Our Samsung Galaxy S Review

There's not much to distinguish between the Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone and an iPhone, except one is an iPhone and the other is not. Almost identical in size and shape, the Korean company have patently thrown down the gauntlet in their attempt to cement a place in the smartphone market. Will they make it?

One unique feature is the TouchWiz 3.0 skin that nestles on top of Google's Android OS. This is a welcome, providing seven homescreens and a variety of widgets, plus more available to download. The screen is ultra-sensitive and brilliantly responsive thanks to the 1Ghz processor providing the power and acceleration. It's intuitive too - the more you use an app, the further towards the top of the screen it moves. Also, Samsung have solved the problem of Super AMOLED screens being unreadable in bright sunlight, which is a welcome, and much-needed improvement.

The powerful processor also provides speedy web browsing, over either 3g or Wi-Fi, which with the clearest of screens and superb resolution, is more enjoyable here than on some comparable models. Pinch the screen and you have instant zoom for browsing, maps and much more.

If you think that the dozens of apps that come with the Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone are not enough, there are many more to download from either Android Market or Samsung's own app portal. The pre-loaded apps cover everything, from functional diary and other everyday helpers to some great games, as well as dedicated Twitter and Facebook widgets.

The Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone's camera is a solid little number, with plenty of options for setting up your shot and tweaking it afterwards. Just like a top-notch 'real' camera, you can easily adjust exposure, balance, contrast and saturation before taking a shot. The HD video works just as well, if not better, and produces excellent results. So it's all the more baffling that there's no flash included. Playback is of superb quality too, both for your own videos, downloads or streaming, and winding backwards and forwards is quick, with no waiting, thanks to that superb processor. Also included is surround sound, which doesn't work too well in every situation, but overall sound quality is superb.

Battery life is not spectacular, but then you are running a 1ghz processor and no doubt want to put the Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone down for longer than a moment. But even when in use all day, it could still manage a day and a half between charges.

This is a good device to handle, although its lightness may feel a little unconvincing at first, as though it's not really there. But it is, and it looks like it's here to stay.

What We Liked

Screen clarity is brilliantly crisp and the fast processor makes operating simple and fun.

What We Disliked

Why couldn't they have included an LED flash? It would have been the finishing touch.

Our Final Verdict

Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone has a lot going for it, and could yet muscle its way into the top three.

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	Samsung Galaxy S
General
Form Factor	Candybar
Dimensions	122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 (mm)
Talk Time	803 mins
Standby Time	750 hours
Weight	108 g
Quad Band	Yes
Photo and Video
Integrated Camera	Yes
Camera	5.00 megapixels
Video Player	Yes
Phone
Polyphonic Ringtones	Yes
Smart Phone	Yes
Internal Memory	8GB
Memory Card Type	MicroSD (max 32GB)
Messaging
Instant Messaging (IM)	Yes
Video Messaging	Yes
Screen
Colour Screen	Yes
Touch Screen	Yes
Connectivity
3G	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Email	Yes
WAP	Yes
Web Browser	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes
GPS	Yes
Music and Radio
FM Radio	Yes
MP3 Player	Yes
MP3 Ringtones	Yes
Additional Content
Downloadable Content	Yes
Downloadable Games	Yes
Downloadable Ringtones	Yes

Samsung Galaxy S Full Specification

General

Photo and Video

Phone

Messaging

Screen

Connectivity

Music and Radio

Additional Content