Samsung D900 review: Slim slider extreme

Fun: minimized MP3 continues to play

MP3 player has finally learned to play when minimized. Besides, it offers four playlists, repeated and random playing, and an equalizer with four curves. When the player is on, one of the two available visualizations can be seen on the display. The sound coming from the loud speaker is relatively good even though certain resonance is noticed at higher volume levels. Apart from the speaker the phone is also able to provide sound through Bluetooth stereo earphones or a pair of standard earphones (should be plugged into the data connector). Unfortunately, I am not able to give you more details about how earphones work as the model Samsung delivered to our office did not include any. The player opens MP3, AAC, and AAC+ formats. Samsung D900 does not have FM radio.

Main display of the music player and its settings

The phone opens and plays videos in 3GP and MP4 formats. Videos can be fast-forwarded and can be maximized with the help of 1 button.

Another attractive option is to connect the phone to a TV set through a special cable (not included in the standard package though). Once such a connection has been established, you should be able to see on the TV screen exactly what is displayed on the phone. Samsung D900 works with PAL and NTSC - both selected from the menu.

For those who get bored easily the manufacturer has prepared 8 Java games. However, it is hard to say if the officially sold version of the phone is going to feature all of them. More games can be downloaded online. If you download them through Bluetooth or a memory card the phone denies opening them.

Here are the results of the jBenchmark application:

• jBenchmark 1.0: 1659 points
• jBenchmark 2.0:   100 points

Data: 3G would have been useful...

Samsung D900 supports GPRS and EDGE, both Class 10. A special icon in stand-by mode indicates which one of these technologies is currently available. To my modest opinion a phone of class and price so high should have also been equipped with UMTS, but it is not. To connect within close range use Bluetooth (2.0 version) or the USB cable enclosed in the original package and phone's data connector. There is no Infrared port. Before you plug in the data cable you can select your preferred mode: PictBridge, modem, disk space. This way you can access data on the memory card without having to install any additional controller.

Web browser and its menu

The web browser is good and does well with simple internet pages. Web addresses are entered directly. There are 15 positions for favorite web pages. WAP gets displayed in 11 text lines en bloc.

Style costs money

Samsung D900 is a stylish slider with extremely slim design. It is suitable as a fashion accessory rather than a working tool. There is no doubt your friends won't take their eyes off it. The most attractive among its extensive equipment is its brilliant display and 3 megapixel camera. Yet, it is a pity that Samsung has failed to deliver a few important applications: the phone does not have FM radio or ringing profiles. It is not able to filter calls either. Higher-quality material would have suited it better too. Given its high price Samsung D900 could have also been designed to support 3G...

If 3G is important for you, have a closer look at Samsung Z400 - a phone not so light, but elegantly silver and equipped with video calls support. Another alternative for those indecisive is Samsung D800, which features poorer equipment, lacks a slot for memory cards and "only" has a 1.3 MP camera, but cost at least 100 euros less.