Samsung Knack Review

Introduction:

The Samsung Knack, offered by Verizon Wireless, is designed for the senior demographic or anyone who wants a basic and easy-to-use cell phone without a lot of unnecessary features. It is similar in function to the Coupe, which is manufactured by UTStarcom, but comes in a more stylish appearance. Its primary competition comes from the Samsung Gleam and U550 since both are in the same price range, yet offer more features.

The retail package includes the Knack phone, 1000mAh battery with cover, wall charger with cradle, and user manual.

Design:

The exterior of the device is charcoal gray in color with faux stainless on the front flip. Despite its overall construction being mainly out of plastic, it feels durable and should hold up to normal use. The external display is a small 1” diagonal 96x96 pixel monochromatic TFT and is only capable of showing  the time, signal and battery level. Both the Gleam and U550 have color external displays, yet are still limited to the same size. On the left side is the volume rocker, and on the right is the color-coded charging port, 2.5mm headset jack, voice command and voicemail buttons.  The hinge is constructed well and allows the phone to be flipped open and closed smoothly. 




You can compare the Samsung Knack with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Located on the inside is the main 2.2” diagonal 176x220 pixel TFT display, capable of viewing 65K colors. It shows the current date, time, and mobile phone number in a large font for easy viewing.  However, like most displays on budget phones, it can be difficult to view while in direct sunlight.  The higher quality QVGA display on the Gleam does a better job. On the bottom flip are two buttons that most phones do not feature, 911 and ICE (in case of emergency). Pressing on 911 will ask you if you wish to continue and be connected to 911. We tested this and were connected to the local Broward 911 call center. The ICE button is for storing up to 3 emergency contact numbers (such as family and doctor) and also for typing in your health info (medication, allergies). 


Located in the center is the d-pad for menu navigation. It is smaller than the surrounding buttons, but is still easy to use. The numeric dial pad and white backlit letters are larger than most other phones to allow for easy viewing and dialing in various conditions. They provide a good “click” sound when pressed and are slightly raised from the surrounding plastic.

Software:

The Main Menu on the device is as basic as one can imagine. It lacks any themes or animation; only listing the six menu categories in black text with blue highlighting (contacts, recent calls, messaging, tools, settings, phone info). The only personalization the device allows for is changing ringtones, wallpapers, and font size.

The Phonebook is capable for storing up to 500 contacts, each with their name, mobile 1, home, work, mobile 2, and ringtone. Unfortunately, only 8 contacts can be saved as speed dial locations.


Basic text messages can be sent and received (no support of picture or video messages). Since the keypad is fairly large, it is easy to enter text, but it does not support T9 predictive entry, limiting you to the slower multi-tap method.



Other software tools include a calendar with event scheduler, three independent alarms, standard calculator, tip calculator, unit converter, world clock, stop watch, and voice commands. All of these are fairly commonplace amongst all phones. The voice command only allows dialing of save contacts by name (not by digit dialing) and access to a few shortcuts. We had no problem using it in quiet areas, but noisy environments (such as a car or mall) can cause it to make you repeat the command a few times.


Since the Knack is a basic cell phone, it only comes with 32MB of internal memory, and is not capable of any other programs, such as mobile web, get it now, V Cast music and videos, games, MP3 playback, and VZ Navigator. For those functions, you will have to setup to either the U550 or Gleam.

Performance:

Regardless of how many features a phone has, or does not have, in the case of the Knack, the most important aspect is the reception and call quality. The reception was marginal at best, with it sometimes showing no bars and “searching for service” inside buildings, where all other Verizon Wireless phones we have tested had no problem maintaining a signal. When used outside, we were able to get 2-3 bars of solid reception, but in fringe areas the signal drops again. This is a disappointment, as the Knack is partly marketed as an “emergency use phone”. Call quality through the earpiece speaker is good, as long as the volume isn’t turned up to high, thus resulting is distortion to be heard. The biggest surprise was in the volume of the speakerphone. When turned up to high, it sounded louder and had less distortion than most other phones. This is beneficial to people who use this option frequently. However, due to the reception issues, the U550 and Gleam are a better choice, as both are able to maintain a more solid signal in buildings and fringe areas.

The included 1000mAh battery is rated to give 4.5 hours of talk time or 14 days of standby time on a full charge. Our testing revealed 4 hours talk time on a full charge, which is better than the 3 hours of talk time we achieved on the Gleam and U550.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Knack is designed for someone who wants a basic cell phone with the ability to make and receive calls and the occasional text message. Unfortunately, the poor reception we experienced is cause for concern.  Even though we were in a high-coverage area, we did experience moments of no service with the Knack, where other Verizon phones did not. Because of this, we believe the Samsung U550 and Gleam to be a better and more reliable choice, as both are in the same price category, even though they have more features than a basic user may want.