Breakout collection from the Koreans.
After HTC’s more evolutionary stance and Motorola’s frankly pathetic showing I knew we could count on Samsung to brighten our spirits.
Despite having already hit the ground sprinting in 2008 with the impressive Soul and iPhone terrifying F490 the Korean mega-corp still had plenty on offer today. 
Most noteworthy is the little brother to the F490, the ‘F480’ which looks just as much of a class act as its sibling. The one compromise is the screen which, despite being a 2.8in QVGAer, isn’t up to the F490’s 3.2in monster, that said with HSDPA and a 5MP camera with autofocus and image stabilisation for both pictures and videos this is a stunner in its own right. Multimedia playback (including full screen video), an FM tuner, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and a microSD slot round things off. If I was being particularly harsh then integrated GPS would have been nice, but that’s mostly Nokia’s fault.
Behind the F480 is the ‘F400’, which looks to have taken more than a few style tips from the i450 spotted in August last year. Featuring a similar dual sliding action with a keypad on one side and miniature Bang & Olufsen ICEpower amplifier on the other, this is one handset you don’t want to sit next to on public transport. Despite its potential for social unrest however the F400 has good breeding beneath the surface with HSDPA, a 3MP camera, 2.2in QVGA screen, FM tuner with RDS and Bluetooth. At 103 x 48 x 16.9mm it’s reasonably portable though there’s no word yet when you’ll be able to put it in your pocket. 
Adding some class to the smartphone sector is the ‘G810’, a Symbian based slider with 7.2Mbit capable HSDPA, WiFi, a 2.6in QVGA screen, GPS, a five megapixel camera with face detection and image stabilisation and handy 3.5mm headphone jack. Again B&O’s touch features with its ICEpower amplifier making this one for the rebellious yuppie and at just 12.9mm thick this really could make waves in the business ”and” consumer sectors. At last a sexy smartphone? Looks like. 
Lastly we come to the ‘G400’ a clamshell smartphone with large 2.2in interior and exterior touch sensitive displays, a 5MP camera with autofocus, RDS capable FM tuner, 100MB of onboard memory and an microSD expansion slot. At 102.8 x 51.5 x 15.4mm it’s also portable and with a late April release this also looks like another winner for Sammy.
Interestingly, Samsung also says that despite its support of Symbian and Windows Mobile it is looking to produce its first Android handset next year. No further details were available, but with Samsung’s engineering prowess and Android’s open source OS surely maturing by that stage this could be a stunning combination.
Another powerhouse year looks on the cards…
Link:
Samsung UK
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
