As part of its official sponsorship for the 2005 MTV Asia Awards in February 2005 to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, Samsung is set to launch the new SGH-E630 mobile phone along with a special version in valentine red to commemorate its official partner sponsorship of the event. Expected to be available in Southeast Asia around end December, we take a quick look at the newest addition to the Korean company’s growing repertoire of sliders.

Upside
The SGH-E630 contains design and feature elements from two of its predecessors, the Samsung SGH-E600 and the SGH-E800. At dimensions of 85 x 43 x 22mm and weighing 82g, this new model adopts a slider design similar to the E800. Likewise, a 65K-color TFT LCD adorns this model. The noise suppression technology, if as effective, helps in sensing ambient sound levels and adjusting the handset volume accordingly for clearer conversations even in loud environments. Thankfully, the E630 chooses to follow in the footsteps of the E600 in offering triband capability.

A melody composer allows you to select instrumental notes coupled with a choice of background tunes such as Dance, Jazz and Reggae. A choice of 45 embedded ringtones backed up by harmonic 64-chord polyphony should also be music to our ears. The VGA camera comes with built-in flash and settings such as multi-shot and night mode. Additional features include PIM functions such as memo, calendar and to-do list, voice recording as well as a speakerphone option enhanced by the lightweight SoundMate portable speaker, though this is likely to be an optional accessory. As a further bonus, the special MTV Asia Award version of the E630 will come pre-installed with exclusive content like screensavers, ringtones and wallpapers.

Downside
Like the E800, video recording appears to have been left out again. Also, we would have loved to see an onboard megapixel camera rather than the standard VGA offering. Bluetooth connectivity is again lacking. We hazard that some users may not necessarily take to the flaming red color of the special version of this phone.

Outlook
Samsung looks set to continue its line of sliders with another model packed with multimedia functionality and voice options. Even though the E630 doesn’t bring any new cards to the table, it should still generate some interest in the market.