Samsung S7220 Ultra b review: More than meets the eye

Gsmaerna have posted their review of the Samsung S7220. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final impression.

Key features
Quad-band GSM and dual-band (900/2100 MHz) UMTS with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps) support
2.2" 256K-color AMOLED display of QVGA resolution
11.8mm thickness
5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, Smile detection, Wide dynamic range and geotagging
Built-in GPS with A-GPS support
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
microUSB v2.0, charging through USB
Accelerometer sensor
Basic Java multitasking
Office document viewer
Smart dialing
Main disadvantages
Smallish display
Small and fiddly soft keys
No camera lens protection
No full-featured voice-guided navigation software
Inadequate flash performance
QVGA video recording only

Once you get used to the awkward soft keys, the Samsung S7220 Ultra b is actually a pretty nice handset to have. It has a capable camera, a spectacular screen and pretty stylish classical design. The embedded GPS a great asset as its use is limited to getoagging and a handful of location-aware Java applications. We really hope Samsung will supply the Samsung 7220 with a more capable navigation solution.

The 7220 Ultra b fares pretty decently in terms of value for money. In its market segment though, it's hardly a winner-takes-all scenario. In the crowded midrange there's always a piece of the action for everybody. With a nicely rounded feature set and solid looks, the Samsung S7220 Ultra b is ready to stand its ground to Nokia 6700 classic, Sony Ericsson C901 and the likes. It even earns bonus points with its amazing OLED screen.

The twist is though that yesterday's high-end is today's midrange. So, along with keeping an eye on the contemporary rivals, the S7220 Ultra b will have to keep quite a few veteran players off its back. A potential bitter rival is the Nokia 6220 classic, which seems to get the upper hand with smartphone capabilities but lacks the OLED screen and the sharp exterior of the Ultra b. Not to mention another time tested performer - the N82, which will even throw in Wi-Fi for probably the best bang-for-buck ratio.

So from where we stand, the Samsung S7220 Ultra b might have just struck the balance between looks and skill, and secured its corner on the market. However Samsung might want to make a better job of promoting it. It sure needs a confidence boost against what looks like quite a bunch of rivals.