Samsung C6112 Review

Dual SIM phones definitely have an edge over the normal single SIM phones as the former does not require you to carry two handsets if you have two numbers. Nowadays, a lot of people have started keeping a phone number for official use and another for personal use. This need to have two phone numbers has led to the demand of efficient dual SIM phones.
The Samsung C6112 is a dual SIM mobile phone that comes in a sleek slider design and comes with features like 2 megapixel camera, music player, FM radio, SNS (social Network Services) support among others.

Body Design
The C6112 is a sleek and stylish handset with a brushed metal design build. It comes in a slider design and has a physical dimension of 4.16 x 1.97 x 0.65 inches and weighs 3.95 ounces. It has a 2.4 inch TFT display screen with an output capacity of 262K colors and a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The 4 way navigational key along with the confirm key in the middle, the call key, the end key and the two soft keys are just below the display screen. The End key doubly functions as the power key as well as the Menu exit key. The 12 alphanumeric keys can be seen when the handset is slid open.
The internal antenna is on the lower part of the right side of the phone although we cannot see it. The physical keys on the right side include the SIM selection key, with which we can change the SIM we are currently using. The multifunction jack which is used for charging, USB connectivity as well as for headphones is above the SIM selection key.
There are only two keys on the left side of the phone which is used for increasing or decreasing the volume during music playback whereas the camera lens sits on the back of the phone with the loudspeaker besides it. The volume rocker also works as the zoom in/zoom out button in camera mode.
The phone is available in shades of dark red, blue and black.

Multimedia
The Samsung C6112 is loaded with a point to shoot 2-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. It can take pictures at 1600 x 1200 pixels which is its maximum resolution. The camera is not the best feature of the phone and does not claim to be one. This phone is a dual SIM phone and not a camera phone. So, taking that in to account the 2 megapixel camera seems to be pretty good. It gives you the option to choose your shot mode (Normal shot, Multi Shot, Timer Shot etc.) and effects you want to put in your photo. You can shoot a photo in black and white, negative, sepia, fog and many more.
The camera also supports video recording which is done at a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels at 15 fps. The video quality is not that good but can be used for your occasional MMS.
The quality of the music player of a cell phone greatly determines whether it will be a big hit in the market or not. But, the C6112 is not your regular mobile phone with the capacity to hold a single SIM. The dual SIM feature is all the reason that is needed for this phone to get sold. However, the phone even has an impressive music player that comes integrated with SoundAlive 3D sound technology. The music player also supports the playback of multiple formats ranging from MP3, WMA to AAC files while the video player can play 3GP, MPEG4, WMV and H.263, H.264 codecs.
This dual SIM phone also has an embedded FM radio with RDS features. You can find information about the song you are currently listening to by clicking “Find Music” from the “Options” menu. You can even record the songs you hear on the radio.
The integrated Access NetFront browser 3.5 helps in web browsing by connecting the phone to the online world with the help of GPRS or EDGE data network. You can send or receive email attachments like music, videos or documents and supports IMAP4 and POP3 protocols.
The phone has great social networking features. You can access social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. with just a single click of a button, thanks to its support for SNS.
The C6112 has Java MIDP 2.0 and CLDC1.1 which helps in the smooth operation of Java based applications and also helps in the installation of newly downloaded ones. The phone comes with a few embedded Java games and wallpapers.

Memory
The phone has an internal memory of 25 MB which is sufficient for storing 1000 phone contacts with multiple entries. With this memory, you can even store call information about the last 30 dialed, received and missed calls each. You can even save messages, mails and ringtones with this memory.
For saving entertainment based applications like games, videos and music, you need an external memory which in this handset comes in the form of a microSD card. The C6112 supports microSD card up to a size of 8 GB.

Connectivity
The C6112 being a dual SIM phone supports two GSM networks. The first SIM supports quad band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 while the second is a dual band SIM and supports GSM 900/1800. Online Data access is provided by GPRS and EDGE at a maximum speed of 48 kbps and 236 kbps respectively. The phone would have been out of complaints had it included 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity.
Local connections of the phone are handled by the integrated bluetooth technology and the USB 2.0. The bluetooth version 2.1 with EDR and A2DP takes care of all wireless local connections of the phone with other bluetooth enabled devices. The EDR feature helps in the quick transfer of files between the devices while the presence of A2DP makes the use of wireless bluetooth stereo headphones to listen to music possible.

Performance
The C6112 has a pretty decent call quality although we experience minor disturbance from the surrounding noise in the other side. The music player on the other hand is very good for a phone of its price range with dual SIM feature. The camera produces decent pictures for a 2 megapixel lens although the videos are pretty flaky and lacked detail owing to its low resolution and fps. But, the stereo FM radio deserves applause as it has recording options and supports RDS. This phone could have been the best phone if it had been a 3G phone with Wi-Fi, GPS and included a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
All in all, the above paragraph is just us crying over what we could have had and what we missed. But the C6112 is a dual SIM phone and Samsung primarily focused on that. There will be a time when dual SIM phones also get the best feature as its single SIM brothers. But for now, let’s be satisfied with this.

Verdict
I would recommend this phone to all the people who need to keep two numbers and does not feel comfortable carrying two handsets. It is not like, the C6112 is the only dual SIM phone or even the best one; but considering the price and the features of it, it is the budget phone that will never fail to deliver.
The Samsung C6112 is available for $173.

Reviewer’s rating: 3.5/5