Samsung Beat for T-Mobile Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons
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Mark Brezinski Published on February 21, 2008 Comment on this |
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Value (5.0)
For the most part, it's up to personal preference as to whether the Beat is a deal or not. We're on the fence as well, mainly because it's such a focused device. It's a relatively cheap music handset that has the battery life to perform both tasks fairly well. It does fall a bit short on the memory side, since it can only hold up to 2GB on a memory card, and that requires an extra investment since the one it comes with is only 1GB. Also, if you want anything in the way of good organizational software, you'll have to look elsewhere. Really, the difference between the Beat and the Razr V3m is the additional battery life. We tend to think this added longevity makes up for the cost; battery life is important for a media-oriented handset since it's almost always in use, but still needs to save enough juice for the occasional call.
Phones like the Beat tend to drop in price a few months after their release, but it's nice to see a newly-released entry-level phone that is actually priced reasonably. Therefore, if you're love-stricken by the bee-themed exterior, you shouldn't feel guilty for picking it up at its current price.
Comparisons
Razr2 V8 - This is one of the few comparisons where the Razr2 V8 actually has better software than its counterpart. If you're willing to pay extra for a nicer-looking handset that's more capable, then the V8 is a great option. 
Samsung Blast - The Blast is very similar to the Beat. The former offers better battery life, slightly better software, and looks like it came from a cereal box. The Beat has external media controls and is $30 cheaper. Though $30 really isn't a huge stretch, it really doesn't reflect the gain in software (or the loss in durability). 
Samsung SLM - The SLM is basically a better version of the Beat in almost every way. It has a nicer-looking exterior and better software, which includes the Napster download service. The problem is that the SLM costs almost $130. We didn't think the SLM was that great a deal, and its advances over the Beat certainly don't cover the large jump in price. If you won't miss music downloads via Napster, you should definitely consider the Beat. 
Motorola W385 - The W385 is a much better budget phone since it's free. It can't, however, play music. The Beat also has slightly more comprehensive software. Really, the jump from $0 to $50 rests in whether or not you think you'll use the music playback feature. 
Samsung Juke - The Juke's price has come down to $50, making it a direct competitor with the Beat. In this matchup, we'd have to side with the Juke. Though you'd be losing a (terrible) camera, the Juke comes with 2GB of memory built in, negating the need to buy a 2GB microSD card. Though a minor characteristic, the form factor might play the biggest role in the match-up. If you're buying a music phone for an irreverant youth, the Juke might appeal to their devil-may-care sensibilities. If this phone is for someone who would be embarassed to be using such a quirky little device, the Beat might be a better bet. Overall, however, we think we'd side with the Juke in this instance. | Previous Next | |
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