Bang & Olufsen isn't a name that comes up frequently if you ask the average man-on-the-street about mobile phone brands. Better known to audio enthusiasts as a name synonymous with high-end consumer electronics, the Serenata is the second brainchild born of a partnership between Samsung and Bang & Olufsen. If you remember the Serene, you'd probably recall that the designer phone was more of a showpiece than a practical, everyday gadget. So is this new iteration, positioned as a music device with phone capabilities, any better?
Our next immediate thought is that the Serenata is a beauty to look at. Although it's a little bigger than what we imagined it to be, the build quality and soft matte-black fascia make handling a pleasant experience. A built-in aluminum stand props the Serenata at a 45-degree angle and the material used for both the stand and the hinge lends extra confidence to the construction of the device. The only minus point is that the stand clacks loudly when its returned to closed position.
If we rotate the Serenata upside down, it almost looks like an iPod. One problem with the rotary wheel, which doubles as a four-way directional control, is that it's above the 2.26-inch LCD screen. When our thumb is on the wheel, the fleshy part below the digit ends up obscuring part of the panel. Regardless of whether we use the device as a music player or a phone, it's still a problem, no matter how minor.
The Serenata is also an unconventional slider, and we don't mean that in a bad way. Instead of sliding up the top lid like what we usually do for mobile phones, the back piece slides up to reveal the hidden onboard stereo speakers.
There's only one connector port on the Serenata and it's at the bottom of the unit. A sliding cover protects the port from being exposed. Otherwise, it connects to either the charger or bundled earphones.
Design
The first thing we notice about the Serenata is that it looks nothing like a mobile phone. The only signs that would probably blow its cover are the green/red dots which are reminiscent of Call/End buttons on a phone. In fact, if we didn't refer to the user manual, we'd still be trying to figure out where to insert the SIM card.Our next immediate thought is that the Serenata is a beauty to look at. Although it's a little bigger than what we imagined it to be, the build quality and soft matte-black fascia make handling a pleasant experience. A built-in aluminum stand props the Serenata at a 45-degree angle and the material used for both the stand and the hinge lends extra confidence to the construction of the device. The only minus point is that the stand clacks loudly when its returned to closed position.
If we rotate the Serenata upside down, it almost looks like an iPod. One problem with the rotary wheel, which doubles as a four-way directional control, is that it's above the 2.26-inch LCD screen. When our thumb is on the wheel, the fleshy part below the digit ends up obscuring part of the panel. Regardless of whether we use the device as a music player or a phone, it's still a problem, no matter how minor.
The Serenata is also an unconventional slider, and we don't mean that in a bad way. Instead of sliding up the top lid like what we usually do for mobile phones, the back piece slides up to reveal the hidden onboard stereo speakers.
There's only one connector port on the Serenata and it's at the bottom of the unit. A sliding cover protects the port from being exposed. Otherwise, it connects to either the charger or bundled earphones.
