amsung Gravity SMART review: Smarter direction

Introduction

Samsung Gravity has been a successful line of affordable, slide-out QWERTY messengers for T-Mobile for several years now. With the latest addition to the family, Samsung not only improves the package, but takes it in a whole new direction. Unlike its predecessors, which were feature phones, the new Samsung Gravity SMART, as its name suggests, is an Android smartphone.

Samsung Gravity SMART official press shots
The Gravity SMART is clearly aimed at the first-time smartphone users who are looking for a sensible device, which will deliver an Android experience at an affordable price. It is by no means a Galaxy S II, but it is not priced like one either. It packs a lot of droid functionality in a small, well-built package. Now let’s see what the Gravity SMART has to offer.

Key Features

• 3.2" 16M color, TFT capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 320 pixels resolution, multi touch


• Full four-row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a customizable social networking key


• ARMv6 800MHz CPU, 270MB RAM, 150MB of user-available storage


• Android 2.2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI


• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support


• Wi-Fi Calling enabled


• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, with hotspot functionality


• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass


• 3.15 MP autofocus camera


• QVGA video recording @30fps


• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 3.0


• microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)


• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack


• Accelerometer and proximity sensor


• Web browser with Flash support


• Smart dialing

Main disadvantages

• QVGA-only video recording


• No shutter key


• No secondary video-call camera


• No ambient light sensor


• No dedicated video player app


• Android 2.2 Froyo, instead of latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread

As you can see, the Samsung Gravity SMART is by no means one of the Android super phones. If you are looking for a high-resolution screen, HD capable camera, and graphic intense gaming, this is not the device for you. Instead, the Gravity SMART is a great messenger and social networking companion with a comfortable keypad.

Samsung Gravity SMART live shots
Now that we know the Samsung Gravity SMART weaknesses, it is time to find whether this little droid can deliver where its strengths are. Hit the next page for the hardware inspection.
Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. The Samsung Gravity SMART is a US-only phone, so it will probably never get to the shores of the Old Continent. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!