Android as we know has been a software mainly for High-end phones, lately however, there are a Lot of entry level handsets coming out with Android offering a decent Android experience!
Its a great phone, as Long as you don't constantly compare it to the much more expensive Galaxy S.
Without further ado, Lets get into the Pro's and Con's
Pro's:
-627MHz Processor and 256 MB of RAM.
-3.2 MP Autofocus Camera w/ VGA Video Recording @15 fps.
-WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS.
-DivX Support(Out-of-the-box)
-3.5mm Audio Jack.
-Great Battery life.
Con's:
-Screen Performs poorly under direct Sunlight.
-Build Quality is not upto the mark.
-Bad Quality Video Recording
-No Flash for the Camera.
Unboxing:
The Galaxy 3 is a Budget Handset, keeping that in mind, you get a lot from the packaging. The Box isn't as compact as an Apple or HTC product but comes with:
-A Micro USB Cable.
-A Cleaning cloth.
-A Charger.
-A Battery.
-A Headset(Really good quality for the price).
There is also the usual paperwork!
Exterior:
As Being the case with all Touchscreen handsets, the Phone's front is mainly dominated by the 3.2inch touchscreen. Below the screen are three Buttons, the menu, the back key, between these two lies a nice looking angled home key! If you're wondering where the 4th Android key is, don't worry, from anywhere in the OS, a long press of the Menu key will bring up the search option.
The Top consists of the 3.5mm audio jack, beside it the Micro USB port which is used for file transfers and charging covered pretty neatly with a Plastic flap. Beside the USB Port, there is a Power button which doubles as a Lock/Unlock key.
On the Left of the SG3 is a Volume rocker. The right being left alone. The only thing on the bottom of the phone is a microphone pin.
The Phone being made of all plastic and being Piano Black, IS A FINGERPRINT MAGNET. It's very tough to keep this phone clean, Especially the black piece. The Black houses only the 3.2MP Snapper.
Screen:
I must say, The SG3 has had to make a huge compromise when it comes to its screen. Its bigger brother the SGS has a SUPER AMOLED screen. Unfortunately with budget in its mind, Samsung instead used a regular LCD TFT Screen of a bad 240 x 400 Resolution. Internet Browsing on this wont be the best experience especially if you zoom a little into the text of images on any site.
User Interface:
The Galaxy3 runs Samsung's own TouchWiz 3.0 Overlay on android.
It adds a lot more functionality to android, without taking away of its Charm.
You start off with 7 Homescreen Panes with the home button taking you back to the default function of the first homescreen(the leftmost) not the centre one unlike the HTC's and other Android's.
They can be filled with an array of widgets from Samsung or from Android. These are the main attraction of the Homescreen, rather their only Worthwhile function.
Then to open the Menu you use the Menu Button and it opens an iPhone type side scrollable menu. The bottom Contains 4 dock icons which remain constant and help as these are accessible from any page of the application menu.
A welcome change to the phone's UI is the notification bar. It performs the usual Android functions while also providing easy and simple access to toggle the WiFi and Bluetooth On and Off and change the Profile of the phone to silent or Vibrate.
The Phone has nearly no lag unless you open stressful applications. The 627MHz Processor combined with the Low-Res Screen make a really nice pair as this helps it take on even 800Mhz Processor's like the HTC Legend and The Galaxy Spica.
Messaging:
The Messaging of is a stonghold of this phone. It manages the messages very simple.
It doesn't have a complex folder organising system like the Symbian's do. It very simply has an option for new messages, and also all your previous conversations saved as different threads for each contact. A very Nice feature here is that you can Swipe left to Start a new message and a Swipe to the right initiates a call to that contact. A very neat touch if you ask me.
The Message editior is simple and you get both a Blank space to type your message, Just select the insert option to make it into a full blown MMS Editior, It even downsizes your images to save you network charges!
Also to manage a certain single message in the thread, all you need to do is to tap and hold on it. It will automatically pop up a menu with options to Forward, Delete, Lock Message, etc.
As this being an Android Device, It gains from the Google support, It's got the Best GMail app as expected, but setting up other accounts is a breeze.
GTalk takes care of all your Instant Messaging needs and the abundance of amazing Third Party App's from the Android Market is quite a Notable feature.
The Last but the most useful feature of text input on this phone is the presence of pre-installed Swype. You can learn more about Swype Right Here!!
Phonebook and Telephony:
As all Droids do, The SG3 Also has a marvellous phonebook full of functionality and also Eye-Candy.
It combines all your phone, SIM and google contacts to form your Phonebook. In it contacts can be found either using the search key or by scrolling using the alphabetical list present on the side(TouchWiz Specific Feature).
Another amazing feature from the phonebook worth note is the swypeing functionality.
Just like the Messaging app, You can Swype left to intitate an new message or swype right to call the contacts default/primary number.
The fields of the contacts available for storage are more surplus even for the most picky of phonebook organizers.
Telephony is dealt with neatly and briskly. There is the presence of smart-dial. It works either with contact names or numbers making it very very user friendly.
Cell Reception is good as calls aren't dropped easily and the proximity sensor ensure that you wont accidentally touch anything on the screen during a call!
Multimedia:
The SG3 is not exactly what you'd call a Multimedia power house. It's first and most showing flaw is the screen. Its let down by its artificial looking colours and its low resolution.
The Gallery is a looker, that said i don't mean its not one for functions. The Gallery finds all the images and videos stored on your phone and put them in sorts for you putting them in folders with valid names.
The Gallery has amazing 3D transitions and these 3D effects flair up the rather dull usual Android Gallery. The Images have options to share photos and thanks to the multitouch support, Pinch Zooming is enabled.
The Music Player of this phone is the very same one found on all other TouchWiz 3.0 devices. It's a highly funtional one with the music sorted by every possible category. Songs, Albums, Artist, Genre, etc.
The Music visualization is bang on along with the presence of a graphic equalizer presets. You can also search the song right out of the player into Google or You tube. The Results open straight into the You tube client.
That's a really neat touch.
What is also to note is the presence of a separate Video Player, this player supports DivX and XviD clips directly upto DVD Quality. Sadly, 720p Support is a No go!
The Camera is pretty decent for a 3MP Snapper and also it's interface is a lot like other Eclair running devices. It offers easy access to scenes and Shooting mood. This is by far one of the most impressive 3MP Camera's I've used.
Connectivity:
This might be a Entry Level Handset, But that doesn't for a second mean that it's connectivity options are entry level too.
Bluetooth 3.0 w/ A2DP is a Surprise for this segment. It's also got WiFi with b/g and EVEN n support.
It's a worldwide phone, meaning it will work on every GSM Carrier throughout the world. The Presence of the 3.5mm Audio Jack let you plug in any headphones while on the go.
Browser:
The Galaxy3 being an Android 2.1 Eclair device doesn't support Flash! That being said, the browser is by no means bad.
It has the same classic Minimalist design of all other android browsers, It has an address bar atop and nothing else shows until you press the menu button which brings up your options.
It supports double tap zooming and also pinch zooming. Text is Reflowed very well with very little lag time thanks to the processor.
The only let down for the browser again has to be the devices low resolution screen. This pixelates the text and images on even slight zooming!
Conclusion:
Well this phone has proved to me that all good Android's need not be high end phones. It has a nice entry level and the weight and size make it very pocketable and holdable.
If all the Con's of this Baby Galaxy are not too important for you, I'd suggest you really take a closer look at it.
It's main rivals are
HTC Wildfire
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini
LG Optimus GT-540
PR:)
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