Samsung SGH-Z400

By Andrew Lim, CNET.co.uk
Aug 28, 2006

The Samsung SGH-Z400 looks and feels similar to the Samsung SGH-D600 but there are some significant differences. You'll immediately notice that the Z400 is a compact and light 3G phone. It's also actually of the few slider phones that supports 3G (others include Nokia's N80 and 6280, and the forthcoming Sony Ericsson W850i).

Editors' note: According to Samsung Singapore, the SGH-Z400 is expected to be launched in early September.

Design
The Z400 measures 49 by 97 by 19mm and weighs 107g. On the top-left side of the front section of the phone there's a small 0.3-megapixel (VGA) camera, which allows for video calls via a 3G connection. The rest of the front section looks similar to the front of the D600, with a 240x320-pixel screen displaying 262,000 colors, a navigation key with a silver OK button in the middle, two soft keys either side of that, and send call, cancel and end call keys underneath.

Unlike some Samsung phones, the OK key in the middle of the navigation button accesses the menu and not the Web browser, which means you're less likely to browse the Web when you actually want to see the menu. Another change is a small plastic ridge above the navigation button that lets you push the slider up without needing to touch the screen or push any buttons by mistake.

On the left side of the phone there's a dedicated volume button and further down an expandable microSD slot that is easy to access and protected by a cover. On the right side there's a charging port that doubles as a headset port, which is protected by a sliding cover. Further up on this side is a dedicated shortcut key that gives you access to calls, messages and Internet browsing.

Once you slide the Z400 open, you see the alphanumeric keypad. We found the keys pretty awkward to use because they feel small under the thumb and are curved, making it harder to press the right one. On the back of the open slide there's a 2-megapixel camera with a relatively large portrait mirror.

We like the fact that the camera is protected behind the slide as this avoids scratching it but we're disappointed that there's no flash or LED photo light. As for the slide mechanism itself, it's similar to the spring-mounted slide mechanism on the D600, but the phone feels more clunky when you slide it open and shut.

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