Samsung U600 first impressions

The U600 is just one new handset from Samsung’s Ultra Edition II range and at only 11mm thick it certainly is a skinny minny, but still manages to pack quite a punch in the features department. Design-wise, this slider is also a step away from the E900, tapering slightly towards the bottom, resulting in a sleek, stylish handset likely to appeal to the more fashion-conscious mobile phone user.

Although it scores high marks in the looks department (and for £200 you would expect an attractive phone), there are flaws to be found. Like the E900, the U600 features touch-sensitive keys that don’t offer much in the way of tactile feedback. This often becomes frustrating as you plough your way through various menus. However, the interface will be immediately recognisable to any Samsung veteran, and what minor adjustments there are have made using the U600 more intuitive than other Samsung handsets.

Like its predecessors, the U600 features the useful Namecard application which allows the user to exchange numbers, addresses and email addresses with contacts. Other interesting applications include a conversion tool (converting everything from temperature to currency), World Clock, Image editor, Voice recorder and Smart search - a handy search application that scans your phone for particular files. The Music player on the U600 is also attractively designed and allows the user to create playlists, shuffle through tracks, repeat and rate tracks. A microSD memory card slot allowing up to 2GB of memory also means that there is plenty of space for lots of tunes.

Unfortunately the U600 doesn’t feature 3G, instead only GPRS and EDGE are accessible, but browsing the mobile web is easy, as a dedicated Internet button is situated in the middle of the directional buttons marked with an ‘I’. Although this is a handy button to have, its positioning means that it is often pressed accidentally which becomes annoying after a while. However, like the majority of slider phones, all buttons are automatically locked after the handset slides into place to protect the main keypad, so there’s no danger of you calling the unfortunate Adams, Alisons or Aardvarks in your contact list while the U600 is in your handbag/pocket.

The decent 3.2-megapixel camera takes photos and videos just as well as its counterparts but even though it was the highest resolution camera available at its launch, in the wake of Nokia’s N95 and its 5-megapixel camera, photos taken with the U600 simply do not measure up. Specs move onwards and upwards at such speed that it begs the question - how long will it take for other phone manufacturers to catch up with the beast that is the N95?

That said, the U600 is a desirable handset for anyone wanting a slim slider that doesn’t skimp on features so if you are partial to touch sensitive keys then the U600 is a smart phone definitely worth checking out.