Samsung SGH X460

I've had this phone for nearly 4 years and it's still going strong as far as making calls and texting is concerned although the date and time functions do go a bit wonky from time to time. It's compact clamshell style still looks the part - a style icon built to last - and is one that I still prefer over the larger flip and slide phones. Ergonomically I think it is one of the best designed cellular phones ever made. It fits snugly into the palm of the hand and can be easily flicked open with nimble thumb and fingers. At less than 80g, the unit is lightweight and isn't tiring to hold for extended conversations.

There is a stunning 65,000-colour screen that is bright, colourful and clear and lights up when the phone is flipped open. It comes with a selection of colourful screen savers that are easily interchangeable along with a choice of coloured texts and borders etc. The buttons light up in blue when the phone is open. This is useful for calling in subdued lighting. There is also a very useful external 96 64 pixel front screen that displays the date/time when closed. It also gives an indication of any missed calls, low signal strength and battery life. The ability to reject or silence an incoming call by pressing a side button without opening phone is a good feature. Navigation is quite easy after a little practice. The SGH-X460 keeps track of all your calls and numbers. Just scroll down the list and search by name or number. The included phonebook stores a directory of up to 1000 numbers. Like all mobile phones the quality of the reception depends more on where you are when you receive a call. I have found overall reception to be more than satisfactory. The only place in the UK where I was unable to receive a call or text was on top of Scafell Pike.

The 40 polyphonic ring tones are ok but could be a little louder in my opinion, in fact they could be a lot louder. I've lost count of the phone calls I've missed whilst walking in a busy shopping centre. I do like the selection of ring tones though and there is also a vibrator option that I never use because it drains the batteries. The SGH-X460 was available in either black or silver and offers support for the GSM network, MMS and Java games, and WAP 2.0 for surfing the net - all pretty rudimentary stuff compared to what most phone users would demand nowadays. As most people know by now WAP 2.0 was a pretty useless system and is now sooo archaic when compared to the options on the iphone. Apart from MMS I never found much use for the other features.

Originally the only major complaint I had was regarding the battery life. It usually needs a re-charge at least once a week and sometimes every two days or so depending on the amount of calls and texts made. But I suppose a short battery life has become a feature of so many phones, cameras and other gadgets nowadays that it's almost become an acceptable drawback. People with big fingers might complain that the navigation is a little tricky on account of the buttons being quite small and compact, but people with big fingers would probably complain about every type of modern gadget that exists. As mentioned earlier, I've now had this phone for nearly four years and it's still in good working order, apart from the time and date function which now have to be reset every time the battery runs out. I've also lost the tiny cap that fits over the recharging port at the base of the phone. This was an accident waiting to happen and the only bad design feature about the phone.

This is the best Samsung gadget I've ever bought, in fact it's the only Samsung I've ever bought, but the SGH X460 is certainly a good advertisement for the brand. As soon as Samsung stop sponsoring Chelsea FC I might buy a Samsung telly. And as far as the phone is concerned... as long as you're not bothered about having a built in camera that takes useless pictures, or records blurred video or having all the other added on useless features of false modernity then I would highly recommend this phone, although you're unlikely to find it for sale... anywhere.