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Samsung Spica i5700 Review

When the Samsung Spica came out a few weeks back, I was surprised with the retail price of the handset. It one of the most affordable Android-powered smartphone in the market. We looked deeper into the Samsung i5700 before handing out the verdict.

At first glance, the Spica looked like most other candybar phones released by Samsung with that distinctive design. The navigation panel is a bit intricate that you’d either love it or hate it. The control pad actually has 7 buttons laid out and separated by curved lines (and that does not include the 4-way directional pad).

spica

In hindsight, the physical controls are basically the same as that of the HTC Hero but because of the layout/design, using them is a bit confusing (it’s got to do more with the layout of the keys). You get used to it in time.

On the side — there’s a dedicated camera button on the right with a lock button on top of it while the volume rocker is on the left. The micro-USB port is on top beside the 3.5mm audio jack. The body is mostly made up of rubbery plastic back panel and brushed-metal finish in front. There are red accents on the OK button and the front speakers. It’s a little thick at 13.2mm but not really bulky on the hands.

I5700

The 3.2″ display screen isn’t the largest we’ve seen but enough for a touch screen phone. The display is nice with a bright and crisp resolution.

Like the Hero, the Spica also suffers a bit with the virtual keyboard that’s somewhat cramped. The individual keys are a little skinny in the vertical orientation but that changes when you switch to the landscape orientation.

The interface is the basic Android UI with 3 panels. Samsung did not bother to include a layer UI on top of it. It would have been nice to see some eye-candy, even if it’s just the TouchWiz UI.

spica

The Spica is powered by Samsung’s very own 800MHz processor and as such, apps and others functions (like media playback, browsing) are pretty snappy. The Spica actually ranks #2 among the fastest Android smartphones locally available, next to the X10, if we based it clock-for-clock. Most of the time though, it feels like the two handsets perform at par with each other.

The Spica has Android 1.5 (Cupcake) pre-installed but, as of this time, you can actually have it upgraded to Android 2.1 (Eclair). That’s an added bonus which I think was key to the Spica’s growing popularity.

spica

Connectivity isn’t an issue with the Samsung Spica — it’s got Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g, 3G/HSDPA and GPS. Like most other Android handsets, there’s no native 3G switch (there’s a Switchers widget that controls everything else) so you’ll have to install an app like APNdroid to control 3G connectivity on-the-fly. Not a big deal but first time users should take note of this.

The 3.2MP camera isn’t impressive but decent enough. There’s no built-in flash but at least it has auto-focus. Here’s one shot I managed to take with it (forget the 15fps video recording).

audi r8
Off-topic: I have to say — taking a ride on this Audi R8 was a blast. Feels like I’m on a rocket ship will all that G-force pulling me back.

Battery life is expectedly normal (with the 1500mAh Li-Ion) for smartphones like the Spica — can do 2 days on casual connectivity use but can easily drain in a day with heavy use. I suggest bringing a spare cable charger with you all the time.

If there’s a noticeable disappointment with the Spica, I think it would be the amount of internal storage that came with it. The 180MB internal storage seems too small if you’re looking to install a ton of apps. For all other file storage concerns, you’ll have to separately invest in a microSD card. The unit I got only had 1GB with it but you can stick in up to 32GB if you have the extra cash.

Ok, then there’s no multi-touch support too even if you upgrade to v2.1 — not a deal-killer but certainly something you’d miss on a touchscreen phone (especially with Google Maps and Photo Gallery). At least it’s got some sort of haptic feedback so you feel some subtle vibrations when tapping keys or the dial pad.

All in all, the Samsung Spica i5700 is a one desirable smartphone, especially to those who will be getting their first ever Android handset. This is highlighted by the fact that its got the basic features of Android smartphones at a very affordable price (Php13,800 in some stores) — less than half the price of other Android phones of the same caliber. It’s got its fair share of shortcomings but it gets bonus points for being capable to upgrade to Eclair v2.1. Samsung should get some good karma for introducing this handset into the local market.

Disclosure: Globe Telecom gave me this handset for free and Samsung is an advertiser on this blog.

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

140 Responses

  1. Avatar for roiji roiji says:

    i currently own this phone and i love it <3

    with android 1.5 ok naman siya.

    but when i flashed it (Samsung NPS is useless!!) to asian firmware android 2.1 it better EXCEPT the home screen (Pantheon, Samsung's own home screen app) it really staggers.

    I downloaded and installed LauncherPro it's a free Home Screen alternative and it's blazing fast. faster than HelixLauncher. and I'll uninstall Pantheon later.

    Samsung utility software sucks…

  2. Avatar for faultybiceps faultybiceps says:

    Can someone please send me instructions on how to activate GPRS using smart postpaid sim for my spica.

    also for globe postpaid and prepaid (if there is a difference at all) if such is available.

    Appreciate it mucho.

  3. Avatar for Jon Jon says:

    I hope this phone will get Froyo too. That’s a perfect work around for the insufficient internal memory without having to root.

    Even so, this is still a great buy!

  4. Avatar for kimmuel roa endaya kimmuel roa endaya says:

    Digression pala…lol

    -Sent via YugaTech Mobile App

  5. Avatar for kimmuel roa endaya kimmuel roa endaya says:

    Haha…I love the disgression on the Audi car!!!

    Lol…

    -Sent via YugaTech Mobile App

  6. Avatar for Esomo Esomo says:

    Big big big disappointment is that Android doesn’t support system wide Internet proxy so don’t expect to be able to use it with your office wifi and proxy.

    And it’s seems never included in Froyo also. Not recommended for business users.

    Hays kainis…

  7. Avatar for rye rye says:

    Hi Yuga, thanks for the review. atleast alam ko di ako mali ng decision. haha! Got my Spica (my 1st android phone) a few weeks back, and ako na nagflash immediately to Eclair. BTW, we Spica users are waiting for Froyo(2.2), rumors say that it’ll have flash and apps can be stored on the SD, so internal phone memory wont be a problem anymore. :)

  8. Avatar for Kyle Kyle says:

    But given that its specs mostly match that of the Hero, that’s quite a huge price difference. Hero is @ 25k+ PHP as of now

    Also if I remember correctly, the Tattoo launched in Singapore at $599(about 20k PHP) but it launched here at about 15k PHP. So expect it to launch here (if its launched at all :-P) at a tad cheaper price than what is initially announced :-)

  9. Avatar for Abe Olandres Abe Olandres says:

    @kyle – that’s around Php17,500

  10. Avatar for lolipown lolipown says:

    ^
    errm… 300 euro for a budget phone?

  11. Avatar for Kyle Kyle says:

    i was thinking about getting ether a spica or a tattoo…until I saw this

    http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_wildfire_announced_its_almost_a_mini_htc_desire-news-1663.php

    For a budget phone, it practically kills everything else. I mean, an affordable HTC Desire? How can it go wrong?

  12. Avatar for sylv3rblade sylv3rblade says:

    Globe is offering the Spica for free via Globe Labs if you’re a member or know someone who’s a member (but you have to avail of a postpaid plan). Will be receiving my unit later today.

  13. Avatar for RJ RJ says:

    Yeah!! And on May 19th (May 20th sa atin), Google will announce something on their Google I/O which many of us Android fans think would be the Froyo 2.2 update! :D Sana meron na rin for Samsung because this update will “supposedly” fix the issue with internal memory of phones. According to some blogs I read, the update will now let us install Android apps on the SD card! wweee!! :D

  14. Avatar for Teknisyan Teknisyan says:

    What can I say but “Nice car!!”!!! hehe.. uh oh.. nice handset and very affordable too!!!

  15. Avatar for Rickey Rickey says:

    Whew, I had to flash the Elcair 2.1 myself to this pda-phone bcoz Samsung did not offer such service at the time I bought it. (Of course, accepting the small but real risk of bricking it. Which it didn’t.) Don’t be contented with the version that’s originally provided with this device as it doesn’t run many new apps. Once u get Eclair on it though, it delivers! The spica itself is solid & decent, with very good battery life. Altho I wished they shipped with one extra battery & charger bcoz it is afterall a pda-multimedia-fon. I also wished they did away with those intrusive buttons on its sides. Android is the way to go. And Samsung just made it possible for u to experience it w/o shelling out so much.

  16. Avatar for daddy joey daddy joey says:

    nice, ganda r8 mo pre! :D

  17. Avatar for Jon Jon says:

    Having been a Symbian diehard for years now, I must say that it’s definitely worth the switch. And worth every peso to boot!

  18. Avatar for Calvin Calvin says:

    not including any UI on top of the OS must’ve slashed a lot from the price. other manufacturers should always include a basic smartphone without their proprietary UIs on top of the OS.

  19. Avatar for Totem Totem says:

    Wow! Its spec is better than HTC Tattoo.. I might consider buying one prolly after 3 months.. And I’m hoping that Google won’t release a new Android sooner.. haha XD

  20. Avatar for Zylo Zylo says:

    Huwaw astig ka sir Yuga! sa’kin na lang yan =D

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