Samsung SGH-i450

One look and I was sure this is a Nokia phone with Samsung written on it! Obviously I was wrong, but the i450 seems less Samsung and more Nokia. Moreover, the phone runs on Symbian 60. But giving Samsung no credit for its own phone would be wrong. The phone does have Samsung's odd quirks. Let me explain...

Design
The design is truly a cross between the N81 and the N95. What with the dual slider design and a very Nokia-like form factor, you would say the same thing. Having said that, there's absolutely no reason why you should hate the phone.

The i450 possesses enviable looks, and it's not just jazzed up for its own sake; instead a subtle theme of cool blue runs along the sides of the phone, sandwiched between off-white. No unnecessary sparkle, no useless ridges; just a simple sports look that I like. With dimensions of 101 x 52 x 17.8 mm, the phone's not took bulky, and at 114g, it's not too heavy either.

The dual slide may not be original, but it works smoothly nevertheless, and appears quite sturdy too. Sliding the front reveals a navy blue keypad with evenly spaced and responsive keys. The keys are placed on a flat surface with arty ridges dividing them. Nice! The speakers are visible when you slide the phone down. A cool touch-sensitive navigation pad amidst the speakers means you can use it while surfing your music folder. It works fine, even if responsiveness is low.

Hot-swap for memory cards is a good thing. The volume keys are right above the memory slot on the left, while the camera key is on the right. Now to quirk number one: the 3.5mm earphone jack. It's nice to have a 3.5mm jack that lets you listen to music while the phone is charging. But you cannot use the jack to talk via headsets. It's purely for music and that's it! Which primarily means you will have juggle between the earphones (while listening to music) and the handsfree headset (for talking, of course) every time you get a call. Beats all logic!

The back houses the camera, without a lens cover, and the front is embellished by the 2.4-inch TFT. Right below are the function keys: Call, Cancel, Menu, Delete and two open keys. That's pretty much it, and despite the quirks I like the form factor.