Times may be hard for global economy, Samsung clearly doesn't care. Where many companies have gone into what I would almost call; 'sleep mode', Samsung seems to carry on at the same speed as they are used to. Focus seems to concentrate on the touchscreen models. Recently, the Samsung Omnia HD, Samsung Jet, Samsung Omnia 2 and the Samsung Omnia Qwerty, were speedily introduced one after the other. In fact, this year is not yet over, and we're still expecting another fleet of new Samsung mobile phones. Samsung is the first manufacturer after HTC, to launch a mobile phone on the market, based on the Google Android operating system. With only a slight delay compared to HTC, Samsung is still the early bird. The bright clear AMOLED touchscreen monitor and the LED flash are unique features compared to previous Android mobile phones. The first dare-devil to boldly venture into the Android universe was the T-Mobile G1, also known as the HTC Dream. He was a lonely explorer at first, but one of his younger siblings, the HTC Magic was soon to come and help out (aka T-Mobile myTouch 3G in USA and T-Mobile G2 in UK). At the end of April 2009 Samsung officially announced they were to launch their own battleship to conquer the Android universe and named it the Samsung Galaxy I7500. The handset looks quite similar to the Magic and we consider the handsets direct rivals. Unlike the HTC Magic, the Galaxy is equipped with 5-megapixel camera, additional microphone dedicated to better audio tracks to the captured videos, touch sensitive AMOLED screen, D-Pad instead of trackball and 8GB internal memory. The list of archrivals of the Samsung´s first Android device can be expanded to include the HTC Hero, although we do think the Samsung´s device doesn’t stand a sporting chance against the latter. Well, the denouement is forthcoming, so let´s sit back, not underestimate the contenders and see what happens.
What´s in the box?
• The Samsung Galaxy i7500
• Case
• microUSB charger
• microUSB cable
• Stereo headset with 3.5mm jack
• Software CD
• User guide
The phone case is welcome, although it´s less useful than the one that comes with the Samsung Jet S8000. There are neither openings for the phone earpiece, nor markings that indicate where the send and end keys are, so you will have to pull the phone out of it anytime you need to use it.Design: The design is in line with the manufacturer´s new style and its similarity to the Jet S8000 and Omnia II I8000 is apparent, although it resembles the overall shape and look of the HTC Magic too. The handset is compact and only 11.9mm thin, which makes the Samsung´s Battlestar the slimmest Android-based handset on the market. We do not have any gripes concerning the quality of workmanship. The Samsung Galaxy I7500 is made of plastic that doesn’t have a cheap feel to it, but has a raging affinity for fingerprints, so you will have to clean it up quite often if you want it to retain its presentable outlook.
Just like the Magic, the Galaxy I7500 is equipped with 3.2-inch capacitive screen with resolution of 320x480 pixels. There is quite a significant difference however, because the Samsung´s device features light sensitivity sensor, utilizes AMOLED technology and delivers 16mln color support unlike the feeble 65k-capable display on the Magic. The result is superior, more vivid and pleasing image quality. It remains usable in direct sunlight, but its love for fingerprints becomes rather evident when you take the phone outdoors.
Unlike the Android running handsets by HTC, Samsung has staked on a 5-directional D-pad instead of a trackball. We are of the opinion, however, that the trackball is much easier, handier and faster to control. There is a button on the left of the D-pad with an arrow on it that calls up the phone Menu. The smallest button of all has no inscription on it, gets you to the home screen when pressed or opens the multitasking menu if held pressed for a while. We do not have any gripes concerning the feel and travel of all the buttons, although they could have been aligned better - if you use the phone with one hand, reaching the innermost keys creates an unpleasant feeling of your fingers being overstretched, especially after prolonged use. Ultimately, we think the trackball provides more ease and comfort and we rather prefer it to the D-pad.
There is a screen lock/unlock button on the right hand side of the device that fully replaces the end key function widely adopted in the HTC´s army. The additional microphone supposed to improve the audio track quality of videos that you capture is on the top side, along with a 3.5mm jack and microUSB slot and we welcome the latter two with open hands. The lonely volume rocker is located on the opposite side and is fairly easy to press. Finally, the back houses a loudspeaker and 5-megapixel camera equipped with LED flash.
Not all Android handsets are created equal. And when you’re much later to the party than the rest of the industry, expectations are high and tolerance for failure low.
So Samsung’s Galaxy or i7500 to use its official moniker – the company’s first foray into Android territory – had its work cut out before it even arrived on the market.
We would love to say that the Galaxy fitted snuggly in the palm of our hand but, alas, that would only be the case if our palms were covered in velcro, glue or another binding substance. The sleek looks of this handset make for a slippery little character, so it takes a bit of training before you can hold it with any real confidence that it’s not going to land straight on the floor.
The rest of the casing feels reassuringly solid but also plasticky at the same time – no mean feat. But it works and looks aesthetically pleasing, so we can’t complain. Removing and replacing the back cover to access the battery is done with great ease and, although the handset has a microSD slot and supports up to 32GB of storage, we were a bit miffed to find that the slot wasn’t hot swappable and only accessed via the back.
Once you get past the potential for slippage and microSD slot access issues, the Galaxy’s vital statistics make for pleasing reading and handling. It’s just 11.9mm thin, 56mm wide and 115mm long. A lightweight 116g completes this happy mix.
Like most Android – and modern touchscreens generally – handsets the Galaxy is quite minimalist when it comes to hard key navigation. Although you won’t find a trackball beneath the 3.2-inch screen like on HTC's collection of Android devices, there is a D-pad.
Interface and functionality: The Samsung Galaxy I7500 utilizes the latest version of the Google-made operating system, Android 1.5 also known as the Cupcake update. The differences to its predecessor are few and none of them affects the interface, although other major improvements have been made. Unfortunately, you won´t find anything different from what you can see on both the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic.
Phonebook: Android 1.5 doesn’t bring any groundbreaking changes to the phone contacts, you can still sync them to your Google account and the app is as great as ever. There are four tabs at the top; you are taken to Contacts (everyone) by default, but Favorites (speed dials), Call log and Dialer are just a press away. Unlike Windows Mobile, Android lists contacts alphabetically by first name. When on either the homescreen or contacts list the user can begin typing and the phone will match to the contact list by both first and last name. Entries can be filtered by groups (which are set up in Gmail) and you can even choose to only sync certain groups instead of your entire list.
You can add extra information to any contact – several phone numbers, e-mail, postal address and a chat name that can be assigned to a variety of IM clients like AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, Skype, QQ, Google Talk, ICQ and Jabber and allows you to send messages over chat networks supported by Android directly from your contacts. You can also add information about the company the person is working for, including position held and if that´s not enough, there are notes to expand the description. It´s really cool that you can redirect calls directly to your voice mail, which helps you neutralize people you don’t feel like talking to at the moment. What has been missing ever since the first Android version rolled out is that you cannot enter anniversaries and dates of birth.
Organizer: The Calendar can also be synchronized to Google and delivers all standard functions. You have daily, weekly, monthly and agenda view, with the latter showing events in chronological order. Finally, entries can be marked as whole day events and assigned their own recurrence pattern. Presence and privacy options are available as well and descriptions provide more details. It would appear that you also have the option to sync with multiple calendars (presumably Google Calendars), but nothing really happened after we tried and added an extra account calendar. Android has been criticized for only allowing sync with one Google account, but if you could add multiple calendars it would certainly help the situation.
There is a standard calculator with several advanced functions, but this is where the phone organizer functionality ends. If you need more options, you better go to Android Market and shop around, there are quite a few apps available, both paid and free.
Messages and screen keyboard: Just like any other Android handset, the Samsung Galaxy I7500 delivers the full set of weaponry in terms of modern messaging and you can send SMS, MMS and e-mail messages plus you have several IM clients and integrated Gmail. The interface is simplified and clear and allows pictures and audio files to be attached. Now, let´s take a look at the virtual keyboard, because it´s vital when it comes to typing away.
One of the definite drawbacks of the initial version of Android was the lack of virtual QWERTY keyboard and quite a few people complained about it. The “extra” feature is nothing short of mandatory here (because the Galaxy lacks physical keyboard) and is available in both landscape and portrait modes, with the buttons being really large and handy in the first case. Moreover, you can enable vibration and sound feedback, so pressing becomes more clearly discernible. We quite like the fact that the keyboard is available anytime you need it; all you have to do is keep the navigational button with an arrow on it pressed for a short while.
Typing away using the keyboard, no matter whether it´s in landscape or portrait mode, feels easy, provided you allow for some time to get used to it. All buttons are large enough and letters pop up above your finger on pressing keys, so you can see whether or not you´ve made a mistake right away. In case you need another letter, just hold your finger against the screen and then move it to the symbol of your choice.
Connectivity, Internet and GPS: The Samsung Galaxy I7500 connects to local devices via microUSB cable, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In the latter two cases, transfers are wireless and the data speed depends on a variety of factors – signal strength, distance to the other device, the presence of objects in the line of sight that may cause interference etc. Using microUSB cable, we managed to achieve better results transferring data to and from the phone built-in memory and copying a single 200MB file in both directions took us about 45 seconds, meaning average speed was 4.6MB/s. Transferring multiple files with the same overall size took 50 seconds and the transfer rate dropped to 4 MB/s.
The internet browser is the standard WebKit-based app that is integrated into Android. The lack of multitouch on the Samsung Galaxy I7500 means you have to zoom in/out much in the same way as on the G1 and Magic – through tapping on the plus and minus icons at the bottom of the screen. Still, there are quite a few good things about the app. Pages load fast and you can easily find what you need to look at. The Galaxy provides smooth bookmarking functionality, adding and picking pages from the list of most visited web sites is easy. There is a tab that contains your browsing history, added to allow faster access to and easier bookmarking of previously visited pages. Finally, web sites visualize without any issues and our only gripe concerns the lack of limited Flash support, which is available in HTC Hero as well.
The Galaxy I7500 comes equipped with a really fast GPS, especially if the A-GPS that enables the phone to download latest satellite position data is switched on. In this way, localizing takes about 30 seconds after hardware restart and is almost instantaneous following a software one. Although the Samsung Galaxy I7500 is not been branded as a Google device, just like on the HTC Hero, the only navigational software that comes preloaded is Google Maps. Fortunately, the Android version of the app has been recently improved and now sports really nice extra features like “Latitude”. Just keep in mind you better go for the plan with the largest traffic allowance so as to minimize the impact on your monthly bill, the app generates a staggering transfer.
Camera: The Samsung Galaxy I7500 sports a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. Its interface, however, is the standard one, integrated into Android OS – there are no extra features like color effects, white balance or contrast settings. Just switch it on and you´re game. Sharing captured snapshots and videos (more about them in a second) over Picasa, YouTube or through Gmail is just a press or two away, but unfortunately, there is no option to upload them on Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket etc. Alongside of other Samsung devices, even mainstream handsets, the camera interface of the Galaxy I7500 is disappointing. We didn’t think that Samsung would fail to add the modern options available on their latest handsets like the Star, Preston, OMNIA HD. But, as you can see in the pictures, this is the case indeed.
The overall quality of snapshots taken in natural lighting conditions is above the average and they are properly exposed. The level of details is nothing to write home about and things look slightly blurry, most probably due to the processing by the noise suppression algorithms. Still, colors are saturated and beautiful even when the pictures are viewed on large screens. The LED flash performs well in artificial lighting conditions and manages to properly lit up objects even in pitch dark places. Yet, it is pretty far from what the Nokia N86 or the xenon flash of the Sony Ericsson C905 delivers. As a whole, the quality in these cases drops significantly when compared to pictures taken in proper lighting conditions, but this is quite normal and we find the snapshots passable.
The Samsung Galaxy I7500 delivers the best snapshot quality alongside of the other Android-based handsets on the market as of now, but compared to other cell phones equipped with 5-megapixel cameras, well, it´s an average performer.
Capturing videos wasn’t possible with Android 1.0, but the drawback has been history ever since Android 1.5 rolled out. Similarly to the HTC Hero, Magic and T-Mobile G1, the Galaxy I7500 performs quite badly. The maximum allowed video resolution is CIF (352x288), which looks below par in terms of today´s standards. What´s worse, however, is that the overall quality is really bad. The presence of an additional microphone is beneficial and the audio tracks of the videos sound louder and clearer, but this doesn’t help towards a better image quality at all. Take a look at the test video so you can see for yourself how bad things are.
Multimedia: Come to multimedia, the Samsung Galaxy I7500 fails to deliver more than the HTC Magic or T-Mobile G1 do. The audio player is the standard app integrated into the operating system. In terms of interface design, the phone is as far from the iPhone or the latest Samsung devices as it gets (the Jet, OMNIA HD). This doesn’t mean the phone interface fails to do what it´s supposed to or that it´s unpleasant. The phone library is excellent and definitely deserves the same rating as the Apple´s implementation, plus it´s substantially better than what we saw on recently released HTC devices running TouchFLO 3D.
The boxed headset goes perfectly with the overall style of the phone and creates the impression it delivers awesome sound. This is not the case as our tests showed. The sound it produces is loud, but vocals are muffled and it´s a good thing that the Galaxy I7500 sports a 3.5mm jack, so you can easily plug in a better pair.
The Galaxy I7500 doesn’t sport FM radio, but the lack can be overcome as easily as listening to music online. We think that one of the best available free apps to help you here is iMeem Mobile, because it allows searching by relevant artist and suggests similar music to what you seem to be looking for. The app has certain difficulties with bands that are not in the top charts though.
Like any other Android-running handset on the market, the video playback capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy I7500 are below par to modern standards. It plays MP4 files coded in H.263 and H.264 with the maximum allowed resolution width being 640 pixels in the first case and 480 pixels in the latter. We have said this before, there´s no point in converting your files to resolutions higher than the native screen resolution, since you won´t notice any difference anyway. Watching videos on the 3.2-inch AMOLED display makes for a pleasing experience indeed, the image quality is quite good, colors are vivid and saturated and there is no stuttering at all.
Performance: We do not have any major gripes concerning the overall speed of the Samsung Galaxy I7500. The only issue we encountered was certain lagging when the screen switched between landscape and portrait mode, but we can live with that. The in-call quality, however, is average on both ends. Voices are realistic, but rather sharp and we found ourselves repeating whole sentences. Quality got better the more we turned down the volume, but by the time we were satisfied with it, the overall voice loudness had become way too low to allow comfort. The HTC Magic with its excellent in-call quality definitely wins over the Galaxy I7500 with this respect.
Conclusion: Our final verdict is that Samsung has not done its best with the Galaxy I7500. However, it still packs a good workmanship, beautiful AMOLED display and decent 5-megapixel camera. These will definitely attract followers, but some people will be dissuaded from getting the phone due to the unhandy alignment of the navigational buttons and the mediocre in-call quality. As a whole, the Samsung Galaxy I7500 stands a chance in the impending battle against the HTC Magic. But it just can´t hold a candle to the HTC Hero. It´s exactly the latter that we would pick, because it features an intuitive interface that makes Android even more easy and comfortable to handle.
It features a small OK button in the middle, while you’ll find the menu and dial keys to the left and a back key, home key and power button to the right.
Bizarrely, all is not what it seems around the D-pad, with Samsung opting to use some kind of faux wooden effect (painted black). We’re not a fan but others may not be so fussy.
The handset also features a hidden proximity sensor near the top, a volume rocker on the top left, and a hard key to operate the camera and lock key live on the right-hand side of the handset.
A multifunction jack and 3.5mm headphone socket are also present and correct, the latter being of particular use to those who don’t want to use the not-very-small bundled Samsung headphones.
The Galaxy comes equipped with a built-in microphone for enhancing the audio while you’re recording video, but the actual results are a tad below par. There’s no way of zooming in and out on the subject and the resultant clips were quite grainy in terms of both image quality and audio.
However, YouTube videos watched on the lavish screen were a different affair and a much more pleasant experience altogether.
The fact that the Galaxy plans a little pan pipe-esque ditty every time we connect or remove the headphone while in camera mode made us smile. But we suspect it made those around us want to kill.
When it comes to still images, the Galaxy fairs well, with a five megapixel snapper with auto focus and LED flash. In our test shots, it did struggle a bit to get the balance right indoors with artificial lighting behind subjects, but the results weren’t bad at all.
Going back to the Galaxy’s 3.2-inch AMOLED (320x480 pixels) screen. It’s one of the handset’s main plus points, supporting 16 million colours and boasting light sensing powers that adjust to different settings. It was also very responsive to our commands.
Like so many of its peers, the Galaxy is a bit prone to sticky finger syndrome. To try and counter this, it comes with a protective leather sock. It’s certainly a case of the thought counting more than the results here as you can’t use the phone while in the case, rendering it a bit pointless if your main reason for covering it is to reduce finger marks.
That said, it should save it from scratches if you’re the sort of person who tends to throw your phone into your bag/wedge it into a pocket full of keys without much care and attention.
We’ve left it quite late in the review to talk about the Galaxy’s interface. That’s because there’s not really that much to say. Save for some virtual Qwerty keyboard jiggery pokery (you have to call up a sub menu to access numbers), Samsung has left the Android 1.5 operating system as nature intended. So, there are no surprises for anyone who has used this OS before.
There’s support for POP3 and IMAP email accounts, the usual Google suspects such as Google Talk and Google Maps, a web kit-based browser that renders most sites very speedily and expertly, supported by the familiar plus and minus buttons for zooming. We also grew quite fond of the Switchers button on the home screen that allows you to quickly and easily turn off connectivity options like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without having to dig around in a settings menu.
We did experience some echoes on calls during the testing period, but it wasn’t a problem that reared its head for every call, so we’d want to use the handset for longer before judging whether this is a long-term problem likely to turn users off.
All in all, the Galaxy’s Android interface is pretty vanilla, but it’s housed in a sleek and slim body that is likely to attract the style conscious.
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