14 DAY TRIAL // Announced earlier this month, Samsung Corby II has just been confirmed for Romania, but customers will have to wait a little longer as the handset will be available starting May. The phone's suggested retail price is set to 600 RON (about 145 Euro) off-contract.
The sequel of the popular Samsung Corby, which was launched in October 2009, the Corby II features the same bar form factor.
Although its design has been revamped, such as the phone's 3.14-inch touchscreen display which got a bit larger, the Corby series remains a line-up that targets customers looking for budget-phones.
Several strong points make the Corby II stand out as an entry-level feature-phone, such as the Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity, as well as the integration of T9 QuickType keyboard, which is about to become standard for all new Samsung handsets, regardless of their price range.
However, most of the hardware and software is common to both Corby and Corby II such as the TouchWiz UI, Samsung Social Hub, Stereo FM radio with RDS, and the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The original Corby was also popular for its advanced social networking integration features, which haven't been neglected in the Corby II model.
In addition, the handset features email and Microsoft Exchange support, as well as Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP support, which enables users to listen to music wirelessly.
Users should not expect too much from the handset's sub-par 2-megapixel camera, even though it does have smile shutter and video recording capabilities (VGA@15fps).
Other key features include microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 16GB) and a 1000 mAh Li-Ion standard battery rated for up to 9.5 hours of talk time.
Before reaching Romania, Samsung Corby II will be available in Germany by the end of the month, and soon after in other countries in Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
The phone will be available in three color schemes, White, Pink and Yellow.