Samsung Galaxy (i7500) review

Camera killed the video star

Alas, video isn't as impressive. While Samsung has bundled an extra microphone to make video recording easier, we couldn't find a way of zooming in and out, making the camera's results, at best, average - if you're feeling generous. Audio and imagery was a bit grainy, but still watchable. What actually enhanced our video joy was the fact that the phone played us a little pan pipe-esque ditty every time we put our headphones into the jack or took them out. Although it did anger our colleagues, so be warned.

Watching videos on YouTube was a much more pleasant experience, showing that the video capabilities of the Galaxy aren't all bad.

Smartphone battery eater?

Call quality was average with some echo present on occasions and we didn't get to use the phone for long enough to really judge whether the battery lives up to its claims.

That said, it wouldn't be surprising if this smartphone sucked up juice like an ant eater due to all the functions and settings you're likely to be using in the background all the time.

If you travel a lot or object to charging your phone too frequently for cost or environmental reasons, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on some of those settings and powering down the ones you don't need constantly.

After using the Samsung Galaxy for a few days, we soon realised that we've been somewhat spoilt by the interface tweaks HTC has adorned us with and that, quite honestly, this handset isn't all bad. Far from it, in fact.

Verdict

The Galaxy is a valiant attempt by Samsung. It's a nice looking phone with the latest version of the Android OS and all the spoils that offers. However, it's got quite a way to go before it catches up on HTC's envious head start in this space. We grew to like the Galaxy a lot during our time with it - the arguments and swearing are essential to any good friendship, after all - but, alas, we didn't fall truly, madly, deeply in love with it.

Networks: Quad band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE Dimensions: 56x11.9x115.9mm Weight: 116 grams Battery: 1500 mAH, 6 hours talk time, 340 hours standby Display: 3.2in , 320x480 pixels Camera: 5MP camera with video Memory: 128MB RAM, 8GB storage, microSD card slot Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, GPS