C100--light little charm (Samsung SGH-C100)

Member Name: l.wright

Product:	Samsung SGH-C100
Date:	19/11/03 (1210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 65k colour screen, small size and low weight, polyphonic ringtones

Disadvantages: dualband, not triband, no interchangable fascias

After seeing the other review, I felt obliged to put in mine. Unfortunately for the other reviewer, Argos is very clear about its mobile phone policy and has a disclaimer at the bottom of all of its catalogue pages.

With that said, I am sorry to see that someone out there got a lemon out of this superb phone. I formerly tried getting a Motorola C350. That phone was flawed so I took it back and got a Samsung A800. That was quite a lovely phone, but I couldn't stand being without the colour screen anymore.

The next obvious choice was the Samsung C100. The screen on this phone is probably one of its most appealing aspects. 65k in colour, a screen like this will impress just about anyone. It sure did when I saw the one my best friend owns. Then, I compared the size to that of the A800. There was really not much of a difference. And now we come to one of the other best aspects of this phone. It is quite slim and light (as in only 76g). That makes it barely noticeable when carrying it around. I actually forget sometimes that I have it on me (which can be both good and bad).

The phone I have runs on the Virgin network and with their price discounts (on the assumption you buy airtime), the C100 came to about 70 pounds in price. Don't let the price fool you on this phone; it is anything but cheap in quality.

One would think that the slim size and colourful screen, which are must-haves, are all you might get for 70 quid. Not true. In addition to those features, the C100 also comes with fun, not necessary but definitely not rejectable aspects including: polyphonic ringtones, a WAP browser, Animated wallpapers, an easy-to-use menu, silent vibrate, JAVA games (which you can download more of), a service light (indicating where you're getting service at), and a tantalising blue lit keypad. The battery is also another point of interest as, unlike many other phones, it can hold a pretty decent charge. And if you ge
t too popular with your new phone and run out of room on your SIM card to store numbers, don't fear as this phone comes with the capability to store up to 500 contacts!

Overall, this phone is by far one of the best I've seen in the Pay As You Go market. If you're getting a contract phone, then by all means, get some hugely high tech phone that has all the goods as you get a discount. But if you are getting PAYG and you need to pay up front for your phone, this is definitely the phone you want to be paying up front for.

The C100 has only a couple of bad aspects including the fact that it is not triband and also it has no interchangeable fascias. The problem with not having triband will soon be solved by Virgin when they allow their phones to still be used on the UK network but overseas. However, this may not be true with other services and it also means it could get expensive. If you plan on being out of the UK for longer than 6 months, this may not be the phone you want. As for the fascias, Samsung has made the design of the C100 so palatable that, though fascias would be fun, you really won't mind that you're missing out on them (especially seeing as they cost so much). Other than that, you will be quite hard pressed to find something you're not quite happy with on this phone.

Summary: