Samsung Galaxy i7500
The Galaxy is the first Android handset I got my hands on to have a real good play with. I have to admit I was very excited about this phone and looked forward to having a real good look.
With this review I’m going to avoid delving right into the operating system and focus more on the handset itself because I couldn’t help but think that Samsungs effort here wasn’t up to scratch to really show off the operating system hiding beneath the surface.
Construction and Build:
This handset looks nice enough on paper and physically it’s not a bad looking phone but you’re definitely going to need a decent case or insurance. Drop this and it’s bye bye handset. I’m not sure what it is with Samsung but they sure make some fragile models. The i7500 doesn’t feel solid at all. It’s a complete plastic finish with a screen that feels as though it might just break under your thumb if you push too hard.
The hard key’s are far too large and too many. For a touch screen phone there is an awful lot of wasted space for keys that look as though they were removed from a phone from about three years ago. The design screams Samsung but in this case that usually elegant design seems a little wasted.
It’s not all a lost cause however. The handset has a dedicated camera key which compliments the 5 mega pixel camera. Also the inclusion of a 3.5mm jack is a nice touch.
The handset comes in a lot smaller and thinner than the usual smartphone which allows for much smoother one handed controls and comfort. It’s not a phone the weighs down your pocket!
UI and OS:
I mentioned earlier that I didn’t want to dwell on the operating system too much in this review. I could talk for pages about Android but I’d like to have a more in depth play before reviewing the operating system itself. So instead I’ll talk about a couple of things that really jumped out at me on the Galaxy.
First thing it’s quite easy to get the hang of. It’s a case of tapping the application you want to open and you’re there. Nice and simple.
The accelerometer responds nicely in all applications. It’s a lot smoother than the iPhone 3G and has no lag. This really allows for a much smoother browsing and surfing experience when it comes to web.
Despite the handful of good features the Galaxy has to offer it seemed there were an equal amount waiting to tip the scales.
I couldn’t help but notice the numerous software flaws when trying to use this phone. At times it would just randomly crash and have to be completely reset which really ruined the experience. The processor seemed to struggle with loading times and the responsiveness lagged at a number of points. The problem here is the lag is intermittent, sometimes the phone would be loading everything instantly and other times there would be a noticeable delay. What really got me going however was the lack of a working backspace when texting in landscape! What’s all that about?
So to sum up it’s a great OS but needs a lot of ironing out before it’s ready to be taken seriously on this handset.
Camera:
The Galaxy offers a decent set of specs when it comes to the camera. The 5 mega pixel camera performs nicely and the auto focus is quick to respond allowing for a good capture time. The LED flash works well enough but falls short of amazing. Of course the addition of a dedicated camera key is a nice touch, something all too often left out on modern smart phones.
The video unfortunately is below average. Video captured is grainy and falls well and truly short of the iPhone 3GS. This is a shame as it’s normally anarea where Samsung really excel!
Conclusion:
All in all it’s an ok phone. I don’t know if my expectations were just too high because of the hype revolving around Android handsets but in all honesty I feel a little let down.
I’ll admit the interface is smooth and the handset does perform well but just when I’m starting to enjoy using it suddenly it either crashes or seems to struggle.
At the end of the day I recommend you pass over this handset and look elsewhere. The competition is fierce and far superior. Don’t waste your hard earned cash!
Advantages:
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
- 3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76Mbps
- Android OS v1.5 Codenamed Cupcake
- 3.2" capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of HVGA resolution
- Qualcomm MSM72000A 528MHz CPU, 128MB RAM
- 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash
- geo-tagging,
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and turn-to-mute
- Digital compass for automatic navigation of maps
- Standard microUSB port for charging and data
- microSD card slot with microSDHC support
- 8GB internal storage
- Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
- 3.5 mm audio jack
Disadvantages
- No smart dialing
- Camera features are a bit outdated
- No videocalling
- Buggy software
- Fragile finish
- Wasted space
- No multi-touch gestures
- No Flash support in the web browser
- No DivX/XviD video support or a third-party application to play that
- No FM radio
- No TV-out port
- No voice dialing
- Somewhat limited 3rd party software availability
- No Bluetooth file transfers
- No tethering