Jitterbug J Cell Phone Review

The Hardware

The Jitterbug J hardware is made by Samsung, a very recognizable name in the cell phone industry. The phone has a good design and a very sturdy feel.

The Jitterbug J is an unusually thick phone. Although it weighs just 4 ounces (113 grams), it is a full 1” (25.4 mm) thick. This phone will definitely put a bulge in your jeans, but its thickness gives it a certain comfortable feeling

When closed, the Jitterbug J is 4" (101.6 mm) long by 2" (50.8 mm) wide. When open, it extends to 7” (177.8 mm) long. This length gives you the feel of a regular phone. In fact, because of the oval shape and rubberized rounded edges (seen in Figure 3), it is one of the most comfortable cell phones that we have seen. You don’t have to get your ear in line with the speakers. Because of the shape and the rubberized edges, your ear is always in the proper place to hear the conversation. The design of this device also reduces background noise in the earpiece, as it puts a little distance between the earpiece and the microphone. The ear cushion also makes it easier for those with hearing aids.

Figure 3: The open Jitterbug J

When closed, as in Figure 4, the front of the Jitterbug has a small screen and one elongated button. If you press the button when the Jitterbug is closed, the screen will show the date and time. When the Jitterbug is open, this button acts as a volume up/down key. The button itself is gray and is surrounded by a small white area. The white area acts as a notification alert. It lights up to alert you that you have a text message, missed call, or a voice mail. When a call comes in, like other phones, there is a ring tone that you can hear. On the Jitterbug, the front notification area also blinks a visual alert. The small screen on the front of the phone also lights up and gives you the telephone number of the caller.

Figure 4: The front of the Jitterbug with date showing

There are no buttons of any sort on the sides of the Jitterbug, so there is nothing that can be pressed inadvertently. The bottom, shown in Figure 5, has only a port for the charger.

Figure 5: The bottom of the Jitterbug

The back of the Jitterbug, shown in Figure 6, has a loop at the top where a lanyard can be attached. Under that is a small removable sticker that says “Digital by Qualcomm.” That sticker is the only thing on the phone that you may have trouble reading. Everything else on the phone is done in large print.

In the middle of the back, near the top, is a decent-sized button that can be pressed to release the battery. It requires a bit of pressure to work, so you won’t press it by mistake.

Figure 6: The back of the Jitterbug

While most cell phones have a removable cover with the battery underneath, the Jitterbug’s battery actually forms the back of the phone. Figure 7 shows the back of the Jitterbug with the battery removed. The Jitterbug has a rechargeable lithium ion battery that Jitterbug says will provide up to 4 hours of continuous talk time. Our tests showed this to be accurate. However, it should be noted that even without use, the Jitterbug battery will run down. How quickly it will deplete depends on the strength of the signal in your area. We tested it in one area where it lasted 8 days. In another area, it lasted only 4 days.

Figure 7: The Jitterbug battery

You can check the quality of the signal by choosing “Phone Info” from the main menu, where it will list the signal quality as poor, fair, good, etc. In this area, you can also check the amount of battery charge that is left. We longed for a more obvious place where we could see at a glance if the battery needed a charge or not.