Though Samsung has shown they can deliver high-quality phones with jaw-dropping features with the Galaxy S, they are not content to cut out the younger markets and those in developing countries with inaccessible pricing and lofty design. Samsung’s recently announced Champ C3300 attempts to follow in the footsteps of the S5230 Star, one of their most popular phones, by utilizing some of the design features of the fairly spartan Genio along with some unique changes to make it even cheaper. By cutting out some of the higher-end hardware, Samsung is able to bring touch screen mobile devices down to a much more affordable level.
The compact Champ C3300 features a 2.4” 240×320 (QVGA) TFT LCD resistive touch screen capable of displaying over 262,000 colours, which may seem tiny and colourless in comparison to many of the larger, high-resolution capacitive touch screens present in high-end smartphones entering the market now. However, the Champ C3300 serves its purpose and makes an intuitive touch interface much more widely accessible, bringing valuable features and an entirely new mobile experience to end users for a fraction of the price of most other touch screen devices. Samsung has announced their intention to launch the Champ C3300 globally in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Europe, so support and accessories can be expected to be widely available. With much interest in this phone we are expecting to see some very nice Samsung Champ deals upon release.
Running on the TouchWiz Lite platform, the Champ C3300 has a unique grid-style home screen layout with three rows of three widgets that is optimised for its smaller screen, allowing you to access most of the phone’s features from the home screen with a single tap. The widget menu includes options for clock, calendar, shortcuts, and my buddies. With this touch screen interface, users feel more integrated into the operation of their mobile device and it creates a more comfortable experience. In addition to its ease of use, the touch screen serves as an ideal method for SMS text messaging with friends, playing Java games, or downloading apps from the Samsung Apps store.
Designed with younger individuals in mind, the Champ C3300 attempts to combine innovation and productivity in mobile devices with aesthetically-pleasing and functional design. Made to be ultra-compact, the highly portable Champ C3300 provides a decent set of features without sacrificing looks. Its curved form and comfortable grip make it both good-looking and functional, making interaction with the Champ C3300 a pleasing experience. To add to its appearance, the Champ C3300 is offered in a number of colours that accent its styling: Deep Black, Sweet Pink, Espresso Brown, and Chic White all make a bold statement and allow you to personalise the Champ C3300 to your liking. Measuring approximately 93 x 54 x 13 mm, the Champ C3300 is a fairly small, robust phone that is perfect for young individuals who are on the go and don’t have the ability to carry around large, expensive smartphones that are always in danger of getting scratched or cracked.
Though the Champ C3300 is affordable, it is not entirely devoid of features and has respectable entertainment functionality. The Champ allows you to bring your music with you with an FM radio, 3D sound effects, and dual speaker. Additionally, the Champ C3300 allows for MP3 music playback, and you can set your favourite tracks as a ringtone to personalise individual contacts and let you know who is calling right away. Using Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP stereo headphones, you can listen to your music on the go with freedom from wires, or you can use the 3.5 mm headphone jack for traditional analogue headphones. With a 1000mAh battery, the Champ C3300 offers hours of music playback, or up to 12 hours of talk time and a stunning 660+ hours of standby time, ensuring you have enough battery to do what you enjoy. Additionally, you can keep in touch with your friends and let them see what is going on with text and multimedia messaging. Predictive text input learns from your past messages and offers to auto-complete your words, making typing much faster and easier.
With the integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, you can take pictures of your favourite places and people, and even set the pictures as contact ID photos to easily identify who is calling with a quick glance. The camera is also capable of capturing low res video and has basic playback capabilities. Though the screen might not offer as vivid a picture as some other phones, you can watch MPEG4 and H.263 video on the Champ, allowing you to bring some of your favourite video clips with you everywhere you go. The Champ C3300 also features Java support, allowing you to purchase games and applications directly from Samsung apps. You can also enjoy the added entertainment and functionality of embedded Java productivity programs and video games. With support for microSD expansion cards, you can add up to 8GB of external storage for all of your music and apps, and using the included travel adapter and headset, you can take your music listening experience on the road with you. Bluetooth connectivity also grants access to a number of other accessories and functions, allowing you to connect to other Bluetooth devices within 10 yards, as well as permitting you to sync the Champ with a Bluetooth-enabled personal computer to backup your contacts and applications; USB connectivity is also available for a wired sync connection.
Having just recently announced the Champ C3300 at a May 18th press conference in Korea, Samsung has yet to release specifics about pricing and release dates. However, the Champ C3300 is expected to be available sometime during June 2010, and though no official price has been set, Samsung insists that it will be a feature-rich affordable alternative to allow access to touch screen capabilities. Vice President of the Samsung Electronics Mobile Marketing division Younghee Lee says “With the launch of the Samsung Champ C3300, we will strengthen our leadership within the overall touch screen handset category. The Champ C3300 is a perfect option for mobile users who want to snap up a full touch phone for the first time.” You can read people’s reviews or leave your own Samsung Champ C3300 reviews in the reviews section.
Tags: Samsung, Samsung-C3300, Samsung-Champ, Samsung-Champ-C3300