3 Skype Phone - Full Review - Everything you need to know about the 3 Skype Phone
I have been using the 3 Skype Phone for about a week, now and I have say say I am impressed.
The 3 Skype Phone is a merging of two technologies, Skype and mobile phones. This is a first for mobile phone companies and a bold move by 3 Mobile as you get completely free calls to any other Skype user.

The Skype function works exactly like Skype does on your PC, you log in and out the same way and it displays all your contacts.
Initially when I received the 3 Skype Phone to review, I thought the Skype feature was a great gimmick, but after using it over the last week I have found out how useful this can be, being able to call anyone of your Skype contacts from wherever you are is really useful and I can see this feature being of great benefit to business users, as well as the every day Skype user.
The 3 Skype Phone itself is a pretty nifty little device, weighing just 86g and measuring just 100 x 44 x 13.6mm, and it comes in a choice of three colours, black, white/pink and white/blue.
You can either buy the phone on a monthly contract, the cheapest 3 offer is £12 per month, the phone is free on this option or you can buy the Pay as You Go option for £49.99. All Skype calls are completely free, and on the PAYG option all you need to do to benefit from the free Skype calls is top up the credit on the phone by £10 a month.
There are quite a lot of other features on the phone including an MP3 player, a 2.0 mega-pixel camera, and a web browser.
The web browser is pretty good, and as the 3 Skype Phone is 3G enabled it is fast too. 3 Mobile have some great services available, including Mobile TV with channels like BBC1, ITV1, the Comedy Channel, BBC News 24 and lots more.

There are also some other great services like Yahoo Search, Windows Live Messenger, Google search, Facebook and YouTube.
All in all the 3 Skype phone is an amazing little mobile, packed with features and for the price you can’t go wrong.
I would love to see 3 Mobile roll out the Skype feature across their mobile phone range, as this would revolutionise the mobile phone industry, and would benefit their customers, imagine if every mobile phone had Skype built in and the calls were free.
What 3 Mobile have done is have the balls to install a feature like Skype on a mobile phone, where the other mobile phone operators have been scared too in case they loose revenue, I think the 3 Skype Phone will be a big hit for 3 mobile.
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[...] Everything you need to know about the 3 skype phone by Gadgettastic [...]
the only thing stopping me getting one right now is the cold weather outside!
i’ll be getting a couple tomorrow for sure.
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I’ve been meaning to get one, but I went down to my local three store yesterday and they haven’t arrived yet!
Hi Abdul
Try the 3 online store, they seem to have them in stock.
http://threestore.three.co.uk/payg/default.aspx?id=1266
[...] "3 Skype Phone" "3 Skype Phone" Skype, Mobil Telefon, Mobil TV, Yahoo Search, Windows Live Messenger, Google Search, Facebook ve YouTube 3 Skype Phone iki teknolojiyi birle
I usually don’t go for gadgets as soon as they hit the market, but as a regular Skype user, I decided to go for it. Went to my 3 store in Kingston on 4 November, but they hadn’t yet received the phones. The sales guy told me they were available only on PAYG, and tried to sell me a Nokia phone that “did the same thing”. Wrong on both counts. How frustrating! Back home, I used 3’s online chat help service to find out more, and was told I’d get a free Bluetooth headset if I signed up before midnight…so I did. Delivery promised for 10 November. Another benefit to signing up with 3 is that I can use my inclusive minutes when in Ireland, and not have to pay to receive calls (which I do with my current provider).
[...] just wanted to let you guys know that 3 Mobile have now got the 3 Skype Phone in stock in their stores as I had received quite a few emails asking where you could get one [...]
Its actually 49,99 Pounds not dollars.
Hey Erik, thanks for pointing that out i have fixed it
Its alright! I really want to get this phone but really dont know if its worth it.
Unfortunately it does not work…. got mine yesterday, charged it, tried it this morning, and skype will not sign in. doh. Took it back to shop, and got told I was the first one to report error. Calling the customer service I was told that engineers are working on a “ongoing issue”. 12 hours later, still not working. Heads must be rolling at 3..
Same here, Troy. Got mine this morning. The 3 service works OK (calls and texts) but no Skype. Customer service tells me my report has been “escalated”…presumably to someone who know what’s going on. “Are you sure you entered your Skype name and password correctly”? Er, YES!! I’m told I should expect a call back within 48 hours.
Hi, i have written a big more of a watch out complaint… about the bad service from three getting the phone.. however maybe its still getting vetted by the website guy here, (pls put it on.. edit any bad words as you wish…)
Regarding the skype service, mine does not work either… by the looks of it, if only a few ppl on here have noted the skype service doesnt work, theres probably thousands that dont work..
The only good thing i have to say about three it that i have a reception in a room I didnt have on T-mobile… whoppie dooo… so, theres no skype on the skype phone… great!
Hi Guys
Just tested mine and it is working fine.
Are any of you signed into skype on your PC as well, as trying to sign in using the phone ?
Try the following and see if it works :-
1. Sign out of Skype on your PC.
2. Sign into Skype on the 3 Phone.
Let me know if this helps.
Cheers
@ Cheesed off customer.
The only comment I received on this post from yourself was the one above, I have also checked the spam filter and nothing is showing, so I am not sure what happened to it, please feel free to re-submit it and I will edit out the bad words.
Cheers
Hi again
I tried signing out of Skype on the PC and in on the phone. No luck. I understand from Neville Hobson (www.nevillehobson.com) that you can be logged in on the PC and the phone at the same time.
Had a call from a tech support guy this morning. His advice was to turn off the phone, take the battery out, put it back in, turn the phone on, and do a master reset. Still nothing. Gosh! So then he advises me to go to my local 3 shop (”I’m sure you have one in your locality!”) and try my USIM in a different handset. I’m not hopeful at this moment, but I’ll keep you posted.
Hi Angie
Sorry to hear that it isn’t working for you guys, I hope 3 get the problem fixed soon.
Hi Fatgadget,
Cheesed off here…
Firstly I just wanted to let ppl know that when i first pressed 444 (I think) to sort of get the phone live when it arrived, I put the phone to my ear as I expected voice prompts for must stuff.. and this loud high pitched screatch came out of it. It was so loud and ’sharp’ I swung my head to the side like i’d been hit. It seems to have done some damage to my ear drun, (and I work at rock concerts and have my head next to speakers many times)!!! I think it could have perforated my ear as its still bad and its four days later.
Im going to have to go to the Docs on Monday, as i think some liquid fluid is in there right down the ear passage. So just a warning for any one first logging on and getting the phone live, I hope mine was a one off! I dont like to be a moaning git.. Im too busy. But the service, no freebies as promised, no vouchers, no recommeded credit acknoledged has reall got to me as they should not be like this.
Im going to submit my letter I have written to them as I get NO support from the Customer service, Im on hold for ages till I give up.
Thanks
CO
Hi, i just found this on a medical site… it can last up to 6 - 8 week, minor perfrations heal them selves, some need anti- biotics, others need more medical support.
A sudden loud noise. For example, from a nearby explosion. The shock waves and sudden sound waves can perforate the eardrum. This is often the most severe type of perforation and can lead to severe hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
i am 100% sure this dam faulty phone has done this damage to my ear. I am on hold now to skype and told them theres lots of ppl on the internet saying the same thing about the problem with the skype sign on.. so ive insisted it gets replaced, AND checked it works before they send me another dud.
If you find you have a faulty phone and cant get on to skype, tell them theres loads of ppl having the same problem and you want a new one… so they dont mess you about waiting for reports to come back and DONT put it close to your ear when you first activate the phone!
Regards
GAil
Bought a PAYG Skype phone yesterday from the local shop. Everything about the phone seems fine, except Skype. I can’t create a new account or sign into an existing one - the phone just ticks over and does nothing. After half an hour on the phone to Three support they’ve said they’ll call me back within 48 hours. I’ll be going to the shop tomorrow after work to try a different handset.
Here’s the latest (see post #17 for background). Went to the 3 shop to try a new handset. While waiting I had a call from the tech guy…to tell me there was a problem with the Skype service (only in relation to them, obviously, as it’s fine on my PC), which they hoped would be resolved within 48 hours. No promises, though. I do hope this is just teething problems, as this could be such a great service.
All of the 3 shops I went didnt ave them in stock. Have to try again today. Well see
YAY! WE HAVE SKYPE!
Hi Angie
It is great news that they have got it working for you, let us know how you get on with the phone and what you think of it.
First impressions are positive It’s a good weight, and feels nice. Easy to text on, as the keys are slightly raised (I couldn’t get on with the flat keypad on the Motorola L6). Menus easy to navigate. The music player groups content by track, artist, and album. You can also set up playlists, but the three I created have disappeared! Ring tones, message alerts, and alarms can be set to any sound or music track in the media player…I like that.
I’m concerned about battery life, though. The first charge lasted about 24 hours. The second doesn’t seem to be much better. Maybe it just needs a few charges and discharges.
I’m new to 3, having been with Orange for years, so I’ve yet to test its coverage.
I’m getting conflicting info from 3’s customer services. One woman told me that charges for accessing the internet were part of my inclusive minutes. When I queried an additional charge, however, I was told it was for accessing the internet (Gmail and FaceBook)!! She said she would refund that, as I’d been given misleading information. The guy in the shop said that I’d be warned if I was about to click on a chargeable site…that wasn’t so in either case.
So far so good, then! Mostly…!
I got mine! I bought 2 and after a few days of using them, I am well impressed!
I had a very good experience of the usability of skype and how good the 3g live itv channel is.
I’ll be writing it up this week on my site, thanks for letting me know about these!
Hi Andy
I am glad the phone work’s well for you, the skype function is great I use it all the time
Got my phone a couple of days ago. Skype is working fine, just a few things i am disappointed with.
1. Does anyone know how to actvivate the keypad lock manually? I found the automatic one but i am looking for the combination of keys to activate it myself. (Not in the manual and they don’t know in the shop)
2. I have all my contact numbers saved with the country code (e.g. +353 for Ireland). But when anyone is ringing me and their phone doesn’t send the country code, my phone does not recognize the number as one of my contacts!!!!
3. Before buying the phone I had asked in the shop whether i can send texts to family and friends who live in Germany/Finland etc. I was told no problem. But my texts never went through!!! After asking again it turns out, with 3 i cannot text to Finland at all and in Germany only one certain provider “passes on” my texts!
It’s a shame!!!
I love the skype function and i was impressed by the phone as well, but some of the basic mobile phone features are not really working, so i am very annoyed
hi i was just wondering if you can make nornal phone call and text on the skype phone
Hi Carolie
It works like a normal mobile phone, you can text and make calls
Can you Skype out from the phone?
another unbranded chinese shit-one of the many they make.
i have this phone aswell. batery life is only 2 days(switcht of at night).
phones default 3mail.com does not working properly or not working at all.
skype-just working-very very simple -only few features compare to skype on pc,sound quality-average.
on the second day phone start beeping every half hour for no reason-impossible to do anything about it(very annoing).
when browsing mobile internet many websites or software you can not use because this PHONE IS NOT SUPPORTED !!!
but on other hand-if you want cheap small 3g phone -so it just works.
I am very tempted to get one of these phones as my Skype Phone is also my Business phone (with SkypeIn). But I have some questions…
There seems to be *some* people here who have managed to get Skype working so feel free to answer my questions guys and gals.
1) I have a SkypeIn number - is my SkypeIn number redirected to the 3 SkypePhone? If so then that really is my major use. My business 0845 number is redirected to my SkypeIn number so this would be a huge ebenfit to me when away from my PC.
2) If the SkypeIn calls ARE redirected - does the cost come out of my Skype Balance?
3) Has anyone transferred their existing number Mobile Number to the 3 SkypePhone? I am fairly sure this is possible but I’d be interested in finding out how easy it was for others.
4) Is there an easy way to transfer contacts from an existing SmartPhone to the 3 SkypePhone - not Skype contacts, but other contacts. Does it plug into a PC?
Cheers chaps,
Kevin
For the moderator…
You should have a date on the Postings. I for one am interested in when the problems above were occurring and therefore the chance that they have been resolved and how relevant they still are!
Kevin:
As I understand it, you have to set up the redirect to your 3 phone number as you would to any other, and then pay the cost of the redirected call.
Yes, you can transfer (”port”) your existing number to your Skypephone. You need to get a code (the PAC) from your existing provider, and pass that on to 3. I gather the process can take about 10 days. I’ve decided to keep my existing number with Orange, though, as I’m unfamiliar with 3, and want to keep my options open for now!
Thanks Angie. If it is true about the redirection then it pretty much puts paid to my interest!
Customers ring my 0845 number, which is redirected to my Skype Number, which is redirected to my Mobile (if I am not at my PC) - which depletes my SkypeOut Credit at an alarming rate so it is not cost effective.
I was hoping that the integration between Skype and the new 3 SkypePhone was advanced enough to recognise my SkypeIn number - saving me a pretty penny in the process. I would say that this is a fundemental pre-requisite, but I am just a customer
Hi Kevin
I am looking into displaying the date and time of the comments at the moment, hopefully we should have it added soon
Hi All…
Im happy on one basis… i get a signal where i am so far 100% of the time whereas with t mobile and orange and virgin there was on off singal..
Everything else sucks…
The service from three is crap.. i did get two of my mates to sign up.. we were all promise freebies and the £30 credit which is then taken back once they have your cash…
I have written in several emails about the busting of ear drum.. not even answered….
one of my mates has cancelled as they also withdrew the freebies and discounts once the credit card was handed over..
And another of my mates hates three with a passion… as… her phone broke.. she sent it in.. under repairs still.. they had it for two months.. still charged her monthly fees…. when they sent it back… it was still faulty and another two months passed and they still charged her monthlys..
She told them to sod off.. they threatened to take her to court… as shed stopped the direct debits and ‘broken her contract’ she was advised to pay!
Yes i can see that happening if I had good coverage with another provider id sledgehammer this piece of shit and send it back…
AND… i sent a text to my mate to say id be late… i was sat with her and 24 of the same message came through….
AND yes the phone battery is also as SHITE as their service…
My advice is get another phone service provider as these are real tossers to deal with! You will be lucky if you get any freebies they promise!
Good luck
I just got mine, seems very good so far.
not a bad phone for £50, love the skype tool.
Lock the keypad manually - * then top left button.. the reverse of unlocking it
Just a quick question: Does anybody know the possibility of unlocking these phones to work with other SIM cards? I’m looking to get 1, but was told after making some enquires that the only to do this is to pay the full line rental (on an 18 month contract), and that only 3 customer services can provide the unlock code
This phone is awesome. I live in Australia and my family and friends are in the UK and USA. Great way to contact people using Skype whilst out and about
Thank you Anon for the locking tip
Have a great Christmas everyone
# Anon UNITED KINGDOM Windows XP Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.9 Said,
Lock the keypad manually - * then top left button.. the reverse of unlocking it
Man… what is wrong with people? All moan, moan, moan…
” ive just found this medical site…. blah blah blah blah blah blah…… zzzz”
SERIOUSLY? GET A LIFE!!!
I’m using the 3 Skype phone on PAYG basis in London. My other contract phone is with Vodafone. Here are my findings;
1. Reception of 3 in different UK locations
London - Exceptional! Good coverage. TV streaming is BRILL!
Liverpool - Good reception. TV streaming not as great!
Manchester - Exceptional! Didn’t test TV streaming!
Coventry - Exceptional! TV streaming is BRILL!!!
2. Skype
WICKED. I can login and out - no problems! I’ve created different accounts using the phone and no problems at all. There is a trick to login in though, don’t use the arrow keys or space/delete combo to move the cursor forward!
Skype calls - No problems. I’ve called Skype to PC Skype. Reception is BRILL! 3 Skype to 3 Skype. Reception is BRILL again!
Skype chat - WICKED! Bit delayed compared to the likes of MSN, Yahoo! But it’s free and still good!
3. Internet
Using the phone for surfing the internet is rather limited due to the screen being small. However, it is still fast for what it can do. Not all websites are capable of being shown on the phone (cos… its a PHONE and not a PC!!). It’s not even a smartphone. For the price you pay, deal with it!
4. Other Functions
Menu system - Easy and intuative to use.
Alarms - can set up to 3 different alarms - Excellent features.
Calculator - Basic but effective.
Stopwatch - Does what is says it does. No complaints.
Understandably, for those who live out in the fields; who neighbours are Baah Baah the sheep… quit complaining about the reception quality or this and that….
For those, who live in the real world… here is a summary of what you get:
3 Skype phone Pay As You Go for GBP49.99, where can you go wrong with this? What else can you get on the market for GBP49.99 for a PAYG phone?
You have to top up GBP10 every 30 days to allow for the free Skype2Skype calls and chat. And for GBP10, you get up to 4,000 free minutes to other Skype callers (including local, national and international). If we assume charging calls at 1p/min, that is GBP40 for GBP10!! That’s not even including the Skype chat!!
Overall a brilliant phone for a brilliant price. Preconceptions of 3 being a poor service provider is false! Every network provider has their blind spots, so don’t expect a perfect reception because it’s not!
I totally endorse this phone and price you pay!
you can not send emails even though the manual states you can. also for some reason the back of the case has been burning up. It so stupid you are not allowed to send emails via 3mail.com.
I am in AU, I am skypein/out user since 2 years.
Buying a Skypephone would add another phone to 3 I already have (one in use). For me as for Kevin receiving the SkypeIn calls is paramount and would be the only reason to buy that phone - my skype to skype calls usually take longer time and I prefer to do this in the comfort of my home besides my skype contacts are mainly in Europe and at the time to phone them is my evening (at home)
So - for a pricey standard re-direction of my skypeIn number via skypeout I do not need a “Skype”phone - works fine with my existing phone - even I hardly use it (cost!).
Did ever somebody try to redirect a skypin call from an existing account to a skype account connected to the Skypephone? That re-direction would be a call from one skype account to another skype account.
Any experiences?
I really want to know if anyone has been able to unlock this for use on other networks. Please help!
u can use msn aswell .. put a £5 net pass… and rock on utube,facebook.. skype 4nz worth it fer 49.. i bought1 n its worth it.. canne bliv msn messenger is working.. got bluetooth.. 2mp cam.. very light slim…micro sd.. good but 4nz made by amoi
china;)
msn is free til end of dec 2007 on payg ..
To unlock phone, see comment #41
Got this phone yfor christmas and i think its great. downloaded msn for it yesterday but then last nite it just stopped working i kept trying but eventurallly gave up. then i decided to uninstall the msn and then try and install it again but when i went to install it it wouldnt and kept comeing up “invalid parameter” can someone tell me what this means ?
another thing i tried to connect the phone to the pc but neither the phone would recognise each other and i followed the instructions in the manual but discovered i have no memory card is it essential to have a memory card to be able to connect the phone to the computer ?
please help
check in the box, you should have a 256mb mSD card. this is needed to connect to PC, as this is the card the PC would read/write to.
MSN may have stopped working due to a three network fault.. sometimes skype is unavailable for a few hrs at a time, not often, but on the odd occation.
thanks i went back to the shop today and the guy had forgotten to put one in the box for me so that is sorted now
now i have a different problem
i put the memory card in and connected it to the pc but the pcsync is not working i cant transfer any files can some one please tell me how to do this i read the manual and the ‘help’ on the pcsync but still its not working maybe im doing it wrong
Never mind got it working. one of the data thingys wasnt installed properly. so problem solved on its own but thanks anyway for your comment and tips.
Had the phone for three weeks on pay as you go, initially has problems with skype unable to set up an account - similar ot other on here phone it just ticking over not doing much - all of a suddent the accout was set up! Fab I think after 3 days, skype was great very clear. Finally talk to my boy-friend in the US. Now the phone wont turn on, when it finally does the battary is flat - wont hold any charge from computer or wall charger ….. does any one know where I can get a new battary -not been able to contact my boyfriend in 2 days….. fed up with the phone and the people at 3 - so unhelpful.
My wife is now on Skype Phone number 3, She got one at the beginning of December and it lasted less than a week. It got stuck on the 3 logo at the phone start up screen and never moved from there. They replaced the phone no problem at the 3 store. Now phone number 2 is doing the same!! Its going back tomorrow!! And they better replace it or i will kick up merry hell. Generally the phone is excellent for a 3g phone and the camera isnt too bad either (despite the lack of a flash). Streaming and WWW work well on the phone and the screen is nice and bright and clear too. Menu system is easy to use. Ringtones are garbage and I would advise anyone to get some of your own. Skype works well on the phone and it sometimes does take a while to get signed in. Google maps is good too as is yahoo and the other 3 offerings.
at £49.99 the phone has many features that phones double or even treble the price dont. Just hope the next one lasts longer. Oh yeah, the battery life is rubbish. Ive got a 3 phone too and my battery life is garbage too, so it must be a 3 thing.
I have had the 3 Skype phone now for 3 weeks so far so good i dont seem to be encountering any of the problems others are having. I love the Skype facilty which is why i got the phone in the first place i chat with friends all over the world for nothing however it would be a bonus if Skypein/out worked. I have got 3 a few new customers we shall see if i get the £30 credit for doing so.
I have a few issues i included an add on mobile email only to find the phone is not compatible, 3 refuse to take the add on off so i am paying for something unuseable untill next month when i can take it off. I have been charged for data usage when i have an internet add on so that doesnt make sense i am waiting to see what they have to say about that.
There is one thing 3 customers should know about 3 customer service, whatever issue or complaints you have its always the customers fault, 3 never take any responsiblity , many customers have reported having to pay for repairs as soon as the phone is out if its 14 day money back warranty.
I love the phone so far, but 3 customers service is the absolute worst, they are always right and you are always wrong.
Have had one of these for only a couple of months, the software failed on it and had to go back to be fixed, now every time i get a message the phone will vibrate for several minutes and during this time the phone will not respond to any user input. The phone is also excruciatingly slow and unresponsive, also the magnet which is glued to the back cover to hold it inplace has come free so the back falls off. All in all this is a very poor product and would strongly advise everyone to steer clear. Yes its small and 3 g but its not worth the hassle.
i have just bought the 3 skypephone yesterday and called 3 care today because msn wasnt working.
they said this phone isnt compatible with msn.
yet, on this review, it says it is..
Not happy.
is there anything i can do to change this ??
thanks
Hi newcustomer
I think you need to download and install a program to link to MSN. Check out the 3Skypephone Forum for more details:
http://www.3skypephone.com/forum/index.php
I also found this after a quick search, haven’t used it but it might help you. take a look
http://wap.mig33.com
I bought one of these today from Woolworths (£39.99) and I have to say, I am very happy with it.
can anyone help please? i put in my skype user name and password and get told that i have to ’sign up before you can use Skype’ Tried to create a new account and still told the same
this mobile is an absolute piece of shit. seriously.
within the first two weeks after purchasing it, the mobile started to freeze, it’d turn itself off for no reason, and, the worst thing - I stopped receiving msgs!! I took it back to the 3 shop and they said it was my sim card, so they gave me a new sim card, but it didn’t change anything! and when I brought it back for the second time, to tell them that the phone was still freezing and not receiving msgs, they refused to swap it over as it was a couple of days past the 14 day mark! i explained to them that I HAD brought it back with problems originally within the 14 day mark but had been given a sim card instead of a new phone, but they still refused to exchange it.
i am extremely angry at the incompetence and stupidity of not only the 3 stores, but their customer service line, in which they put me through to 5 different people and than keep me waiting and then try to tell me that its my fault.
the skype phone may be cheap but its not worth it, spend the extra $100 and buy something that actually works. with a network that is NOT 3!!!!!
it is not very good
can anyone tell me if the 3 skype phones can be unlocked?
can anyone tell me if the 3 skype phones can be unlocked.plzplzplz
Hi Can You Unlock Skype Phones ? If Yes Where To?
Please Write Back x
this phone is great and dont blame 3 customer services 4 bein bad so r T-mobile i was on a 15 pound a month contract somehow i lost my simcard i contacted them they said they would not give me a new sim so i said can i cancel the contract and they refused to do this so i got myself a new payg sim and the phone i had broke…..T-mobile had given me 1Yr warranty but still would not replace the phone i kept arguin wid the customer services (at this point i was still payin 4 the contract) they then said they would sue me 4 harrasing there customer services if i continued so i gave up threw the phone away…..got the skypephone best 50 quid i eva spent
by da way my old phone was a Samsung SGH - D600E i would not reccomend the d600 as it falls apart easily and freezes while calling people…..or just restarts and resets itself………………….
overall the skypephone is good and 4 the price…..it is incredible no problems wat so eva
GREAT PHONE i got it the other day it works perfectly fine i got it for $150 (australian dollars)
Someone knows how to unlock the skypephone for use in another country?