Samsung Wave Smartphone Reviews and Deals

Samsung Wave review

Good

Slim and elegant, great screen, cheap

Bad

Second rate OS, third rate app store

Overview

The battle of the operating systems (OS) has been the real story in smartphones for some time now.

Apple’s OS marked a quantum shift in consumer expectations, with Google’s Android line quickly making the mark alongside the iPhone. This has left the likes of Symbian, Windows and even BlackBerry struggling to make up ground - you’d have to be mad to introduce a new OS right now, right? Especially with Android being open source. 

Not according to Samsung, which has decided to give it a go with its Bada OS, despite making a success of Android handsets itself already.

Before we get to the OS though, it should be said the Samsung Wave 8500 is a handsome handset. It has a lovely brushed aluminium case, which sets the standard for the general build quality - especially the glass fronted ‘super AMOLED’ touchscreen (like normal AMOLED, but more super). It’s really responsive, and the colours are amazingly vivid and clear.

The 3.3-inch screen (480x800 pixel resolution, not a million miles from the iPhone 4) is a bit narrow (visible view 73x42mm) but it’s still gorgeous. 

The Wave weighs 118g - 20 grams lighter than an iPhone 4, but on a par with the likes of Nokia’s X6. This gives the Wave a good heft in the palm, while also being well balanced with nicely curved edges (depth is 10.9mm). The way you skim the screen to unlock it is also a nice touch, while little details such as the microUSB port being hidden behind a little sliding door adding to the illusion of quality. But do the insides match up?

Work

Put simply, this simply isn’t a ‘work’ smartphone - it falls between an old ‘feature phone’ and a standard smartphone, the market where LG has always done so well. There’s a passing nod to the office, but it’s clearly not what this handset is all about.

That said, the on-screen keyboard is OK. Text editing has largely been burgled from Apple and while it’s not quite so elegant it does the job. 

You can multitask between apps, while the Wave also has A-GPS on board for all your sat nav needs. Email is also pretty well handled (see below), but don’t expect to be replacing your BlackBerry with this fella.

Play

Multimedia-wise, the Samsung Wave 8500 ticks all the boxes it needs to, without ever really excelling. However, this is no criticism - you don’t need to break new ground with every application, and doing everything right in a handset isn’t as easy as it may sound.

The five-megapixel autofocus camera is absolutely fine. You’ll never get amazing results from a cameraphone, so with an LED flash and stepped action on the camera button (half press to focus, continue to snap) you have all you need for Facebook right here. 

The camera button - which both turns on the camera application and takes pic - is in a good spot as well. It’s amazing how often this isn’t the case (the good balance of the phone helps too).
Video is well catered for. There’s 720p HD video recording and playback, with popular formats such as Divx, Xvid and WMV playing straight out of the box. 

The rest of the multimedia functionality is also on the money. The music player is perfectly adequate, while there’s also an FM radio on board. Syncing up with your PC is a sinch, so no worries there. And yes, it has the now obligatory 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the handset, alongside the miniUSB socket.

Connectivity

The Samsung Wave 8500 has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, alongside 3G HSDPA for the best in data transfer and call quality.

There shouldn’t be a problem getting up and running with all your friends and colleagues either, as you can easily sync Facebook, Twitter and Exchange accounts (but there’s not support for html emails). Messaging is well handled, with SMSs handily arranged into conversations. 

The internet experience is OK, but The Wave only supports Flash Lite (not Flash), meaning you’ll be in trouble on a lot of sites. 

Of course, a new operating system also means a different app store. The one for Bada is OK, but unsurprisingly there’s nothing much in it as yet.

Performance

Overall, the Wave’s performance was fine (yup, it’s that word again), if nothing to write home about. Samsung’s 1Ghz Hummingbird processor zips along and the Bada OS coped with the limited battering we tried to give it. But, that said, there’s not really an awful lot going on.

So, to the OS. Bada is, well, OK. In looks and functionality it’s clearly a good way behind the competition, especially in its handling of apps and widgets - it really feels like the first attempt it actually is. And while the handset is elegant, the OS looks pretty cheap, if at least functional.

Even so, its close proximity in style and usability to the Apple and Android OSs (for example, multiple desktops you can scroll between) might put it ahead of Nokia’s Symbian right now - a scary thought.

One annoyance is that the microSD cards are inserted under the battery, meaning hot swapping is out of the question. But the battery itself is pretty good (1500mAh Li-Ion), comparing well with similar handsets in its class.

Verdict

If you’re looking for the next big thing, the Wave certainly isn’t it. In fact, even as it arrived, Samsung’s own Android powered Galaxy S was already a good few yards better in most departments.

However, if you’re looking for value, style, or a ‘my first smartphone’ for someone who wants a handset that does it all while looking good, this is a tempting option. 

The Samsung Wave 8500 is a good all-rounder, while nothing really stands out except what great value it offers on the right deal. Sure, you’ll end up with a smartphone that looks and feels a bit smarter than it actually is, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

PS We’ve been using the version branded by mobile provider Orange, which was nice enough to supply us with the handset to test (ta!).

Samsung Wave specification and features

Model

Samsung Wave

Manufacturer

Samsung

Operating system

Bada OS

Colours

Black

Mobile internet

WiFi

Yes

3G

Yes

HSDPA

No

Size

Size

118mm x 56mm x 11mm

Weight

118g

Features

Talktime

9 hrs

Standby

450 hrs

Touchscreen

Yes

QWERTY keyboard

No

Camera

5 megapixel

Video

Yes

GPS

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes

Music Phone

No

FM Radio

Yes

Quad Band

Yes

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