| RATING: 4/5 - A brilliant touch-screen mobile - at least | | | | and frequency response. |
| for the price tag. There were a few things we could | | | | Camera, video recording and video player |
| point out that weren't all that impressive, but barely any | | | | The 3-megapixel camera that the Samsung M5650 |
| when the intention to get it out at the lowest possible | | | | Lindy supports is not fantastic, but by the same token, |
| price is taken into consideration. This is a great buy for | | | | isn't all that bad. We felt that the camera quality is |
| anybody looking for an all-round handset that stays | | | | reasonable for such a budget handset, and that any |
| within the constraints of a minimalistic budget, or indeed | | | | more would be a bit of a high expectation on our |
| anyone wanting a phone that caters to the usual basic | | | | behalf. One feature which is particularly good is the |
| needs without any of the biggest luxuries. | | | | smile detection, great for no-fuss shot taking. |
| When we first took the M5650 out of its standard | | | | Video recording is not good, with QVGA at 15fps |
| packaging, it was evident that Samsung had made an | | | | being the maximum potential of the phone. 30 frames |
| informed choice to target a specific audience: the | | | | per second is not something which should have been |
| young. With no disrespect intended to older or younger | | | | out of the question. Again, the video player is |
| people by stereotyping, the bright colour scheme | | | | unimpressive, but this is really a luxury that we didn't |
| (although it is available in a more reserved black), | | | | expect to see on the new Lindy, so everything is a |
| general design and feel of the interface suggest that it | | | | bonus. |
| is intended for a more youthful audience. | | | | Get connected |
| Although it is to be expected considering the money | | | | The range of connectivity options offered by the |
| that Samsung had to work with and the price of the | | | | mobile are very impressive; with 3G support, some |
| handset, we thought it would still be important to | | | | Wi-Fi capabilities, GSM, HSDPA and Bluetooth with |
| mention that the plastic-like feel may be a bit too | | | | A2DP support, there's nothing to complain about. |
| cheap-looking for some. Despite this, we can assure | | | | The web browser is of satisfactory standard, hosting |
| that the word 'cheerful' does also apply, as the saying | | | | a nice finger-zoom feature on the capacitive |
| goes. | | | | touch-screen, which impressed us with its |
| Music player and audio quality | | | | responsiveness. However, our satisfaction with the |
| The music player on the Lindy is satisfying, with | | | | screen was diminished somewhat upon discovering |
| dedicated features that allow you to organise your | | | | that there is no on-screen QWERTY keyboard to use. |
| tracks by album, artist, genre, playlist, and so on. We | | | | Final thoughts |
| were bemused by the absence of on-screen pause, | | | | It really is great little phone: fashionable, one-of-a-kind, |
| play and fast forward/rewind buttons, which had been | | | | exciting and fulfilling in most senses, meaning that the |
| sacrificed to allow room for a larger album art image. | | | | low cost is a real bonus. We admit that it is |
| Audio quality is fantastic, and is so good that it rivals | | | | painstakingly similar to similar models released by |
| competitors that come at a much higher price. The | | | | Samsung, and this is our only drawback - and a |
| crisp, clear sound is very pleasing - as is the noise level | | | | reasonably big one at that. |