Review GSM phone Samsung C200

Samsung C200. Live pictures

Package:

• Handset
• Manual
• Headset

Samsung gained its success after the release of its mass model R210 that became the first model by the company and the first mobile phone at all for many people. The company decided on repeating its great experience and announced a cheap device with the same body similar to the previous model in design. That's natural the software doesn't differ from other today models by Samsung considering its low-end class. Speaking frankly, the company refuses the presence of any low-end models in its product line. But calling a device with the оптовой price lower than 100 Euro a middle-segment phone is hard. The model is truly not extremely cheap but not too expensive either. It may be called an intermediate variant for a current market situation. And these very phones get popular in the majority of cases.

Colour solutions for the body are various (silvery, blue, grey, red) but the edging of the phone screen is dim silvery. The dimensions are 105x42.5x18.5mm and the weight is 69 grams. The parameters are typical for this class only the weight is different only. The phone is hard to call light but it lies comfortably in a hand and may easily be put into a pocket.

The most interesting part of the phone is its screen. It is 65K UFB with the resolution of 128x128 pixels (28x28 mm). It may show up to 4 text and one service line. The quality of the display is not bad for a low-end device and the colors are not as bright as on today TFT screens. The screen certainly beats Motorola C380 but is inferior to Siemens C65 a bit. It fades in the sun but the picture is seen clearly.

The keypad is average in size and has a blue backlighting. The keypad is comfortable to work with and makes no troubles.

Side volume level buttons are not typical for this phone. A headset connecter closed with a rubber shutter is a bit higher. There is an interface connector on the bottom end and a strap hole on the top of the phone.

A 800 mAh battery serves as a back cover of the phone and has no backlash. According to the manufacturer it may work for 150 hours in the standby mode and up to 3 hours in the talk mode. In Moscow the phone worked for 4 days in case of 40 minutes of talks and 15 minutes of using other functions. Full recharging takes about 1.5 hours.

Menu

One of two ways of representation of the main menu may be chosen, they are a traditional vertical one with a list of functions and one function on the screen with a vivid animation. In general the menu is rather colourful and interesting. Fast navigation with number series is available.

Phone book. Up to 1000 numbers may be saved in the main memory while up to 3 numbers (home, work and mobile) and e-mail address for a name. While entering a new number you are offered to set its type and only after that type the number in, extra numbers may be entered from the editing menu afterwards. The organization has both advantages and disadvantages, so everything depends on how often you enter new names with one number.

An entered name may be assigned to a users' group which also may have a personal icon and signal.

Both numbers from the main memory and SIM one are displayed in the general list and you may take an advantage of a quick search by name. That's enough to enter the first letter of a name and the first entry starting with it will be displayed in the main list. Then a second letter may be entered and so on. The same search is realized for each group. Fast access keys may be set for 8 numbers.

Messages.Up to 200 messages may be saved in the main memory, the device supports EMS standard also. There is a set of rather interesting icons, melodies, sounds and animations in connection with this. A set of emotion icons is unusual - they have not only a funny face but a body also.

In all the rest phone possibilities are standard. There is a predictive text input T9 and up to 5 own templates may be saved.

MMS . About 700 KB are reserved for multimedia messages, input interface is plain.

Call lists. Lists with the last 20 outgoing, incoming and missed calls are kept here traditionally. Date and time are specified for each call. An interesting feature is that new numbers are not duplicated, the number is only shifted to the top and new date and time are specified. The absence of similar entries is achieved this way. This organization is most acceptable for the majority of users.

Sound settings. Here you may choose one of the melodies as a call signal, the set is not very big and is rather standard. There are no profiles in the phone but you may set personal alert signal (light, melody, vibra, vibra+melody) minute minder is turned on in this menu. It works during a conversation also.

Phone settings. The device may be set the most comfortable for you via this menu. Menu language, background image (there are 11 of them and they are all animated) for the screen in the standby mode. Screen contrast level and security settings are also here.

Organizer. Several applications are hidden in the menu.

A calendar with a one event possible for a day is the first item. More events may be added by copying a previous day entry that's not convenient. Calendar view for a month is set here. Days with an event added are of a different colour and there is a fast switch to a date.

A to-do list adds to the calendar possibilities. A task may be created, assigned a priority (high, low, normal). Tasks may be copied to a calendar.

Alarm clock. You may set it once, everyday or weekly (from Monday till Friday, from Monday till Saturday).

There is a calculator and a currency converter in the phone, everything is traditional.

Date and time. A current date and time are specified here, world time function is also available.

Dictaphone. Up to 5 entries 30 seconds in duration, up to 100 KB for notes. The Dictaphone is not possible to use during a conversation.

Network services. All the settings connected with operator functions are here.

Funbox. A usual browser version 1.2.1 is in this menu.

Games are also here. There are four of them - BubbleSmile, Fun 2 Link, Ultimate Golf, Mobile Chess. Separate memory of 512 KB is reserved for games. 600 KB are kept for images and melodies. Downloaded melodies are impossible to use as call melodies for users' groups.

Impressions

The device rouses no cavils as for the quality of connection, the vibra is a bit more powerful than average. The volume of polyphonic 40-tones call signal is a bit higher than average but it may be heard in the street not always. The call signal may be referred to a previous generation phones and elder models are more melodious.

The today price of C200 is about 125 - 140 USD. The device has no any straight rivals in the quality of the screen and polyphony. The thing to say is the phone will become mass and will stay in the market for a long time. The model is well done and is worth attention.

Eldar Murtazin ([email protected])
Translated by Maria Mitina ([email protected])

Published — 14 December 2004

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