Samsung i450 review: Symbian sounds good

There are other themes, too

If you get bored with the phone's looks, you can always change the theme. There are 3 preinstalled themes on Samsung i450 and we find them all quite nice. There is no limit however to themes you can add to the device, as they are downloadable for free or for a token price all over the internet.

The three preinstalled themes on Samsung i450

The phonebook knows no limits

A typical Symbian phonebook, the one in Samsung i450 offers more than anyone would ever need to use. It has virtually no limit to either the number of entries or fields to each contact.

The contacts can be ordered by first or last name, depending on the user's preferences. Naturally, they can also be searched by gradual typing of the desired name. The phone will search in both first and last name fields, as well as additional names in those fields. This means that even if a contact has a more intricate name, you will have no problem finding it provided you remember at least a part of it.

Samsung i450 is equipped with a typical Symbian phonebook

While editing a contact, you can select from a huge number of preset fields, which you can repeat as many times as you like. Even if a contact has more mobile phones than pockets, you are still going to have a spot for each of the numbers. Plus, if you happen to need a field that doesn't exist, you can always use one of the existing ones and simply rename it.

Some of the available fields for editing a contact

The Call log department has always been a strong side of all Symbian smartphones and Samsung i450 makes no exception. It contains three tabs for dialed numbers, received and missed calls, which hold up to 20 call records each. Furthermore, there is a log application that stores all the calls, messages and data transfers for the past 30 days. The storage period can be shortened if you are low on space, but that is extremely unlikely.

The call log can hold info for all communications for the past 30 days

Excellent messaging spoiled by the keypad

If you are a person who sends and receives lots of messages, then Samsung i450 is a handset you are likely to enjoy. Despite the dead flat keypad and the insufficient tactile feedback, messaging with this mobile is a nice experience. In terms of software the i450 is performing just great, which easily makes us forgive the not so big disadvantages.

The SMS editor is the well-known intuitive application for all Symbian S60 smartphones. It has a counter of the characters left to the limit of 160. There is also an indicator in brackets showing the number of separate parts the message will be divided into for sending if that limit is exceeded. When you are exiting the message editor without having sent the message, the editor offers to either save it to the drafts folder or delete it.

The SMS editor gives you the option to save or discard an unsent message before exiting

It goes without saying that a delivery report can be activated. The reports pop up on the standby screen when the keypad is unlocked, and are consequently saved in a separate folder in the messaging sub-menu.

The MMS editor is almost identical to the one just described. The only noticeable difference is the addition of a subject line.

MMS editor

Finally, there is also an audio message editor. If, by any rare chance, you want to create an audio message you might find this editor interesting. The editor can either record the message right away or use a previously recorded sound clip.

"...If you are a heavy texter, then Samsung i450 is a handset you are likely to enjoy. Despite the dead flat keypad and the insufficient tactile feedback, messaging with this mobile is a nice experience. In terms of software the i450 is performing just great, which easily makes us forgive the not so big disadvantages..."

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The email client won't surprise anyone who has ever used a Symbian powered phone. It can download headers only, as well as the whole messages. There is also support for attachments, so with Samsung i450 you will have no trouble meeting almost any emailing requirement.

The email client works great

Our overall impression is that is a great device for messaging with the keypad being the only bit that could be slightly improved. Future owners of this handset are unlikely to have any reason to complain about its messaging capabilities.