Does the Samsung Soul really have a lot of soul? Of course not, it’s a mobile phone. But as the latest mobile phones go, it’s a pretty good offering from Samsung, and one of the better slider phones available at the moment.
It’s solid, moves in and out smoothly, and feels good in the hand – this isn’t a phone that’s going to fall apart quickly. What sets it apart from most other mobile phones is the navigation pad, an unusual device where the keys change depending on the function a user accesses (going to music, for example, will bring up music keys on the navigation pad – odd, yes, but very useful).
Speaking of music, the player is excellent, packing a Bang & Olufsen digital amplifier that really delivers; it won’t demolish any walls, but it does have a crisp, sharp sound, and there’s also an FM radio. That said, a 3.5mm headphone jack would have made this an even better handset – as it is, users are limited to the headphones that come with the Samsung Soul, or must buy an adapter.
The camera is also outstanding – a five megapixel effort with several tweaks, including an image stabiliser.
Although the phone is equipped with 3.5G for snappy, smooth uploads, what’s missing is Wi-Fi, which really ought to be standard these days, and having GPS on the phone would have turned it into something special.
Those two things aside, the Samsung Soul might not be especially soulful, but it is stylish, well-built, and functions very well.
