Samsung's SGH-i900 is a feature-laden stunner
By Sean Cooper 
posted May 16th 2008 3:18PM
posted May 16th 2008 3:18PM
Yeah, let's get this out of the way first, the SGH-i900 does share a design aesthetic with another handset we hear about all the time. That aside, the SGH-i900 seems set to bring everything we could ever hope -- or need, to be honest -- for in a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro package. Measuring a scant 112 × 56 × 13, the i900 is finished in shiny metal, only features two buttons on the face, and what appears to be a fingerprint reader or perhaps a touch-sensitive pad. Loaded with HSDPA, a 3.5-inch 400 X 240 display, 5 megapixel cam with auto focus, 16GB of onboard memory, microSDHC support up to 8GB, TV-out, FM radio, Bluetooth, WiFi -- see what we're saying here? This thing could almost be a mini media center -- it'll definitely please our pockets. It also seems like two versions will be in the offing, the i900 branded as Samsung and the i908 branded as Anycall -- but sadly we're at a loss on how they differ. We'll definitely be keeping our eyes wide open watching for updates here, but in the meantime, follow the link for pages of pretty pictures and poorly translated Chinese.
[Via UnwiredView]
[Via UnwiredView]
THANK U ENGADGET for refraining from using the "i Word"
im so sick of that word - though i still enjoy my "phone"
back to topic - this phone looks great though still a samsung
World's most expensive mirror? Can I get more glare? I can't make out what kind of camera you're using.
Wow, someone failed photography class.
@Wowzers
Why would anyone outside of an art major take photography class?
That won't help you in the real world.
I'm pretty sure you don't need a photography class to know the basics of picture taking. There are millions of kids on MySpace who have mastered the concept of taking a picture of a mirrored surface.
@xtole
I can make exactly wat camera he's using....I have the same one
It's a Canon SD750
I also have the same one.
Well, look closely at the phone, it says "SAMSUMG AMYCALL", a typical inferior Chinese knock-off of the original Korean "Samsung Anycall".
gee that won't have any glare at all.
This thing is impressive! I was edging towards the HTC Touch Diamond got a while now (since it's been officially announced), but this thing seems rather enticing. Specification-wise, definitely trumps the Touch Diamond.. But I'd like to know other things, such as battery life and what type of touch screen it uses..
But wow.. Amazing.
anycall is the korean brand of samsung for domestic cell phone products.
That might be the difference.
Is there Wibro on the anycall version? maybe?
Looks like a US (AT&T) version might have just slipped through the FCC:
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/06/06/fcc-fridays/
SHG-**7 are the usual model numbers for samsung wares destined for big blue.
(sorry - that was supposed to be a response to dBs below...)
Of course, they'll likely screw up when you realize it doesn't support US HSDPA or GSM bands or when Windows Mobile 7 comes out, they'll decide it's counterproductive to release a maintenance update and rather push out a new model.
That's okay. There's actually Engadget readers who don't live in the United States, shockingly.
Pleaaaaaaaase come to America, pleaaaaaaaaase come to America...
Sorry to disappoint you, but at least the known version is triband GSM, singleband HSDPA only:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/nunoluz/pics/samsung-i900.jpg
does it have gps?
will it use the general windows mobile interface, or will it be tweaked for better UI?
good soft keyboard?
it looks great, but is it usable?
the conference was near my hometown
This seems to be the best replacement for the other phone we have been taking about for quite a while, the phone I happen to have a copy of in my pocket. 5mp camera is a huge difference.
I thought this entry was about the camera on first glance. lol
I am so grafetul title does not say "Knock-off", "replica", "i*** inspired", etc.
That's all it is, a knockoff iPhone. I'm surprised Apple hasn't released the legal dogs of war. Back in the day, if a computer looked anything like an iMac, Apple would sue based on product shots alone, practically. This thing looks so close to an iPhone that people will actually confuse it for one. Yet no news of a lawsuit. They must all be on a teambuilding getaway or something.
notice the name of it "i"900 :x
Despite the larger touchscreen and 16gb built-in, the N95-1 had all of these features a good 14 months ago.
whats the difference between this and the n95?? the n95 looks like a brick! u prolly could knock someone out with that thing.
Except for the very likely possibility that the N95 is infact lighter than this mirror.
What I don't understand is why Samsung phones (and probably others) say they support SDHC but don't support the maximum amount allowed by the standard (i.e. this phone only supporting 8GB of SDHC). Are there varying levels of SDHC compatibility I don't know about?
SteveS - They're covering their asses. 8GB is probably the largest size they've tested.
You forgot to mention that most Windows Mobile software will not display properly on that resolution, which renders it sorta kinda useless. Why couldn't they at least get VGA on there?
Oh, and how's the battery life? Something tells me.. ... it's gonna suck.
BRB, gotta reboot my windows mobile phone.
Hate to burst your bubble but my "phone" in my pocket requires rebooting just the same as the windows based phones...it's going to happen.
Camera looks cool.
It also is made my Samsung, which is also cool.
400 x 240 ?
blech!
HTC Touch Diamond
oops...
Damn!! What I really like to know is WHEN this will be coming out?
SE XperiaX1
HTC Touch
Nokia touch(yet to be announce)
iPhone G3
and now the Samsung's SGH-i900...
From the specs, the Samsung's SGH-i900 seems to impress me the most at the moment. No GPS?
HTC Touch? Ain't that a bit old? and iPhone G3? What's that?
HTC Touch Diamond
uh...another *phone look-alike...
do these companies have any new design to offer???
You know there's only about three ways to make phones... either a flip phone or the candy-bar type, and of the latter half, they either have keyboards or they don't. Someone is going to have to shape a phone like a phallus or a frisbee before you stop saying "Ooo, another *phone copy". Like you'd put square tires on your car just so you can say you're original.
why...arent there smartphones with touch screen which look different than *phone...this is samsung's i think second phone which looks the same, first being armani. htc made touch which doesnt look like *phone....its not just about shape or keyboard..its about the complete looks dude.
This device sounds fantastic. I hope it lives up to Samsung's reputation for quality, because if it does, it sounds like we'll have a real winner on our hands (and I'll definitely want to pick one up).
On another note, this guy is a really weak writer. Engadget disappoints me a lot sometimes.
haha ....samsungs quality is a joke . Their sliders have serious issues with the panels and the "ribbon" between the two different sliding parts. One of the two has to be replaced within the first 6 months.
There's not much to the photo captions anyways, Chinese-reader or not.
i can think of things i find lacking/wanting in this feature list...
1) t-mobile usa 3g support
2) side slide qwerty keyboard .. or maybe a riser suretype keyboard, but i prefer the side slide 1 key per button qwerty
3) (technically side-stepping the rest of the "want" claim) --- samsung's non-windows OS ... or Android... anything BUT windows...
"to bring everything we could ever hope -- or need, to be honest -- for in a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro package."
very nicely played... in that sentence, you've excluded wanting "a decent interface" because who would want something other than Winmo in a Winmo package?
clever. :P
wow, not only does it look like that other unique phone but its name also starts with a lower case “i” . i900, i901
All of Samsung's WinMo phone start with i and have since well before the nice Apple phone did. I have an old i730 somewhere with WinMo 2003 on it...