Helio Fin (Samsung SPH-a513) Cell Phone Review - Intro
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Alfredo Padilla Published on August 29, 2007 Comment on this |
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The Samsung Fin's cool blue styling and ultra-slim profile make for a slim and sexy handset that is perfectly paired with Helio's focus on services for the younger set. But the Fin's attractions don't stop at styling, with a high end feature set and snappy interface under the hood. Audio quality is solid, and the 3-megapixel camera takes good photos (for a phone; it doesn't measure up against a dedicated digital camera). We also appreciated the built in IM and e-mail clients, although the Fin won't replace a BlackBerry for power e-mail users. It does a good job of integrating with Helios online services, allowing for easy uploading of photos and videos. But the Fin has its problems: limited battery life, and a keypad and controls that are almost painful to use due to a lack of differentiation between the keys. Still, the Fin will be attractive to many Helio users, especially as it's their only flip phone and it includes nice extras like GPS functionality.
The Samsung Fin is currently available exclusively from Helio for $175 with a two-year contract, or $365 without.
Tour & Design - The Fin is a slim and sexy flip phone with a large internal screen and a small external one.
Audio Quality - The Fin did very well in our audio tests, with our only concern being slightly low side tone.
Imaging - The Fin's 3-megapixel camera generally lives up to it's specifications, producing better photos than most camera phones and even throwing in halfway decent video recording, for a phone.
Making/Receiving Calls - The Fin's calling features are fairly standard, and although we were able to dial quickly we did not find the keypad very comfortable.
Messaging - Unlike most phones, the Fin has a built in e-mail client that also handles IM and text messaging. It won't replace a true e-mail device like a BlackBerry, however.
Organizer - The Fin's organizational software is good for a standard phone, but any smart phone will provide more powerful tools.
Multimedia - The Fin's music player does a good job, but we miss the lack of external music keys. Video playback is average, hurt by a lack of support for most common formats.
Software - The Fin's interface is very responsive and easy to learn, especially for those who have already used Helio's devices.
Battery Life - Battery life on the Fin can only be called mediocre, with especially limited Web browsing performance and subpar talk time.
Connectivity - The Fin provides high speed access via Helio's EVDO network, and we appreciated the support for stereo Bluetooth headsets.
Hardware - The Fin is a well put together device, but we found the lack of differentiation and limited travel on the keypad and control keys to be extremely frustrating.
Other Features - The Fin is one of the few handsets on the market today with built-in GPS functionality, however it can't be used as a dial-up modem for your computer.
Value & Comparisons - At $175 with a two-year contract, we judge the Fin to be a good value considering everything it packs in.
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