I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas!
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Thanks to Rebecca from Advertlets, I got the chance to do a hands on review with a new gadget in the market - the Samsung Galaxy 5.
Launched in August 2010, powered with a 600MHz processor on Android 2.1 with Samsung's TouchWiz, priced at RM699, this phone is suitable for users who are looking at buying an affordable yet powerful phone.
108 x 56 x 12.3mm, this phone is small & short, but it's power is not to be underestimated.
This phone has a nice sleek body, a glossy battery door cover & chrome sides. But be aware as it is a finger print magnet while holding it. I suggest putting a protective casing for a better feel and to keep the phone looking clean without smudges on the back.
In a nutshell, you get the transceiver, a 1200mAh Li-Ion battery, hands-free kit, a USB cable for data transfer, a wall charger & a standard 2GB MicroSD card. All packed into a box no bigger than your lunchbox.
For the full specs of this phone, click here.
The Galaxy 5 has a 2.8" TFT capacitive touchscreen, in which I thought was a little too small.
Smaller screens use less power, yet it is backed with a 1200mAh Li-Ion battery, lasting very long. Throughout my 1 week review, I only needed to charge the phone twice, even on heavy usage.
The keyboard is ratherly small, slightly smaller than 0.5cm per key. Not recommended for users with big thumbs. However, if you can use a stylus/get the hang of the small keyboard, by all means this nifty Galaxy 5 wont disappoint you. The lack of backlight keys in this phone was found to be quite inconvenient as I was using it in the dark.
The only way to zoom was to double tap the screen and it went straight to 100% zoom, and then to zoom out back to Auto-Fit. No 50% zooming or whatnot.
Turning the phone to landscape mode while using the QWERTY keyboard made texting/typing a whole lot easier, though the keyboard is still relatively small in size.
On the left side of the phone, is where lies the volume keys & the USB port. Knowing users seek entertainment when on the go, I found it inconvenient when trying to access the camera/music player because there wasn't any dedicated keys for it.
The Galaxy 5 has a 3.5mm audio jack on the top of the phone, perfect for audiophiles to use their favorite pair of earphones/headphones.
The Galaxy 5 has a 3.5mm audio jack on the top of the phone, perfect for audiophiles to use their favorite pair of earphones/headphones.
Does the back look familiar to you? Does Samsung Corby ring a bell? Yes, that's right. The Galaxy 5's body is like a facelift off the basic Samsung Corby. It has a 2MP fixed focal length camera & the speakers on the back.
The 2MP camera was no better than any other ordinary camera, the camera also doesnt offer a built in digital zoom. As for the speakers, it was pretty decent at mid levels, anything at high levels should be avoided to maintain the speaker's quality.
While testing the Galaxy 5 with voice calls, I noticed that the voice of the person on the other end's voice was pretty sharp & painful to the ears. Sound quality was still acceptable nevertheless, if it sounds too sharp, just tone the volume down a little. The microphone worked like a charm without any break ups or change in tones.
Though many other areas have yet to be covered on this phone, I wont be touching on those points. There are many pro's and con's for the Samsung Galaxy 5, but if you can work with the minor flaws, then there is no reason for you to miss out on this affordable deal!
Verdict? 6.5/10.
Worth the buy? Yes.
