Samsung previews potential Apple iPhone competitor

17 years ago

Samsung today announced a new addition to its Ultra portfolio with the introduction of Ultra Smart F700. Samsung’s newy mobile phone will be showcased at 3GSM World Congress next week.

The Ultra Smart is a part of Samsung’s Ultra portfolio which feature touch screen as well as physical QWERTY keypad with “VibeTonz” technology which allows them to feel the buttons accompanied by responsive vibrations. Volume, playlists, brightness of screens as well as other menu control can be controlled utilizing the touch screen.

Samsung’s Ultra Smart reflects the latest speed of 7.2 Mbps under the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network. Samsung says the Ultra Smart will feature a “full HTML browser” for access to the internet for email and data services. The F700 will feature a 2.78″ color display. The F700 does not feature Wi-Fi. The device also features a top-of-the-line 5 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and Bluetooth.

“The introduction of our Ultra Smart F700 reflects the needs of today’s consumers by including features such as touch screen, enhanced connectivity to mobile internet, and access to an array of multimedia content,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business, in the press release. “The Ultra Smart F700 is a good example of how mobile phone will evolve in the future. Samsung will focus on bringing products that reflect and pursue our position as a premium leader.”

Samsung F700 Specs:

• HSDPA 7.2Mbps, EDGE
• 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
• 5 Megapixel camera with Auto-Focus
• TFT display (2.78”, 440×240)
• Formats: MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real
• QWERTY Keypad
• MMS / E-mail / JAVA / WAP 2.0
• Bluetooth / USB
• Flash UI / Document Viewer
• “Full HTML Browser”
• Offline Mode, BGM
• Memory: microSD
• Size: 104 x 50 x 16.4mm
• Weight: unknown
• Battery life and standby time: TBD (to be determined)
• Price: TBD
• Release date: TBD

MacDailyNews Take: We’ll have to learn more about the Samsung phone’s unknowns, but it looks interesting so far. Note that the Samsung phone does not feature Mac OS X (it has a Flash-based UI), or Wi-Fi, has a smaller screen, lacks auto sensors, has no iPod and iTunes compatibility, and no multi-touch interface vs. Apple’s iPhone. The Samsung advantages are a higher resolution camera and HSDPA 7.2Mbps vs. iPhone’s GSM Quad-band. See specs above and below for more comparisons between the two phones.

Apple iPhone specs:

• GSM Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900), EDGE
• Camera 2.0 megapixels
• Screen: 3.5 inches, 320 by 480 at 160 ppi
• Input method: Multi-touch, touch screen
• Full QWERTY soft keyboard with auto error correction
• Operating system: OS X
• Browser: Safari full html
• Music: Windescreen iPod, Cover Flow
• Visual Voicemail
• Integrated Google Maps: view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions
• Widgets
• SMS
• Photo management application
• Accelerometer auto portrait to landscape detection sensor
• Proximity sensor immediately turns off the display, prevents inadvertent touches when held to ear
• Ambient light sensor automatically adjusts display brightness
• Rich HTML email client, POP3 or IMAP, works with Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services
• Free Yahoo! Mail “push” IMAP email service
• Storage: Internal Flash 4GB or 8GB
• Wireless data: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: Up to 5 hoursTalk / Video / Browsing, up to 16 hours Audio playback
• Dimensions: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches (115 x 61 x 11.6mm)
• Weight: 4.8 ounces (135 grams)
• Price $499 (4GB), $599 (8GB)
• Release dates: US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Neo” for the heads up.]