Samsung Ultra Edition 6.9

By Reuben Lee, CNET Asia
Oct 3, 2006

We never doubted Samsung's claim that its Ultra Edition 6.9 (UE 6.9), also known as the SGH-X820, is the slimmest candy-bar phone in the world. After all, its girth measures just 6.9mm (think iPod nano), which is a full 2mm thinner than the already anorexic SGH-P300 introduced earlier, and less than half that of the 14.9mm-thick Motorola Razr clamshell. What's more amazing is that the UE 6.9 doesn't skimp on features. Besides offering Bluetooth and speakerphone function, the Samsung also sports a 2-megapixel camera, onboard video and music player as well as a document viewer and TV-out capabilities. The UE 6.9 is currently sold in Singapore for as low as S$148 (US$99.04) with a two-year operator contract.

Design
As with everything made smaller or thinner, there's usually a tradeoff in terms of design ergonomics. However, this didn't seem to be the case for the UE 6.9. Despite a thin form factor, this Samsung candy bar offers a good grip and solid feel. It is also surprisingly comfortable to hold against the ear, thanks to its wide and long frame.

If you are looking for a super-slim phone that slips easily into pockets without weighing you down, the 66g UE 6.9 is probably one of the best choices out there. Having said that, this reviewer still had his reservations about putting the phone in the back pocket, even after repeated reassurances from Samsung, as the thin chassis does bend slightly when stressed.

We like the sleek, matt-black design of the UE 6.9 which will appeal to both sexes, though a quick survey in the office showed that male users are more likely to buy and use the phone.

Like most Samsung handsets, the UE 6.9 is equipped with a bright LCD screen which is capable displaying up to 262K colors. Not surprisingly, images turn out vibrant and crisp on the phone's 1.9-inch panel in most lighting conditions except when viewing under direct sunlight.

Samsung has pretty much stuck to its standard layout for its button design, with two soft keys above the call answer and call reject buttons, and a slightly smaller cancel button below the four-way navigation keypad. Generally, we found it easy to type on the UE 6.9, especially the number pad which has well-spaced with large keys. We did, however, find it hard to press the center "i" button which was flushed with the navigation keypad. As with previous occasions, there were several incidences where we accidentally pressed on the "i" for menu but ended up activating the Internet browser function.

With the limited real estate on the UE 6.9, buttons along the sides are understandably kept to a minimum with the volume toggle on the left and the camera activation/shutter key on the right. Just above the camera activation/shutter key is a port, in fact the only port that multitasks as a connector for the headset, charging adapter and USB cable. This literally limits you to performing one of the three tasks at any one time.

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