Samsung Magnet a257 Review

Introduction:

The explosion of text messaging, the silent form of communication, provides manufacturers an opportunity to create a variety of phones for different target audiences. Samsung's BlackJack line of mobile phones uses a QWERTY keyboard and targets business users. For the younger generation looking to find that business class look in an entry level device, the Samsung Magnet a257 might fit the bill. Sporting a sleek form factor, this basic text messaging device has the looks that caters to the younger crowd while still maintaining a decent functionality experience.

The package contains:

Design:

The only other device the Samsung Magnet a257 can compare to on AT&T's lineup in terms of design and form factor is the Pantech Slate. Both are classified as entry level messaging devices, except that the Magnet gets some kudos in design. It's similar to the Slate because of its QWERTY keyboard, low weight (3.09 oz), and thin profile (0.47”). The orange plastic material is appealing to the eyes with the back cover having a patterned design. The materials feels well constructed and does not seem as cheap as the Slate. Holding it in your hand feels natural thanks to the back cover having a soft matte feel created by the patterned design. Its very light weight and does not add any bulge if you place it in your pocket.



You can compare the Samsung Magnet a257 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The 2.2” screen is pretty well sized for the phone and has a resolution of 220x176 pixels with only 65k colors. It may be on the low side, but colors are fairly well represented on the screen. Tilting the Magnet from side to side will cause you to lose visibility because of the poor viewing angles. We had to set the brightness to its maximum setting in order to see the screen correctly. Slightly moving the phone to one side will cause you to lose sight of the screen - while it is necessary to shield the display when using it outdoors.

The hardware buttons and directional pad are flush with the surface. You have the standard left, right, end, and send keys along the edge of the phone. Launching the messaging application can be performed by pressing the dedicated button near the d-pad while the back/clear button is located on the opposite side. The directional pad has a decent tactile feel to it with the middle button used for selecting is slightly raised.

Seeing that the Samsung Magnet a257 targets the text messaging crowd, we were disappointed with the design and feel of the QWERTY. Although they are slightly raised, the small squarish buttons will be a nightmare for anyone with larger fingers. Topping it off is the cramped style with no spacing in between the buttons – so we found ourselves pressing the wrong buttons as we typed steadily. The white backlighting does a good job of illuminating the QWERTY while numbers are highlighted in orange. There are additional dedicated  buttons to do a variety of things such as locking the phone, vibration mode, or launch the camera application.



The volume rocker is appropriately located on the left side while the proprietary USB/charging port is found on the opposite side.  Flipping the phone over will show the VGA camera with self portrait mirror. Removing the back cover of the Samsnug Magnet a257 reveals the battery (800 mAh) and SIM card slot.

Software/Features:

Nothing really exciting or new in the software that runs on the Samsung Magnet a257. It's your standard AT&T software that you'll find on other similar devices just like the Slate. Navigating through the menus is not complex and just about anyone will get the hang of it. There are some minor personalization options you can change on the phone to make it look different from the rest - such as the theme or menu style options. Some of the dedicated buttons on the QWERTY will quickly launch the app so you don't have to go through various menus. It runs pretty swift with no noticeable slowdown whatsoever.



Entering contacts is an easy task with the phone being able to store up to 500 entries. You can add various phone numbers and information with each. Additionally, you can assign them a picture, ringtone, or group settings. It may not be as in depth when you compare it to some smart phones, but it gets the job done quick and fast.

Considering that the Samsung Magnet a257 has a QWERTY, it offers users a decent messaging experience. Text messaging is a breeze on the phone, but you'll have to manage it closely due to the limited memory. Once you  reach the 200 messages mark, the phone will need to delete some to free up some space. There are also 10 different templates you can use to quickly send.

There is nothing different with the Mobile Email application; it's the same one we've seen on pretty much all basic AT&T phones. Providers like Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail are simple to set up; only requiring a user name and password. It's just a shame that not all providers are supported; like Gmail. So if your specific email provider is not listed, you won't be able to get it on the Magnet.



If you have the feeling to take a quick snapshot of something and sending it to a friend via MMS, the Magnet will get the job done. Just don't expect to take professional grade photos using the VGA (640x480 pixels) camera. You can quickly take a photo by pressing the dedicated button on the QWERTY. The interface is simple and is best used as a quick point and shoot.You can change some of the settings such as effects, white balance, or brightness though the menus.

If you're thinking about using the Samsung Magnet a257 to listen to songs or watch a video; you might think again. The limited memory is also a clear indication that the phone was not meant to have media playback capabilities. We even did not have any luck trying to play a YouTube video.

The Magnet is a quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and runs using EDGE speeds. So phone calls won't be a problem with this device, but you might not want to download a large file.

Browsing web sites on the Samsung Magnet is very limited and only recommend checking out mobile version of web sites. When trying to load our web site, we were greeted with the “Error: Document too large” message. Instead, mobile sites like Yahoo loaded up fine and scrolling can be accomplished using the d-pad or volume rocker. One of the other irritating item about the browser is that there is no stop button – you literally have to wait until the entire site has been downloaded to start navigating. Scrolling with the d-pad was excruciatingly slow; images seemed to take forever to show up.



There really aren't any other programs loaded with the phone that isn't found on other AT&T devices. The standard set of tools such as the calculator, calendar, notes, tip calculator, converter, timer, stopwatch, and world time can be found. If you want to keep in touch with friends by instant messaging them, you'll have your choice of AIM, Yahoo Messenger, or Windows Live Messenger. Just make sure to have a data plan associated to your account if you plan on using it a lot.

As we mentioned earlier, the Samsung Magnet a257 has a limited amount of memory with no expandability. You won't find a microSD slot, so it's necessary to keep track of what you want to keep. The Magnet comes with a paltry 16MB of memory; still less than the Pantech Slate's 20MB.

Performance:

After testing out the phone call quality of the Samsung Magnet a257, we were surprised to find excel in that area. It had no problems retaining signal strength in the great New York City area. Callers said our voices were clear and distinct at their end, but heard a slight echo at times. The single speaker was great with listening to our callers even when set to the middle volume setting. Using the speaker phone gave similar results with callers stating that they couldn't tell we were using it. Although there was some crackling when using the speaker phone on the loudest setting, we were able to hear our conversation distinctly.

We were a little bit disappointed with the battery life of the Samsung Magnet a257. It's rated for 5 hours of talk-time and 240 hours of standby. After three days of normal use, we had only two out of five bars left on the battery indicator. Some of our suspicions can be directed towards the web browser; which requires to completely download the entire site before you can navigate. Other similar devices we've reviewed attained slightly better numbers than the Magnet.

Conclusion:

For a device aimed for messaging capabilities, it was frustrating to use the QWERTY for that aspect alone. Granted the phone has a nice look and feel, it does not function as it was intended to do. Although it works great in just being a phone, there are other similar devices available that offer better features. For example, the Pantech Slate will play videos and functions perfectly as a messaging device, although it looks cheaper. If you prefer looks over functionality, then the Samsung Magnet a257 might be the one for you.

Samsung Magnet a257 Video Review: