Samsung SGH-D900 Black Carbon slim slider

The world's thinnest slider phone (for now) also boasts a 3-megapixel camera and a stylish interface. Does the sleek Black Carbon belong in your pocket?

Design

Samsung released the Black Carbon with the claim that it is the world's thinnest slider, and, at press time, we couldn't find anything thinner than the SGH-D900's half-inch (12.9mm). The phone has a glossy, fingerprint prone front with rubberized sides and backing. An easy-to-grip bezel helps open the slider with a crisp snap, revealing the 3-megapixel camera on the back. Similar in form to the Samsung SGH-E900 (read our full review) , the D900 is a bit taller and wider, though about 5mm thinner.

Calling - Very Good

Calls on the Black Carbon sounded very good; our buddies heard us loud and clear. However, we encountered a slight hum on calls, which careful searching through the phone's menus chalked up to a ''Voice Clarity'' setting. Turning the feature off eliminated the problem. Samsung is selling the phone as a global phone, which means it is available unlocked without a carrier. In our tests in New York City, we found the phone got fairly weak reception on T-Mobile's GSM network, two or three bars on average, though this didn't offend the sound quality. Conference calling was inconvenient, requiring some menu digging, but Bluetooth setup was easy and the speakerphone was clear and fairly loud. The address book is rather robust for a non-smartphone, with while-you-type searching and several fields for contact information.

Messaging - Good

The Black Carbon does a fine job handling SMS and MMS messaging, though it lacks any IM client. Incoming texts displayed a healthy 120 characters, still shy of our preferred 160, but we were happy with the ability to resize text on outgoing messages, allowing us to fit a full 160 on screen. The phone is capable of checking POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail accounts, but setup was difficult. The Black Carbon's keypad is elegantly backlit in white and sits completely flush with the bottom half of the phone. But typing was harder than it looked and accurate typing required us to keep an eye on our fingers. Unlike the flush keys on the RAZR, the SGH-D900's keys have a soft, comfortable feel with plenty of action.


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