When Phones Were Fun: Samsung Ultra Music / Samsung UpStage (2007)

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[WHEN PHONES WERE FUN: SAMSUNG UPSTAGE / SAMSUNG ULTRA MUSIC]
In the world of vintage tech reviews, it just doesn’t get any more 2007 than the opening sentence of PhoneScoop’s Samsung UpStage Review: “What if you flipped your mp3 player over only to find a cell phone on the other side?”
When Sprint announced this credit-card-sized curiosity in March of that year, the “music phone” category was already firmly established. My first dumbphone with an mp3 player was Nextel’s i870, released about a year and a half prior - around the same time Sony Ericsson’s famous Walkman phones took off (and Motorola’s infamous ROKR line failed to do the same). But it was Samsung, as usual, that took the concept to the brink of the absurd, dividing the two functions across the two faces of what globally it called the “Samsung Ultra Music” - and what we in the States would come to know as the Samsung UpStage.
Join MrMobile for a trip back to 2007 as we re-review this one-of-a-kind two-faced music phone in the latest episode of When Phones Were Fun: Samsung UpStage / Samsung Ultra Music!
[SPECIAL THANKS]
Alvaro Agraz [Instagram]:
/ aha451
[SUBSCRIBE TO MRMOBILE]
kzbin.info/door/SOp...
[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN - SAMSUNG ULTRA MUSIC / SAMSUNG UPSTAGE]
This is the eleventh in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2009.
When Phones Were Fun: Episode 11 features a Samsung Ultra Music F300 on loan from Alvaro Agraz, and a Samsung UpStage M620 purchased by MrMobile / Future plc. With the exception of the sponsor Yubico, no company paid a fee or otherwise offered compensation in exchange for this coverage, nor did any company preview or approve this content before publication.
[LINKS]
Samsung UpStage Review [PhoneScoop]:
www.phonescoop.com/articles/a...
Samsung Brings Ultra Music To Sprint As UpStage [PhoneScoop]:
www.phonescoop.com/articles/a...
All-TIME 100 Gadgets: Samsung Uproar [TIME]:
content.time.com/time/specials...
Sprint announces Samsung UpStage, 99 cent songs over the air [Engadget]:
www.engadget.com/2007-03-26-s...
Stickiness: The Insulting Reality of Rubber Reversion [Polymer Solutions]:
www.polymersolutions.com/blog...
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[DISCLOSURES]
This post may contain affiliate links, which afford MrMobile / Future plc a commission if you make a purchase. See our affiliate link policy for more details: www.mobilenations.com/externa...
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: mrmobile.tech/ethics
#samsungupstage #samsungultramusic #samsungultra #sprint #oldphones #oldtech #tech #vintagephones #oldphones #whenphoneswerefun #samsungf300 #samsungm620 #samsung #ad #YubiSafe #YubiKey #2FA

[@humourclass]

"When Gs were 3 and accessories were free" best lines from Michael.

[@fs0c1ety]

What is Gs btw?

[@signnd]

@@fs0c1ety generation of telecommunications, I guess? Some regions are now at 5... 5G.

[@furqansiddiqui8129]

@@fs0c1ety Referring to 3G I guess

[@fatehyabali]

😃

[@Daelsky]

@@fs0c1ety When you’re writing, 3 is used to write the letter G. The old 10 digits typing

[@charliesmash]

Michael is crushing the 2000’s nostalgia.

[@cartermohamed6643]

instaBlaster.

[@b2bgood870]

Because there's nothing really exiting to do these days just yet 🤣

[@dushyantdk2642]

Thank you Alvaro for letting this video happen.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

2:45 My mind is always blown when a KZbin Tech Reviewer Cinematic Universe crossover happens, lol.

[@LambertxMc]

My gf is over here going crazy over your “...accessories were free” bars lol

[@jordanalejandrocorona6247]

she is too young for you.

[@latebloomer2]

This phone is not "environment friendly" or "less carbon print" because still include a power adapter in package. The best way is to force the buyer to buy a power adapter or use old one.🤔 *this is a sarcasm😆

[@nikkoa.3639]

@@latebloomer2 No one's making the argument that it's more environmentally friendly here buddy. We're just talking about how solid that last bar is. Also, I'm pretty sure I can hear the Apple fanboyism there

[@justinedzard]

@@latebloomer2 geez, can't you just enjoy the nostalgia? We all KNOW that old products aren't environmentally friendly

[@SirSean]

@@nikkoa.3639 I beg you to read the edited comment lol

[@BobBuildsBrix]

THE quote of 2020: "Don't shake my hand, how dare you!"

[@ianpineda]

As a Mexican I never thought I would ever see the Telcel logo on a Mr mobile video

[@Anthony18723]

Me neither, but that was really cool.

[@omgiambeto]

MrMobile es territorio Telcel

[@venom74799]

I’m not even Mexican but I was shocked.

[@davidc.7838]

Same here o sea igual yo! Vaya sorpresa 🎉

[@ardcollectsphones]

i love telcel and im greek

[@ThierryTiramisu]

1:26 "Apple would upstage the Samsung Upstage". There's a rumor that Samsung has been plotting its revenge ever since :)

[@FokaColt]

I have a complex project due in 2 days but this seems more important.

[@Pidge-ON]

Same here :)

[@jamietidwell892]

I do too

[@kimchi-des]

exams here lol

[@dejavulinx3295]

saem

[@vicheljohn3517]

Same

[@srikarsharmasadhu9157]

It's nice to see Jaime and Michael in the same frame!

[@JorgeOrtegadgets]

Some pocketnow memories

[@Jfigureitout]

I can’t get enough of this series ! The nostalgia is real

[@always.elevate]

The Sony-Ericsson Walkman phone is still my favorite phone I’ve ever had

[@TheMrMobile]

This is an often-requested product line on WPWF, but I never owned one. Which would you say was the best/most representative model in the Walkman phone family?

[@xalataf3365]

@@TheMrMobile Probably the W800i for me, (atleast in my country) they were the most common. I even have one but sadly the battery and charger have died Edit - should have absolutely mentioned the sliding camera cover and the Java games.

[@MichalPuchel]

@@TheMrMobile I would also suggest the w800i model. I remember when my school mate got it, it was the coolest phone ever. It was also able to play more java games than my Nokia XpressMusic 5310, which struggled with some.

[@DacLMK]

My first phone was the Sony Ericsson W810i, best phone I've ever had. It still works today and it can still hold a charge for up to two days, though when you use it the battery meter fluctuates which makes the displayed percentage incorrect. MegaBass was also a great feature that I remember.

[@Bioslotd]

@@TheMrMobile I had the Sony Ericsson W580i back in 2007, it was pretty popular in my country (France). I remember it to have TrackID which was a Shazam-like by Sony

[@KMreview]

Michael, this device is the best hybrid of mp3 player and cell phone.

[@Juanguar]

I would argue that the Nokia N91 is the best

[@catnip202xch.]

Have you heard of an IPhone?

[@drbali]

@@catnip202xch. no hardware buttons

[@90boiler]

Sony Ericsson Walkmans did the best

[@tams805]

Nah, Sony Ericsson and Nokia did them better. They were much more common in the Europe, South Asia and South East Asia though.

[@omarsalam9973]

Everytime someone watches this " when phones were fun " series, an angel gets his wings.

[@deanchur]

Biblically Accurate version: Everytime someone watches this "When phones were fun", an Ophanim gets another set of eyes

[@LolingStaz]

I remember my dad who was head of Samsung Mexico at the time trying to sell these. They were primarily to compete LG phones that were very popular in Mexico at the time. Thnx for bring this memory to me! I was eagerly waiting for the day to see this phone reviewed!

[@chiragpatil3772]

Great review. Never knew that this thing existed. Keep these vintage phones coming.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Same - at the time, I wasn't anywhere near as into mobile tech as I am now, and I had no idea there was this much inventiveness & diversity in the mobile space. Then again, it may also have something to do with being on the phone plans of parents who were adamant that all I needed was a phone, nothing else: no mobile data of any sort, no texts, even - hell, they didn't even let me get a phone with games (e.g., like fucking snake) until the late 2000s...

[@Zerbey]

As he said, they just threw everything to the wall and figured out what stuck. This was a clever idea, but ultimately failed because the music player was pretty unwieldy and the rest of the phone wasn't that great either. It was still not a terrible device, I had one for about a year and it served me well but I mostly used the large back screen for web browsing rather than as a music player. Just looked at the backup I made of the pictures and found a ton of my kids when they were really little, that's priceless to me.

[@ThierryTiramisu]

2:47 that mini Mr. Mobile portable microphone though :)

[@mohdrafisddq]

Michael - a memento from the time , when G's were three and accessories were free. Me - just wow.

[@demoncloud6147]

I like that statement, so true - "when G's were 3 and accessories were free"

[@MikeMenchaca.]

I didn't get what he meant with "a time when the G's were 3" Care to explain?

[@markc312]

This was my third phone to own but My First COOL & FUN phone to use. So many Complements & Questions from people about my phone back then. I actually owned this phone Twice b/c I lost it or was pickpocketed while in the Club, I owned it in Red and then Black. That battery pack it came with was really helpful b/c I used it as my daily Music Listening Device combined with my Wireless Headphones which lasted All day for me. That was the start for me when I Stoped using my iPod to listen to music b/c the phone was able to hold All my Music 3,000+ songs All on an SD Card. Not to mention the Photos it took weren’t that bad as long as you were in good lighting. Just an Awesome Cool Fun phone to Own/Use during those times.

[@Reduciendo]

"Telcel branding". Man, that really brings back memories from my first phone in 2009.

[@davidc.7838]

Ya veo que no soy el único sorprendido por aquí

[@ericokompatzki7110]

Jaime Rivera in a Michael Fisher's video: a blast from the past in a review which is a blast from the past itself

[@bland9876]

When you see your name or someone you knows name in the book movie TV show KZbin comment etc

[@tonysebastianukpo8824]

I have this! Still one of my favourite phones from back in the day, still working great, battery case and all (no liquidation for me haha). This series is such a breath of fresh air, I used to be so into phone design and the various efforts at futurism, fashion and minimalism the phone companies used to play around with back then. And they make great semi dumb phones today too. Thanks for digging this one up

[@michaelmudzingwa4644]

Do you mind passing it on to me, I never owned 1

[@kleyweg]

That subtle Lost reference has my aughts nostalgia going through the roof.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Wait, what was the reference?

[@CesarIkari]

When I started watching this, I was going insane. My dad still owns that red variant (we're from Mexico City) and he still has the box, battery-cover and still works to this day. In fact, he even want so give it to some kids in order to play with it. It when from an MP3/phone to a toy in 13 years.

[@abbasegbeyemi]

"A time when Gs were 3, accessories were free, and phones were fun." This is why I subscribed! Fantastic as always Mr Mobile.

[@miladjaberi6686]

Oh, my, oh my. Each episode of this channel is written so well. I learn so much from Michael as an English learner.

[@michaeljodon]

I had this phone in college and also sold them at Radio Shack. The think the best thing about this phone was the size without the case. The smallest phone I have ever owned. That extra case battery was something I could keep in my glove box. When my battery got low and I need to take it somewhere, I could put it in the battery pack and charge it back up. It was great and the first rechargeable option out there. The MP3 player actually had great sound quality, which was an actual thing to consider in the early days of MP3. It also support other formats besides MP3, but obviously space was the limiting factor. Texting on this phone was hell though. It also had the data cable, which was nice at the time. A lot of phones back then required if you wanted a picture to either manually pull it off the MicroSD card or email it to yourself.

[@T4silly]

This was my first Cellphone. Thanks for covering it!

[@avgbloke5099]

"I am a memento when the time where the gs were three and accessories were free" oh man this guy got lines.

[@Dtherexx]

Oh i have this,found this in my aunt’s room, plus it came with a case and i was very shock to see a phone with 2 in 1

[@markc312]

Bought this Phone when it First came out.👍 I Loved using this Phone during that time. It was the First time I had Bluetooth on a Phone & I used the Motorola S9 Wireless Headphones which were Awesome. I always got asked/complements about the Wireless Headphones b/c it was cool new technology no one knew about. I also remember adding a 16gb microSD Card to my Upstage Phone which held around 4,000 Songs, so I didn’t have to carry my iPod around anymore. It was also the First time I had a Cellphone to take Selfie’s with which I did a lot of, I still have all those pictures which aren’t that bad if you took photos with the phone in good lighting. Oh yea, let me not forget you were able to watch TV on the phone as well through my Sprint Network. I remember watching my Dallas Cowboys vs the Eagles on the NFL Network during night class on a Monday night, simply awesome a phone could do so much during that time.

[@rishishah989]

Keep making the piece of art you call content

[@chaseism]

Sir, can I just say I absolutely love this series. I worked for Sprint from 2007-2009 and AT&T for two years after that. I browsed Phone Scoop and Phone Arena (If I'm not mistaken, those were some of the only approved sites Sprint let us visit). I have some of the same random shots of my coworkers goofing off in the Sprint store too (Was RMS a nightmare for you, too?). This whole series has been a trip in a time machine. Oh! I reviewed the UpStage for my college paper my senior year, so it's great getting your take on it.

[@rudrakshprasad724]

When you are so early you won against the random virtual hug kid in being early

[@danielrolon56]

I have to say your one of the few channels that makes watching old phone reviews enjoyable and straight to the point. good work

[@AceOfHearts001]

This phone is so awesome. I cannot thank you enough for these back to the past videos. No one does it better! Love the series.

[@thereisnoaddress]

I remember I was in elementary school and would ask my mom to drive me to the mall and pretend like she needed a new phone so I could get my hands on this and play around with it. IIRC, there was also an MP3 player with the exact same layout as the phone's back, and it also had a horrible UI. Thanks for another great video Michael! Loving your creative touch to the "when phones were fun" intro / outro ;)

[@MarioStelar]

Dude this video made me remember, my dad had that phone it was so cool!!

[@abhilashkar6627]

Michael , your videos touch the heart . Theyre made with love and lot of effort which arent present in other KZbinrs videos ! Wish you best of luck for the future !

[@claymcgranahan]

that sponsorship is the only one I was genuinely interested in. Great choice of sponsorship my man.

[@IamCorrosive]

I had this phone back in the day and it's still on my list of all time favorites, right there with the Palm Pre.

[@BeIlG]

THE BEYONCE PHONE! :D

[@Mubashir_AK]

"...spaghetti at the wall-kitchen sink-choose your own cliche-wild west of experimentation." This is why Michael is a step above the rest. Just wow.

[@Vulcan_Seagull]

When I tell people born only 5 or 6 years after me about my first phone, the Samsung Upstage, they look at me like I grew up with black and white TV. It’s Incredible how quickly cellphone technology has advanced in the last 15/20 years.

[@harrythakur4559]

Love the series man keep it going ❤️

[@sahasmahogha6399]

I was waiting for another episode of "when phones were fun" thank you Mr mobile 🙂

[@maritzaacosta3391]

I was a Sprint Store Manager for 9 years wow I forgot about this phone. You sure bring me back memories.

[@jamesl1332]

Michael - I had/have this handset in my drawer and still wish it worked. It was remarkably thin, and fit in your jeans front pcket unnoticeably. It had some media and took okay pictures, but most important I could T9 text without flipping it over (I think I was text tweeting pics to twitpic at that time too). But the crowning achievement? Absolute TANK. I dropped this so many times! I would set it between my legs when I drove so I wouldn't misplace it, but it was so small, I would forget it's there and it would drop up to 4 feet to the concrete below - over and over and over. Never a broken screen, or a hinge, only minor plastic blemishes. People asked me all the time incredulously what phone is was, and if it was a joke like Zoolander. My first smartphone was right after this, Galaxy S Nexus, but it was so fragile AND huge comparatively. Since this phone I've always tried to get the next smallest handset (Moto X OG, and regular sized Pixels), but none have compared to the size and durability of this phone, and that horizontal texture on the directional pad. I'll never forget that feel. This was the last Samsung phone I absolutely loved. If this form factor were smart, and had G Assistant doing the typing, I could be on that bandwagon.

[@TheNJK57]

I actually managed to catch Mr. Mobile Premiere Finally lads finally 😄😄

[@ArcadeK]

My dad owned the Ultra Music once, it was an amazing phone until he accidentally forgot it in a washing machine. A pretty sad story behind it.

[@mightyslime4120]

What’s the story behind it

[@jelek23]

Your video's scripts are just like poetry..beautifully said and done!

[@jpujanes]

I really like your When Phones were Fun series! Thanks, MrMobile!

[@Rgl313]

I'm a bit late but good stuff here! I had this phone. I was a sucker for it's sexy looks seeing it was so different. Using it tho...eh lol. I remember battery life being absolutely trash without the battery pouch. Still have to say I am happy that I did own one at one point of my life lol.

[@AndrewDasilvaPLT]

Had one of these and it was my absolute favorite. Loved that there was a beyonce version too. Lastly, the battery wallet kept it charged for a week.

[@KanishQQuotes]

If that isn't cool I don't know what is

[@apathygod]

I had this phone and the LG Fusic. Both were my favorite phones for such a long time. Thanks so much for this series. I truly enjoy it.

[@alinntd]

I'm loving the little Star Trek references you put in your videos so much that they've become one of the things I'm most looking forward to whenever I see a new upload!

[@sakuta958]

Finally, Tony Stark released another awesome video🤣

[@ThierryTiramisu]

2:53 Don't shake my hand! How dare you?! :)

[@VrushalShravane]

This is one of the best tech series I have come across on youtube!

[@mguanipa2]

I love this series Soooo much. Please make more!!

[@cameronlovesevolve]

You know someone was into portable music if they whipped this out back in the day!

[@depauwgerlings]

You know someone was into portable music if they whipped an Astell & Kern back in the day

[@cameronlovesevolve]

@@depauwgerlings portable streaming music I guess I should have said! Audiophiles gonna audiophile. But my friend Peter could download new music in the middle of the woods while we shared sips from a bottle of gin back in 2007 thanks to his Samsung upstage 😂 and that was pretty friggin awesome. Teenager days

[@aarushguhachaudhuri6355]

This phone was so cool if I could, I would still love to own one!!!

[@techabros5249]

Finally found your channel! I was looking for channel like yours for long, thank you! 😊😊

[@vegavisiaai2321]

I don't watch Mobile reviews.. but I always watch "When phones were fun" . Thanks Michael

[@1mlb704]

I'm getting a headache just watching you try to use that touchpad lol

[@rxpt0rs]

Really love this series! It's nice to see what phones were like when I was a kid.

[@epicgamer2396]

Im kinds new to this channel and im really loving it , i love how every vid id like a mini well thoughtout documentary

[@cyrilsantos85]

This is so true...When phones were fun. I miss the excitement that every phone brings to you in the past. Whether its from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola or Samsung. I miss the old days..😔

[@FokaColt]

This is a MP4 player with a SIM slot lmao

[@EmeraldLavigne]

Honestly, in 2007, I can see literally exactly that being something that would go over pretty well in a corporate pitch meeting and as a retail sales pitch.

[@pranavgautam96]

For some reason, I don't even skip Fisher's sponsoring part.

[@Memes-ib2st]

Me too but in this video I did because IM running short of time

[@CodeBonYT]

I got this fresh out of basic training. Loved that phone. Literally meant to recommend recently and here you are

[@krishnamverma]

The way you present things is way more interesting than the subject of videos itself 😇

[@joemo7384]

I still have that samsung upstage phone just sitting in a shelf.

[@Rucolastico]

So weird to see Telcel in a Michaels video lol

[@NKSamson]

Such great reviews, Micheal! Always a pleasure.

[@jakem.5754]

Transitions so smooth and honest I feel glad to watch the sponsor segment!

[@abdulazeem9885]

This time So early that video haven't started yet😃

[@alwins]

The only company that made dumb phones that is still relevant today.

[@TheMrMobile]

They're lower-profile than they used to be, but I wouldn't exactly call Motorola or LG "non relevant."

[@alwins]

@@TheMrMobile what I was trying to say was that it's the only company that is not a shadow of their former self. Bad choice of words, I suppose 😅. The wing and RAZR are great but are obviously very niche products, at least at present and their "normal" phones aren't selling like hot cakes.

[@kingzach74]

@@alwins I love my LG G8X. Sadly a truly underrated phone.

[@tams805]

Sony are still going in the smartphone arena, and while Nokia are out of it (no, HMD don't really count), they likely provide at least some of the network that you use.

[@VGCrash]

Just recently stumbled into your channel and I absolutely love your content.

[@filip8461]

I remember getting my first MP3 player, then MP4 and then first gen iPod Touch...it was before it came to life that you can have one device to do it all. Memories are incredible tho

[@Gopakumartirur]

Anybody still using the sony ericsson walkman😍

[@IronShogun]

When phones were fun more like when life was fun😬

[@JayCastillo]

I always thought you deserve 1 million subscribers (been a subscriber when you were still below 50k) and I just noticed, you did it! Congrats MrMobile!

[@crazyentertainment4842]

Love your videos I could easily watch a hour long mr mobile video

[@StephenYuan]

i really wanted one of these when they came out. A phone and mp3 player in one! My father thought the idea was absurd; then he bought an iphone and his mind was blown forever.

[@milele7703]

Oh I bought this phone when it hit the market 2007. It was known as the Samsung SGH-F300 Ultra Music. I loved it and still have it to date and it's fully functional for that matter. The phone was ingenious.

[@raymondxmunoz]

OMG!!! You just threw me back to 2007-2008. I remember having this phone and loving it!!! I also remember being a “cool” phone kid back in the day!!

[@peteralmeida3612]

Man, your classic reviews are awesome! Indeed, tech used to be fun.

[@Ariel233CB]

My god that script was sweet. Great video as always Mr Mobile!

[@umang4204]

Great nostalgic rollercoaster ride.. love that..👍🏻👍🏻

[@gabrielleraul488]

i love this series, please make more of when phones were fun.

[@Wateverwa]

Hands down the best series on the best channel, with the best presentation for the sponsor message!

[@aldo6532]

Am absolutely *loving* this series!

[@geoffberteau2847]

Absolutely love this series!

[@REDward27]

Love the series. More of these please.

[@90boiler]

Totally adore this series. Cinematography and presentation are top notch!

[@P4C800d]

In had its successor: SGH-F510 View & Call. It had bigger displays and it could also receive DVB-T television! A cool feature: it was twistable, so you could use the keypad as a stand or twist it all the way round and use the keypad as a grip for the camera. It functioned unexpectedly well and the battery cover added also a great battery life. The touchpad functioned in the same exact way, but that side of the phone worked in landscape mode only. Loved it!

[@rohitmukherjee2037]

My first phone was a Samsung dumb phone. Bought it way back in 2010. It served as my main source of music. Man these videos make me nostalgic.

[@ahorserunning]

Absolutely beautiful phone design for the time. And another wonderfully produced episode in one of the stealth best series on the tube. Thank you for continuing to make these. I'm looking forward to any videos covering the history of e-ink phones going back to the yotaphone. And selfishly a video on the Verizon Chocolate despite it not being interesting enough to fill a video. As a bonus there are several companies with a series of credit card sized simple phones you could look into that are a neat curiosity.

[@saurabhvinchu]

This is such a good series!! Looking forward to more episodes.