The Samsung U900 SoUL, which apparently stands for Spirit of Ultra, is Samsung's flagship mobile phone for 2008. This super-stylish offering from Samsung is another edition to their Ultra range of super-slim mobile phones which have previously included the D900, U600 (reviewed in September 2007) and the U700.
Design and Feel
Without a doubt the Samsung U900 is one the most stunning mobile phones in the market. At 12.9 mm, it is not the thinnest of the bunch in the market but it boasts a opulent brushed metal finish that gives it an elegant and classy look and feel. The phone feels solid in your hand and has an almost comforting effect on you. It is clear that the highest quality materials have been used in the construction of this phone. The volume control and the USB port are on the left side of the handset while the
microSD card slot can be found on the right side along with a dedicated camera button. The top and bottom of the phone have no controls but emphasise the phone's curves and thinness. The camera can only be used when the phone has been slid open due to its location.
9/10
Features
The SoUL comes loaded with a vast array of features including a 5-megapixel camera with video recording, autofocus and flash, a 16 million colour screen, 3G with download speed of 7.2 Mbps, a Bang and Olufsen endorsed multimedia player and the 'Magical Touch Interface' navigation system. The U900 features the 'animated traveller background' with an analogue clock and animated wallpapers. The menus are the same from the Ultra II generation but there are some fine improvements to ensure better navigation and customisation. The main menu displays as a standard list or a 4 x 3 grid of icons.
9/10
Performance
Like that of my U600, the voice quality of calls is brilliant and you can choose a theme for how numbers appear when you dial them. Reception is fine and there are no problems with sending or receiving calls.
The camera is very impressive. I feel that the picture quality is at least as good and in some cases better than that of Nokia N95. However, the N95 has a more reliable colour balance while the U900 has better in-camera processing and lower noise levels. The video recording, however, is lacking and unimpressive as it is in most mobile phones and the flash is similar to that of the U600 and so rudimentary.
The sensitivity of the touch pad (Magical Touch Interface) can be adjusted to three levels and when set to minimum, they act almost like normal keys! I must say that this is an excellent navigation system and I was a bit sceptical after LG Chocolate's horrible touch navigation system. The keys are a texter's best friend. They are large and almost completely flat and, unlike other flat keypads, this one is one of the best in business. The design of the keypad is similar to that of the U900 but is 'reinforced' by the addition of metallic bordering.
The high resolution display is very bright...so bright in fact that it is hard to see in bright sunlight. This problem commonly plagues 16 million colour screen and I remember encountering it on my dad's Nokia 6300 (which I have already reviewed). .
Navigation through the menu is smooth and there is a massive range of themes to choose from and many different customisation option including the option to create your own theme, which helps make your handset very personalised. Up to 1000 contacts can be stored in the phonebook which is like that of any other Samsung slider. Messaging is great, thanks to the excellent keys and you can store 500 texts onto it.
According to GSM Arena, the file browser is one of best of non-smartphone (haven't owned a smart phone myself so...), and I feel it is definitely an improvement over the U600 one since this one displays memory card and internal memory files together.
The B&O endorsed music player has been slightly altered when compared to that of the U600 and has no equaliser pre-sets but comes with sound effects. It allows you to sort your tunes in a number of ways. The player also has visualisations (think Windows Media Player). While sound quality is excellent for a phone and is better than that of most other phones. Tests show that it is better than that of the of Sony Ericsson K770i, U600, Nokia N81 and LG Viewty. Image editing features are superior to those of most other mobile phones as well but do not compare to PC applications. The video player support MPEG4 (MP4) which is a blessing and the touchscreen navigation makes forwarding, rewinding and pausing a piece of cake. Bluetooth and USB are both supported.
9/10
Conclusion
Samsung is pushing the boundaries of styling yet again and proves itself to be a solid performer as well as an elegant mobile phone. If you want a phone that's stylish, feature-packed and reliable and does not carry the price tag of an iPhone, the U900 Soul is the phone for you.
Overall: 9/10 (average from above)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Excellent camera, Touch screen system handy in certain applications , Stylish "head-turning" phone. Disadvantages: Battery life -No Xenon Flash -Easily scratchable back cover -Finger prints -Annoying music player navigation
Chui250 17.07.2008 (17.07.2008)
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Review of Samsung SGH U900 Soul
May 19th, 2008
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