Samsung E900 Review

Is the Samsung E900 the coolest phone of 2006? Possibly. Clearly derived from Samsung's hugely-popular D500-D600-D800 series of slide phones, the E900 takes the best features of every one of Samsung's previous phones and adds an uber-cool look to complete the package.

Just like the LG Chocolate, the E900 has touch-sensitive keys combined with a slide-up design. The outer buttons are invisible when not in use, and light up when touched. The glasslike touch screen with its glossy two-tone (black & slate) minimalist finish makes for a very sleek, very cool outer appearance. Touch the buttons and watch them magically light up! Slide open the phone and the main keypad is revealed - a standard keypad with good-size tactile buttons with a positive click response. The looks of the E900 are clearly derived from the best-selling D500, but brought right up to date with the latest technology.

Functionally, everything about the E900 is good. Starting with the display, this is a best-in-class TFT display with 262k colours and 240 x 320 pixels. The camera is a CMOS 2 megapixel camera with digital zoom and flash, plus a video recording option. Not the very best, when compared with the latest high-end phones from Sony Ericsson, but a good second-best. There's a handy mirror for self portraits. Wireless printing using Bluetooth is supported with a PictBridge-compatible printer. Like the D600, there's a TV-out connection, so you can view your recorded photos and videos directly on a TV.

The MP3 player is of high quality, and 64-voice MP3 ringtones are supported, as well as video ringtones.

The phone makes use of the same voice clarity technology used in the D500 & D600. The phone automatically senses the volume of the background noise and will increase the volume and clarity of the incoming call to make it more audible. In addition there is an integrated handsfree speakerphone.

Other notable features include Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and a generous 80 Mbytes of memory plus amemory card. A document viewer (PicselViewer) enables office documents to be viewed. The formats supported are Excel, Word, Powerpoint and HTML documents. The TV Out feature can be used to display documents on a TV screen if desired. Unlike the D600, the E900 is triband (not quad band).

The E900 has virtually all of the features that have made Samsung's slide phones popular, with a visual makeover that's stunning. Some may not like the touch-sensitive controls, so our advice is to try it and see how you get on. Compared with the LG Chocolate, the Samsung E900 outperforms on every level. TheSamsung D900 lacks the touch-sensitive keys but in other ways is a better phone and is worth considering if you plan to buy the E900. The new U600 is also an alternative to consider as it combines the best features of the D900 and E900.