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Samsung Z560 Review
Phone rating: 
Review: March 2007. Updated June 2009.
The Samsung Z560 is the first phone in Europe to introduce HSDPA. HSDPA
(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) is a new technology that has been
dubbed "3.5G". This enables downloads at speeds of up to 1.8
Mbps - that's 6 times faster than normal 3G. The benefits of this are
improved quality of downloads, streaming media and video calling.
The Z560 is a clamshell format phone with some great features in addition
to the 3.5G technology. It has a 2 megapixel camera with autofocus and
4x digital zoom plus a video recorder that records in MPEG4 format and
can handle videos of up to 1 hour duration, memory permitting. There's
also a second video camera that is used for making video calls. The
internal display is 2.3 inches, and is a high quality TFT display with
262,000 colours and a high resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.
The Z560 also has good support for music playing. The music player
can support MP3, ACC, ACC+, e-AAC+ and Real formats, although not WMA.
Audio quality is good, via the twin speakers with 3D stereo sound, or
via a headphone. The phone is compatible with Bluetooth stereo headsets
as well as wired headsets. The music player functions can be accessed
with the clamshell closed and there are buttons for play, fast forward,
rewind, pause and stop. The smooth touch music keys light up when pressed.
The internal memory of the phone is limited to 30 Mbytes, but this
can be expanded using a MicroSD memory card. Battery life is good.
Features of the Samsung Z560 include:
- 3G video calling, fast downloading and streaming
- 2 megapixel camera with autofocus and 4x digital zoom
- Video camera (MPEG4 format, up to 1 hour)
- Second video camera (VGA - 640 x 480 pixels) for video calling
- Internal display: TFT, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels (2.3 inches)
- External display: TFT, 65k colours, 96 x 96 pixels
- Music player (MP3, ACC, ACC+, e-AAC+, Real formats) with 3D stereo
sound
- 64-voice polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
- Voice memo recorder (up to 1 hour)
- Integrated handsfree speakerphone
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, SSL, TLS)
- T9 predictive text
- Document viewer for MS Office, PDF and HTML files
- 3D Java games plus downloadable games
- Flight mode
- Personal organiser functions
- Memory: 30 Mbytes plus MicroSD memory card slot
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 1.2, USB
- WAP 2.0, GPRS Class 10, EDGE, HSPDA (1.8 Mbps)
- Triband (900/1800/1900 MHz) plus 3G (UMTS)
- Size: 97 x 51 x 16.3 mm
- Weight: 94g
- Talktime: 3.7 hours
- Battery standby: 320 hours
Samsung Z560 User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 26 reviews:
Reviewed by EJ from Penang on 28th Aug 2012
I bought this phone many years ago since it was launched in Penang.
It's a great phone and I'm still using it. The only setback is the battery
but it came with a spare battery when I bought. So, it's alright.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Evan from Singapore on 14th Jan 2010
i just got dis phone and i cant seem to send messages with it, does
any1 know why?
Rating:
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Reviewed by TM from Bangladesh on 13th Jul 2009
Its an awsome phone. I will give it 100 in 100 for durability. I have
used many folder phones like this but none of them were as durable as
this. I used this phone very roughly but till now Its very much ok.
The only problem i found is battery life.thats all
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Big Roy from England on 19th Jun 2009
I have had my Samsung z560 for 2 years and I love it to bits.I have
had many chances to upgrade but I always want to have the Z560.I use
the phone mainly for calls,texts and the internet.My only gripes are
the battery life being too short and you cant personlize the wake up
alarm but I cant grumble.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Anirban from India n Bangladesh on
11th Jun 2009
Its a boss phn
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jo from Tyne and Wear on 8th May 2008
I had the samsung z560 for 1 year, and it was the best phone i had in
years!!! i found it simple to use, easy to take pics, play music files
etc, and the battery life was brilliant - 1 & 1/2 hours charge gave
me 3 days battery life. in fact i liked it so much that i still have
it jus for taking pics and such, as i prefer the camera on this to my
new phone
Rating:
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Reviewed by amr said from egypt on 7th Oct 2007
THIS PHONE good but it not have fm radio
Rating:
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Reviewed by James from UK on 14th Sep 2007
DO NOT BUT THIS PHONE!!!!!!!!!! you cant have your own choice of tunes
for the alarm or txt alerts the battries last about 5 mins (ok a lil
longer in truth but still) the loud speaker is quiet it doesn't charge
through my car or any of my friends cars i am going back to t-mobile
tomorrow i have totally had enough of the phone
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by usman from nigeria on 16th Jul 2007
THE PHONE IS VERY LUXIRIANT
Rating:
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Reviewed by Carolyn from Wales on 13th Jul 2007
Had this phone for 2 weeks and in that time all I had done was enter
new Contacts and text people a few times. The battery life on the phone
was only ever upto 10hours. The phone has 2 batteries that come with
it which I thought was weird but after the phone only lasting 10hours
I worked out why. So I took it back to the shop for a exchange, they
exchanged it fine, only to find out again that the battery is the same.
Have now found out that the phone has been recalled. Now trying to decide
what phone to exchange it for!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Istobarts from Philippines on 29th
Jun 2007
So far, I have had my phone for almost a week now. I like the phone,
with the fast internet downloading stuff but what I do not get is the
external screen. It does not do anything much except it will light up
in a few seconds to show any missed texts call and etc. And, you get
to open the phone to double check for any notifications. I find this
absolutely redundant and foolish, especially from a business phone at
that. This is one oversight by SAMSUNG. But nonetheless, the phone suits
my needs. Just hope that SAMSUNG develops a battery that can last longer.
But I would still recommend that this is good phone.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Crosbie from United Kingdom on 23rd
Jun 2007
Owned for 3 months and sent back because of a on/off key failure. Awkward
handling with volume and camera buttons where it is held causing those
bits to function when not wanted. Had a mind of its own. As a modem,
speeds were slower than dialup. Wish I could have had the same modem/phone
without extra buttons, bells and whistles. Simple is better!
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Richard from UK on 23rd May 2007
Had the Z560 for about four months now and I’m more than pleased.
I also like the clamshell design, the large buttons and the overall
look of the handset. The main screen quality is excellent and the software
is quirky but OK when you get used to it. Camera is good AFAICT, but
I use a "proper" digital camera for photography anyway. Customisation
of the phone via tones and alerts is limited but I don't think it's
enough to reject this handset. Battery life is lousy especially when
using the internet at 3G+ speeds so I do need to recharge it a lot more
frequently than I did for the Nokia’s and SE’s I’ve
owned in the past. The media player is awful. It plays music (fortunately),
but offers no functionality for managing large numbers of tracks/albums.
I bought a 2GB Micro SD/Transflash card and had the same problem as
another reviewer with the phone just rebooting all the time. Got a 1GB
card and this works fine. Samsung tech support replied to a support
q uestion I posted saying the Z560 had only been tested with 1GB cards.
Interesting since most of the reviews I’ve read suggest 2GB works.
Have these reviewers actually tried it I wonder? ;o). The “PC
suite” software is also awful. You can’t manage messages
or contacts. Fortunately for me, I was able to bluetooth my contacts
from a SE D750i to the Z560. However, the killer application here and
the thing that excuses all the other issues mentioned above is the high
speed internet connectivity (HSDPA). The built in web browser works
really well, although as this is my first 3G phone, I have no comparisons.
The ability to re-render web pages into a vertical scroll only format
is pretty impressive. And is it fast... using T-Mobile's W&W+ I get
full featured 1Mbit/s internet access on my laptop which IMHO is quite
amazing. I know things will get even faster than this but this is more
than enough for the usual gmail/bbc/wiki/amazon/youtube type stuff.
I can even make a VPN connection to the company network and connect
to our exchange server. Unlike another reviewer, I had absolutely no
problem getting XP to use the phone as a modem. Also, download Google’s
new mobile JAVA app for GoogleMaps. I guarantee you’ll be impressed.
In summary, I would recommend the Z560 to anyone who likes the idea
of having broadband internet in their pocket. I does exactly that and
you can phone people up.
Rating:
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Reviewed by mary from uk on 12th May 2007
just got it and i loooove it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but i was wondering why it doesnt accept my 1gb micro ds memory card?
but i love this phone!
Rating:
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Reviewed by laura from england on 24th Apr 2007
this fone is da best eva ive had problems wid my oda 2 phone but this
fone is GREAT!!!!!!!!!! i recommend you people out there to buy it NOW
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jools powell from UK on 19th Apr 2007
I bought this phone because I like clamshell phones. Its got big buttons
and a big bright screen. I wanted a phone that would double up as a
MP3 player as well. However when I inserted the 2gb micro sd card it
just continually reboots. Well, if the phone cant deal with a card of
this size it aint going to be much good as a MP3 player replacement.
I've got used to the software and overall I quite like it. Battery life
is never really a problem with me because I plug it in every night when
I get in. It also comes with 2 batteries like all samsung phones do.
I like the camera and the video, both nice and sharp. Would I pay a
lot for this phone, perhaps not. I'm on pay as you go and I got this
phone new on ebay for £130 inc delivery. If I can get the card thing
sorted I'll be happy.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Joshua Prentice from England on 15th
Apr 2007
this phone is absolute rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do not buy it! it is
so hard to navigate that it takes you two weeks to write a text!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Roz from UK on 11th Apr 2007
I've had this phone for a week and I'm afraid I'm sending it back. The
major issue I have is battery power. It's supposed to last for 320 hours
on standby and offers 3.7 hours talk time. However, this is wildly inaccurate.
In reality, I've found the phone barely lasts a day and a half with
minimal use. I charged the phone fully, sent about 10 texts, spoke on
it for approximately 20 minutes and the phone was dead by the next evening.
And once it goes, it goes quickly. Some indication that there are problems
with the battery might be evidenced by the fact that Samsung put a spare
battery in the box. All well and good if you're prepared to put up with
having to switch round and still only get two and a bit days out of
them. The second issue I have is with the external display. It doesn't
do anything! If you get a new message, it lights up briefly but that's
it. I've had basic clamshells in the past that at least manage to display
a 'missed call' or 'text message waiting' icon on the front so you don't
have to keep flipping the phone open to see if anything's waiting for
you. And, since this phone is aimed at business users too, it seems
like a glaring oversight. Okay, you can set the phone to beep 'periocically'
(for that, read at annoying two minute intervals - enough to drive colleagues
mad if you're away from your desk) but it's that or nothing. You can't
change text message alert tones (apart from the pre-set ones in the
phone). I spent £5 downloading a tone to use as a text message alert
(never dreaming there would be a problem tailoring such an advanced
phone), only to find I couldn't use it. You can only change ringtone.
Texting - the predictive text doesn't seem to be as intuitive as that
on my old Motorola. And, annoyingly, it doesn't push to the front more
frequently used words. So, if you add your name, for example, you'll
still have to scroll through other words you never use before you get
to that one. Also, as far as I can see, it only allows you to add a
spelling once it can't recognise anything else. So I've spent time just
typing in random letters waiting for the 'spell' option to come up.
When sending a text, it seems you need to press a few more buttons than
are probably necessary to add your contact - it's a fairly drawn out
process... On the plus side (if there can be any positives after the
annoying negatives), the phone does look good. It's slim and lightweight,
yet feels substantial once it's flipped open. Okay, it's not going to
be for you if you love teeny phones that you can barely see. But if
you actually like to feel that you're chatting on the phone, then this
is satisfying to use. I haven't used the MP3 player - and, to be honest,
given the poor battery life, I'd say that it's pretty redundant. The
same must go for surfing the net. I've tried it and, while speeds are
impressive, the phone heats up in a most worrying manner. I'd also have
to guess that it's also draining precious batter power at a rate of
knots. So, given the poor battery performance, I avoided doing too much
on the phone for fear it wouldn't actually funcion as a telephone when
needed. All in all, a really disappointing bit of equipment, given how
advanced it's supposed to be. My advice would be to look elsewhere for
your HSDPA experience.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ivor from UK on 10th Apr 2007
I've had this phone for months now so its nice to finally see a review
on here. Overall I like this phone a lot. Build quality/looks: is excellent
- untouchable. Looks are top notch. Its a man's phone without a doubt
though(this is due to the width and design). Its slim and looks good
when flipped open. The glossy finish is really classy and looks expensive
(although a finger print magnet). Functionality - Everything is good
except the text messaging. Coming from a Motorola V3 the predictive
texting on offer here is really primitive. The Internet is fast and
it all looks good on the big screen. I don't know whether its phones
in general or this phone but surfing the web feels really limited. There
is no flash and many of the formats that you down load on the web don't
seem to be supported. Does anyone know if a fash player can be supported?.
Overall: a really great phone. I almost swapped this one out for the
D900 but I'm really glad I didn't. Also a big plus is that I'm the only
person so far that I have seen with this phone which is a welcome relief
after the nightmare being one of the billions with a Motorola V3
Rating:
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Reviewed by Dez from UK on 7th Apr 2007
Some say that this is a huge phone - and, admittedly, it is if you like
a phone that stops at your jaw. However, if, like me, you still like
the feeling of talking on a proper phone (i.e. into a mouthpiece) then
this is a great phone. It also means there's enough room for decent
size buttons, which makes texting a whole lot easier. Plus, it's not
a large phone when shut. It's slim, lightweight and really rather sleek.
I must confess that I don't use this phone to its full capacity - I
can't take to surfing the net from a mobile. But from what I understand,
it's more than capable of performing and the few times I've been on,
speeds are very impressive. However, for such an advance phone, a couple
of things perplex me. Firstly, the external display... this lights up
for a couple of seconds when you close the phone, or for a pre-specified
amount of time when you press and hold one of the buttons on the side
of the phone which is all well and good - however, the phone's external
display doesn't glow in any way or indicate when you get a message (apart
from when it comes in initially). It would be helpful to see at a glance
from the outside whether there are any messages. So, in a way, the external
display seems a little redundant. Also, although there are different
'profiles' you can choose to determine the way the phone rings in different
scenarios (i.e. in meetings, when you're outside etc), you can't seem
to choose yourself how frequently you want the phone to beep in order
to alert you to the fact you've missed a call, got a message etc. It's
either once, or 'periodically' which is annoyingly frequent. I'd like
to be able to get it to beep every 10 minutes, say. Further, although
you can download ringtones and change those, you can't seem to add on
any new text message tones. A little annoying for such an advanced phone.
After all, what's the point of being able to access all this on the
net if you can't tailor every aspect of the phone... All in all though,
a really great, user-friendly bit of equipment.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Robert from Philippines on 30th Mar
2007
I'm disappointed that Opera Mini doesn't work on this phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by ddr2 from Greece on 29th Mar 2007
Well, another samsung with superb built quility. I gave my moto v3xx
for this one, and the main reason was buit quility. External screen
is very good(for an external one). Internal screen is just WOW!!! Camera
is quite good.Although there is no micro mode option , the phone can
take very good picture from close distances.(seems that micro mode option
is incorporated) What is more, ringing tones are very loud. Also, music
quality via headphones is one of the best(I used to have a SE w900,
so I'm able to compare. In general,no problems with this phone, I like
the design, but battery life is poor(2 day max.)This is the only bad
point.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Daniel Clark from England on 21st
Mar 2007
This is the best flip phone I have ever seen and does a lot of liking
for me
Rating:
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Reviewed by bob from england on 6th Mar 2007
buy this phone it rocks
Rating:
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Reviewed by jw from australia on 3rd Mar 2007
its an awesum fone. the only fault with th fone is....its ugly.....
sorry
Rating:
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Reviewed by Joshua from England on 28th Feb 2007
I have had hundreds of phones over the years due to a job in the industry.
The bottom line is, at the moment I have a few phones, but the Z560
is the best of the lot. The phone is small, light, reliable, has a brilliant
camera and screen, and the HSDPA implementation is excellent. I have
it on a T-mobile contract and reception is great. The phone plays a
wider range of music formats than my MP3 player and the 2GB microSD
card I added means it can carry as much music too. The keypad is large
and tactile, the phone is well shaped to fit the head, and though the
battery life is only average, Samsung supply two batteries with the
phone, so it all works out. Unfortunately, there is a major failing
by Samsung with this phone, and it is the Samsung PC Suite software.
It is horrifyingly bad. I have tried three different builds of the software,
the latest being 3.11 and that is about as stable as the Microsoft OS
of the same name. Getting the software to allow you to run the phone
as a highspeed modem for a laptop is a battle. You cannot manage text
messages, contacts or settings as easily as the Nokia or even (heaven
forbid) the Motorola counterparts. And seeing as the biggest thing with
this phone is the 3.5G aspect, it is a crying shame that most users
are limited to using this on the phone, albeit with its good screen,
instead of making the most of the modem capabilities with a laptop due
to bad software. It’s a shame. They were so close.
Rating:
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