Samsung Sway U650

"The Samsung Sway continues Samsung's newest tradition of stealing phone designs from LG," quips Philip Berne of InfoSync.com. Indeed, the Sway is the twin to the LG Shine, sporting a sleek, slender slider-phone form factor that wins over reviewers and users. The device measures about 4.2 inches by 2 inches by 0.5 inches and weighs a mere 3.6 ounces -- just small enough to go unnoticed in a pocket. The Sway's vibrant 2.2-inch, 240-by-320-pixel display resides on the outside of the slider door. The screen's exterior location, however, makes it vulnerable to scratches and fingerprints, especially because the device lacks a thumb grip for easy opening. On the inside of the phone lies a brightly backlit keypad that comes equipped with predictive text entry, although users complain that the flush keys, combined with the slider design and user interface, make for awkward keypad entry. Also, when shutting the slider, the keypad and ringer volume sometimes lock automatically, creating a resetting headache.

The Sway offers great call quality and a solid midrange feature set, according to CNET. Capabilities include text messaging, picture messaging, instant messaging with AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger, a full-featured web browser, web-based email, a 1,000-entry phone book, Bluetooth, GPS with VZ Navigator, and Verizon's new City ID add-on feature, which lists the city in addition to phone number of incoming calls. Also on board are 50 MB of onboard memory expandable up to 8 GB via a microSD slot, a 2-megapixel camera with video capture like the LG Shine, and a music player, although Berne describes the latter as "bare bones" and it's paired with a proprietary headset. (You'll need an adapter to use your own headphones.) These mid-tier features face an obstacle, says Tong Zhang of MobileTechReview.com, because the Sway relies on the slower 1xRTT network.

Without EVDO, limitations prevail: slow-loading web pages, the inability to multitask, and no V CAST music, although the Sway does support Verizon's subscription-based Rhapsody mobile service. Compounding the network support problems, users say that the Sway suffers from horrible battery life. Zhang says that these setbacks, especially the lack of EVDO, prevent the Sway from being a multimedia powerhouse like the pricier LG Dare, but it nonetheless remains a fashionable and affordable phone.

In-depth reviews from MobileTechReview.com, InfoSync.com and CNET evaluate the design, features and performance of the Samsung Sway, comparing it with the LG Shine and several other market rivals, while user reviews from CNET, PhoneScoop.com and Amazon.com reveal problems with extended use.

The Sway is just exactly that..But a pretty good phone

On this Mobile Cellphone i would give it 4 out of 5. I don't use it on Verizon Network but it is used on Cricket. Calls are nice and clear and Speakerphone is fantastic so you can leave your bluetooth off which is good because the battery life on these phones are 2 days under normal use. So using the bluetooth would make it worse obviously. I read this in some forums even using with Verizon but it does get good signal. Another problem is that Verizon(like all mobile carriers now days is limiting their Bluettoth to just a headset so you cannot bluetooth with another phone,this is one of them for sure. Matter fact even with an SD card in their phone's(and other carriers) on most their phones you cannot use a ringtone that you download from net unless it is through their propietary method,have to pay for everything. And what one has to do with these models to get their own ringer on to work is almost not worth the effort uless one knows a good phone tech who knows what he/she is doing. But hacks are available and these companies should know that this is going to happen and that the normal joe cellphone user in this economy is going to be going to older phone models to do what you want as far as ringers(there is no problem with the wallpapers(at least with the Sway) but i am sure it is with other models...I myself bought this phone for daughter and it is a good phone but i am looking for another and i am going to the older Nokia or Moto's that do not have bluetooth restriction's and such as i described above....So far this search has been a good one and i am actualy going back to a Nokia that T-Mobile use to sell(the 5300) because they get decent talk time,speakerphone is loud as anything i have ever heard except for maybe one moto that came out in 2004 which is a E398(Those phones are loud) but not as clear as the Nokia 5300.....I'm into a phone for a phone and i only add ringtones and wallpapers to them and look for a phone that will last and at least pretty well made(i'm easy on my phones) have a decent talk time and standby time and i don't use them for a multi-media device or a pc. So all in all The Sway(if i were using it) is a good phone,pretty well built,easy slider,easy to punch numbers and text message and has good clear call quality and gets good signal. Sliders are not for all( we like them in my house) but they are not for everyone. Oh something i have to mention,this screen is great looking on the Sway. Very clean and clear looking,like looking out of a glass at a picture perfect setting. Overall 8/10 or 4 out of 5(whichever). Battery life just needs to be kicked up a notch but there is an extended battery for these with a back from Samsung or Ebay i'm sure that adds about an hour talk time and an extra day to phone. Thats my opinion on this one but i think people will start complaining about the bluetooth issue and not being able to do what they want as in the not so far back past or buy oversea unlocked phone's for all carriers or for CDMA get them flashed with other software and not use Verizon or T-Mobile or the rest. They better pay attention because *The word is out*.

Great Slider Phone

I swear by Samsung cell phones. The Sway is the third in a series of Samsung phones that I've owned (my last Samsung lasted three years and still held a battery charge for four days at the end of its life). When shopping for a new phone, I knew I wanted a slider phone and was hoping Samsung had one available. They did: the newly released Sway. So far, the phone has met all my expectations for the quality I have come to expect from the company.

The LCD screen is bright, large and colorful, a wonderful display that rivals anything less than a touchscreen. The 2.0 megapixel camera is a real gem, snapping large, high-quality photos with ease. The menus, too, are easy to navigate with lots of cool extras: three calculators, MP3 ringtones, games, VCAST and Web browsing. Calls come through loud and crisp, and the speakerphone performs its job adequately.

There are a few downsides I've encountered, but nothing to make me resent buying the phone. Perhaps the biggest is the lack of any grip when sliding the phone open. It will take a few weeks to loosen the sliding mechanism, and forget about opening the phone if your hands are greasy or sweaty.

The other downside is the lack of a headphone jack. This means that any wired earpiece you might own is not compatible. The Sway is bluetooth enabled, so you'll have to get a bluetooth earpiece if you want/need hands-free use.

Otherwise, Samsung has released yet another capable phone that is sleek, stylish and packed with features for both the casual and die-hard user alike.

Thanks for reading. If you found this review helpful, please vote "yes" at the bottom of this entry.

I love this phone!

First and foremost, the first thing that sticks out about this phone is it's looks. It is very stylish and the shiny chrome look is very nice. I also love the user interface. It is very intuitive and easy to use. The screen could be a little bigger, but it still looks nice nonetheless with nice, bright colors. I love the high level of personalization the phone has as well. It has several background images, 4 different themes, and 2 fonts to choose from. You can truly have a different look to your phone every day if you wanted to, so it will never get old. One thing I did notice that is slightly annoying is the fact that there is no raised edge for your thumb to slide open the phone. It's all flat on the front of the phone, so sliding it open is nearly impossible without smudging up the screen. Not a huge deal, but like I said, slightly annoying. The camera on this phone has impressed me, and it has a nice self-portrait mirror near the camera lens so you don't have to go through the trial and error when you want to take a picture of yourself and a friend but no one is around to take it for you. Texting is much the same on this phone as with any phone with a standard keypad. Other reviews I have read have said the flat buttons make texting difficult, but I found it to be more than easy. I would also have liked to see a dedicated lock button on the side of the phone, instead of an automatic lock feature. You can shut off the auto-lock upon sliding the phone closed, but once the display shuts off when the phone is closed, it will lock even if you have turned off the auto-lock. So, if you receive a text message and would like to read it quickly without opening the phone, you have to unlock the phone by hitting OK twice, which is a little annoying. I have found battery life to be decent, but if you text a lot, expect to charge your phone at the end of the day because you might be down to 2 bars. Overall, I love this phone and think it's perfect for the cell phone user who wants a good looking phone fully capable of calls and texting, but doesn't need all the bells and whistles of smartphones.

The Best Slim Phone!

If you don’t need a touch screen and internet function, you will love Samsung Sway. I have used Samsung Sway for 4 months and I love it. It is very thin and light. Also, it is very easy for me to open without using both hands. The screen is large and clear. The menus are customizable and very easy to use. Especially, I love the camera which has 2.0 megapixel. I use 2GB micro SD card for saving pictures and videos. The quality of picture is very good. (The highest resolution for the camera is 1600X1200.) However, the quality of video is not good; especially, the sound from video is very hard to hear. Anyway, I don’t use the video function a lot, so it is not a matter for me.

Ringtone and alarm volume is loud, and the speaker phone is very loud and easy to use. About the battery life, Verizon says it has 4.5 hours use time and 312 hours standby time. I think it is reliable. I usually recharge it every two or three days. Overall this phone is awesome and I would definitely recommend it.