Camera Phone Reviews

Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900

Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900 Reviews

CNET reviews the Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900 and writes, "Photo quality on the FlipShot is quite good. Colors are bright and object lines are crisp and distinct. The flash also offered a good amount of light for dim situations, and the autofocus helped to keep the camera steady. Photos had little of the blurriness that we see in other camera phones, but we wouldn't have qualms about printing them out. Our only complaint was that some photos were too bright, but it wasn't a big deal. Videos were decent, as well. There was less pixelation than we're used to seeing, and the sound quality was admirable. But still, it couldn't handle very quick movements. Unfortunately, the SCH-U900's business-card scanner was unreliable. It could capture names and e-mail addresses, but most phone numbers came out jumbled."

MobileTechReview has a review of the Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900 and writes, "With 1.3 to 2 megapixel camera phones as the norm, 3 megapixel autofocus camera phones are the elite bunch here in the US. Sure there are 5 megapixel GSM camera phones like the Nokia N95 and the Sony Ericsson K850i, but those phones, without carrier subsidies, cost considerably more and aren’t compatible with Verizon’s network. The phone takes great still images by 3 megapixel camera phone standards: the images are sharp, colors are balanced and saturated, noise levels are low and the auto-focus lens focuses relatively quickly (phones aren’t as fast as dedicated digital cameras yet). Photos are over-sharpened, often making the shots look better though sometimes a bit artificial. The depth of the field in these shots makes for nice close-ups. The usual white-out in direct sunlight found on most camera phones (even on high-end ones) is minimal. The FlipShot’s only weakness is low-light indoor shots, which are very noisy and murky."

PC Mag reviews the Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900 and writes, "The camera takes 3MP shots at 2,048-by-1,536 resolution and has real autofocus, but no optical zoom. Notable features include manual ISO up to 400 and a macro mode...But the FlipShot has the same problems as every other camera phone—and for these hybrids to be taken seriously as digital cameras, they need to get past these hurdles. The flash, though good for a camera phone, is pathetic for an actual camera. That's understandable, given the huge battery draw of a real flash. But nothing excuses the 1.8-second shutter delay caused by the autofocus (which can be cut down to a more reasonable 0.3 seconds if you turn the feature off). In addition, I had persistent focus problems with indoor shots (though the autofocus does help there). Exposure judgments were off, too: In an outdoor shot against a bright sky, the FlipShot both overexposed the sky and underexposed the foreground. What's more, fringing was visible around the edges of objects, and white lines were sometimes cloudy with stray pixels."

Mobile Magazine reviews the Samsung Flipshot SCH-U900 and writes, "It seems that when it comes to the best camera phones on the market, very few are actually offered directly through cellular providers in Canada and the United States. I've seen a few formidable entries from the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot line, but the most camera-like of camera phones I've seen has to be the Samsung FlipShot from Verizon Wireless. Because you are able to able to flip the display around and navigate through a series of picture options, the FlipShot almost feels like a real camera. The 3.0 megapixel camera offers decent picture quality, but it's still not as good as a standalone camera."