The Samsung Intensity, A Review

Looking over my blog stats today, I observed that I am not the only one out there in cyberland researching and soliciting or giving opinions on the Verizon’s Samsung Intensity.  Because my previous post was more a commentary on my disappointment over receiving a possibly defective phone than a review of the Intensity, I have decided to add the rest of my two cents about this phone for the sake of those who may be currently contemplating a wireless phone choice. 

I really like the Samsung Intensity, give it four stars out of five, only holding back on the fifth star because it is not the ultimate and I have yet to find the perfect phone.  Although I had reception and sound problems with my first device (now returned and replaced), I have been infatuated with this phone from the moment I took it out of the box—the looks and the features and now the clarity of sound.  If you want a cute phone with a slide-down qwerty keyboard for texting, a decent 1.3 megapixel camera, the ability to store and listen to music, a wall charger/USB cable that allows for easy uploading and downloading of pictures, good (I would not say excellent) reception and sound quality, and great battery life, I recommend this one.  The Intensity comes in both black/gray and red.  Pictured above is the red one in memory, sniff sniff, of my original red Intensity that was replaced with a black one by Verizon.  Yes, I’m still slightly traumatized by that.  I bought a red case for it today.

Because I have found that usage habits and pickiness level play a big part in one’s satisfaction with a phone, I’ll tell you a bit about me.  I am a 40-something female who never found the need for a wireless phone until about 6 years ago when I inherited my son’s contract (on which I had co-signed) and phone when he entered the Army.  I’m on a Verizon family plan with my parents, and out of the 700 allotted anytime minutes per month, it would be unusual for me to use 200 even though my wireless phone doubles as my home phone.  Although I don’t spend much time on the phone, I expect the reliability, reception and sound to be of the quality I am paying for (and Verizon is certainly not the cheapest of wireless service providers).  I only recently began texting–I’m lousy at it and send less than 15 per week—but I want a qwerty keyboard with usable-sized keys for when I do.  I don’t generally listen to music on my phone, but I like to have the option available.  I’m on the Internet a lot at home and at work, but I don’t use the Internet on my phone as I am too impatient to deal with the tiny print and screen and I do not want to pay for it.  On the pickiness scale, I’m somewhere in the middle or closer to the obsessive side when it comes to sound quality and functionality but I don’t lose my head over every little blur and crackle or every functional quirk.  Last but not least, I like my phone to be attractive, if a phone can be attractive, but I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

FYI, the following are lists of commonly voiced pros and cons that I have seen in recent reviews of the Samsung Intensity along with some of my own thoughts:

PROS

1. Good battery life.  Yup!  So far so good.
2. Qwerty keyboard.  Check.
3. Sleek and attractive.  Yeppers! 
4. Takes nice pictures.  Yes, for a phone, it takes nice pictures.
5. Wall charger doubles as USB connector.
6. Accommodates microSD expansion to 16 MB to store more photos and music. 

 CONS

1. Call and End buttons are too small.  I couldn’t agree more!  They are small, vertical and awkwardly located. 
2. Face buttons and qwerty keys difficult to push.  Um, the keys do require a firm touch but I do not find them to be difficult; i.e., not a flaw but more a matter of preference.  I notice the stiffness more on the qwerty keys than on the face buttons.
3. A bit bulky.  It is definitely not as thin and petite as some phones, but if one wants a phone with a slide-down keyboard and decent-sized qwerty keys, I think a bit of thickness is a part of the bargain.
4. Clunky and big.  See above.
5. Auto Lock can be easily unlocked causing butt and purse dialing.  I can’t speak to the butt dialing because I do not keep my phone in my back pocket but my purse did run up some internet usage charges.  I was not happy about that, but (no pun intended) I am getting around this quirk by changing the shortcuts for the directional keys.
6. Muffled, unclear sound and breaking up during conversations.  Hmmmm.  My first model did all of that.  Now, three days into using my current device, I am no longer experiencing the blur and breaking up.  Is the sound as good as my previous phone, a Motorola Krazr?  No, I must admit that it is not.
7. Dropped calls.  Haven’t had a dropped call since I exchanged my first Intensity (the cherry red one, boo hoo).  Ask me in a week or two, and I hope to give you good feedback.

Happy phone shopping and may you choose the best model for you!!