First things first, this is my first non-Motorola handset, which took some getting used to. My previous handsets have been a Motorola v2397, Motorola Timeport P8197 and a Motorola v60t, all TDMA phones. The Samsung SGH-e315 is about the same size as a Motorola v60, it is a little shorter, thinner and lighter. The sound quality and RF are outstanding. The camera is quite good and the phone has the ability to take 15 seconds of video with sound. The video is a bit jerky but what do you expect from a phone? Actually, I was quite impressed with the video quality from such a small handset. The internal screen is fantastic, bright color and clear, crisp graphics. The external screen is the perfect size and the photo caller ID works wonderfully. I was a bit disappointed that you have to choose from one of four preset wallpapers for the external screen and cannot set the phone to display a picture behind the clock. The battery life of this handset is excellent, when fully charged it lasted more than 24 hours with constant use of the camera and games which draw power like a madman. The speaker volume is outstanding and you can use the side keys to change the volume of the speaker during a call. You can't use the side keys to access anything when the phone is closed, all they do is turn the external screen back on so you can read the clock, which is handy but I think the side keys could be better used to scroll through a list of previously called or received numbers when you are using the hands-free kit. The phone includes several ring tones but none of them are, shall we say, normal. They are all sort of annoying, weird little songs and noises. I ended up using the "T-Jingle" which is the little tone at the end of T-Mobile advertisements. The lack of a ringer even slightly resembling a ringing phone of any kind is disturbing. This may be a ploy to get you to download better ring tones, I'm not sure. (Do they even have a downloadable ring tone called, "phone?") The e315 has an external status light that Samsung calls a "service light" and you can set it to blink in any of several colors when you have service to your phone. It is shaped like a smile, which is sort of weird. The phone comes with wallpapers for the external display but they can only be one of four colors, blue, sky blue, green or purple. The external display does not have the same array of colors as the internal display or service light... strange. The included games are decent, MobileChess is my favorite and you can play that against another person which is pretty sweet. (The other included games are BubbleSmile, Fun2Link & Ultimate Golf Challenge.) The hands-free kit T-Mobile included free was Samsung OEM equipment and was pretty nice, especially for free. The ear bud is clear and loud and the microphone has a send/end button on it and picks up your voice clearly. There is a little door on the handset itself which you can move to use the hands-free kit and when you're done using the kit you move it back and it covers the port keeping it clean. The charger port also has a similar cover but it is just a pop in piece of plastic which I'll probably lose at some point but I think it's a brilliant idea. So far, T9 is frustrating as hell but I'm sure as I use it more I'll become more accustomed to it. I have some issues with the SMS features on the phone. In order to type a 1, you have to hit the 1 key eleven times as the 1 character is the last character on the 1 key. Then there is the lack of an " # or ' character on ANY of the keys. There is the Yen sign, the Omega sign but not " # or '... kind of strange. I use those characters quite a bit and don't understand why the quote, apostrophe and pound sign would not be included... although the British Pound sign (as in money) is included for some reason. I know I use that character a lot in my daily texting. Overall the phone is excellent, there are a few small problems but I don't think that any phone would be perfect in my eyes. Excellent battery life, beautiful color screen, external display, great voice quality and RF, easy to use menu. The calendar and alarm settings are simple and the alarm works even when the phone is off. The camera is excellent considering that it's not a megapixel camera. An almost perfect clamshell phone which I highly recommend. Note: Also posted at T-Mobile Users.com
T9 on Samsung sucks hard. T9 works well on Nokias though. I love the new iTap found on v400's etc...so much better than T9, but the old iTap sucked imo. Don't hate T9, hate Samsung for their odd menu/layout choices. Glad it's working out for you on the whole! Is coverage better with TM?
No, coverage in most areas of Manhattan is the same, there are some areas T-Mobile doesn't cover that CellularONE (Western Wireless) does. Their coverage is unbeatable here in Manhattan. I got T-Mobile for roaming and LD usage mostly and I still have service with CellularONE.
Something else I forgot to mention, the phone does not have voice activated dialing, which isn't a big deal to me but may be to some people. Just F.Y.I.
Rancid, my A790 also had some of the oddest and worst ring tones. Most of them are like jazz tunes. I hear you in regards to Samsung menu layouts. I really like Motorola menu layouts myself. I also have noticed the lack of a few characters when entering contacts and doing text messages. Beyond the minor issues with the phone, I think you'll like T-Mobile a lot. I like them, myself. Good luck with your new phone!!
I love the one ringtone that screams "VICTORY!" then has a stupid little tune. THe cat one is awesome too. I'm just kidding btw lol. The ringers are just plain terrible on Samsungs imo. At least my mom's 307 has a lot to choose from, the p107 has like 8.
Nice review rancid. Samsungs are not known for their ringers, and the few other querks you mentioned are standard. I love the sound quality and RF of newer Samsungs. I would jump all over this phone if it had bluetooth. But Samsung dosn't want to jump on the BT band wagen for some reason.
The lack of Bluetooth is disheartening but that's okay. I'll upgrade to BT soon enough. As it stands now I really like this phone and T-Mobile's service, I've had to talk to CS a few times (ordering, OTA Activation, account questions, etc.) and I can see why they won the JD Power & Associates awards. Their CS is great. Once my wife and I make it through the first bill with the activation fees and buying Christmas presents for everyone we're going to add the $4.99 unlimited T-Zones and maybe look at upgrading to v600s with BT compatible headsets... then the real fun begins. Posting wirelessly on the WA forums... looking back to my Timeport P8197 I never thought this dream would come true. I'm so happy I could almost cry. :crying:
....and once T-Mobile fixes their rediculous Voice Mail-Text Message setup, you'll have a reason to be so happy you'll be crying hysterically (along with other happy T-Mobilites!!)
Actually, the more I use Samsung's T9 the more I like it. I was just so used to having to input every letter that it was strange to me. Samsung's T9, at least on the e315 is pretty nice, once you get the hang of it. Perhaps they have made some improvements.
I've discovered that the browser on the e315 will not load the WA WAP page about 99 times out of 100. Typical crappy Samsung browser I guess. Yet their WAP 1.2 browser on the c225 works just fine every time. Weirdness.
After having this phone for a couple of days, the one thing that botehrs me is that the external screen goes blank. I know you can set the time, but I was used to my mono screen on the S105 and my wife's E105. I wish the screen would turn on when the side buttons are pushed.
No problem. It seems obvious, but Samsung phones are about the only ones that don't immediately respond to a side keypress with the flip closed. I guess it saves battery in the long run, but it's still an odd "feature" in my opinion.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. I was used to my Motorola responding the second I pushed the side keys but I'm used to my Samsung now. Still, I can't wait to get my hands on the next v6XX T-Mobile gets.
DO NOT get the v600. It is one of the worst phones i have ever had. My new samsung e315 is so much better its not even funny. The v300 is a good motorola phone. Gets good reception just like the samsung. With the v600 i had no reception everywhere! I had to go into the middle of town to get reception. Worst phone ever.
jgar...funny you should say that about the V600. I had one, and it worked fine for about 2 months, then suddenly it could hardly get reception anywhere. It went from being a fabulous phone to being nearly a paperweight. I was very disappointed.
I know this is an old post...but I just bought my samsung e315 this week for me and my whole family. I love it. I have had many different cell phones with different carriers and this paticular cell phone is my favorite and tmobile is the best carrier. I dont get charged for roaming which is a killer for other plans out there...and I get free nights, weekends and mobile to mobile... the sound quality is good alot better than my other brands I have..even better than my sidekick II (actually to tell you the truth...my sidekick II was a waste of my money and I just cant wait until dec...to get rid of it...but that is a new topic in itself...).....I cant say how happy and pleased I am with this phone and the carrier...I might add tmobile has the best customer service ever...very helpful and I am never on hold...I like that.
Glad you like the e315 and T-Mobile, I do too, obviously. I haven't thought about this thread in a long time. :welcome: Welcome to the WA Forums.
I was actually looking for reviews on this (this is how I found this board...very helpful too because it talks about other phones and carriers)...and there isnt very many...well there is but not compared to other phones. I have been with tmobile now for a good while....and when I got this phone out of all the other phones I have had this e315 is the best. I really enjoy this phone...my oldest does too..she is so thrilled that she calls me even when we are in the same house...*rolling eyes* I am sure there is even better phones then this one...but for me it works great. and thank you for the warm welcoming.
