Samsung Juke Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons
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Robin Liss Published on November 05, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (4.0)
At $100 for a 2-year contract from Verizon, the Juke is not the best deal out there. For the same price you could have the Palm Centro, a basic smart phone. What you do get with the Juke though is a cute little phone with 2 GB of memory and an above-average music player. While this isn't a great deal, it isn't a bad one, either. We do, however, think it might be beneficial to wait to buy it, as we can see the Juke being free with contract in a few months.
Comparisons
LG Chocolate Vx8550 - The LG Chocolate Vx8550 costs $30 more than the Juke. It has better software on the whole, but is far less focused than the Juke. While the Chocolate has a memory card slot that will bump its memory up by 4 GB, it's really a necessary purchase if you want to use the Chocolate as a music device. The Juke, on the other hand, comes with 2 GB of internal memory, but no expansion card slot. The two phones have very similar d-pads, though the Chocolate lets you control the sensitivity of the scroll wheel. The Juke does have more aesthetic appeal, however, and a unique form factor. In all, the Juke is smaller, better-looking, more focused on being a music player, and slightly cheaper. The Chocolate does give you some fuller software (and a better screen for using it), and has the potential for double the memory. 
Sony Ericcson W580i - The W580i gives you more software for less of a price: about $80 with contract. What it doesn't have is the memory; it has 12 MB with a proprietary memory card slot that can hold up to 2 GB. Even factoring in the extra cost (about $25), however, the W580i is most likely a better phone and a better deal.
Motorola Razr2 (Verizon) - This match-up comes down to price. You can get the Razr2 for $250 with contract, which will net you better, though under-utilized hardware, and slightly better software. The Razr2 can play music on its external touch screen, which is much better than the Juke's tiny screen and d-pad. Basically, however, despite having a few extra features the Juke doesn't have, the Razr2 just doesn't have enough to merit its price, unfortunately. The Juke also suffers from this problem to a certain extent, but its cost-benefit ratio is more favorable to the consumer.
Samsung Blast - The Blast and the Juke are in similar boats. They're both made by Samsung. They both cost around $100 with contract, though both should be free in a matter of months. Both offer slightly more than a basic entry-level phone; the Juke has an interesting form, music player, and 2GB of internal memory, and the Blast has slightly better software and a fancy keypad. The problem with the Blast is that, unlike the Juke, it lacks a focus. Samsung and T-Mobile claim the Blast is a texting powerhouse, but we found its lauded keypad was rather unresponsive to double-tapping keys. The Juke, however, actually performs its focal duties well. We'd recommend the Juke here. 
Apple iPhone - The Juke will most likely be an iPhone surrogate rather than direct competition. Overstretched parents whose kids have demanded an iPhone for Christmas might see the Juke as an easier pill to swallow that still offers much of the same benefits. Here, however, the cost-benefit ratio simply isn't in the Juke's favor, as the extra money gets you an additional 6GM and far superior hardware and software. | Previous Next | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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