Samsung S8300 test

Monday, June 8th 2009 - 14:50 CEST - Comments: 0

M any recently introduced mobile phones feature a touchscreen. Although it is considered a trend, not everybody seems keen to rely solely on a touchscreen, and it are exactly these consumers that demand a general keypad. They're hesitant to switch to a full touchscreen operated mobile phone. The solution for this group is the Samsung Tocco S8300. This mobile phone combines a general numeric keypad with a touchscreen, thus providing the user with two operating options. We have extensively tested whether this combination is convenient in practice.

• Read our full Samsung S8300 review.

 

Samsung S8300 Tocco review - Widgets

The menu of the Samsung S8300 is accessible via the menu button on the touchscreen. The main menu features a 'Widgets' bar, as we are already familiar with from the latest Samsung mobile phones. Some adjustments have been made; you can now press anywhere on the screen to open the widget bar. This also causes the widget bar to open unintentionally, however, for example when you try to click on a missed call. This also makes the main screen somewhat larger than you'd expect at first, since you can scroll on through it and add more Widgets.

 

 

Samsung S8300 test - Watching movies on your mobile

The multi-media player of the Samsung S8300 is neat and straightforward; the large icons are simple to use. You also have a timeline at your disposal. If you slide your finger along it, you can wind a song forward. In case a CD cover is available, it will be displayed. Furthermore, the music player can also stay active in the background. The MP3 player Widget is then automatically placed on the main screen. The built-in speaker is excellent, although several high tones are lacking, as usual. Playing video files is also fine, even DivX. If you put an AVI file on the memory card, you will be able to watch a movie on the go. The reproduction will automatically change to full screen upon rotating the phone, which always worked fine in practice. Furthermore, the keys will lock automatically and the movie keeps on being displayed when the phone is closed.

 

 

Samsung S8300 review

Samsung combines a touchscreen and a numeric keypad in the Tocco S8300. Furthermore, the Samsung S8300 features a GPS antenna, an 8.0 Megapixel digital camera with auto focus, HSDPA, AMOLED color monitor and an FM radio. It is the AMOLED monitor, never before applied to a mobile phone, and the combination of the touchscreen and keypad that makes this mobile phone unique. Read our full Samsung S8300 review.

• Samsung Tocco review
• Samsung S8300 test photos
• Samsung Tocco
• Samsung S8300