High-end this isn't - although it could just about pass for a top-notch smart phone (notwithstanding its diminutive size), this is very much the entry-level end of the market. With the same basic stylings as the higher-level models in the Samsung Galaxy series, this certainly ticks the visual boxes - it's neat, functional, sleek - so good first impressions are made. A quick play around with the Y, however, shows up its deficiencies.
Of course, it's worth qualifying this - you pay proportionately for what you're (not) getting. I - like most of the phone's owners, I imagine - got the handset free with a pretty modest contract, so expectations were hardly sky-high. Indeed, I'm actually pretty happy with what I've got. I don't feel like I need the bells-and-whistles, all-singing end of the market, so the Y feels like a good choice. It's just worth emphasising that this is very much a my-first-smartphone type thing.
The basics are all here - social networking is well-integrated, there's a decent camera, sensitive touchscreen, a variety of apps and whatnot - but the quality of these is patchy, thanks to the handset. Basically, it's screen size that's the issue - there's only so much you can do with a 3-inch screen; websites need to be zoomed in so much that it's hard to work out where you are, and texts take up the whole of the screen in landscape mode, meaning you can't see what you've previously said. What's more, with so little space, all manner of simple tasks are fiddly, and frustration can be substantial.
The hardware underpinning it all does its job just fine, and it's a generally well-designed phone. It's just well worth being clear on what you want and asking yourself whether you wouldn't rather pay a little more for a phone that really makes the most of the smartphone experience.
Of course, it's worth qualifying this - you pay proportionately for what you're (not) getting. I - like most of the phone's owners, I imagine - got the handset free with a pretty modest contract, so expectations were hardly sky-high. Indeed, I'm actually pretty happy with what I've got. I don't feel like I need the bells-and-whistles, all-singing end of the market, so the Y feels like a good choice. It's just worth emphasising that this is very much a my-first-smartphone type thing.
The basics are all here - social networking is well-integrated, there's a decent camera, sensitive touchscreen, a variety of apps and whatnot - but the quality of these is patchy, thanks to the handset. Basically, it's screen size that's the issue - there's only so much you can do with a 3-inch screen; websites need to be zoomed in so much that it's hard to work out where you are, and texts take up the whole of the screen in landscape mode, meaning you can't see what you've previously said. What's more, with so little space, all manner of simple tasks are fiddly, and frustration can be substantial.
The hardware underpinning it all does its job just fine, and it's a generally well-designed phone. It's just well worth being clear on what you want and asking yourself whether you wouldn't rather pay a little more for a phone that really makes the most of the smartphone experience.
