The Samsung Convoy 2 for Verizon Wireless is a retake on the original Samsung Convoy which sold well for field work and those looking for a phone that could with stand a fall or twenty. The phone is rated to withstand the elements; which is its only true shining point. In fact, when looking at the feature set it is a watered down version of other Samsung, flip phone offerings.
Unlike a great number of phones on the market today the Convoy 2 is built to take a serious beating. The bulky casing, rugged hinge and rubberized backing all make the Convoy 2 a sturdy phone choice, but those looking for a true smartphone experience will likely be disappointed. The Convoy 2 offers up a few features that are not readily found on most phones in today’s market like push to talk, which is a great radio feature for those working in a large field. The phone’s looks are reminiscent of the Nextel phones of yore; heavy and sturdy with built in radio buttons along the side for easy access. The phone also offers up dedicated music buttons on the front face of the phone for easy access to the phone’s music collection; a nice touch. The battery life, like phones in the past is solid and will last a reasonable amount of time. Samsung claims you’ll get about 6.5 hours of talk time, but in reality it is closer to about 4 hours of actual talk time. The phone will standby, however, for a couple of days, without a recharge.
While the radio feature and music buttons are an interesting addition to this phone it falls short on a number of different necessities for a cell phone in 2011. The web browser is slow and lacking any comforts. The speakerphone feature is crackly when you attempt to raise the volume and it lacks a standard headphone jack; which is a bit baffling for a phone featuring dedicated music playback buttons on the front. Users are also limited in text capabilities by a standard phone pad. Without a QWERTY keyboard texting is a chore to say the least.
In short this is a phone that would work for those working in the elements who need a bare-bones phone and are not bothered by the lack of texting and web browsing comforts, but that seems to be what Samsung was going for on this phone. It’s rugged, but basic and it does it’s intended job fairly well. It won’t be a phone that gets gadget geeks excited, but for a rugged guy or gal it will do the trick.