Samsung C3300K Champ review: Having fun

Unboxing the Champ

The Samsung Champ comes in a smallish box along with a compact charger and a one-piece headset. There’s a manual too, but in a bid to keep the price down, Samsung have left out the data cable. But you probably already have a few of those around and you can always just use a card reader.

Unboxing the Samsung C3300K Champ

Samsung C3300K Champ 360-degree spin

The all-plastic Samsung C3300K Champ measures 96.3 x 56.8 x 13 mm and at 80 grams it’s one of the smallest touch phones we’ve seen. It’s not as minute as a Sony Ericsson X10 mini, but small enough. It feels tiny and light in our hands, so it should be just right for kids.

Design and construction

The Champ is light and made entirely out of plastic, but it’s still solidly built. The rounded corners help slim it down a bit and the overall impression is positive. Keep in mind that this is a phone that costs about as much as some data plans.

Samsung C3300K Champ is tiny but well-built • Champ vs. iPhone 3G vs. LG Cookie T300

The Samsung C3300K Champ packs a 2.4” touchscreen, which is big enough for general use. The display has QVGA resolution - which at this size is enough - and it’s suitably bright. The picture quality is ruined by the very limited viewing angles though. The sunlight legibility is pretty poor too – you’ll need to be in the shade to comfortably use the Champ.

The screen is resistive – this too is at the “good enough” level. It’s not the most sensitive of touchscreens, but it still registers taps from fingers easily and accurately. A stylus would probably go unused unless you’re really into it.

A 2.4" restive touchscreen does its job

Above the display, there's just the earpiece. It’s actually the first in a duo – on the opposite side, below the display, is a second er. Yes, the tiny Champ packs stereo speakers and they can sure make some noise.

Also below the display are the three hardware keys. Nothing surprising here, just Call and End keys and the back key in between.

The hardware keys are very comfortable to use

On the right side of the Samsung C3300K Champ, there’s just the lock/hold key, and on the left we find the volume rocker. Those are all the controls the Champ has to offer and they’re all comfortable to use. The lanyard eyelet is in the top left corner and the stylus slots in on the right.

The right side with the Hold key • the volume rocker on the left

The top of the Champ features the 3.5mm audio jack and the microUSB port, which is protected by a plastic flap. The bottom is left bare.

The top side has the 3.5mm audio jack and the microUSB port

Flipping the C3300K Champ over, we find the 1.3MP camera lens. It doesn’t have an LED flash, which could have come in handy doubling as a flashlight. The screen will have to do for lighting up dark places.

The 1.3MP snapper on the back of the Champ

Removing the back panel reveals the 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery. You probably wouldn’t expect it from a phone in this price range but there’s a microSD card slot – you have to remove the back cover to get to it, but it’s hot-swappable. The SIM compartment is under the battery.

The quoted standby time is 28 days and we have little reason to doubt that – there isn’t much on the Samsung Champ to gobble up the battery charge. The stated talk time is 12 hours.

The SIM card slot under the battery • microSD card under the battery cover

The Samsung C3300 Champ is small and lightweight, and the controls will probably be easier to use with kids’ rather than adults’ hands. Both the volume rocker and the hold key are sitting quite low, so if you’ve got big hands they won’t be easy to use.

Samsung C3300K Champ held in the hand

The build quality of the Champ is good; it shouldn’t fall apart after the first knock. The back cover doesn’t wobble, but we’re not sure if it will survive being opened and closed very often. The phone is glossy and easily picks up fingerprints. If we had to point out any potential weak spots in the build quality, it’s the back cover.