Samsung SGH D820 (Unlocked)

While many rumors have circled regarding the Samsung SGH-D820 and the T809 appearing to be sister phones due to their apparant similarities. I, however, feel they are SO VERY different. The Samsung SGH-D820 finally brings us Quad-Band GSM to our clever and feature-packed handset. Yes, I said it, those of us in the US will not have to worry about not picking up any 850MHz transmissions when using Cingular sim cards specifically! WooHoo! More Signal Strength!

To start with, service is coming in perfectly, full strength, using my T-Mobile SIM card. Unlike on the D800 and T809, the D820 is fully customizable. You can change the shortcuts, there is a ring & vibrate option, and many other missing things on the D800 can be easily found on the D820. Common MP3 issues when trying to apply them as a ringtone and not being allowed to due to DRM issues are also cleared up, but be sure to remove any ID3 tags or there may be some issues.

While I would almost try to put it up there with my favorite phone, there are flaws. While none of them are huge they still exist and are noteworthy. As with the T809, the ring does ascend while ringing. It would be nice to have the option to turn this off. The slide mechanism is a little stiff. If you aim to use the small ridge they provide to open it, you will most likely also press the up button on the four-way keypad. I have found the best way to open it is place your thumb on the right side of the screen and push. The only other problem that I have found so far is that the automatic time and update features do not work properly within the UK and Europe as the carrier networks do not have the ability to provide your phone with this information. Other than that, I'd have to tip my hat to the boys at Samsung once again, they keep proving that they have some of the best designs and features available in the mobile market together, essentially proving that they deserve the rank I give them amongst mobile manufacturers....

#1 Nokia
T-2 Sony Ericsson
T-2 SAMSUNG!!!

At least that's how I see it, I hope that it helps!!