Samsung P310 review: Style, chromium and leather

The size of a credit card, a luxurious look, plenty of functions and a leather case with a built-in battery are some of the characteristics of Samsung P310.

Key features

• stylish, non-conventional design
• very slim body - 9 mm
• leather case and a second battery enclosed in the phone’s retail package
• brilliant horizontal QVGA display
• 80 MB internal memory extendable through microSD memory cards
• multi-item phonebook for 1000 names
• 2-megapixel camera
• GPRS and EDGE Class 10
• browser for MS Office documents
• Bluetooth with stereo support
• TV connection

Main disadvantages

• inconvenient keypad with uncommon key distribution
• control key lacks a confirming center
• the phone is uncomfortable to use when placed in the case
• cannot ring and vibrate simultaneously
• no ringing profiles
• Java applications cannot be downloaded via Bluetooth
• memory card not hot-swappable

Stylish and fashionable phones created to represent their owners are nowadays occupying a significant share of the mobile market. At the same time each manufacturer is constantly trying to offer users something special and innovative. In November 2005 Samsung launched the P300 model, whose design was especially non-traditional: it resembled a calculator. Today we are presenting its successor Samsung P310 - another state-of-the-art phone, which you will hardly mistake with another model.

Samsung P310 – a stylish phone with size of a credit card

Note: The test sample is a pre-market version. For this reason it was not possible for us to test its battery durability, nor was it possible to take pictures or shoot video.

A black plate covered with chromium

In terms of design Samsung P310 follows the line of its forerunner, but its chromium-covered plates make it look far more luxurious. The size characteristics of the phone (86 x 54 x 9 mm) reveal an especially slim body reminding a credit card.

Samsung P310 in a palm

Both the non-traditional key distribution and the panoramic display of Samsung P310 result from its small height. Its front black plate is wrapped up in a silver frame from all three sides, but the top. The phone weighs 75 g.

   
Hidden behind a credit card

The sides of the phone are made of black plastics. Here you will find several control elements: a dual volume button on the left and a key activating the camera on the right; right next to the latter there is a dual system connector for the earphones, the charger and the data cable protected by a practical sliding cover.

 
Mere 9 mm thick

   
The system connector is located on the right side • the charger/case connector is located in the bottom of the device

A great part of the rear panel is basically the metal cover of the battery. When you remove it, you need to unlock the sliding protector on the bottom of the phone. Once you have removed it, you will see a 550 mAh Li-Ion battery, which should supply Samsung P310 with enough energy for 300 hours of stand-by time or 60 minutes of call time. The SIM card slot and the slot for a microSD memory card are located right beside the battery. Unfortunately, the extraction of the memory card is impossible without removing the battery.

The cover hides a battery, a SIM card and a memory card • the latter cannot be extracted unless the battery has been removed

The rest of the black plastic rear panel features the non-protected lens of the 2 megapixel camera, a LED, and a connector for an external antenna tapped with a black cover.

The lens of the 2-megapixel camera