14 DAY TRIAL // G600 and G800 are the first Samsung cameraphones that the Korean company proposes as rivals to the 5 Megapixel devices such as Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson K850i and LG Viewty. Further on, we will try to find out whether Samsung manages to enter the race for the number one cameraphone, and its much appraised device, G600, becomes a serious contender for its rivals. Fortunately, as you will find out reading this review, Samsung G600 offers not only great pictures, but also a high quality multimedia experience. Basically, Samsung has managed to widen the phone's target to music lovers, but also to those that are mostly using their phone to take pictures. Samsung G600 offers both and at a higher standard that we thought in the beginning.
Announced at the end of July 2007, Samsung has been made available on major European countries since August 2007. The slider can be bought for no more than $360 USD, which is much lower than its higher priced rivals. This is where G600 scores lots of points and makes it so hot on the market.
Design
Overall, Samsung SGH-G600 features the same standard Samsung slider design that has been so much used since Samsung D900 had a huge success on the market. Anyway, things have evolved and G600 has been reshaped to look like a modern device. The phone is slimmer than previous Samsung sliders and measures 101 x 47.8 x 14.9 mm. It weighs 104 grams, which makes it a perfectly balanced device. The materials used are in no way cheap, on the contrary. The back of the phone is pure plastic, but the front has been covered by a metallic layer. The paint covering the metallic front won't peel off, but it is very exposed to scratches. The sliding mechanism is solidly built, but very soft when used. I really enjoyed sliding up and down the device and I believe this is one of the best manufactured sliding mechanisms. The front of the phone features a 2.2 inches TFT display, which is surrounded by a shiny metallic frame.
Above the screen, there's a large loudspeaker grill and an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen's brightness. Below the screen, you'll be able to notice the standard D-pad flanked by two soft keys. Nothing unusual for the rest, just the Accept and Reject calls button and the Backspace (C) key. The Reject calls key is also used to power on/off the slider.
The left side of the phone features a dual volume key and the usual patented Samsung port that has multiple uses: charge, headphones, USB cable. The right side of the slider includes the dedicated camera phone button and a small microSD slot card. There's nothing left for the top or bottom of the phone except another loudspeaker grill on the latter. When slid up, the phone reveals a comfortable and user friendly keypad and a small mic at the base. Fortunately, the sliding mechanism doesn't scratch any of the keys, and the first row is easy to access.
These are known issues with these days? sliders, but some are nice exceptions, and G600 is one of them. The 5 megapixel camera on the back of the phone is hidden right onto the back cover, so there's no way users can damage it with the phone closed. Samsung G600 is one of the most compact 5 Megapixel sliders on the market, and even if it doesn't look like a fashionista?s phone, it still manages to attract buyers through its well-balanced design.
Display and Camera
Although Samsung G600 features a TFT display capable of rendering 16 Million colors and a maximum resolution of 240x320 pixels, I was a little disappointed by its quality. Compared with Nokia 16 Million colors devices, this one is almost unusable outdoors and its brightness is lower. Even if it's an important step ahead for Samsung, as the Korean company doesn't have that many 16 Million colors displays embedded into its handsets, G600's screen is not that astonishing as it should be. As seen in the screenshots, Samsung G600's display scored pretty low in benchmarks, especially compared with Nokia E51 that has the same 16 Million colors display. This means that it simply doesn't stand out as one of the best in its class, but in the end, it's still a nice add to the phone's technical features.
The 5 Megapixel camera that the G600 slider has been 'blessed' with is very well protected into the back cover of the phone. This means that you won't be able to damage it with the phone closed, nor it will be possible to take pictures unless you slide up the device. The 5 Megapixel module camera features a powerful flash, 5x digital zoom, autofocus, image stabilizer and video recording capabilities.
The interface of the camera is pretty complex and features a wide range of settings and options that help user get pictures at the highest standard. The maximum resolution for pics is 2560 x 1920 pixels, whilst clips can be recorded in VGA resolution (640x480 pixels), but sadly at only 15fps.
Some of the settings available for use, which considerably improve the quality of the pictures are: Effects (Black and white, Sepia, Negative, Emboss, Sketch, Antique, Grey, Blue, Red, Green, Aqua and Contrast), White balance (Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy and Sunset), ISO (ranging from 100 to 800), Viewfinder mode (Regular, Indicator and Guidelines) and Shooting modes (Single shot, Multi shot, Mosaic shot, Panorama shot).
Besides these settings, the module camera features more nice functions such as: Macro mode, Flash, Timer, Autofocus and Exposure metering (Matrix, Center-weighted, Spot). The quality of the pictures is definitely much better than that of those made with an older Samsung D900. Moreover, if light conditions are good, I'd say that quality is on par with Sony Ericsson's K850i.
As you can see in the samples below, the slider takes very good snapshots even at night. The only problem I noticed is the fact that the flash is too powerful for close-ups, but if you move away a little bit from the subject you'll get excellent pictures. The pics taken in daylight look above the average, with not much noise and very high color accuracy. The contrast of the colors is also good, while noise suppression is almost inexistent.
The only thing that bothered me was the long time it takes to process and save a picture and the lack of optical zoom, which should've been included rather than the digital zoom. Otherwise, the camera has a speedy startup and using the settings that the interface features will result in high quality pictures. G600 is for sure the best Samsung slider design cameraphone. The only drawback I have to mention is the fact that the video camera can only record movies with 15fps standards. But the good thing is that they're saved in MPEG4 format, so users will be able to run the movies on any PC with ease.
Menu and Software
Samsung SGH-G600 features the same interface those of you know from previous Samsung handsets. There are few new things, but surely improved, like animation effects and some of the applications embedded in the firmware of the slider. Browsing through the menu is very easy for a Samsung fan, but I have noticed that speed is surprisingly low compared with other handsets in its class, even with an average power CPU. Users will be able to choose any of the four animation styles (slide, door, zoom, fade), which makes the slider a pleasure to work with.
More customization options are available for G600 slider and users will be able to take advantage of the five fully customizable profiles. These can be modified by attaching your own MP3 ringtones, but alarm tones cannot be replaced with MP3 files. I understand that this inconvenience has been removed by the latest firmware available for the slider.
The usual applications found on any Samsung handset have also been included onto the G600 firmware: Music player, Voice recorder, File manager, To-do manager, Scalado Image editor, Image stamp, Calculator, Alarms (only 5 available), Calendar, World clock, Memo, Timer, Stopwatcher and Converter. Besides the advanced browser, music player and FM Radio, G600 has been gifted with a Radio recorder, which enables users to record their favorite hits played on the Radio.
The phone also features a Java emulator, which supports almost any Java application and game. Still, there's a slight possibility that some of the applications will not work, reasons unknown. Phonebook accepts up to 1000 entries and around 200 SMS messages. The phonebook is displayed according to the user's choice, contacts found on the phone's memory only or from both the phone memory and SIM memory.
Communications
Samsung G600 features EDGE (Class 10, 236.8 kbps) technology besides the usual GPRS (Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots 32 - 48 kbps). Although, the NetFront 3.4 Internet browser works like a charm, EDGE speed limits the slider's Web experience. Pages are loaded pretty fast with this updated browser and users can take advantage of the virtual cursor, landscape mode or the mini-map function.
Other connectivity solutions include USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support. The phone can also be used as a modem with a PC in case you need one.
Besides the basic message support (SMS, EMS and MMS), the email client has no more than four POP or IMAP accounts. Furthermore, you'll be able to set the email client to check for any new messages whenever you feel like.
The quadband (GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible slider has very good GSM signal reception. The sound is excellent, but not quite loud. I haven't experienced any drops in signal reception or missed a call while talking on the phone. Vibration is pretty intense, so you'll have a low percentage of missed calls even when the Silent profile is active.
Processor and Memory
Samsung SGH-G600 features an ARM9 family processor running at speeds up to 206 MHz. The mid-level CPU makes a good addition to the technical specifications of the slider, but the menu browsing is still low on speed. I have also experienced unusual lags when browsing the memory card, but nothing that cannot be handled.
The slider embeds 55 MB internal memory, but storage space can be improved up to 2GB as the device features a microSD slot card. It seems that the latest firmware enables the use of 4GB microSD cards for those that are not satisfied with only 2GB of storage space.
I have tested the G600 with both cards, 2GB and 4GB, and it worked, and even without the latest firmware installed, the latter can be read, but cannot be written on.
Multimedia
The Samsung G600 makes as a good music player and those looking for a handset that offers great music quality will be very satisfied by its multimedia abilities. The integrated music player supports almost all music file types: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+ and WMA. Users have the option to make playlists and save them or choose their preferred Equalizer settings (Pop, Jazz, Dance, Live, Rock, Classic, Wide, Surround, Concert Hall and Stadium). Unfortunately, there's no option for Equalizer customizations, so you'll be able to use only the predefined modes.
Sound quality is excellent, thanks to the earphones provided in the sales package. Because the sales package contains a 3.5mm adapter for headphones, users will be able to improve sound quality by attaching their own headphones. Sound vibes are exceptional and can definitely be compared with more dedicated handsets like Sony Ericsson's Walkman and Nokia'a XpressMusic series.
Radio FM lacks the RDS function, but can store up to 30 stations. Sound is again excellent, as well as signal reception. It can only be started with the headset inserted, but can be listened on either of the two loudspeakers or on both. Sound on loudspeakers is very good, but misses on loudness. One function that I noticed embedded onto G600 and which I have never encountered on other handsets is the possibility to record FM Radio broadcasts. Music player and radio can be run in the background.
The video player doesn't feature many options, but it can play video files in fullscreen landscape mode and users can fast-forward and rewind videos.
Battery
Samsung's monster camera slider is powered by an 880 mAh Li-Ion battery, which has a life expectancy of 3 hours and 30 minutes talk time and 300 hours of standby time. These numbers have been attainable, but it cannot get better. Usually, the battery lasts around 4-5 days with only 10-20 minutes of talk time per day. Even if 3 hours of talk time is only a medium accomplishment, Samsung G600?s versatility beats this minor drawback.
Impressions
Samsung SGH-G600 managed to bring a powerful 5 Megapixel camera under a slim hood. The slider form factor, superior to previous Samsung slider handsets, as well as the high number of good quality features make it a fantastic mobile phone. Even if performance is not at its highest for every piece of technology that it embeds and lacks the 'WOW' factor of the fashion phones, Samsung G600 still remains a very good rival for other 5 Megapixel camera phones.
The Good
I don't understand why so many users have criticized the module camera of the slider, as it captures above average snapshots, especially in good light conditions. My advice is to read the manual provided with the phone and understand the settings featured by the interface. Samsung G600 has one of the best cameras ever included in a slider and features the best music quality provided by a Samsung mobile phone. All these are offered at a very low price, one that doesn't have a rival yet.
The Bad
There are some minor software glitches that could've been corrected in the latest firmware, but I think I should mention them here as I was unable to update the phone's software. Well, the first is the inability of attaching MP3 files to alarm tones, and the second, the incompatibility with 4GB microSD cards. Also, much better battery autonomy would've made the phone more practical.
Sales package
Samsung SGH-G600 handset Samsung standard charger 880 Li-Ion mAh battery USB cable Stereo earphones (with 3.5mm adapter) microSD card with adapter to full SD (depending on the location) Samsung WEP210 Bluetooth headset (with adapter for charging) Manuals and CD with synchronization software
Photo: Tudor Raiciu for Softpedia.com