By
Reuben Lee
15/02/2007
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,61989258,00.htm
This year's 3GSM World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona can only be described as grandiose, with vendors frenetically dishing out droolworthy and more models on the catwalk of mobile technology than Victoria Secret has lingerie-clad babes in its new catalog collection.
Without a doubt, Samsung made the hugest impression simply with its announcement of more than 12 new handsets at the show. Of course, as expected of the Korean chaebol, it unveiled even slimmer versions of its Ultra Edition series as well as new additions to its multimedia Ultra series. Showcased for the first time as well were new SGH-E-series cellulars, a Symbian OS-based smart phone and a unique QWERTY-enabled swivel SGH-P110 handset.
The new
Ultra Edition II series will comprise four slimmer yet more powerful versions of its current super-thin mobile lineup. The
Ultra Edition 5.9 (U100), which measures just 5.9mm thick, has been touted by Samsung as the world's slimmest handset. Despite shaving 1mm off its
Ultra Edition 6.9 predecessor, the 5.9 packs a higher-resolution 3-megapixel camera. The
Ultra Edition 9.6 (U300) clamshell offers a slightly slimmer form factor than the
Ultra Edition 9.9, while the
Ultra Edition 10.9 (U600) slider trims another 2mm off the
Ultra Edition 12.9. The Korean mobile giant also introduced a thinner successor to the HSDPA-enabled
Ultra Edition 13.8 slider called the
Ultra Edition 12.1 (U700).
Samsung has also expanded its multimedia Ultra portfolio with three new HSDPA handset offerings. Top of the heap is the
Ultra Smart F700 model announced one week earlier, which is seen as the company's answer to the
iPhone with a full touchscreen display. Mediocrity being a taboo word, the Korean chaebol has obviously gone for the jugular by also throwing onboard a 5-megapixel camera, slide-out QWERTY keypad and onboard video and music player. We'll have to see if it also delivers.
However, the most eye-catching of the trio has to be the
Ultra Video F520 with its dual slider design. By this, the phone not only slides vertically to reveal the number pad, it can be shifted horizontally to display the QWERTY keypad. The Korean company also showcased its first DVB-H-enabled
F510 phone in its Ultra series at the show.
Adding to Samsung's smart phone lineup is the slim
i520 slider, running on Symbian OS Version 9.2 (S60 3rd Edition Feature Package 1) and featuring HSDPA, a 2-megapixel camera, 2.3-inch QVGA display and Bluetooth.
For the mainstream set, there are
four new SGH-E-series (one candy bar and four sliders) mobiles, all of which will sport 2- or 3-megapixel cameras, Bluetooth (with A2DP stereo profile) and microSD card slots. What caught our attention was the SGH-P110, which features a unique swivel design that hides a full QWERTY keypad.
Last, but not least, Samsung also showcased its latest
Mobile WiMAX offerings. Among them are the UMPC-like SPH-9000, the SPH-M8100 with T-DMB (Terrestrial-Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and a USB Dongle to access Mobile WiMAX/HSDPA services via a laptop.
Samsung Ultra Edition II
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Cool factor: Samsung's slimmest Ultra Edition candy-bar phone to date.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE
3-megapixel camera
1.93-inch 220x176-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Document viewer; offline mode; TV-out
70MB onboard memory
Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity
105.5 x 50 x 5.9mm
Availability: Q2 2007 in Asia
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's slimmest Ultra Edition clamshell phone to date.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE
3.2-megapixel camera
2.2-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Document viewer; offline mode; TV-out
Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity
70MB onboard memory
100 x 51 x 9.6mm
Availability: Q2 2007 in Asia
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's slimmest Ultra Edition slider phone to date.
Notable features:
Quadband with EDGE
3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus
2.2-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Business card recognition
Document viewer; offline mode; Yahoo ready
60MB onboard memory; microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity
103.2 x 49.3 x 10.9mm
Availability: Q2 2007 in Asia
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's slimmest 3G/HSDPA-enabled Ultra Edition slider phone to date.
Notable features:
Triband with 3G, HSDPA and EDGE
3.2-megapixel camera and VGA camera
2.2-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Full HTML browsing (NF 3.4)
Picture editing; :Living World
20MB onboard memory; microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity
102.5 x 50 x 12.1mm
Availability: Q2 2007 in Asia
|
Multimedia Ultras
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Cool factor: Samsung's first Ultra handset with full touchscreen display and QWERTY keypad
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE, 3G and HSDPA
5-megapixel camera with autofocus
Full touchscreen with QWERTY keypad
2.78-inch 440x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Document viewer; offline mode; Flash UI; full HTML browsing
microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity
104 x 50 x 16.4mm
Availability: To be announced
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's latest HSDPA handset comes with full touchscreen and dual slider
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE, 3G and HSDPA
3-megapixel camera with flash
Full touchscreen with dual slider
3-inch 480x272-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Document viewer; offline mode; Flash UI; full HTML browser
Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity
microSD card expansion slot
104.8 x 53.7 x 17.4mm
Availability: To be announced
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's first Ultra-series handset to feature DVB-H.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE, 3G and HSDPA
2-megapixel camera
Onboard DVB-H tuner
2.4-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Landscape view (self-standing swivel screen)
TV-out; e-book applications
410MB onboard memory; microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity
116.5 x 50.4 x 10.7mm
Availability: To be announced
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's slider smart phone with Symbian OS.
Notable features:
3G, HSDPA and EDGE
2-megapixel camera and VGA camera
2.3-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Full HTML browsing; Symbian OS 9.2
40MB onboard memory; microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP stereo profile) and USB 2.0 connectivity
101.7 x 50.5 x 17.9mm; 99g
Availability: Currently not planned for Asia
|
Mainstream handsets
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Cool factor: Samsung's new 3-megapixel candy-bar phone.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE
3-megapixel camera with autofocus
1.79-inch 220x220-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
FM radio
microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth (A2DP stereo profile) and USB 2.0 connectivity
94 x 42 x 13.5mm
Availability: April 2007
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's new 2-megapixel slider.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE
2-megapixel camera
2-inch 176x220-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
FM radio
Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity
microSD card expansion slot
97 x 46 x 16.8mm
Availability: May 2007
|
|
Cool factor: Another 2-megapixel slider from Samsung.
Notable features:
Triband with EDGE
2-megapixel camera
2-inch 176x220-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Fm radio
Offline mode; SOS Message
microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP stereo music profile) and USB connectivity
100 x 50.5 x 14.9mm
Availability: Late February / Early March
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's 2-megapixel slider with music download capabilities.
Notable features:
Quadband
2-megapixel camera
2.22-inch 320x240-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Document viewer; music library; NF 3.4 browser
microSD card expansion slot
Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP stereo profile) and USB 2.0 connectivity
101.5 x 52.5 x 10.6mm; 99g
Availability: April 2007
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's swivel phone with QWERTY keypad.
Notable features:
Triband
VGA camera
Swivel design with QWERTY keypad
2.1-inch 176x220-pixel TFT display with 262K colors
Music and video player
Instant Messaging / speakerphone
25MB onboard memory
Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP stereo profile) and USB connectivity
91 x 47 x 19.5mm
Availability: Currently not planned for Asia
|
Mobile WiMAX handsets and accessories
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Cool factor: Samsung's UMPC-like device with Mobile WiMAX support.
Notable features:
Runs Windows XP
1GHz Transmeta CPU
30GB hard drive with microSD card slot
5-inch WVGA display
QWERTY keypad
Mobile WiMAX / CDMA 1x EV-DO
1.3-megapixel camera
Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity
143 x 92 x 29.7mm; 560g
Click here for another image of the SPH-P9000.
|
|
Cool factor: Samsung's claims that the M8100 is the world's first Mobile WiMAX PDA-phone.
Notable features:
Runs Windows Mobile 5.0
Mobile TV: Terrestrial DMB
128MB ROM; 64MB RAM; MMC micro card slot
2.8-inch QVGA display
Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) / CDMA2000 1x EV-DO (1900MHz)
2-megapixel camera; second CGA cam for video calls
Bluetooth (with A2DP stereo profile) and USB connectivity
Digital power amp
Click here for another image of the SPH-M8100.
|
|
Cool factor: This USB dongle connects to a laptop to allow access to Mobile WiMAX and HSDPA services.
Notable features:
Mobile WiMAX and HSDPA
Supports Multi Connection Manager
Compatible to Windows XP and 2000
96 x 46 x 15mm
|
Ultra Edition II
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