Review GSM phone Samsung X200

Package

• Handset
• Battery
• Charger
• Wire headset
• Manual

Samsung X200 is a clamshell with an integrated antenna. Its design can be called strict especially against the background of other Samsung's phones. And the body colour is very reserved - grey with black (besides completely black and grey versions of the phone are to appear on the market).

The device is rather small (85x43x19 mm), and the weight is also little - 75 g. Due to this dimensions the X200 easily fits both a trousers pocket and a shirt one. The body of the handset is completely of a qualitative plastic, and the covering is smooth by touch.

You will find it easy to open the phone with one hand, and for your comfort a hollow rounds the whole body. Also, I'd like to note that the opening angle is more than in other phones of the same form-factor, and that adds comfort while speaking - then the microphone is the maximum close to your mouth.

A headset connector found room on the side surface; it is covered with a plastic shutter fixed to the body. Slightly below you will find rather a large double volume button and IrDA in the very bottom. A strap is fixed through a hole on the top edge, and the bottom end features an interface connector covered with a plastic shutter (also fixed to the body).

The top cover of the device holds an ornamental plastic insertion with the company's logo, and a small service indicator is placed above it.

On opening the device, you will see a small UFB screen with the resolution of 128x160 pixels (28x35 mm) capable of 65K colors. Its quality of the picture is good especially for a low-end phone.

A standard for Samsung keypad layout is applied. A small 4D button with an "Ok" one centered in it is comfortable in use. Two functional buttons are also comfortable and large. All the buttons are easy to press and have an average motion.

Number keys are rather large and will be comfortable to people with big fingers also. Almost no accidental pressures occur when entering a number or SMS. A light green backlighting is spread over the whole surface evenly, that is why all characters are easy to read under any light conditions.

The battery cover takes almost the whole back. From the very beginning is has a slight backlash, which can grow with time. A 800-mAh Li-Ion battery is integrated into the phone. In Moscow the phone worked for about 4 test days in case of 20 minutes of talks and 20 minutes of other functions. You will need about 2 hours to recharge the battery.

Menu

The main menu is represented with a 3x3 matrix, the icons are well drawn, and a selected one is shown as an animated image. Submenus are vertical lists, and number series may be used for fast navigation.

You can assign fast aссess to various menu items to the navi key press.

Phonebook is accessible only by pressing the right functional key in the standby mode, otherwise through the main menu. The phone memory can keep about 1000 numbers. Any number of phone numbers (you can select even its type - mobile, work, home) and e-mail addresses (up to 50 characters) can be assigned to each user.

You can give a special name to each group, assign a call melody and a message alert, also select and bind one of 10 pictures.

All information of the phonebook is shown as a list, and contacts can be sent via IrDA. You can search in the phonebook by letters or groups. Both phone memory and SIM-card one are information sources. Fast dial for up to 8 numbers is present.

The majority of X200's users will find phonebook capabilities enough.

Messages. About 200 messages can be kept in the phone's memory. Since this handset supports EMS standard, it provides a preset of small pictures, animations and melodies. Besides, you will find a set of emotion icons, which will be suitable if a recipient's phone has no EMS support. You can also create about 5 own templates. Pressing the right functional key, you will change input mode and language. Predictive text input T9 is supported.

MMS editor is plain and clear. The maximum size of an outgoing message cannot exceed 95 KB. And total memory bank available for storing all messages forms 700 KB.

Call list. Standard lists (up to 20 numbers in each) of incoming, outgoing and missed calls are stored here. Calls from the same numbers are not summarized, but shown separately. Pressing a name/number, you see the number itself, date and time of call. Call counters are exactly here.

Sound settings. Here are all settings concerning sound gathered. Unfortunately, you will have to tune all settings through this menu as there are no profiles in the phone. As a call type you can select of light indication, only vibra, only a melody, vibra with a following melody.

Organizer. Alarm clock. Three separate alarm clocks are used in the phone - once, recurrent, daily and morning. You are allowed to set own melody for each.

Calendar view is only monthly. Dates with entries assigned are marked with a colour, you can enter text for events (up to 40 characters) and turn a sound alert on.

To do list is similar to calendar events, you can also select the priority.

A dictaphone allows recording both in the standby mode and during a conversation (activated only through the menu). Each entry cannot last for longer than 30 seconds. About 100 KB of memory is kept for voice records.

Time and date. You can adjust time and date here as well as select a display type (12/24 hours). A world time function is also hidden here.

A plain calculator and a currency converter are also kept in this menu.

Fun box. WAP. Here is a WAP-browser version 2.0.

JAVA world. The handset supports Java MIDP 2.0, and about 512 KB of memory are kept for applications. You can play any of the two preinstalled games: Fun2Link or Bubble Smile.

Folders with images and melodies are also here, memory bank of 600 KB is kept for them.

Network holds all settings concerning the network.

Settings. Standard phone settings. Here you can set a wall-paper; one of 10 preset images can serve as a wall-paper or your own uploaded picture. Also here you can adjust brightness and contrast for the screen, as well as select figure colours for an entered number.

Here you can activate IrDA, and you select of two points - for connecting to a PC or other phone. IrDA capabilities are restricted, so you can send only contacts, however, pictures and melodies are impossible to send.

Impressions

The phone provides good connection almost under any condition. Both loudspeaker's volume and microphone sensitivity are on a good level. The 40-tones polyphony sounding is wholly satisfactory, and mmf files can be set as a call signal. Call signal volume is higher than average. However the power of vibra is lower than it should. A speakerphone is also present and works without a problem.

The model has the minimal function set, but despite this can satisfy an unsophisticated user. And very probably many of them will find a low-key design quite pleasant. Phone's disadvantages cover a cut IrDA version, little internal memory (and by the way not dynamic). Small phone size, the comfortable keypad, and good phonebook capabilities are evident pluses.

A rival with a similar functionality is Pantech PG-1500. Approximately the price for Samsung X200 will form about 120-130 USD, and the phone will appear on the counters in the end of November.

Vladimir Fokin ([email protected])
Translated by Maria Mitina ([email protected])

Published — 22 November 2005

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