Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 preview: First look

Introduction

Smartphones for the masses is what Samsung want and Bada alone won't be enough perhaps to get them there. Why not the Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 then? A mid-range Android phone with a custom paintjob on the OS and few nice software surprises - doesn't sound bad at all.

Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 official photos

Android is infiltrating the lower smartphone ranks. Mission objective: cut down on expensive hardware features and provide a robust experience. The Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 does just that. The hardware won't make it a flagship, but with 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Android OS (slightly modified and even improved) and a 1500mAh battery it sounds like a reliable phone that can do the job for most people.

Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 113.5 x 55 x 12.9 mm, 109.7g weight
• Display: 3.2" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of WQVGA resolution; multi-touch support
• Platform: Android OS 2.1 with Touch Wiz 3.0 UI
• Memory: 170MB internal memory, microSD card slot, 1GB card included
• Camera: 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, geotagging, smile detection
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, digital compass, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, DivX/XviD support, FM radio with RDS, Swype text input, social networking integration, Layar Augmented Reality browser
• Battery: Li-Ion battery, 1500mAh

The Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 has no flagship aspirations and it doesn't need to look like a million bucks. The minimalist design means it's not too extravagant, but it's not boring either. High-end, cutting edge phones are reputation builders, but it's usually the mid and low end handsets that end up in most people's pockets. Pocket is the keyword and the Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 seems well aware of that.

About the software surprises we mentioned - one of them is Swype, a novel way to type on a virtual QWERTY keyboard, and the other is the excellent DivX/XviD support. Not that it's a surprise coming from Samsung, but certainly a great feature to have. And it's rare enough on Android.

Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 live shots

On the next page, we take the Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 for a spin and check the newborn droid in and out.

Disclaimer: This preview is based on an early Samsung I5800 Galaxy 3 prototype. Changes in the final retail product are highly probable. We'll update this article when we get a more final version of both the hardware and software.