Samsung Galaxy Pocket Preview

Introduction:

Android is a very flexible mobile operating system that is capable of powering phones from all kinds of categories – from powerful specs-monsters like the Galaxy S II and Xperia S, to entry-level lightweight solutions like the Galaxy mini and Optimus Me. Recently, the said entry-level smartphones have become so affordable, that they have even started eating into the feature phone market.

One of those extremely affordable feature phone solutions that is expected to hit the market fairly soon is the Samsung Galaxy Pocket. This handset is positioned even lower than the Galaxy mini 2 in the Android food-chain. It's probably the most basic Android phone that you'll be able to get.

We are interested in finding out if the Galaxy Pocket is capable of carrying out all the tasks that we've come to expect from a mainstream Android device, despite its less than average specs.

Design:

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Pocket is your typical Samsung affair. The phone has a Galaxy S-que look to it, but is way smaller. It's constructed out of plastic, and has a relatively light weight.



You can compare the Samsung Galaxy Pocket with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The Galaxy Pocket is certainly not a looker, especially compared to some other budget Android offerings like the Xperia X8, for example. However, it doesn't hurt our eyes too much either.

If you have really long hands, you can actually make a Retina Display out of the 2.8” QVGA (320x240) screen by holding it as far as you can from your eyes. Unfortunately, this will also make things to small to see, so doing it is not an option, and you have to put up with the realities of this 143 ppi display. Actually, this is one of the main downfalls of the Galaxy Pocket. To anyone who might consider buying this handset – keep in mind that this screen is U-G-L-Y. Of course, this is what makes having such a cheap Android smartphone possible, buy if you plan to use it a lot for more advanced stuff like web browsing and gaming, better go for a phone that has at least HVGA (320x480) resolution.

Interface and Functionality:

You won't find ICS running the show with the Galaxy Pocket, instead, you'll enjoy Gingerbread, skinned with TouchWiz. All of the software features that you'd expect from an Android smartphone are here: widgets, multiple home screens, YouTube, the Google Play store for applications, etc.

The handset will run most apps, including some simpler games such as Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. However, due to the extremely low resolution, games and apps that feature very small graphical elements (like the birds and pigs in Angry Birds, for example) aren't comfortable to use at all (let alone fun), and we wouldn't be surprised if you simply avoid running those apps.

Yeah, the diagonal of the screen is only 2.8”, but the typing experience with the on-screen QWERTY keyboard of the Pocket is pretty decent, both in portrait and landscape. However, if you have relatively big fingers, or want to be able to type really fast, this handset won't be very suitable for the purpose.


Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy Pocket comes with all standard connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth. This means that you'll be able to browse the web (and use web services) without paying for mobile data, wherever a Wi-Fi Hotspot is available. Still, you should keep in mind that the handset's low-resolution screen is making everything very difficult to read. It will get the job done, but it will be uncomfortable and tiring for your eyes. The Galaxy Pocket doesn't support Flash content, but the browser compensates with an adequate response.


We can't really talk about the quality of the 2-megapixel camera of the Pocket, since this is a prototype unit we're dealing with. In any case, you shouldn't expect wonders from this extremely basic 2MP snapper. Video is recorded at a maximum resolution of 320x240 at 15 FPS and seems usable. Check the following test samples out to get an idea of what you should expect from the Galaxy Pocket's camera.


Samsung Galaxy Pocket Sample Video:



Expectations:

We like the concept behind the Samsung Galaxy Pocket. This is the handset that should bring the power of the smartphone to the hands of yesterday's feature phone user, without costing them more. It covers pretty much every basic Android functionality, and manages to build on top of that by having support for most of the applications found in the Google Play store.

However, do not think that you'll be able to taste the sweetness of using a top-class smartphone with the Galaxy Pocket, because the experience here is totally different, mostly due to the low-resolution screen.

If you don't plan to use it very heavily for web browsing and media consumption, though, the Pocket will get the job done without too much hassle. It's not yet clear when the handset is going to launch (and in which markets), but when it does, we really hope that Samsung will do the right thing and position it as an ultra-affordable smartphone solution.

Samsung Galaxy Pocket Preview: