Thinks are hotting up in the Smartphones Wars™ as it seems Apple are a tad concerned with the latest Samsung Galaxy models to hit the streets. They have applied for an injunction to prevent the sale of the Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Ace in Europe over what they say are a breach of patents over the way the phones displays media.
In other words Apple see them as a threat to the iPhone and they are trying to do something about it.
Just for the record the Samsung phones we review here are NOT a threat to the iPhone in terms of design and innovation, but they are a lot cheaper and will do almost everything the latest Galaxy phones can. Just not quite as well.
Galaxy Fit / Galaxy Mini
These two phone are so similar it is really easier to review them both as if they are the same phone.
The main difference between the two models is the Fit (S5670) has a slightly bigger screen 3.3inches compared with 3.14 inches on the Mini (S5570). The ‘Fit’ also has a slightly better camera (5 Mega pixel with a maximum resolution of 2560х1920 pixels), as apposed to the Mini’s 3.15 Megapixel camera camera with a maximum resolution of 2048×1536).
Most Smartphone cameras are still lacking quality wise (apart from the excellent Nokia N8), and are fine if you want to take a pic in good light to upload to Facebook or Twitter, but try taking a pic at your local nightclub and the results will be somewhat shaky (this may on occasion be a good thing). The cameras in the Fit and Mini are no exception but are better than average and with some creative shooting you can get some pretty good results.
The music player / interface is also excellent, so to is the radio and incidentally there are some great digital radio station apps now available from the Android Marketplace.
Screen resolution on both phones is not up to the standard of the iPhone (or the 3 Galaxy phones Apple are worried about) and is 320 x 240 pixels (the iPhone 960 x 640). Video playback is fairly smooth although colours are a little washed out and you may on occaision see the odd dropped frame here and there.
If you are familiar with Android you will be up and away in no time and right now it’s my fav Mobile OS. Both are shipped running Samsung’s TouchWiz UserInterface over an Andoid Froyo 2.2 it is however possible to upgrade these to the newer 2.3 Gingerbread OS once you are plugged in.
The Operating System is clear, friendly and very easy to find your way about, the big boys are supported well with some great apps for Twitter, Facebook etc, (there is even a pretty good free Flush the Fashion one HERE ). The Android marketplace is improving all the time and while for every Angry Birds there is a ‘Thousand Turkeys’, there are plenty of treasures to discover (many of them free).
One I found lately is called SWYPE, and it’s a brilliant alternative to typing messages and writing emails, instead of tapping each letter, you simply slide from one letter to the next. Once you are used to it you will wonder how you managed without it (see below).
Both the Fit and Mini use a 600 MHz processor so they’re not quite as lightening fast as some more expensive phones, but without being spectacular in any one department are pretty solid choices if you’re looking to get all the latest smartphone features, but on a smaller budget.
In fact if you are close to the end of your contract you should actually be able to get both phones as an upgrade on your existing mobile package free of charge. Apart from a few minor differences with the camera and screen (see above), looks wise, there’s not much else to tell them apart.
Personally I would go for the Mini just because it has two buttons on the face whereas the front of the Fit is totally flat….Meanwhile if money is no expense get your hands on a Samsung Galaxy S II while you still can.