I have been using the Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 mobile phone since August 2011 and I'll put down some words about it based on my experience with it. This entry level smartphone works on the GSM network and runs on the Android platform.
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| Freddy2001, Samsung Galaxy Ace, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
As my first Android phone after being a Symbian S60 user for several years, my first impression is that the transition to this new operating system has been smooth, but I do miss the Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V for copy-pasting.
The phone is retailing in India for around Rs. 15,000 and the box includes the smartphone, a 1350 mAh battery (Samsung EB494358VU), a stereo headset, a travel charger, a USB data cable, a Kies PC Sync software CD, one extra white back-pane, a leather pouch, a 2 GB microSD card and the Quick Start Guide.
Setup
Setting up the device is simple. Just remove the back cover, remove the battery, insert a SIM or USIM card into the appropriate slot, place the battery back again and then put the back cover on. You can optionally insert a microSD card in the slot at the right edge of the phone. Then after you have charged the battery, you are good to start the phone using the power button.
Calling
Making, receiving or rejecting calls on this phone is a breeze with the intuitive user interface. It also allows putting a call on hold, dialing a 2nd number and setting up a multiparty conference call, call forwarding, call waiting, and muting. It also stores the phone numbers of recent received, dialed and missed calls.
Performance
Running Android 2.2.x (Froyo) and later Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on the 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227-1 Turbo, ARMv6 CPU, the phone fares well on the performance front. Apps like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Talk, ThinkFree Office, BSPlayer, CricBuzz, Google Drive, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, IMDb, Opera Mini, Viber run like a breeze. The Facebook app, however, frequently freezes making it almost unusable on this mobile.
The system needs a reboot every week. Without the weekly reboot, apps frequently freeze and shutdown.
Display
The touch screen display consists of a 3.5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass TFT screen with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. The 16M color screen displays pretty vivid colors and is responsive to all touch and gestures.
Audio Quality
In-call reception audio quality is very good, and I haven't come across people complaining about the audio they receive on the other side.
Camera
The device packs in a 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash that can take photos at resolutions up to 2560 x 1920 pixels and videos at resolutions up to 320 x 240 pixels. The image quality is good. There is no secondary (or selfie) camera though. The camera also allows automatic GPS tagging of captured images.
Internal Storage
The 181 MB internal memory storage (as shown in the Task Manager) dries up pretty quickly when you install a few apps from the Android Market (now Google Play). With the Android operating system's footprint growing with every new update, much less is left for you to accommodate other apps. The low memory configuration is the biggest pain point of this phone.
Expandable Storage
The phone accepts a FAT-formatted microSD or microSDHC to extend the storage up to 32 GB for storing multimedia files. Also, the phone ships with a 2 GB microSD card in the box. I have used a 16 GB microSD to store audio, video, and document files of various formats with no noticeable lag. Most apps available at the Google Play store cannot be installed on the expandable storage.
Battery
As a portable handheld mobile device, the battery is one of the major deciding factors that come to play when you rate a mobile phone. The phone comes with a 1350 mAh 3.7V Samsung EB494358VU Li-on battery. The battery backup is okay but not that great. With moderate number of phone calls, the brightness at its lowest point and GPRS running on 2G, a fully charged battery lasts about a full day. In my experience, if you use 3G the charge doesn't last for the full day. Beyond its first 6 months, the performance of the battery deteriorates to a large extent.
Connectivity
The mobile supports GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Mhz on the 2G network band and HSDPA 900 / 2100NA on the 3G network. On the WLAN front it supports Wi-Fi 802.11. It also has Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP. A USB data cable is also provided in the box for PC connectivity.
PC Connectivity
Synchronizing with the PC is possible using Samsung's Kies PC Sync software and a USB data cable both of with are bundled in the box.
SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)
SAR value for this phone when tested for use at the ear is 0.69 W/kg and when worn on the body is 1.31 W/kg. The SAR limit set by the FCC is 1.6W/kg.
Conclusion
Overall, the mobile runs smooth with small glitches here and there. Seldom, the phone hangs and freezes up just as you accept a call. I wish the internal storage was more because the low storage makes it almost unusable after a period of use. Here are my ratings for individual features:
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| My ratings for Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 |
