The Samsung Galaxy Fame is a phone that comes with a celebrity name,
but certainly no celebrity price tag. Available SIM-free and unlocked
from around £180/US$200 and free on UK contracts starting as low as £10
per month, the Samsung Galaxy Fame will certainly not drain your bank
balance.
It is unsurprising that Samsung has the most prolific
smartphone sales figures. With Galaxy devices as numerous as stars in
the night sky spanning every corner of the market, from the highest end
Samsung Galaxy S4 and announced Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, the super-sized Samsung Galaxy Note 2 right through to the ageing Samsung Galaxy S3 before hitting the lowest ends with the Samsung Galaxy Fame and the Samsung Galaxy Young.
This puts it square in contention with the Samsung Galaxy Young, the ageing Samsung Galaxy Ace and Samsung Galaxy Y, as well as the newer LG Optimus L3 2 and Nokia Lumia 520.
Samsung
has clearly got a design ethos in mind, one that has been apparent
since the Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 was far curvier than its
predecessor, with its successor following very much in its footsteps.
With
the Samsung Galaxy brand all very much in line, the Samsung Galaxy Fame
is positioned at the very bottom, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Young.
With
vital statistics sitting at 113.2 x 61.6 x 11.6mm (4.46 x 2.43 x 0.46)
in size and 120.6g (4.25oz) in weight, Samsung has created a handset
that sits very comfortably in the hand, if a little heavier than
expected.
Clues
to the smaller price tag are certainly evident from the off, the
smaller 3.5-inch screen with a 320 x 480 HVGA resolution and plastic
body being the biggest clues.
That said, Samsung has been a fan of
using plastics on its devices since the off, with its appearance on its
flagship smartphones always being a talking point. On the Samsung
Galaxy Fame, the plastic feel fits the phone.
Sticking
with the design of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes
in two colours, our review model coming in white, with blue also being
available.
A faux metallic band surrounds the bezel, which is
noticeably thicker than on premium handsets. The curved back wraps
tightly round the back of the Fame, offering a reassuringly snug fit.
As
with every modern smartphone, the screen dominates proceedings. The
aforementioned HVGA resolution was always going to be a bit of a worry,
but its diminutive size goes some way to helping.
Thankfully, the
resolution doesn't greatly hinder the phone, since Samsung's screen
tech keeping things vivid and a lot brighter than expected.
Elsewhere
on the front of the Samsung Galaxy Fame is the traditional Home button,
sandwiched between the Menu and Return soft keys. At the opposite end
is a metallic speaker, the VGA front-facing camera and a couple of
sensors.
Underneath this, Samsung has powered the Galaxy Fame with
a single core 1GHz processor, as well as 512MB of RAM. These sit
alongside a VGA front-facing camera, 5MP rear snapper (with flash) and
4GB of internal storage, of which a mere 1.95GB is free.
Externally,
the Samsung Galaxy Fame comes with the standard micro USB port at the
bottom, sat alongside the microphone, with the 3.5mm headphone jack at
the top.
Unsurprisingly, the volume rocker is on the left and the
Power/Lock button is directly opposite, on the right-hand side. Being
such a small phone, every inch of the screen - as well as every button -
was easy to hit one-handed, which is ideal for the younger generation
that Samsung seems to be aiming the Galaxy Fame at.
Behind
the wrap-around back cover, which sits reassuringly tightly to the back
of the Fame, the 1300mAh battery sits over the SIM slot. Thankfully, as
with all Samsung Galaxy devices, the Samsung Galaxy Fame also comes
equipped with a microSD slot, which even more thankfully is
hot-swappable.
The
Samsung Galaxy Fame shapes up to be an interesting prospect. The budget
market has become increasingly packed with Android phones, with last
year's flagship devices slipping down the price scales to sit alongside
newly launched tech.
The question is, will the Samsung Galaxy Fame live forever? Or will it crash into the ground while learning to fly?
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