Samsung S5620 Monte preview: First look Tweet

Samsung have posted a preview of the new Samsung S5620 Monte. Here are the phone's key features and their final impression.

Samsung S5620 at a glance:
* General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100; 3.6Mbps HSDPA
* Form factor: Touchscreen bar
* Dimensions: 108.8 x 53.7 x 12.4 mm, 92 g
* Display: 3-inch WQVGA TFT capacitive touchscreen, 240 x 400 pixels
* Platform: Latest TouchWiz UI, Smart Unlock
* Memory: 227MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
* Camera: 3 megapixel fixed focus camera, Smile Shot; QVGA video recording at 15 fps; video call camera
* Connectivity: Wi-Fi, GPS receiver with A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, 3.5mm audio jack
* Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, DNSe, FM radio with RDS, social networking integration – Facebook, MySpace, Bebo
* Battery: 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery

The Samsung S5620 Monte certainly has an edge on affordable touch phones with its 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities. But it's stepping on the toes of mid-range smartphones whose prices keep coming down.

Smartphones shouldn't be underestimated - the ability to install additional native applications (including a choice of SatNav solutions) lets you use the hardware you paid for to the fullest.

Let's take a quick peek at the competition that is already out and about without getting into too much detail.

The Samsung B7300 OmniaLITE matches most of what the Samsung S5620 has got to offer, but tops it with Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and a 667MHz CPU plus built-in Office document editor, DivX/XviD support and the possibility to install navigation software. It covers WinMo with TouchWiz so on the surface both phones have very similar interfaces.

Three HTCs also make the cut - the HTC Touch2, HTC Touch 3G and HTC Tattoo. The first two run WinMo, while the Tattoo is powered by Android. They have smaller 2.8" HVGA screens. The Touch 3G has been out for a while so you could probably find a good deal on it, and the Tattoo has fun back covers that can be personalized and the Android OS is really on the up and up.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is still hanging around, the nHD resolution screen and the rich retail box - 8GB microSD card, TV-out cable and a carrying case - mean it scores a high bang-for-your-buck rating. And there's the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition if it's the GPS that led you here in the first place.

The feature phone is a dying breed. Samsung's Bada OS aims to create "a smartphone for everyone" and all the other manufacturers seem to be heading that way too. But if it happens that the Samsung S5620 Monte is one of the last midrange feature phones, then feature phones will surely go out with a bang. It's the latest result of the march of feature phones towards catching up with smartphones, while offering unsurpassed simplicity of use.

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