Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 hands-on (video)
The distracting title betrays a pretty simple premise here; this is Samsung's latest Android-based media player and it's got a sumptuous glossy white coat. We managed to track down an untethered model to really get a feel for the 4.2-inch device. We've just visited that redesigned chassis and you can find our first impressions right after the break.
The redesigned media player felt solid in the hand, despite the plastic build. Metallic features, like the chrome-styled speaker grills either side of the display, looked to be of premium quality although the primary 2-megapixel camera leaves plenty to be desired. Sound quality out of the speakers seemed respectable, but it's obviously pretty difficult to tell within the madness of MWC and this is a device made for earphones. It's just under 9mm thick, but forgoes the chin found on sister devices like the Galaxy S II, which is -- at least design-wise -- its closest relative.
Video playback on the TFT IPS screen was noticeably clearer than its predecessor although it still matches the 480 x 800 resolution of last year's PMP. Navigation and UI is a typically TouchWiz affair, with the obvious exception of telephony apps. If you've used any Android device you should have no problems making your way through the media player's smartphone-esque feature set.
The single-core 1GHz processor gives a similar performance to existing phones sporting the same hardware; the web browser stuttered along at times but was functional, while the availability of both 8 and 16GB models (and microSD support) should ensure that there's enough space for all those binaural beat tracks. Unfortunately, both pricing and availability still remain a mystery, but we vow to update when we hear anything on launch markets or release dates.
Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
