Samsung Wave Y review: Young blood

Introduction

The latest midrange offering from Samsung features the ever familiar Andr...wait-what you mean, it's not Android? But it looks exactly like Android! Well, it seems things just took a more interesting turn. The Samsung S5380 Wave Y runs the latest version of the Bada OS, 2.0. Like us, you may be used to Samsung being almost synonymous with Google's mobile OS these days.But they're obviously still pushing their in-house platform on the Wave lineup, in case, you know, Android spontaneously combusts or something.

Official images of the Wave Y

But let's not be too brash-options are a good thing, and having one more smartphone platform to choose from can't hurt. Bada 2.0 has had several revisions since its initial release with the Samsung Galaxy Wave 3, and the latest stable build runs great on the comparatively limited Wave Y hardware.

Here is the complete feature list, as well as the potential deal-breakers:

Key features

• 3.2" HVGA capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 pixels)
• Bada OS 2.0 with Samsung Apps
• 832 MHz single-core CPU
• Quad-band GSM support with dual-band HSPA
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, Wi-Fi Direct support, Wi-Fi tethering
• Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, digital compass
• 2 GB microSD card bundled in, support for up to 32 GB via hot-swappable slot
• Standard microUSB port and Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Webkit-based Samsung Dolphin Browser
• YouTube client, Facebook and Twitter integration, including Samsung's ChatON messaging app
• Shake-to-unlock and turn-to-mute
• H.263/H.264/MP4 video support with subtitles, AC3 audio support
• Voice recognition for both dictation and commands

Main disadvantages

• Bada OS has limited number of available applications
• Fixed focus 2 MP camera, no flash
• No screen haptics
• No proper Smart Dialling
• SatNav software only a 30-day trial
• Poor loudspeaker performance

For people coming from Android, the limited supply in Samsung's app store will be a major question mark. But the Bada app store has been slowly building up content. And to be honest, the likely Wave Y buyers are not coming from another smartphone. Samsung's Y models are targeting the young and the Wave Y will most probably compete with the Galaxy Y for the favor of the brand's loyal users looking to replace a feature phone.

Samsung S5380 Wave Y live pictures

While obviously not as impressive as the Bada 2.0 flagship, the Wave 3, the Wave Y provides a good amount of extras which do not push the price too high. That's good news if you're shopping on a budget. The next page features our usual hardware tour.