

This sleek black and grey slider phone fits in to Samsung's consistent style of smart phones suitable for business or pleasure, not looking like a flashy item to show off, but also not looking like a budget item. Its size is perfect for most pockets although it is definitely still noticeable. However, once opened using the superb slider mechanism the full size phone is extremely comfortable to handle.

The screen isn't as large as the likes of the LG KG800 and LG KU990 Viewty but is sufficient for most uses and produces a great quality picture with 240x320 pixels in the now standard 16 million colours. The Samsung G600 has no touch sensitive keys, which at DialToSave is definitely considered a positive as it means there are less accidental keystrokes and the phone is suitable for more users. The menu buttons feel like they are a long way from the bottom of the number keypad but this is not really a problem as only one or the other is normally used at a time. The cancel button could cause a problem for large thumbed users who are likely to press it accidentally when scrolling down on the menu.

The Samsung G600 has a superb set of features, led by its 5 megapixel camera. At the time, only the bulkier Nokia N95 had a 5 megapixel camera making the G600 a great option. Within its price range, the G600 remains a good camera phone with 4x digital zoom and video capability. The LED flash does let it down, especially when compared to the Xenon flash of the LG Viewty and the new Samsung G800. However, the picture quality for well lit scenes is consistently impressive. The camera lens itself is protected behind the slide which should avoid unnecessary smudging and scratching when left in a pocket, unlike the Nokia N95.

So, on to the other features of the Samsung G600. In the music arena, the phone can play MP3, WMA and AAC files as well as having an integrated FM radio. Songs can be played in shuffle mode. The internal memory of 40MB is not much compared to MP3 players but the phone can take MicroSD cards meaning that external memory of up to 2GB can be added. You can listen to the music on Samsung's own headphones or on third party bluetooth headphones, in fact even playing on two sets of headphones at a time.

Despite the decent web browser, the Samsung G600 is unfortunately not 3G, let alone 3.5G like the N95 so it suffers comparatively in terms of download speed. However, the price tag does not really lead you to expect this or other features like wi-fi, and it does have EDGE giving it significantly better speeds than just GPRS. The handset also has USB connectivity for using it with a PC.

The battery supports 300 hours of standby time making it a significant contender, especially for business use although the talk time is not much higher than competitors at 3.5 hours.

Overall, the Samsung G600 will be a sensible purchase for many mid-market consumers and business users, although those needing night-time photography or the fastest internet access should look to the Nokia N82 or Samsung G800 if they can afford the relevant price tags.

Reviewer: Athena - London
Reviewed on: 27th October, 2008
Rating: 8/10
Have only had my pink G600 for a few days and still trying to fathom a lot of things out on it. The spec says there are 63 ringtones - but I can't find them! Unless that means that's the amount you can download onto it. Have only found a few of the default ringtones which are extremely boring. The instruction booklet that came with it is awful - doesn't explain things in detail and I've had to spend hours sifting through all the various options and folders etc working stuff out for myself. I'm sure that a lot of the negative feedback is due to people not realising that this phone can actually do certain things that they believe it can't. Still, I think it's a great little phone from what I can see so far. Tested the camera and it's fab - really clear, good quality pics. Good sized screen, too. Sometimes have difficulty sliding the phone open due to there not being a finger grip bit and I'm worried that the screen might get damaged/scratched by applying too much pressure on it when sliding the phone open. Radio/MP3 player has excellent sound although I will probably change the earphones. I love the Dynamic screensaver!! Love the way it changes from daytime scene of London to nightime scene. I find myself watching the birds flying in the sky above Big Ben and it's great when a text message comes through and you see fireworks going off in the sky! Ah, simple pleasures... You can set the amount of time you want the keypad and display to stay lit or switch to dim, too. All in all, I do like the phone but I wish it had come with better instructions and a better selection of ringtones/message tones etc. I haven't had it long enough yet to come up with any real negative feedback about any major problems, so for now I have no reason not to recommend it (but be prepared to spend ages setting it all to your own preferences). So far I'm happy with my purchase!

Reviewer: Cara - Anglesey
Reviewed on: 21st September, 2008
Rating: 9/10
i think its a great phone, really thin with such a good camera as well! such a shame about the photo viewing i think, because you cant just scroll through them! very annoying. but other than that, i think its fantastic! x x

Reviewer: sarah - london
Reviewed on: 7th September, 2008
Rating: 5/10
the phone is really good apart from i cannot find how to put the phone on silent or change ring tones. does anyone know about this?

Reviewer: Hayley - Shropshire
Reviewed on: 24th August, 2008
Rating: 8/10
Ive had the G600 purple for a week now, love this colour! Very user friendly and a great camera, a bit dissapointed that you cant change the settings on the message tone and so have to put up with the default ones! The buttons and sliding action also feel a little cheap, however i do like the fact its got an FM stereo as ive never had this feature on a phone before, all in all not a bad phone, easy to use, looks good and a quality camera.

Reviewer: Christine - UK
Reviewed on: 18th July, 2008
Rating: 5/10
Agreed the Samsung G600 is a stylish phone with a great camera. Unfortunately for me I was on a contract and I could never get good service with it. My calls dropped out all the time. (I live in a rural area in Hampshire UK) After many returns to the shop and 2 new samsung g 600's I finally convinced vodafone that nokias always worked in my area but the samsung didn't. They replaced the Samsung with a nokia and I have had no more problems. Amazing that my problem is quite unique, as otherwise the phone seems to be very popular

Reviewer: Beverley Andrews - Derbys
Reviewed on: 11th June, 2008
Rating: 10/10
I was a bit of a phone addict - buying new phones every three or four months - until I discovered the Samsung G600. Slim, sleek, sexy, slidy and stylish, this phone is the best I have ever owned, bar none. The camera is superb, featuring all the functions you would expect from a mid-range camera and then some! I took a photo of my dog, changed it to pencil sketch effect, printed it out and have been asked several times if it is a real sketch of her.

All the things you'd expect are included, bluetooth, games, data cable facility, Email on the go, a decent web browser, excellent battery lifeplenty of storage rooom for tunes and an FM radio, this gorgeous little phone has everything you need and more. It also makes phone calls - which is, of course, a bonus! Love it, love it, love it!

Reviewer: Rizwan - Mitcham, London
Reviewed on: 21st May, 2008
Rating: 9/10
I am having Samsung G600 it is outstanding, graphics are superb, and specially its layout amazing,i like to talk about the features of G600 as It has a 5 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, LED Flask and White balance. The Samsung G600 has a music player with stereo FM radio and bluetooth for wireless connectivity, simply its is according to my my level of standard, very easy to use, very easy to carry as you can carry this slim and smart phone anywhere, i am having Samsung G600 Black i love this colour, i like style in everything and Samsung G600 has a unique style.

Reviewer: Sasha Woodward - england
Reviewed on: 20th April, 2008
Rating: 9/10
The phone is stunning, I bought mine and had it covered in lushlush Swarovski crystal by Crystal Iced!:

Great phone a must buy for all!!!!


Reviewer: Lyndel Toidalema - Papua New Guinea
Reviewed on: 6th April, 2008
Rating: 9/10
It's slik, cool and you would not go unnoticed with one on you.

Reviewer: donna cruickshank - Melrose, Scotland
Reviewed on: 30th March, 2008
Rating: 9/10
Combining killer looks and excellent performance this is indeed a winner. With a 5 megapixel camera you can also give David Bailey a run for his money. Sleek and and sassy this mobile phone is the creme de la creme of mobile phones. If you are looking for design and performance then this is the phone for you.

Reviewer: georgina - Stoke-on-Trent
Reviewed on: 28th March, 2008
Rating: 9/10
I think that the Samsung G600 Pink is a very cool and stylish phone, especially for younger girls, the camera is the best on a phone that I have ever seen. It is also very light and sexy looking, I have had this phone for a year and I am still learning new things about it, this phones features will ensure that you will never get bored of it.

Reviewer: Helen Salt - Newcastle, Staffs
Reviewed on: 14th March, 2008
Rating: 7/10
I have had the Samsung G600 pink now for 4 days and it is growing on me. I am very disappointed that you cant have a ring tone as a message tone as you can on the model below (the U600). The messaging is quite slow aswell especially if you can text very quickly as i can. Not as good as the SE W880i (my previous phone) but I'm sure it will be ok in the end. Also looking at your pictures is a very slow process as you cant just scroll, you have to keep going back then look at the next one. Not had chance to try the camera out yet so sorry about that.
Hope this review was helpful..

Reviewer: Rosie Nippard - Dorset - UK
Reviewed on: 19th February, 2008
Rating: 6/10
I've always liked Samsung phones - first my trusty V200, then my E900 so I fell in love with this phone as soon as I saw it. Unfortunately, despite it's sleek looks and ease of use I'm really disappointed with it. Maybe I've got one from a dodgy batch but despite returning it (twice) I'm still plagued with niggly problems.
1. The backlight on the keypad (and sometimes on the screen) dip out and/or dim making texting in low light highly frustating.
2. The dictionary forgets new words all of a sudden - for example XXX at the end of a text, you can be using it quite happily yet on next text you send it's forgotten it. And where is the dictionary hidden? I want to remove words that I'll never use so that there's more memory for my custom ones, but I cannot find it on any of the settings options.
3. So you want to set your own ringtone? Fine, just don't expect it to always remember that you've done so. Again works fine for a while then for no apparent reason the phone goes back to it's dull default setting.
4. You can't set your own message tone. It has to be one of the (again dull) default ones.
5. Want to take a video? Better hope that it's not for longer than about 12 seconds otherwise you've had it. Far too short.
6. Want to save your texts into folders? Well you can, but only into one. Unlike my E900 where you can create multiple folders which I personally like.
On the plus side, the camera is good (though complicated for anything other than a standard snapshot), and the music player isn't bad. Having the option to extend the memory via a Micro SD card is helpful too.
Would I recommend this phone? No probably not as I wouldn't want someone else to feel as let down by it as I am.

Reviewer: tara mcmurdo - uk
Reviewed on: 13th January, 2008
Rating: 10/10
i like the design of the phone

Reviewer: faz786 - london
Reviewed on: 20th November, 2007
Rating: 9/10
i had samsung G600 for five weeks. simply the best i ever had..
battery & signal very good every day use

Let us know what you think of the Samsung G600. Leave your comments on the mobile phone using the form below. Please also score the phone out of 10, and leave your name (first name is OK) and location.

1. You must own or use the phone to leave a review
2. Do not use this form to ask questions
3. Inappropriate submissions will not be accepted

Your Name:
Your Location:
Email Address:
If you leave your email address and your review is more than 50 words and contains the name of the handset, you will automatically be entered into our free prize draw to win £100 on 28th July 2008. The email address will not be used for any other purpose and will not be displayed on this page. Terms and Conditions
Review:
Score out of 10: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

copy the text from the image into this box