It's amazing how Samsung has evolved from a brand traditionally known for its clamshell phones to one boasting the slimmest handsets for almost all the common form factors. Just take a look at the Ultra Edition 12.9 (a.k.a. SGH-D900). It has a 12.9mm-thick chassis which, on paper, sounds rather unimpressive at first considering there are thinner offerings. But here's the catch. It's a slider phone, and its 12.9mm girth makes it one of the slimmest slider offerings out in the market. In fact, it's 1mm thinner than the already anorexic Motorola Razr V3 and boasts a strong lineup of features that includes a 3-megapixel camera, microSD slot and 2.12-inch QVGA display. The Ultra Edition 12.9 is currently available in retail outlets for about S$468 with a two-year mobile contract and about S$680 for the phone alone.

Design
The Ultra Edition 12.9 is like a thinner and lighter version of its predecessor, the SGH-D820. It sports a chassis that measures just 12.9mm (versus the D820's 15.2mm) and weighs a lightweight 85g (versus the D820's 90g). Thus, it is ideal for those who want a phone that slips easily into pockets. Having said that, we strongly advise keeping the phone in a soft pouch or getting a plastic film cover for the LCD to minimize scratching the exposed large display surface.

The aesthetics of the phone have been kept distinctively simple yet stylish with a predominantly black chiseled look that seems to be designed with the executive user in mind. We suspect, though, that the slim dimensions and overall attractiveness of the phone will be popular among mainstream users, too.

For a slim phone, the Ultra Edition 12.9 is surprisingly ergonomic, with a rubber-like material used to cover most parts of the bottom and sides of the phone for a firmer grip. The unit's 103.5 x 51mm footprint may appear to be a little larger than most handsets, but the wider real estate does provide for a bigger display and is somewhat more comfortable to hold and use.

We like the overall build quality of the Ultra Edition 12.9. Unlike some sliders we've seen which tend to be somewhat plasticky and creaky, the Samsung slider feels solid. Users should find added reassurance from the tight semi-automatic sliding mechanism which pushes open to reveal the number keypad as well as the camera. The buttons are generally responsive and well-spaced for easy messaging and dialing, although we still have our gripes about Samsung using the center "OK" key as an access to WAP, which, on more than several occasions was mistaken as the menu button.

As with the SGH-D820, the Samsung slider is equipped with a large 2.12-inch QVGA screen capable of displaying sharp images in more than 262,000 colors. There are several pros and cons to having a large display on a phone. In the case of the Ultra Edition 12.9, the bigger LCD makes for easy viewing of text and menus and is also a good size for watching videos and pictures. We tested the handset in outdoor daylight conditions and found it sufficiently bright for viewing, too. However, a larger panel usually means a heavier drain on the battery. The glossy display surface is also a magnet for oily smudges and scratches.

Possibly due to the limited space on the handset, Samsung has assigned only one proprietary port for the AC charger, headset and USB data connectivity, much like the Ultra Edition 6.9. This means that at any one time, only one of those functions can be activated. So if you are charging the handset, you cannot plug in the bundled wired headset or connect to the PC via the included USB cable.

Features
With the Ultra Edition 12.9, Samsung has proven that it's possible to incorporate a thin form factor into a slider-phone design without compromising on features. You get the standard bag of functions found on many mid- to high-end Samsung cellulars these days, such as onboard music and video player, flight mode, document viewer, TV output and PictBridge printing. Music playback formats supported include MP3, AAC, ACC+ and e-AAC+.

Connectivity-wise, the quadband phone supports all the popular standards including Bluetooth, GPRS and USB. Only 3G is missing from the lineup. It is expected to be available only in the upcoming Samsung Ultra Edition 13.8 slider.

However, the feature that really stands out on the Ultra Edition 12.9 is its camera. Equipped with an onboard 3-megapixel CMOS sensor, the phone is capable of capturing images up to a maximum 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. At this resolution, the pictures are good for prints ranging from 8R to A4 in size. Users can choose to adjust various camera settings, from the focus mode and white balance to the exposure metering and ISO. There are also options for multiple shots, filter effects, frames and timer.

In addition to capturing stills, the camera doubles as a video camcorder, too. The maximum video-recording resolution is 352 x 288 pixels. A dedicated button on the right side of the screen offers a convenient one-touch access to both the camera and camcorder functions.

Samsung has placed the camera lens, together with the small reflecting mirror (for self-portraits) and flashlight, behind the sliding panel to keep them well-protected when not in use. However, the shortcoming is that users cannot activate the camera for taking pictures or use the flashlight as a torch without having to slide open the phone.

With just 60MB of built-in memory, the amount of storage space on the Ultra Edition 12.9 is somewhat pathetic. Fortunately, Samsung has thoughtfully included a microSD card slot which offers users a lot more flexibility in terms of memory expansion.

Performance
During the test period, we did not encounter any problems with phone reception or voice calls. In fact, the voice quality was generally loud and clear for both parties. The speakerphone worked well, too, though we did find the onboard speakers a little too soft for calls as well as multimedia playback at times.

Compared with many other camera-phones out there, the outdoor still images captured using the phone's shooter were surprisingly crisp with good color accuracy. However, as expected, the camera can hardly handle shots in low-light environments. Video-recording quality was good with captured footage that turned out relatively smooth and sharp.

On a full charge, the Ultra Edition 12.9's 800mAh battery lasted us approximately two days of usage, which was neither impressive nor mediocre. According to Samsung, the 12.9 is rated for 3.3 hours of talktime and 250 hours on standby.