Samsung Galaxy Ace

Editor's Review of the Galaxy Ace

The modestly named Samsung Galaxy Ace is the sequel to 2009's Galaxy Portal, although its fair to say, they don't have much in common. It seems last year's flagship has become this year's mid-range, with the Galaxy Ace holding more in common with the high-end Samsung Galaxy S.

Design/Build

Samsung isn't discreet about taking style tips from Apple, as the metallic bezel and iPhone-like front panel of the Galaxy Ace looks very much like Steve Jobs' latest offering. Still, this is by no means a bad thing, and will surely aid the handset in flying off the shelves.

Available in both Black and White, something Apple never quite got round to, the Galaxy Ace offers two different looks to appeal to different tastes. Its rugged black back panel offers an air of sophistication, and its matte rigid texture feels comfortable to hold. It's Galaxy Tab-style white battery cover on the otherhand feels somewhat cheap, and although it may be eyecatching, is unlikely to withstand tumbles.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is much chunkier than many other modern smartphones, and given its compact 3.5 inch screen, we were hoping for something a little bit more streamlined. Still, it still remains comfortable to hold, as is by no means a mammoth device.

OS & Interface

Much like it's iPhone idol, the Galaxy Ace sports a 3.5 inch LCD display, yet offers a lesser HVGA 320 x 480 resolution. The lowly pixel count becomes an issue when browsing the web, and at full zoom, text is sometimes illegible. Other than that, it got the job done, and considering the its price tag, we shouldn't complain.

With Android 2.2 onboard, Samsung mid-range's mid range smartphone will still be running Froyo, as Android 2.3 toting devices take to the shelves. Still, dressed in Samsung's TouchWiz UI, this doesn't become an issue, offering Facebook and Twitter integration, up to 7 customizable homescreens and an all-new notifications toolbar.

As much as we loved the friendly UI, the handset's 800MHz processor just doesn't cut it when it comes to smooth scrolling, and frustratingly, there's a noticable lag,

Multimedia & Storage

The Galaxy Ace sports a rear-facing 5 megapixel camera, and unlike many of Samsung's other budget handsets, it comes with a flash. This sets it apart from its older siblings, offering excellent picture quality in the poorest of conditions. Sadly, its video capture isn't quite up to scratch, offering QVGA recording at 15 frames per second. Still, it's perfectly average enough for popping onto YouTube.

The handset also arrives with Samsung's TouchWiz music player, which although is plain to look at, has a host of hidden features. It come's equipped with an equalizer, and a nice little tool that lets you quickly look up a song on Google or YouTube. The music widget also appears in the drop down notifications menu, enabling anywhere track skipping and pausing

With only 158MB of internal storage, we're glad to see Samsung have chucked in a 2GB microSD card. Still, if you're hoping this handset will replace your music player, you'll need to fork out for a 32GB card.

Everything Else

When it comes to browsing, the screen may be poor, but connectivity certainly isn't. The Samsung Galaxy Ace packs HSDPA and WiFi 802.11g internet speeds, ideal for speedy rendering.

There's also a hefty 1350mAh battery onboard, promising up to 11 hours of talk time on just one juicing.

Conclusion

It may have its downsides, but considering its price-tag, the Samsung Galaxy Ace is a very strong contender in the mid-range market. With its stylish design, impressive camera and host of connectivity options, there's no doubting that this Android smartphone is ready to compete.