We covered the Samsung Galaxy W in our Gadget Show, let us know, if you liked this product review and if you would like us to review similar products – Raman Singh, Reviewer
At first glance, it has a 1.4GHz single-core processor, 3.7-inch 480×800 pixels LCD display and the 14.4Mbps HSDPA radio. Also, the 5MP rear camera is accompanied by an LED flash, and we have a front-facing one for video chat as well.
The midrange Samsung GALAXY W. A decent Android handset; it has some interesting features to flaunt. Is it value for money and does it have the features and specs to conquer the mid android smartphones market? Read on our review to find out more. We compared the phone on its basic 5 features list
1. Design - The Samsung GALAXY W looks like a the HTC Sensation with its flat upper side and curved bottom, especially when you turn it over on its front. The upper part where the camera with the LED flash are, is made of hard glossy plastic. It is not soft-touch plastic, just dotted for easier grip, which makes the Galaxy W very easy to hold and operate. It is not that thin at 0.45” (11.5mm) as compared to the Samsung Galaxy S2 , but is very light at 3.93” (112g).
The handset is almost the perfect size for one-handed use, a 3.7” LCD with 480×800 pixels, making for a good 252ppi pixel density. This allows for text to appear crisp, and the display also sports rich colors. Viewing angles are decent, plus it is sufficiently bright outside under broad daylight to allow normal operation. The volume buttons on the left are protruding sufficiently to make them very easy to find and operate, and the lock/power button is on the side.
2. Functionality and Software - Samsung has added a whole bunch of handy applications, including its very own Social Hub app that combines your communication venue. The app has been overhauled and now integrates social networks, email, texting and instant messaging under one roof for quicker access. Game Hub is also present for the times when you are feeling bored. The games it features are socially-oriented, and offer online multiplayer with mobile gamers from all over the world. The Music Hub app has also been thrown in the set to let you purchase music on the go. Some other tools that need to be mentioned include the AllShare app for streaming media wirelessly from the smartphone straight to a TV or a home theater system with DLNA support, Kies Air for transferring music or movies onto the handset from a computer sans cable, Polaris Office for viewing and editing documents, and a Photo Editor application for the times when you are feeling like exercising your creative side.
3. Camera - The camera interface offers the usual for TouchWiz broad selection of shooting modes, scenes and effects, as well as touch focus, macro mode, and even blink detection. Shot-to-shot times are quick outside when the preview function is off. you can use the LED flash as video light, and, when it comes to taking videos, the Samsung GALAXY W can capture 720p footage at 30 frames per second, which is the current norm for midrange Android handsets.
4. Battery life & Performance - Voice quality in the earpiece is average. On the other hand the speaker output is quite nice and works better. The handset is rated for 7.83 hours of talk time in 3G mode from the 1500mAh battery.
5. Interface and Connectivity - Browsing the web on the Samsung GALAXY W – page loads, scrolling and zooming are as quick as they can be on a single-core device. The basics, such as pinching and double-tap are in store as well, but as with all Samsung Android smartphones lately you can’t pan while zooming, and text reflow is called by a double-tap instead of being automatic like in HTC Sense.
Samsung has added an extra touch of its own, though – that one last pinch-in gives you a side-by-side view of all your opened tabs, which is a neat feature to have. The experience would have not been complete without Adobe Flash support, which renders animations seamlessly, and doesn’t seem to slow down the browser.
The GALAXY W sports a full set of connectivity radios, starting with a 14.4Mbps HSDPA one. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, FM Radio and A-GPS are on board as well, plus DLNA multimedia streaming, which, as we mentioned, is managed by the default AllShare app
Conclusion -
Overall, the Samsung GALAXY W lives up to the expectations for its mid range category with its comfortable design, decent pictures and video, rich codec support, strong loudspeaker and plenty of preinstalled goodies like Polaris Office and AllShare. The 3.7-inch LCD display should be commended as well since it delivers some eye-pleasing graphics thanks to its high pixel count. On top of all that, the internet browsing experience is complemented by Adobe Flash support meaning that you can enjoy the web to its fullest, powered by the 1.4GHz processor.
The things that we didn’t like about the GALAXY W were the average call quality in the earpiece, and the sometimes slow to focus camera.
It is standing up against the likes of the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo and the HTC Desire S, which come with more distinctive design, but a pretty similar set of features. Not only that, but it also stands against phones in its own maker’s portfolio, such as the Omnia W with Windows Phone and a Super AMOLED display. The Galaxy W, however, has the backing of Android Market behind it, and its pricing will play a big role in the market positioning.
