Samsung i600 first impressions

The i600 is yet another model from Samsung’s Ultra range, but unlike the consumer-friendly U- and G600s, this model is being marketed as super-smart, and in some respects it is very clever indeed.

People will buy this phone for one reason and one reason alone - its amazing ability to connect to the Internet quickly and efficiently. With a variety of connection options and download speeds of 1.8Mbps those needing to be online in a hurry will find the i600 a very attractive option.

The main problem with smartphones is the overall bulkiness of design, and style-wise the i600 doesn’t score many points at KYM. As with the majority of Samsung handsets, the i600 features nice rubberised casing but its vital stats of 113x59mm unfortunately leave the handset resembling a school calculator rather then a cutting-edge handheld mobile device. For those used to handling a smartphone, the size of the i600 shouldn’t be an issue but in comparison to the small but beautifully formed Blackberry RIM or Pearl, the i600’s overall design is lacking in finesse.

One nice aspect of the i600 is its delightful 2.3-inch colour screen, which is bright and crisp to make typing and reading documents easier. The Qwerty keyboard has been criticised by some, but we found the handset easy to use thanks to the raised buttons. It’s also remarkably easy to read documents and web pages thanks to the scroll wheel on the right-hand side of the handset.

Although the calculator chic of the i600 does not float our boat, beneath the surface it really does do everything it says on the tin. The handset comes with Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system with document and image viewer functions. The user can view documents in all popular file formats including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files, which is extremely handy for those business types who are constantly on the go and don’t want the added weight of a laptop.

Despite being a business phone, the i600 does come with a fair few entertainment features including a good music player and support for RRS feeds and podcasts. The camera however is a total letdown; 1.3 megapixels isn’t even entry-level these days and this negative aspect of the handset may put off those who want the complete package.

Nevertheless the i600 is useable handset and giant leap forward for Samsung in terms of smart devices. Hopefully next time they can add a little more gloss to what is essentially a sound product.