Hands-on with Samsung's slick, sliding glory, the F700

More Ultra Smart love was on parade for us today and it came in the form of the glorious SGH-F700 from Samsung. Many things immediately stand out when playing with this device -- but first and foremost, it's a stunner. The rear of the phone is made with a glossy material that is reflective, like plastic chrome (think Sony Ericsson Z610i, then scale up the beauty) that really bumps this already classy device up a few notches. The F700 is a tri-band device with 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz GSM, EDGE, and HSDPA. It is definitely worth noting that the F700's HSDPA is the 7.2Mbps variety; no word on 3G frequencies, but we are all praying for some North American salvation. The screen is huge, taking up 2.78 inches of the touchscreen face (yes, it has that too), which is almost all of the front surface. The 440X220 resolution is ideal for mini-widescreening your favorite flicks using the native support for MPEG4, H.263, H.264, and real video. A quick slide and the bottom half hops out to reveal a pretty tight, but ultimately useful keyboard. The F700 seems to cover it all, follow the link to see some pics, we even popped a TyTn down for some comparative magic.

Gallery: Hands-on with Samsung's slick, sliding glory: the F700

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[joshua @ Feb 26th 2008 10:27AM]

what carrier is this phone for?
is it for at&t?


also... is this phone avaiable in the us and how much is it??



if any of you have the answers to these questions.. please email me them

i would greatly appriciate it!

[e-mail]

[Klaymen @ Mar 16th 2007 5:44PM]

ugh. please come to the states.

[marcinmoka @ Mar 16th 2007 6:00PM]

No WiFi though?

Please tell me that not right.

I like fancy new phones and am willing to pay, but I dislike paying high data plan costs on top of that.

[Gadget Chick @ Mar 16th 2007 6:37PM]

if it came to the states i would consider this over the iphone, but it doesnt seem as if its its coming here :(

[Matt @ Mar 16th 2007 6:54PM]

Is that the iPhone?

[js @ Mar 16th 2007 7:24PM]

Yes it is, in the closed position. Applebots to your battle stations!!!!

[paralipsis @ Mar 16th 2007 7:02PM]

Not usually impressed by mobile phones, but that is one nice looking device.

[k0a10 @ Mar 16th 2007 7:10PM]

"Everything"? It does look nice, but Wifi and GPS are pretty much standard for an "everything" phone, unless we are talking a very compact/lightweight phone, or an economy phone.

Here is what an "everything" phone should have in 2007, generally.

Wifi-G
USB mini for charging/syncing (+++USB host)
at least 4 GB storage potential
3G wireless data
Quad band
Skype or standard voip capable cpu
True multitasking OS
GPS (dedicated)
>320x200 resolution
JavaME
Touchscreen
At least 2mpix camera with non horrible quality
LED flash / flashlight
mainstream sync such as syncml
bluetooth 2.0+
Decent wired headphone/mic options

Keyboard, IR are a bonus/variation.

Everything else is sub par.

[jdoc @ Mar 16th 2007 7:43PM]

This is a WinMo phone, right? So where are the soft buttons? And the OK button? And the directional keys on the keyboard? I sure hope they add this before it ships. Otherwise one-handed navigation is going to nonexistent.

[Tyler @ Mar 16th 2007 9:37PM]

@jdoc

Pretty sure it's going to continue to be their own OS. Still, I saw a demo of the OS and it looks pretty solid. Probably no 3rd party apps, but robust sync with Outlook, solid media player and an amazing camera for those of us who care (5mp). Also, I don't get the "no wi-fi" comments. I travel a lot (granted to major cities) and 3G coverage is amazing in the states now.

[Beamey @ Mar 16th 2007 9:52PM]

I could be one handed easily if the touchscreen puts the buttons on screen

[Kev50027 @ Mar 16th 2007 10:37PM]

I don't care about the coverage, I want wifi because it's totally FREE. There is simply NO replacement for wifi, it's free, and it's easily available. It's fast, and reliable, and FREE. You h ear that? FREE!

[Tyler @ Mar 16th 2007 11:08PM]

@Kev

I think it's more accurate to say that wifi CAN be free. So maybe you could have written it: You hear that? Free*

* at select locations

I (along with a lot of other people) need/want always-on high speed everywhere I go and 3G serves that role very well. Sure, free wifi is great at the local coffee house (and many other places), but almost every hotel I go to charges for their wifi. I prefer a flat $50/month/"everywhere I go" option to a $10/day "only in my hotel room" option.

Wifi in a phone is great (though there is a definite battery life issue that is bigger than the 3G radio). My point about the F700 is that HSDPA goes a LONG way toward
mimimizing the loss of wifi. People who buy this phone are going to get some kind of data plan and most of the carriers price things as such that you'll spring the extra cash for the unlimited plan anyway.

Still a much better feature set than the iPhone. I hope the final UI rocks.

[kadajawi @ Mar 16th 2007 10:07PM]

Wait a second Engadget... where are the "iPhone rip-off" comments? This thing looks more like the iPhone than the Meizu M8, yet no one says rip off? Hmm...

Looks ok, though I really wonder why no one thought of using the Psion Series 5 keyboard. It's tiny yet usable for touch typing. And I wonder why I should buy this thing over a Meizu M8 or an iPhone. I doubt that Samsungs UI gets close to the brilliance of the iPhone, the Meizu doesn't either, but you can install lots of software on it. Meizu has a higher resolution screen (though probably no 3G etc.) and the phone will be extremely cheap, in China at least.

[Tdi @ Mar 16th 2007 10:35PM]

Unfortunately its Tri band and not quad band...that 850mhz band is golden for us Canadians...

[joe @ Mar 16th 2007 10:49PM]

yum yum. i want this so bad!!! way to go samsung!!

[JAmerican @ Mar 16th 2007 11:03PM]

If I know Samsung, having used one of their sick-looking phones, they are all about looks. When it comes to usability, they are not so nice.

I returned my T629 after a week of usage. It had the looks and the speed but it was so locked up that I couldn't get the screen to turn off while it charged at night, couldn't copy my photos to my Transflash in Bulk or even one by one. I had to do it over BT one by one.

I know I am not going to be able to get it, even though I want it. Even if I was able to get it, I'd definately would want Palm OS/Windows Mobile/Linux on it. No low-level crap OS.

JAmerican

[msouth @ Mar 17th 2007 2:45AM]

Ok, I don't know what's funnier--that the headline I got in my rss feed was "Hands-on with Samsung's slick, sliding glory, the F700", or that the first sentence then started with "More Ultra Smart love was on parade ..."

[netpilot330 @ Mar 31st 2007 10:59AM]

Whole towns and now in my case, whole States in the US are contemplating wimax verage. "free" is comming to a location near you!!!

[MasterCKO @ Mar 17th 2007 2:48AM]

*prays to the cell phone gods*

Please Please PLEASE release this phone in the US with CDMA/EVDO Rev. A with Sprint. I think that my head might explode if you allow this one thing, oh great cell phone gods.

Oh, btw, I used to think that WiFi is important on a phone, but I've recently had a change of heart. Everywhere I go, I get an EV-DO signal. I don't travel that extensively throughout the US, but wherever I do go, I have EV-DO (and yeah, most hotels charge you for wifi usage, which is lame). And Power Vision is $15/mo. flat (on top of my normal plan), so lack of WiFi is no big deal for me. Just about the only thing I use the WiFi antenna on my phone for now is as a second device for testing my router if there's a problem.

[rmg @ Mar 17th 2007 5:34AM]

Looks nice Samsung but sorry, no WiFi = no good :(

[Jason @ Mar 17th 2007 5:10AM]

Finally! Someone comes out with a logical PDA phone. I never understood why Blackberry and others either A) made the body too fat, B) made the screen too small, or C) made the keyboard too small. The touchscreen is just icing on the cake. Who cares if this is an everything phone or not? As long as it has email and web browsing on the go we are set.

[Zut @ Mar 17th 2007 7:17AM]

Agreed. A lack of WiFi is a total deal breaker for me. Plus a sub par OS will ruin it too, Im sure. They might as well not have bothered!

Its a shame really, since its nicer than the iPhone IMHO.

Will there EVER be a nice looking phone with a PROPER spec, rather than these pretty boy poser devices that don't do anything useful?

[jdoc @ Mar 18th 2007 12:19PM]

@zut
Oh yes. The Toshiba G900. My favorite smartphone ever. I would switch to cingular in a heartbeat to get this. Read the specs you will be amazed.

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2007/02/toshiba_g900_mo.html

[bruno @ Mar 20th 2007 1:37PM]

does anyone know when and if this will be available in the US/California? also what about the F520? I'm holding off buying a blackjack..is it coming soon?

[stu white @ Mar 30th 2007 12:56PM]

WiFi and win mo 6 and I get out my checkbook.......are you listening Samsung???

[stu white @ Mar 31st 2007 10:59AM]

Many cities, and now in my case, whole States in the US are contemplating WiMax installations. "FREE" is comming to a location near you.

[Nirvan @ Apr 9th 2007 8:26PM]

Hopefuly it comes out on T-mobile. If it doesn't, then I will have to buy it and unlock it, I will get that phone, it kind of sucks that it doesn't have wi-fi, hopefully they add it in, but if they don't I will still buy it. It's too nice to not want!

[Nick @ Apr 13th 2007 11:34AM]

i noticed some differences...look at this link: http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-outdoes-itself-with-ultra-smart-f700/154684/ and you will notice that the pic shows an extra button to the very right while at the top of this page it deosnt have that button and also the button on the very front of the phone looks different compared to the other pic...do you guys/girls think that there could be different cheaper or more expensive models or different models for china and U.S?

[Nick @ Apr 13th 2007 7:42PM]

i just went to samsung's website: http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20070208_0000320566# and i found a pic of this phone and i think thats the pic on the top of THIS page is an older model perhaps the prototype or the very first model when they first announced it but i think that the pic on SAMSUNG's page is the newest version and probably the one that is going to be sold in the U.S.

[Jason @ May 26th 2007 1:43PM]

WinMo 6? are you guys serious? you really want that piece OS on a phone like this? Maybe WM2003se or something, but 6 is a bag of problems. I also noticed the difference in keyboard design between the review here and the press releases. I think the press release version looks nicer, the keyboard on this review looks very cheap and generic. Wifi would be nice, but not necessary. 3G and HSDPA are approaching decent broadband speeds... and plus i can use them anywhere I get a signal! This phone will likely top the iPhone in the upper niche markets.

[CSimmons @ Nov 12th 2007 1:48PM]

So, today while messing around downtown Stuttgart I went to a Vodafone shop to check out the new Vodafone Qbowl, aka Samsung F700, which was released on the same day in Germany as the iPhone. I went through all of it's features, made mental notes of the response time of the touch screen and the usefulness of the slide-out keyboard, camera, music player, and web browsing.

With all that in mind, I went to the T-Com shop a few meters away to check out the iPhone, and made the same tests. My conclusion: How anyone can say with a straight face that the Samsung F700 is a supposed "iPhone killer" is beyond me. Really. All of the supposed advantages the F700 has over the iPhone on paper are made moot in real world usage. It's bigger than the iPhone (but weighs less), the picture quality is the same as the iPhone despite the higher megapixel count, the web browser (mobile version of Opera) is good, but extremely slow - slower than Safari on the iPhone in EDGE mode, which is pretty sad, since it's a 3G phone - and the music player SUCKS.

The 3 biggest disappointments are the general UI experience (it's MUCH slower than the iPhone), the extremely crappy battery life (no doubt due to 3G) and NO WI-FI. This for a phone that costs the same as the iPhone. I personally don't see the iPhone being killed anytime soon. Apple's position in the mobile phone market will play out the same as in the MP3 player market; the only phone that will kill the iPhone is a newer iPhone.

[amelie @ Dec 2nd 2007 1:57PM]

"This for a phone that costs the same as the iPhone."

Not really, the price is 3 times less.

[kyuss @ Dec 2nd 2007 9:26AM]

It doesn't cost the same as an iphone at all. Here in the UK I can get the F700 for free on a £30 monthly contract, the iphone's cheapest contract is £35 a month AND £269 for the phone.

I'm a long time user of Apple products (never used anything but Mac's and iPod's) and I think they are some of the best designed, easy to use products out there, but I just won't pay that kind of money for a phone on contract when there are alternatives.

[CSimmons @ Dec 2nd 2007 2:27PM]

"Not really, the price is 3 times less."

In Germany, Vodafone is offering the F700 for €399 with contract, the same as T-Mobile is offering the iPhone for.

[lilli @ Dec 25th 2007 12:59PM]

AHHHH!!

Does anyone know if this bloody (beautiful) phone will ever get to Australia?