Detailed Review of the Samsung Delve

Detailed Review of the Samsung Delve
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Introduction

The Samsung Delve carries a good array of multimedia features although it lacks a Wi-Fi function. Despite this, the model may just be one of the more recommended mid-range handsets from Samsung.

Design (4 out of 5)

The Samsung Delve is the same size as the Samsung Instinct. It has a length of 4.57 inches, a width of 2.17 inches and depth of 0.5 inches, but it is lighter at 3.63 ounces. What sets it apart from the Instinct is the presence of three physical controls located below the screen- keys for Talk and End and a back button.

The Delve has an LCD display measuring 3 inches, almost the same size as that of most smartphones but smaller than the popular iPhone. However, the screen should be big enough for many users. The screen is also capable of supporting 262,000 colors at a resolution of 240x400 pixels, enabling it to show off vibrant and bright colors.

There is a dedicated power button on the top of the headset, and beside it is a 3.5 mm headset jack. On the left side of the phone is where the volume rocker, charger and headset jack ports are to be found. On the right side of the phone are provisions for microSD card, voice dialing button and camera shutter.

User Interface (4 out of 5)

The Delve has a homescreen which shows the TouchWiz interface of Samsung, and its main menu can be displayed using icons or a listing of the various menu functions. The top of the home screen is where the shortcut for inbox messaging is placed, as well as the Web browser, Bluetooth menu and music player. A second short cut bar with controls for contacts menu, phone dialer, messaging menu and main menu are on the bottom part of the main screen.

The Delve’s virtual keyboard has separate keypads for numbers, letters and symbols so there should be less mistakes when typing in text messages. The responsive keyboards are nice but those who have larger thumbs may find it harder to type in their messages. As an alternative users can always tap the handwriting recognition tool of the Delve which can recognize handwriting either in full or half-screen mode. There is also the QWERTY keyboard for those who prefer this method of typing in their messages. The lack of an accelerometer, however, prevents users from switching keyboards by rotating the phone.

Features (4 out of 5)

Samsung Delve

The Delve comes with a contact phone book capable of storing 500 entries. Each entry can have as many as five phone numbers and one email address. Contacts can also be classified into caller groups and assigned with a photo and ringtone. The Delve also has basic features like an alarm clock, memo pad, vibrate mode, speakerphone, stopwatch, calculator, currency converter and calculator.

The Samsung Delve is also rich in high end features like stereo Bluetooth, voice dialing, GPS support, PC syncing, USB mass storage and voice recorder. The major disappointment is the lack of Wi-Fi compatibility which is certainly important for a phone with a full HTML browser.

Other multimedia features of the Delve include a music player with limited features and a camera that can also record video clips in two resolutions. The Delve is fully customizable, as users can change wallpaper, ringtones, and themes. The Delve has an internal memory of 150 MB, but the microSD card is capable of expanding it to 8GB.

Performance (4 out of 5)

The phone’s music player may not be the most comprehensive, but users can create playlists, put it on repeat or shuffle mode, and choose from any of the six equalizer settings. Users can also transfer files into the phone either through its memory card or USB player.

The camcorder can shoot clips at a maximum resolution of 320x240 pixels. Although the camcorder has fewer options than the camera, it is still a decent multimedia feature. Clips that are for multimedia messaging have a maximum length of 15 seconds, although that can be expanded to 10 minutes.

The Samsung Delve can be relied upon when making voice calls. Call quality is good with voices sounding natural, loud and clear. The volume of the model may sound too low for some. During phone calls, users can still access their memo pad and voice recorder if they need to jot down notes from their conversations. Voice calls using the speakerphone are also respectable. Music played using the music player is not exactly the best when heard using the external speakers, however.

Verdict (4 out of 5)

The Samsung Delve is certainly way up there among the list of recommended mid-range mobile phone handsets with its great combination of looks, design, user friendliness, and multimedia features.