Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 preview: First look

Introduction

Well, you’ve met the family, now here is one of the new kids on the block. Midrange Froyo deserts for all it is, and the Samsung Galaxy Ace leads the gang. In an attempt to bring smartphone sales even higher, Samsung is turning attention to providing a whole series of budget smartphones for the masses. And they’re not based on the Bada OS, they use Android instead.

Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace official photos

LG has had quite a success with its Optimus One and Samsung is all in on the game too with no less than five different models. The Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 is the more powerful and it’s the one we are taking for a spin today.

The specs sheet is pretty much similar to the most Androids in its class – no AMOLED screen or high-end camera – just the typical HVGA display, decent connectivity and a hopefully, a satisfying snapper.

Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm, 113 g
• Display: 3.5" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen, 320 x 480 pixels
• CPU: Qualcomm QCT MSM7227-1 Turbo 800 MHz processor
• Memory: 158MB storage, microSD card slot
• OS: Android OS, v2.2 Froyo
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection; QVGA video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio
• Misc: TouchWiz 3.0 UI, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, Swype text input

The Ace’s Android OS is skinned with the latest Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. You shouldn’t expect bonus apps beside the standard Android ones, since it’s a mid-range smartphone.

Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace live shots

But when you’re buying cheap, you know you’ll have to make compromises – jump to the next page to see if there’s anything lacking in the hardware department.