NEC e606 Review

Overall Rating

This phone has no good points

Far too many to mention. Read the review

The NEC606 is the most annoying phone that I have ever had. The 3G content is fine, I like it and I love new gadgets. Its just a shame that I have to view it on the biggest bag of nails that I have ever has the misfortune to use. If were not for the fact that I have it on a Three friends and family deal, I would have sent it back months ago (the incentive for me is free everything untill October). The main problems are the 2G functionality (old GSM type stuff that should be working fine). This phone kicks you out of the SMS menu if you receive a message when you are typing. It switches off the T9 dictionary at will. The phrase "that function cannot be performed" is now engrained on my mind. I am sick of having to delete SMS and video clips one by one because for whatever reason the "delete all" function works when it feels like it. The battery lasts for between 30 minutes and 6 hours on a good day. I dont get ping-pong when I talk anymore, instead The listener misses whole words or parts of sentances. The software platform (I have a 138K) is next to useless. I hope that lots of people will buy a 3G phone, please do, 3G is a fantastic new technology. But what ever you do, do not buy an NEC606. It will put you off 3G for ever. Get a Nokia or a Motorola. My message to NEC is this. What have you people done? You need to fire your software development teams and hire people who care about how the handset performs. The menu system is truly awful, not confusing, just very badly thought out, with functionality that does not work well at all. You people have done 3G a diservice. We all judge our network on our perceptions. My perception of 3G is now tainted because of having to interface daily with this phone. I have now set up my 3G number to divert to my GSM phone because I dislike this NEC phone so much. I use my 3G phone just to download the news or to pick up my email. It's a joke, it borders on criminal to release a phone that works so badly. I hope Three realise that they made a terrible mistake by giving approval for this phone to be used on their network. I would say that nearly all the failures I see are not because of the 3G network, but because this phone functions so badly.

Mike Jones

Members' Comments onMike Jones.'s Review

• Ben Marks. on 29th Jul 2003

  A terrible phone and a terrible service. I have owned mine for a few months and regret it every day. The phone runs out of batteries within hours. Constantly get cut off mid-call. Only get a line out on 50% of attempts. Customer service take 30 minutes minimum to answer, speak poor English and can't answer your questions. I only bought it because of low cost of voice calls - never used a video feature. Don't get this phone. Don't join Three

• lyn. on 2nd Aug 2003

  i have had my nec606 for sometime now, my software version is 138u i have never had any problems with it at all, and allways found the 3 staff very helpful, the only down side for me is the java side of it as you can't upload from your pc, so i find that disapointing but on the whole it is a great little phone. so i disagree with the other comment ..........

• mshabib on 5th Aug 2003

  I have owned e606 for 3 days and I am returning it back tomorrow. The most annoying thing about this phone is constantly getting cut off in the middle of an important call. As Ben Marks commented out, it is true you only get a line out on 50% of attempts and most of the time you will get 3G services out of coverage error.

• ktmphil03 on 9th Sep 2003

  well what can i say!! i totally agree with you the phone is pathetic and we have to of them!! were in a 12month contract and yet only after a few months everything has gone pear shaped.we came from o2 as 3g offered more for your money.it is the worst thing we have ever done.you ring 3g up and wait a while to be connnected to an adviser only to be cut of when you are being transfered over to techie team. if they new the phone had problems why have it on the shelves and as for us guinie pigs that took it out in the first month of it being made public we should be offered another phone to compensate us...as we was made unware of this..maybe we could say false advertisation?

• splifftoken on 10th Sep 2003

  I had Three replace this NEC606. They sent me the same phone but with later software. I now have 138U SW. Not a lot has changed. I still have all the same annoyances with the phone functionality. As far as I am concerned, this phone should be withdrawn from service. To give it the proper technical term', it's pants! Seriously, 2 paper cups and a length of wet string would be more fun to use. I still have my calls diverted to my GSM phone, and I will definitly will not be using the thing after 2nd of October when my free trial period runs out. 3G is great. NEC606 sucks, really sucks.

• alpa on 30th Sep 2003

  I wish I had read this review before I purchased the most awful phone and phone services. The NEC e606 phone from the Three Mobile network is a terrible pathetic phone and no-one should go out and buy one. I have owned the phone for approx 26 days and have been told by the Three mobile network that I am not allowed to terminate my contract. The problems I have had are: the phone has full signal, yet 50% of incoming calls divert to voice mail, most of the time there is no signal - I have to keep disconnecting then connecting the battery to receive a signal again, sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. The phone battery runs out within hours even if you have not used it to its full potential, I have to carry around a phone charger with me at all times! I feel the phone works only 50% of the time and I feel really upset that I am tied into a 12 month contract and there is nothing I can do. I complained and Three said they would send out a new handset and new battery, I asked what would happen if the same problems persisted I was told that I would have to take it up in writing. I can't believe such a faulty phone has been allowed to sell in the market place - somebody please phone watchdog.
  
  My advice: do not join the Three mobile network, do not purchase a NEC e606 phone - you will not receive the service you are looking for when you purchase a faulty phone.

• ktmphil03 on 1st Oct 2003

  i have already written a review about a nec606, but due to many calls to 3,about the poor quality of service i get with this phone.we have been in contact with them and indeed they have all agreed there is a problem with this phone and is being taken from shop floors etc,but if indeed they agree there is a problem with your percific phone they will indeed exchange it for yet another nec606...what is the point i ask in that? we are waiting to hear where we stand through trading standards maybe get out of the contract( which i dont want to do) or indeed have to give us a brand new model of phone..i do truely believe we have all been ripped off by this..the contract side of things couldnt be better but maybe they should be more honest in shops before we buy thing...i will be intouch as soon as anything comes from trading standards ..if anyone finds anything before i do please could you let us know...cheers

• splifftoken on 1st Oct 2003

  NEC e606. The good news is that NEC do not make this phone anymore (so I am told). The bad news is that Three will sell the remainder of their stockpiles, at least they are still on sale in the high street. The other bad news is that the poor network quality will mean that Three are going to have an uphill struggle to draw people away from 2G. So far as I am concerned, Three should offer refunds or alternative replacement handsets, after they supplyied their new customers in good faith with a handset that is a waste of rations.

• asr2750 on 13th Oct 2003

  Two tin cans and a piece of string will out perform this so called phone. I am on my second e606 and have had nothing but trouble with it. As far as using this for your business, forget it. I cannot review missed calls, previous calls i've made, 3g ! whats that. I've seen it work in the shop and on tv but as far as making a 3g call to my business partner, i've got buckleys chance of it working. As far as coverage in australia we operate of the orange and vodafone network and compared to our other carriers, these guys are still in the dark ages. oh by the way my replacement unit has intermittent buttons.
  thanks nec

• BAH on 10th Nov 2003

  wow. sounds like u guys have had it tough. im from australia and my e606 works pefectly. never drops out on me at all. the only thing that i feel brings this phone down is the short battery life. Even though i got a long life one from 3 - this battery is twice as big and i wont use it. However a 2hr charge per day does the trick and i got 2 spare batteries with the phone. overall i like this phone but will probably upgrade to the nokia version when it comes out in Australia as i have a $300 upgrade credit untill the end of next year. in my opinion its a good starter phone for 3 and i await the next generation of phones.

• sandweson on 26th Mar 2004

  The worst phone i have ever seen in my life!
  They have call center in Bombay (India) and the people in that call centre were not helpful! The battery goes off after a few hours standby!!! When it shows the alert for empty battery you may have less than a min to plug the charger! The network is unreliable as I have experienced cuts every few mins...
  They charged me 70p per min for a premium number that costs 25p! When I tried to explain, the call centre employee kept reapeating that: Due to our bandwith, your call costs 70p per min!!! Never go for 3 again. I will go back to my expensive but working O2.