• Home
  • Product Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Submission Policy – Terms of Service
Reviewboard Magazine
  • Home
  • Product Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Submission Policy – Terms of Service
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • RSS

Featured Articles

Samsung Mythic SGH-A897 Cell Phone Review

Samsung Mythic SGH-A897 Cell Phone Review
The Review Crew
May 30, 2010

Overview

What’s Good: TouchWiz 2.0 offers improvements over previous versions.
 
What’s Bad: Battery life not great, and coverage is spotty at times.

Introduction

Despite the smartphone push by carriers, featurephones remain an important element in the wireless industry. To that end, the Samsung Mythic is a great addition to the field, offering improvements in the TouchWiz user interface and an improved design that is similar to the Samsung Omnia II (without the added costs, I might add). Will the device deliver and provide a good user experience?

Design & Features

The Samsung Mythic ships with an AC adapter, a USB cable, an 8GB microSD card, and instruction manuals. Offering a 3.3-inch LCD display with 360 x 640 pixels, the device comes in at 4.49 inches tall by 2.06 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. Weighing 3.8 ounces, the Mythic is thin and light enough to keep in the pocket without issue.

The Mythic sports a clean design that is somewhat reminiscent of the Omnia II. The left side of the device contains a volume rocker, while the 3.5mm headphone jack and the charging port can be found on the top and bottom of the device, respectively. The front of the device contains a physical send key, an end key, and a back key. The camera can be found on the back of the device.

Usability & Performance

Though it could be viewed as another touchscreen feature phone from Samsung and AT&T, the Mythic (and TouchWiz 2.0) improves upon other featurephones on the market. Complete with tabs and re-arrangeable menus, the Mythic offers a good level of customization. Like past iterations of TouchWiz, the widget bar can be found on the left, and widgets can be placed on the desktop. The Mythic offers features such as AT&T TV, AT&T Social Net, AT&T Music, and e-mail functionality.

The on-screen keyboard that ships with the Mythic can be used in portrait or landscape mode, and I came out with a mixed impression of it. The touchscreen is resistive, so it requires a certain level of pressure to use effectively. I found myself skipping letters simply because I wasn’t pressing the keys hard enough. Though the device showed a bit of lag when migrating from menu to menu (or while typing), it’s not a deal breaker.

The Samsung Mythic sports a 3.2-megapixel camera, and in my testing, image quality was good. It offers a self-timer, flash, auto focus, three quality settings, five color effects, six scene presets plus six shooting modes, five white balance presets, three exposure meters, macro focus, and three shutter sounds, along with a silent option.

Sporting an 1150 mAh battery, the Mythic has an estimated talk time of 3 hours, and in my testing, battery life was short. Thanks to 3G connectivity and a vibrant display, the battery life declines quickly. With moderate use encompassing text messaging, calling, e-mail, and web browsing, I was able to make it about 13 hours before the device powered down. With little to no use, the device lasted just over two days. As always, battery numbers will vary with the level of usage that they’re subjected to between charging cycles, but the device should be fine for the average consumer. For those frequently away from the home or office, make sure to carry an additional charging solution.

I tested the Samsung Mythic in the Charlotte area, and call quality was good. Callers had no problem hearing me, and call quality was clear and trouble-free on my end as well. When I went to a known AT&T trouble area, I found calls to sound reasonably clear, though there was occasional fading. When testing the device in a busy grocery store, I was able to hear my callers without a problem. I successfully paired my Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset to the device without issue, and callers were pleased with the clarity. The Mythic offers HDSPA connectivity, meaning that speeds were quite fast. CNN Mobile loaded in about 14 seconds, and the full PhoneDog homepage loaded in 42 seconds. Other data-intensive tasks such as AT&T TV or AT&T Navigation performed admirably throughout the testing. The Samsung Mythic offers GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz connectivity, and HSDPA in the 850/1900/2100 MHz bands.

Conclusion

While the Samsung Mythic is a nice improvement to TouchWiz devices of the past, the device isn’t exactly “jaw dropping.” That being said, it’s a welcome addition to the featurephone lineup, and is a device that I can see several individuals carrying – particularly those that don’t want to go with a smartphone. Expect the battery life to be less than desirable, but beyond that, it’s a reasonably well-equipped device. Check it out at your local AT&T retail store.

Related ItemsCell Phonesamsung
Click to add a comment
Featured Articles
May 30, 2010
The Review Crew
Related ItemsCell Phonesamsung

More in Featured Articles

  • Jura z6 Coffee Center
    Read More
    Jura Z6 Review – The Best Coffee Machine In The World

    Jura Z6 Coffee Machine Review The new new.  It’s a 3 letter acronym and it is changing...

    Reviewboard Magazine June 16, 2017
  • Fusion3 Design F400 Industrial 3D Printer
    Read More
    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer Review

    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer The Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer is a very inexpensive industrial 3D printer...

    Reviewboard Magazine February 2, 2017
  • Etymotic Research Music Pro Earplug Review
    Read More
    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review

    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review Ever been to a concert, club, gun range, or loud...

    Reviewboard Magazine January 26, 2017
  • Two Fools Fatboy Belt
    Read More
    Two Fools Fatboy Belt Review

    Two Fools Fatboy Belt Review Any company who has a motto “Say no to buckles and yes...

    Reviewboard Magazine January 24, 2017
  • Read More
    Plated.com – Food Service Review

    The idea behind Plated.com is really neat.  I love the idea that you can get fresh, responsible,...

    Reviewboard Magazine December 28, 2015
  • Read More
    Allurez 14k White Gold Black and White Diamond Mens Wedding Band UB630 Review

    Allurez 14k White Gold Black and White Diamond Mens Wedding Band Style #UB630 The Allurez 14k White...

    Reviewboard Magazine August 14, 2015
  • Read More
    Dyson AM06 Air Multiplier Desk Fan Review

    The Dyson AM06 Air Multiplier Desk Fan Review I’ve been wanting one 0f these things for years,...

    Reviewboard Magazine July 7, 2015
  • Read More
    D-Link DCS-935L HD Wi-Fi Camera Review

    The D-Link DCS-935L HD Wi-Fi Camera Review D-Link has been making wifi routers, networking devices, and cameras...

    Robert England July 6, 2015
  • Read More
    Acer C720 Chromebook Review

    The Acer C720 Chromebook Review The Acer C720 Chromebook was a bit dated when we got it....

    Philip Ferreira July 6, 2015
  • Read More
    Maingear Force Intel 8-Core Extreme Gaming Computer Review

    Maingear Force Intel 8-Core Extreme Gaming Computer Review Maingear is a PC manufacturer based out of New...

    Brade Smith July 1, 2015
  • Read More
    Nuwave Precision Induction Cooktop PIC Review

    The Nuwave Precision Induction Cooktop Review Just like many of you we saw the commercials for the...

    Philip Ferreira June 23, 2015
  • Read More
    AT&T Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 Cell Phone Review

    The AT&T Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 Cell Phone is the poor man’s Galaxy Note 4.  It’s a...

    Reviewboard Magazine June 11, 2015
Scroll for more
Tap

Social Media

  • 67768followers
  • 82945likes

Facebook

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • FREE 1 Year Costco membership For 2018 Costco Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • FREE 1 Year SAMS Club membership for 2018 Sams Club Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • 2014 Exmark 60 Inch LazerZ X-Series Zero Turn Commercial Mower Review
    Lawn and GardenApril 12, 2014
  • 2014 Exmark VTX730EKC524 52 inch Vantage X-Series Stand On Mower Review
    Featured ArticlesApril 10, 2014
  • Magellan 6630T-LM GPS Review
    Magellan Roadmate 6630T-LM GPS Review
    AutomotiveApril 3, 2017
  • Fusion3 Design F400 Industrial 3D Printer
    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer Review
    Computer HardwareFebruary 2, 2017
  • Is BP Paying Julian Assange from Wikileaks not to publish Oil Spill Secrets?? You decide.
    Free ContentJuly 20, 2010
  • Etymotic Research Music Pro Earplug Review
    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review
    Audio-VideoJanuary 26, 2017
  • 2016 IQAir New Edition GC Multigas Review
    Health and BeautySeptember 2, 2016
  • 3 Reasons Why You Should Not Buy The Nintendo Switch
    Computer HardwareJanuary 9, 2017
  • 2017 Reviewboard Magazine Holiday Buyer’s Guide
    Product ReviewsOctober 31, 2017
  • FREE 1 Year SAMS Club membership for 2018 Sams Club Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • FREE 1 Year Costco membership For 2018 Costco Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • Cangshan N1 Series 60010 22-Piece German Steel Forged Knife Block Set
    Cangshan N1 Series 22 Piece German Steel Knife Set Review
    HouseholdMarch 13, 2018
  • LG Signature Wallpaper OLED 65 Inch TV Review
    Audio-VideoJanuary 12, 2018
  • 2017 Gift List For Nerds
    Product ReviewsDecember 5, 2017
  • Restaurant / Food Service Equipment Reviews Coming Soon
    Product ReviewsNovember 20, 2017
  • Coming Soon – How to make your floors look new!
    Product ReviewsOctober 31, 2017
  • devinci spartan carbon x01 eagle
    Devinci Spartan Carbon | X01 Eagle Review
    Sports and RecreationOctober 17, 2017
  • Jura z6 Coffee Center
    Jura Z6 Review – The Best Coffee Machine In The World
    Featured ArticlesJune 16, 2017
  • Jane Ross says:

    I would feel like a complete idiot doing this and…

Reviewboard Magazine

Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem?

Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet.

Tweets

Follow @@review_board

Reviewboard Magazine
@@review_board

  • @PopeyesChicken in south portland has no food left... are you guys going out of business or is this the worst run P… https://t.co/rJMktuwDoE
    about 4 days ago
  • @Uber_Support just preordered an @uber for 3pm. DRIVER SHOWED AT 2PM because the app took my phones time (EST) inst… https://t.co/xlMlIJPcUn
    about 4 months ago
  • @FlexiSPYLtd Would really like to see if you answer the question @incrediblesme asked you in the DM. Your support… https://t.co/wFKmM6p98n
    about 4 months ago
  • Why does @ATT think it is appropriate to treat people poorly? Their Customer Loyalty department has been recorded y… https://t.co/tuWCk3N9ZB
    about 4 months ago

2017 Album of the Year

Milo - IDK - Who Told You To Think?!?!?!? Buy Whole Album On iTunes
http://www.reviewboard.com/wp-content/uploads/11-Idk.mp3

Copyright © 2017 by Random Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Nokia N900 Cell Phone Review
Palm Pixi Plus Cell Phone Review