Samsung i710 Full Specs Pricing Pros & Cons Revealed

Overview and Background

The Samsung i710 was launched in 2007, serving as a part of the Samsung mobile phones lineage that adopted the Windows Mobile platform. It was released during a time when smartphones were beginning to gain popularity, particularly as productivity tools for professionals needing email and calendar functions on the go.

Design and Build

The design of the Samsung i710 is compact with dimensions of 108.8 x 58 x 13.5 mm and a weight of 109 grams. This makes it lightweight and fairly easy to carry compared to other smartphones of its time. The body is silver, which was a popular color choice that gave the device a professional feel. It features a Mini-SIM slot, adhering to the standard at the time.

Display

The smartphone comes with a 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen, displaying up to 256K colors (65K effective), which represents a vibrant display capability for its era. Its resolution stands at 240 x 320 pixels with a 4:3 ratio providing a pixel density of ~143 ppi. This screen size made it ideal for basic tasks such as email, calendar, and limited web browsing.

Platform and Performance

Running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for PocketPC, the Samsung i710 was seen as a business-friendly device. It comes equipped with a 416MHz Intel XScale ARM 920T PXA27x processor, which was moderate in terms of processing power. Despite the limitations by today’s standards, the device was capable of handling most productivity applications available at the time.

Memory and Storage

The internal storage of the Samsung i710 is 55MB, which was typical for basic functions during the time it was released. It also includes a microSD slot for expanded storage, which allowed users to save more emails, calendars, and other essential documents. However, compared to modern smartphones, its memory was quite limited.

Camera

The device had a single 2MP camera, which included autofocus and video recording functionalities. While it lacked a front-facing selfie camera, the Samsung i710 was still aligned with typical requirements during its release period. It served well-enough for capturing standard photos and basic video needs.

Audio and Sound

While the Samsung i710 does not feature a loudspeaker or a 3.5mm headphone jack, it supports vibration and customizable polyphonic and MP3 ringtones. Audio output was primarily mono, but the phone’s focus was not on multi-media and entertainment, rather on business productivity.

Connectivity

Connectivity options include Bluetooth 2.0 for pairing with other devices and USB 1.1 for data transfer. However, it lacks WiFi capability, making it largely dependent on the mobile network for internet access. It was tailored more towards basic phone functions and less for internet browsing and app usage, again reflecting its business-oriented nature.

Network

The Samsung i710 supports GSM technology with 2G bands GSM 850/900/1800/1900. It also includes GPRS Class 10 and EDGE support, offering basic mobile data connectivity sufficient for emails and basic browsing. The lack of 3G support reflects the technological limitations during its era of release.

Battery Life

Powered by a removable Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery, the Samsung i710 provides a standby time of up to 250 hours and a talk time of up to 8 hours and 30 minutes. For users that required consistent access to phone calls and basic applications, this battery life was sufficient, though intensive tasks would deplete it more rapidly.

Conclusion

The Samsung i710 stands as an interesting part of the early smartphone era. It was a device designed with communication and basic productivity in mind, catering to a professional audience rather than the modern multi-functional user. With its limitations in multimedia and internet usage, it represents a stepping stone in mobile technology history, laying the foundation for more advanced devices.