SAMSUNG: Samsung SCH-A950

Sunday 15 July 2012

Samsung SCH-A950

Samsung continues to refine its 3G flip phone designs with the sleek, eye-catching SCH-A950 for Verizon Wireless. Complete with a 1.3-megapixel camera, a TransFlash expansion slot, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and a quartet of music controls below the colorful display, the stylish SCH-A950 just might knock the Motorola E815 off its pedestal as our favorite Verizon V Cast phone--the bigger but flatter Razr V3c notwithstanding. At a reasonable $130 (or $80 with a two-year service plan), the Samsung SCH-A950 ranks as one of the most affordable 3G phones we've seen from a major carrier. That said, we're as annoyed as ever by Verizon's continued policy of limiting Bluetooth access to wireless headsets and forcing MP3s to be converted to WMA format for playback on the phone. With its silver curves and glossy red trim, the Samsung SCH-A950 is certainly a looker. On the sides, it has the same oval-shaped stereo speakers as Sprint's Samsung MM-A920, while the camera lens and 1.1-inch, 65,000-color screen on the outer flap also look familiar. The big change, however, is the addition of a large jog dial just below the external display that's surrounded by buttons for next, skip, play/pause, and stop. Pressing and holding the play button when the phone is closed launches the phone's music player, while the jog dial lets you scroll through playlists, scan forward or backward within a song, and select a track for playing--similar to "scrubbing" on an iPod. Although it was a handy feature overall, the phone's scrollwheel was a bit small for our thumb. At 3.4 by 1.9 by 1.0 inches and 4.6 ounces, the solidly built SCH-A950 is exactly as large and heavy as the Motorola E815, but it fit better in our jeans pocket, thanks to the welcome lack of an external antenna.