Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH: Touch, slide, shoot
Gsmarena have posted their review of the Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH. Here are the jey features, main disadvantages and final impression.
Key features:
Classy touchscreen slider with an alphanumeric keypad
Commendable build quality
Quad-band GSM and 3G with HSDPA support
8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization, wide dynamic range and D1 video@30 fps
2.8" 16M color AMOLED touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixel resolution
Anti-scratch screen surface
Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
Proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off
MicroSD card slot (up to 16 GB), 1 GB included
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, Google Maps
Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
DivX/XviD video support
Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM recording
Document viewer
Photo Contact
Smart dialing
Main disadvantages:
User interface sometimes lags
Slow initializing of large microSD cards
Limited options for third-party GPS navigation software
No virtual on-screen QWERTY keyboard
Memory card isn't hot swappable
No Wi-Fi connectivity
Battery cover gets scratched easily
Final words
The Samsung S8300 is an excellent looking device with novel design and if we are to pinpoint a stand-out feature, that has to be the camera. Still photographs are among the best, videos are excellent and we were left with nothing but positive impressions of it.
The rest was a mixed bag. TouchWiz is a nice touch interfaces and offers a lot of functionality. However, the hardware really struggles at times to run the software. Plus the LG S-class UI that is already on the market is better and more fluid.
Other than that everything about the S8300 is spot on - the OLED display is stunning, the browser is as good as it gets on feature phones (flash support is quite rare) while the music and video players perform superbly. There's even a document viewer.
But the slow hardware hampers the overall experience, and the lack of Wi-Fi means no chance to use free internet from public hotspots. We could live with not having full-version games, but the decision to take away the navigation software removes what could have been one of the phone's greatest assets.
Competition-wise, if it's a point & shoot camera with telephony you're after, you should have a look at our 8 megapixel shootout. The contenders there are all aging gracefully, and their prices are falling. Just keep in mind that the camera on the S8300 is slightly better than the one on the Pixon.
We also cannot miss the LG GD900 Crystal. Its unique transparent touch keypad is a great novelty and it throws in Wi-Fi to the already potent mix, while upping the display to larger WVGA proportions. Add to that multitouch, the excellent S-class interface, the TV out and the FM transmitter and you have a truly portable media station. In the end, price is likely to be the deciding factor when choosing between these two.
Key features:
Classy touchscreen slider with an alphanumeric keypad
Commendable build quality
Quad-band GSM and 3G with HSDPA support
8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization, wide dynamic range and D1 video@30 fps
2.8" 16M color AMOLED touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixel resolution
Anti-scratch screen surface
Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
Proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off
MicroSD card slot (up to 16 GB), 1 GB included
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, Google Maps
Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
DivX/XviD video support
Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM recording
Document viewer
Photo Contact
Smart dialing
Main disadvantages:
User interface sometimes lags
Slow initializing of large microSD cards
Limited options for third-party GPS navigation software
No virtual on-screen QWERTY keyboard
Memory card isn't hot swappable
No Wi-Fi connectivity
Battery cover gets scratched easily
Final words
The Samsung S8300 is an excellent looking device with novel design and if we are to pinpoint a stand-out feature, that has to be the camera. Still photographs are among the best, videos are excellent and we were left with nothing but positive impressions of it.
The rest was a mixed bag. TouchWiz is a nice touch interfaces and offers a lot of functionality. However, the hardware really struggles at times to run the software. Plus the LG S-class UI that is already on the market is better and more fluid.
Other than that everything about the S8300 is spot on - the OLED display is stunning, the browser is as good as it gets on feature phones (flash support is quite rare) while the music and video players perform superbly. There's even a document viewer.
But the slow hardware hampers the overall experience, and the lack of Wi-Fi means no chance to use free internet from public hotspots. We could live with not having full-version games, but the decision to take away the navigation software removes what could have been one of the phone's greatest assets.
Competition-wise, if it's a point & shoot camera with telephony you're after, you should have a look at our 8 megapixel shootout. The contenders there are all aging gracefully, and their prices are falling. Just keep in mind that the camera on the S8300 is slightly better than the one on the Pixon.
We also cannot miss the LG GD900 Crystal. Its unique transparent touch keypad is a great novelty and it throws in Wi-Fi to the already potent mix, while upping the display to larger WVGA proportions. Add to that multitouch, the excellent S-class interface, the TV out and the FM transmitter and you have a truly portable media station. In the end, price is likely to be the deciding factor when choosing between these two.
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