Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica - user opinions and reviews
Back in June Samsung took its first step in the Android universe with the release of the galactic conqueror the Samsung Galaxy i7500. Then in quick succession the manufacturer announced the Behold II and Moment. What we´ve got in our hands now is their second Android-based handset for Europe – none other but the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700, named after the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Spica. At first the rumor had it the device would be lightweight version of its predecessor, but ultimately, things fell out to be different. The Spica runs Android edition 1.5 as well, but comes with 800MHz processor (as compared to the 528MHz core integrated into the i7500) and support for DivX and Xvid files. The handset has similar overall design as the Galaxy i7500, but looks more youthful and will be available in two color solutions – black-red like the one we are currently reviewing and white-green that looks more expressive.
The Galaxy Spica i5700 has pretty similar overall dimensions like the Galaxy. The newer model is not as thin, but the difference is not big really. The capacitive screen measures 3.2-inches once again, utilizes, features native resolution of 320x480 pixels and supports 16mln colors. Thanks to the AMOLED technology, the image quality is great, with truly saturated and beautiful colors. Unfortunately and just like the Galaxy, the Spica i5700 is a die-hard fan of fingerprints and its deep affection tends to create certain troubles when using the device in direct sunlight.
The buttons on the front side come with the same overall styling we know from the Galaxy, but you´ve got an additional key, plus their layout is slightly different. The phone has a D-Pad as its predecessor and the button in the center features nice red framing that complements the overall appearance. The button that gets you to the home screen has its own symbol and unlike the one on the Galaxy, is transparent now. The new key on the Spica is on the left, is also translucent and is used for calling up a dedicated search pane in various applications, say the phone contacts, calendar, messaging, Google etc. It´s a good thing that all buttons are easy to press (unlike those of the Galaxy) and we don’t have any major gripes about any of them. The only issue we´ve noticed is the lack of backlighting, meaning they are somewhat uncomfortable to use in the dark.
What you´ve got on either side are virtually the same buttons you can see on the Galaxy i7500 – volume rocker on the left hand side, 3.5mm jack and microUSB port on the top, additional microphone used during video capture, screen lock/unlock button and camera shutter on the right hand side. We don’t have any complaints about them either and feel satisfied with their implementation.
The back side of the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 is not glossy as the Galaxy, however it´s less slippery and therefore makes the phone more comfortable to hold in your hand. The 3.2-megapixel camera without flash is also here, but we will tell you more about it later.
Also known as:
Samsung I5700 Galaxy Lite
Samsung I5700 Galaxy Portal for T-Mobile
| General | 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
|---|---|---|
| 3G Network | HSDPA 900 / 2100 | |
| HSDPA 850 / 1900 - American version | ||
| Announced | 2009, September | |
| Status | Available. Released 2009, November |
| Size | Dimensions | 115 x 57 x 13.2 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 124 g |
| Display | Type | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches | |
| - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate |
| Sound | Alert types | Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Speakerphone | Yes | |
| - 3.5 mm audio jack - DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine) |
| Memory | Phonebook | Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall |
|---|---|---|
| Call records | Practically unlimited | |
| Internal | 180 MB storage | |
| Card slot | microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory |
| Data | GPRS | Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Class 12 | |
| 3G | HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g | |
| Bluetooth | Yes v2.1 with A2DP | |
| Infrared port | No | |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| Camera | Primary | 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Geo-tagging | |
| Video | Yes, CIF@15fps | |
| Secondary | No |
| Features | OS | Android OS, v1.5 (Cupcake)/ v2.1 (Eclair) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 800MHz processor | |
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM | |
| Browser | HTML | |
| Radio | No | |
| Games | Yes | |
| Colors | Black, White | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support | |
| Java | Via third party application | |
| - Digital compass - MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV/DivX player - MP3/eAAC+/WMA player - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk integration - Organizer - Voice memo |
| Battery | Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by | Up to 650 h (2G) / Up to 580 h (3G) | |
| Talk time | Up to 11 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 50 min (3G) |
| Misc | SAR US | 0.55 W/kg (head) 0.61 W/kg (body) |
|---|---|---|
| SAR EU | 0.59 W/kg (head) | |
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
1 thing i,ve disapppoint w/ my spica is the cam. when u open cam it is dark even in lighted place, try to shoot, got a lil change. In all, not good cam, u will not use the cam when u want. but u will find a chance of brightnes, just wait some mins. T...
Got 2.1 and have to do factory reset once a month if not more often. It looks like we are the testers, and samsung just releasing new models leaving us to struggle. There is one thing my spica doesn't do phone calls.
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