About the size of a deck of cards, the phone weighs 3.5 ounces and measures 3.5 inches by 2 inches by 0.8 inches. The silvery metallic casing is stylish yet subtle, and features a sturdy folder design. The extendable antenna seems a bit fragile, but with a bit of care most callers should have no problems with it. Also handy are the volume and ringer controls on the side of the phone, which let us adjust the phone volume on a crowded bus and quickly shut the ringer off in the low light of a movie theater.

When we opened the phone and switched it on, we were pleased to see that it powered up and was ready to use in only 10 seconds, which was particularly excellent given the graphic-rich content of the start screen. The keypad is designed perfectly, leaving enough space between keys for error-free dialing for those with bigger fingers. The directional key placed top and center is a definite bonus, letting us browse through the phone's many menus and options without a hitch, which was especially handy while using the wireless Web browser. The six-line screen is nicely proportioned and easy to read, both in text size and image clarity, and the four-color gray lends depth to the screen images, giving them a polished look. Changing the phone's ring tones was simple--the hard part was choosing one of the 24 tones offered. Ringer volume is also easily adjustable, with eight levels of sound and a vibrate mode that ensures you won't miss a call. The phone is also equipped to work with downloadable ring tones, available from Sprint PCS for a minimal fee.

One of the best features the SPH-A400 offers is its one-touch wireless Web access. The OpenWave Mobile Browser connected quickly and information from the phone's preprogrammed news, weather, and entertainment sites loaded smoothly and were easily navigated. Built-in GPS technology lets the phone access location-based and 911 emergency location services (where available)--handy for accessing driving directions or pinpointing where you are when lost. Best of all, the phone is enabled for voice dialing, and we were able to program and call numbers within minutes of picking up the phone. Voice-activated dialing worked well whether we whispered or yelled into the phone, but understandably, it did seem to have a slight problem with our commands as a few loud trucks rolled past. Calls were clear and a bit on the loud side, even with the volume turned to the lowest level, but we'll take too loud over too quiet any day.

Besides the excellent calling features, the e-mail, voice-memo recorder, fax, address book, calendar, and two-way text messaging make the phone an ideal tool for business trips, keeping you connected in more ways than with just a phone call. Or, if you find yourself stuck in an airport or on the train, you can pass time trying to master one of the four basic and rather confusing games: Push Push, Fly Ribbon, Puzzle World, and Spider Hunter.

We were quite happy to see the battery life exceed Samsung's guidelines in our testing. The phone held a call for almost 4 hours, and remaining on for 187 hours in standby mode, as compared with its manufacturer rating of 3 hours digital talk time and 170 hours of digital standby time.

Overall, we're thrilled with this solid new addition to the Samsung legacy, and can only look forward to what they'll come up with next.

--Heather Campbell

Pros:

• GPS technology for access to location-based services
• One-touch Web access
• Graphic-rich 6-line screen
• Voice-command capability
• Very sturdy flip design

Cons:

• Call volume a bit loud
• Games simple, somewhat confusing
• Some ring tones too quiet

How We Tested Battery Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.

To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. Since no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier signal strength.