Samsung Wave S8500 Review

The Samsung Wave S8500 or simply known as Samsung Wave is the first touchscreen smartphone that operates under the new “bada” operating system which is an open source mobile OS designed by Samsung. The Samsung Wave is an anatomically slim touchscreen phone that is powered by the Samsung 1GHz “hummingbird” CPU. It has distinctive features like its unique Super AMOLED screen, multi touch support and HD video recording capabilities.

BODY DESIGN
The S8500 from Samsung may not be the flashiest or have a large display like the Motorola Droid X, but the compact size of it may be a plus point to a lot of buyers. The physical dimension of 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.4 inches makes the Samsung Wave, “a very comfortable to hold”, ultrathin phone. The phone has a metallic body that makes it elegant and well resistant to fingerprints. The 3.3 inch Super AMOLED screen is a work of art. There are only three physical buttons on the phone which is below the screen. The diamond shaped Menu key occupies the centre and either side of it is the Call and the End button. The video-call camera and the earpiece are located just above the display screen of the phone. Although, the Samsung Wave is ultrathin, the keys on the side of the phones are very comfortable to use. There is the volume rocker on the left side of the phone while the lock button and the camera key are located on the right. The microUSB port is on the top of the phone under a neat plastic cover along with the 3.5 mm jack and the loudspeaker grill. There is nothing at the bare bottom of the phone except the mic hole.
MULTIMEDIA
The Samsung Wave produces stunning photos, thanks to its 5 megapixel camera with various features like image stabilizer, face and blink detection and white balance. It also has a built in LED flash unlike its counterpart, the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S. The smart phone also supports HD video recording at 720 p at 30 fps, which is a feature that even the majority of the smartphones don’t have. The audio player as well as the video player supports all the standard formats ranging from MP3, AAC, MPG to AMR and XviD. The phone has an amazing sound quality and even sounds better on earphones. The integrated FM radio completes the multimedia aspect of the phone in terms of music.
For web browsing, the phone has preinstalled WebKit based, Dolphin Browser Version 2.0 which supports flash. The phone also has Picsel Viewer which can be used for opening Microsoft Office and .pdf formats.
The handset also has A-GPS function which can turn the phone into a fully functional SatNav system. The Social Hub application on the phone is a wonderful thing. With it you can create messages and even add media content like videos and images and send it to various services like email, SMS, MMS and other social networking sites. The phone comes with Facebook and Twitter preinstalled in it.
One of the most useful features of the Samsung Wave is its “Smart Search”. With it you can search for contacts, images, video emails, apps etc. This Smart Search is very useful when you have lots of content.
There are also other softwares and apps like Palringo IM, media browser and game applications like Asphalt 5, EDGE and Parachute Panic.
MEMORY
The handset has a User Memory of 2GB of which 600 MB are for media contents. It has an SMS memory support of 1000 SMS. The total phone memory can be expanded up to 32 GB through a microSD card.
CONNECTIVITY
Like the Samsung Galaxy S, the Wave also has Wi-Fi capabilities for wireless connection to the online world. It also has GPRS, EDGE and 3G with HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (2.0 Mbps). The Wave is the first phone to support the new Version 3.0 Bluetooth technology, which also has A2DP support for which is used for wireless data transfers. Moreover, the phone has the standard microUSB port, which has 4 connection modes. You can use the phone as a media player by connecting with an audio system. Secondly, the phone can also be used as a modem. Through the microUSB, files can be saved in the internal memory of the phone. And lastly with Samsung Kies (A new software), the mobile phone can be used to connect to a PC.

PERFORMANCE
The Samsung Wave is the first phone working under a brand new operating system (Samsung bada OS), which is still in its nascent stage. Luckily, till now, it does not have any major flaws or fault.
Physically, the metallic body of the phone combined with a spacious sensitive touchscreen makes all the reason to but this phone. The ability to cram a number of widgets and short-cuts on the homescreen is the best feature of the phone.
Media wise, the Wave does pretty good all-round. The camera is amazing, the audio quality is great with its 3D sound and the phone will never fail to give you an enjoyable video and photo experience.
But after all is said too, the Samsung Wave needs improvement with its new TouchWiz 3.0 interface and the battery life falls short of what was promised. The Samsung Apps store also does not have a lot of choices in terms of applications available.
VERDICT
Taking into account, all the features of the Samsung Wave, the positives still outweigh the flaws it has. The Bada OS had an impressive debut. The phone is well balanced in terms of design and looks. Considering the features of the smartphone and the affordability of it makes the Samsung Wave a “must buy”.
Samsung Wave S8500 is available for $399.
REVIEWER’S RATING: 4/5