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Cell phones > Expert reviews > Samsung Mysto

Samsung Mysto Review - At a Glance

Samsung Mysto
Published on 3/25/2008
By: Noah Kravitz, Senior Editor, Consumer Products and Services
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Editor Rating: 4.2
5 
3 
5 
3 
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5 
Samsung MystoWhat’s Good: All kinds of multimedia, Web, and location-based features; Super slim profile; Speedy EV-DO access; GPS; 106MB Internal Memory

What’s Not Good: Touch sensitive controls are very finicky; End key in an odd place; Call quality only so-so; Camera not as good as original U600

Bottom Line: Samsung brings their Ultra U600 sliderphone to the US in the form of the Helio Mysto.  While Mysto’s thin profile is sexy and Helio’s myriad features are excellent, this handset’s electrostatic touch controls are more trouble than they’re worth.  Helio fans may love Mysto as a companion to their Oceans, but others may look elsewhere.

Specs:
Make/Model: Samsung Mysto
Network: CDMA
Data: EV-DO (1x Rev. 0)
Carrier: Helio (Locked)
Size: 105 x 50 x 12.7 mm
Weight: 95 g
Form Factor: Slider
Display: 2.2” Color LCD, 320 x 240 (QVGA) resolution, 262,000 Colors
Memory:  106 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: Integrated GPS with location based services; 2MP camera with LED flash; Email and IM clients; Music Store access; Flickr and YouTube upload clients; Helio on Top RSS feed reader

Next: Introduction »

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Todd Smith
Thursday, June 12, 2008The Screen and the flat cable on the U600 are very sensitive mine broke after 4 months and my Buddy's after 6 months. We are corporate types not teens, maybe its a build issue but I was not impressed.

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Samsung Mysto in-depth review - Introduction

Slim’s still in, and sliderphones don’t get much slimmer than Samsung’s Ultra U600.  Samsung and Helio brought a CDMA version of the U600 to the States in the form of Mysto, Helio’s successor to the Drift.  Mysto packs just about all of Helio’s many, many features and services into a sleek, pocketable form factor that offers an alternative to the chunky, QWERTY-packing Ocean.  In fact, I could see Mysto becoming popular as a...
Mar 25, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: SamsungSamsung Mysto

Samsung Mysto in-depth review - Design & Features

Mysto is one sleek, thin cell phone, and it looks great.  Measuring just over 12mm from front to back, Mysto will fit in all but the tightest of pockets and won’t weigh you down when you head out the door with it in tow.  The front panel of the phone features a gorgeous 2.2” QVGA display that’s really one of the best screens you’ll find on a slider right now.  Beneath the display is a navigational array built around a circular...
Mar 25, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: SamsungSamsung Mysto

Samsung Mysto in-depth review - Usability & Performance

Helio phones make use of Sprint’s CDMA cellular network, and Mysto is compatible with Sprint’s EV-DO network for high speed data usage, as well.  I tested Mysto in the San Francisco Bay Area and found voice call performance to be so-so.  Signal strength was fine, but calls were too often staticky and/or muffled sounding.  When voice quality issues arose, they were more often of the callers having trouble hearing me ilk than the...
Mar 25, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: SamsungSamsung Mysto

Samsung Mysto in-depth review - Conclusion

Helio offers an amazingly comprehensive set of multimedia, Web-based, and location-based services for their devices.  Their new $99/month Unlimited All-In plan offers one of the best values in the industry if you make heavy use of messaging and data services  in addition to voice calling on your mobile device, and their use of Sprint’s EV-DO network ensures speedy data transfer for all of that Web surfing, streaming media, and...
Mar 25, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: SamsungSamsung Mysto

Mysto: Helio's new slider now available

Mysto: Helios new slider now available
Helio's newest handset, the Samsung-made Mysto, is now available to anyone with the desire and $149 (with contract) or $320 (without).  I actually got to play with a Mysto awhile back under "promise not to tell" embargo and came away impressed.  The handset feels super solid and luxurious, packing a nice heft (not heavy, just substantial) into a slim body and offering up basically all of Helio's services and applications. Mysto...
Jan 16, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: HelioSamsungSamsung Mysto
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