Samsung SCH-A930 Review - Introduction & Design

Introduction & Design

Samsung's SCH-A930 is a dual-band CDMA cell phone for Verizon Wireless.  Clad in basic black with external music player controls, this flip phone is one of the less flashy looking handsets in Verizon's VCast-compatible line up.  Don't let the plain design fool you, though: The A930 is more than capable of making calls and entertaining you with a variety of built-in and network-based media options.

As Verizon standardizes the user interface on almost all of their phones (the company says this makes things easier for customers when they switch handsets), weighing the merits of a device like the A930 is somewhat dependent on how many extra services you're willing to pay the carrier for.  Verizon's EV-DO data network provides a number of optional services from WAP Web browsing to VCast streaming video and music downloads.  I ran the A930 through its paces on as many of Verizon's media options as I could find.  How'd it fare?  Read on.

The A930 has something of a throwback look to me, which isn't to say that it's at all outdated.  Rather, amidst the current trend of ultra-thin mobiles with etched metal keypads and exotic glass finishes, the A930 is something of a fashion misfit with its no-nonsense all black body.  Measuring 91 x 48 x 25 mm, the A930 is over three times as thick but also 20% shorter than Samsung's new super-slim SCH-T519 "Trace" handset.  An all-plastic construction keeps the A930 reasonably lightweight at 113g (though, for the sake of comparison, the Trace is a mere 71g), though the phone does feel lighter in hand.
 
The phone has something of a sleek look to it when closed, thanks to the car hood-like slope and bold lines of the external housing.  A horizontally-aligned center panel features an OLED display and three buttons that allow access to time and call/network information as well the music player when the phone is closed.  The front panel also houses a light that's used for the swiveling camera sensor and the requisite Samsung and Verizon logos, done up in very subdued silver.

Flipped open, the A930 has a pretty standard clamshell phone layout.  The top half is primarily given over to a large 2" display flanked by more logos and the top-mounted speaker, which is flanked by a silver plastic panel.  The bottom half features a very roomy keypad that I found easy to use, even with my large digits.  A standard 12-button dialing arrangement is topped with two rows of three buttons each: Send, Clear, and End/Power topped by Camera, a four-way navigation pad with a center OK key, and Voice Dial.  All buttons are done in black with silver labeling save for the Camera, Nav/OK, and Voice keys, which are silver with black print.  The overall look is kind of industrial sleek with a little bit of silver chic thrown in for good measure.

The top "panel" formed by the flip hinge when the phone is closed is rather unique in its design.  Rather than forming a flat edge, the two halves of the closed phone form a sort of bulbous curved surface with a noticeably cut out on the bottom half.  This is to accommodate the swiveling camera sensor, which is centrally mounted in the top half of the hinge.  You really have to see the phone to understand what this looks like; the design doesn't really affect functionality one way or another, but it is a bit different than anything else I've seen.

On the left side of the phone, we find two more silver buttons: a rocker switch used to control volume and a dedicated speakerphone key beneath that.  I found the speakerphone button to be quite handy, though I could see how it could lead to inadvertent usage.  The right side of the phone is entirely black, including plastic-capped headphone and microSD memory card ports labeled with etched-in icons.

The back of the phone is entirely black - including a few more logos - save for a sticker alerting us to the "Internal Antenna Area."  Most of the panel slides off to reveal the battery and SIM card slots.  A single accessory port that handles the included AC charger is mounted on the bottom panel of the "keypad half" of the phone and is protected by a plastic cap.

Though the A930's weight lends it a pleasant heft without feeling too bulky, the phone took on a strange and somewhat cheap feel when I flipped it open and shut.  What feels like a spring - but apparently is the vibrating alert mechanism - buzzes noticeably when the handset snaps fully open or shut.  Something about feeling this buzz radiate throughout both halves of the phone into my hand gave me the impression that the device wasn't so sturdy.  I don't actually think this is true - and certainly didn't have any durability issues with the A930 during testing - but the handset lacks that solid feel that speaks to luxurious build-quality as found in, say, the Motorola K1 KRZR.

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