Review of Samsung Galaxy Y

Introduction:
We’ll skip past the “Samsung, why?” jokes about the new entriest level Android handset from the Koreans, the Samsung Galaxy Y, since entry level doesn’t necessarily mean a subpar device, and such devices often sell by the boatload. The Y stands for “young”, and means an affordable handset for teens or emerging markets in the sub-$180 price bracket.

Some of the Galaxy Y’s specs are marginally better than the Galaxy Mini, for example, like a slightly faster 832MHz processor and less weight, but the camera is 2MP vs 3MP in the Mini. The biggest improvement actually seems to be the Android OS version – we are running Gingerbread on the Galaxy Y.

We also have a design that is not your typical cheap black plastic handset, but is this an event enough to earn big sales in the low-end Android range, considering it's always crowded down there? Read on the review to find out...

Design:

The outer appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Y stand out with a silvery back cover and chrome-like rim around the screen half – only the front is black. Alright, one for the design team here, since it found a cheap way to break away from the mould.

Moreover, the battery cover has tapered edges and is dotted like snake skin, which make the phone easier to hold. The phone is very small, and gets lost in larger hands, but the 0.45” (11.5mm) thickness is just enough for a good grip. Needless to say, working it with one hand is not an issue, and your thumb reaches everywhere.

The basic 3” LCD display has 240x320 pixels of resolution, but it is fairly bright, and the viewing angles are decent. A slightly larger screen with better resolution would have managed to set it further apart, since now it sports a display equal to the previous lowest of the low from Samsung. Even at that small size, the interface still looks grainy due to the crappy resolution.

The power/lock button on the right, and the volume rocker on the left are easy to feel, and get pressed with soft but distinct travel. We have a microUSB port at the top covered with a protective flap.





Performance:

Under the hood of the little Galaxy Y is an 832MHz processor. In terms of today's smart phones, 832MHz really isn't that much. Many phones, even at the lower to mid-range, pack 1GHz chips.

Still, if you just need to send some texts and tweet every so often, you probably won't need much more power. But, if intensive apps and serious multitasking are on your agenda, you'll find the Galaxy Y lacking. Mobile gamers should probably look elsewhere.

The Galaxy Y runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which felt fairly smooth and responsive during our tests. Once you start loading the phone up with any of the hundreds of thousands of apps in the Android Market, as well as live home-screen widgets, you'll notice a reduction in performance, so make sure you keep a check on what you're doing with it.
Samsung Galaxy Y side
The Y should fit into your pockets with no bother.

Samsung has slapped the TouchWiz interface over the top of Android. This allows you to customise more of the menus, as well as take advantage of Swype, which lets you type on the virtual keyboard insanely quickly.

You'll also get access to Samsung's social, games and music hubs, which, as the names suggest, aim to bring together social-networking, games and music services. We're all for anything that helps us to tweet about our food more quickly.