Will the Major Success Factors Come with Its Release?
Following hotly at the heels of the Galaxy and the Galaxy Spica which hit the shelves earlier this year, Samsung is ready to unleash another touchscreen Android-powered smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy 3 (I5800). Unlike its predecessors, the Galaxy 3 mobile phone will come with a beefed-up and enhanced software personalisation brought by the latest version of the TouchWiz 3.0 User Interface.
Scheduled for release in the second half of July, there are rumours that it will be shipped to the UK under the codename Samsung I5801 Galaxy Apollo. Since it runs Android 2.1 (Éclair) with Samsung’s very own TouchWiz 3.0 UI on top, it is speculated that the Galaxy 3 may carry the Social Hub, the centre where all messages are handled and allows the user to view and upload pics on different file-sharing websites. You can compare all of the latest Samsung Galaxy 3 deals over on the deals section.
Whilst the Galaxy 3 is a mid-ranged phone, it boasts high-end features which include a large capacitive touchscreen, a 3 megapixel snapper, stereo FM radio, DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine), Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS. These features will definitely deserve a second look even from diehard hi-end phones enthusiasts.
High specs, design and features
The Galaxy 3 wears a different look compared to other Android-based Samsung phones currently on the market. The device comes with a minimalistic design, yet elegantly shaped and superbly crafted.
Apart from its multi-directional pad, the Galaxy 3 has four touch-sensitive keys which use capacitive technology beneath its display. However, they remain virtually invisible to the eye until their backlights are turned on.
It was mentioned earlier that the overall design of this mobile handset is simple and minimalistic. There are no fancy embellishments or unneeded designs that would get your attention distracted. Nothing except the earpiece grille and the silver rim of the directional pad at the front. The power button, the volume rocker, the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the microUSB port on both sides of the phone are hardly noticeable.
The display on the Samsung Galaxy 3 (I5800) is a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colours at 240 x 400 pixels screen resolution. This particular resolution is a first on an Android phone. The device comes with multi-touch input method, an accelerometer sensor which automatically rotates the user interface in accordance to the phone’s orientation (landscape or portrait mode) and a proximity sensor which automatically lowers the phone’s ringing volume as the user comes near.
The Galaxy 3 boasts a 3.2 megapixel digital camera with 2048 x 1536 pixels image resolution. It is capable of recording QVGA-quality videos at 15 fps. The camera includes other cool features such as autofocus as well as Geo-tagging and face and motion detector. Because of its broad experience with cameraphones, Samsung has developed a new and amazing touch camera interface which they have incorporated in the Galaxy 3.
The phone has 170 MB of internal memory and includes a 1 GB card for storage. Should there be need for more storage space, memory of up to 32 GB can be added with the help of the built-in microSD expansion card slot. Along with the Galaxy 3’s new DivX/XviD video support and Digital Natural Sound engine (DNSe) audio technology, a lot of audio and video collection can be stored in the device.
Applications and functionality
The prototype phone used for demo and testing runs the Android OS v2.1 (Eclair). However, the release version of the Galaxy 3 in July may yet run the latest Android OS v2.2 Froyo. The phone will be powered by an efficient 667 MHz processor at its core.
The connectivity features of the Samsung Galaxy 3 (I5800) are quite striking for a mid-range smartphone. It boasts both Class 10 GPRS and EDGE, 3G running at speeds of 3.6 Mbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and microUSB v2.0.
Apart from the dazzling screen display and colourful icons of the Galaxy 3’s customisable interface, the device provides Social Network Service (SNS) support. It allows users to keep their contacts in various social networking sites constantly informed about themselves. The phone’s pre-loaded app Write and Go likewise depends on SNS support to give users the capability to update their Facebook, MySpace and Twitter status simultaneously.
The Media Browser also relies on the Galxy 3’s SNS support. It is actually a media gallery which enables users to browse their and their friends’ MySpace and Facebook photo collections. Users will be delighted with Swype, a new feature which enables easy and convenient text input on the phone’s virtual QWERTY keyboard.
Entering text by finger swipes gives a whole new meaning to the term “touch-typing”. The web browser also allows Swype typing of URL’s which is definitely not one of the default methods of text input on Android.
Living up to expectations
Samsung’s previous models for the Asian and European markets lacks any kind of camera interface customisation. Every exposure setting used to be pre-loaded. With the Galaxy 3, users can now choose from a wide range of effects, scene modes, exposures, and other settings to create crisp optimum-quality photos.
The overall public expectation for the Samsung Galaxy 3 (I5800) will be on a high level when you consider its Android operating system as well as its enhanced and customisable user interface. The Galaxy 3 is nothing less than elegant and will surely make a lot of heads turn. This is because very sophisticated Android smartphones occupies a very tiny niche in the market.
With the Galaxy 3, Samsung establishes its own concept on how the Android magic can be enhanced, thanks to the seemingly endless capabilities of the TouchWiz 3.0 User Interface.
Will the phone end up in the pockets of a lot of people? The answer will be determined by several major factors – the seamless integration of Android with its User Interface, its capability to utilise the inherent hardware and, without a doubt, the price that Samsung will tag on the device. You can leave your own thoughts and opinions on the new Galaxy phone on the Samsung Galaxy 3 reviews page.
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