Samsung U700 The Complete Guide to Specs Prices Pros & Cons

Overview of Samsung U700

The Samsung U700, launched in February 2007, is a feature phone that exemplified sleek design and essential functionalities typical to its era. Despite being discontinued now, it remains a fascinating piece of technology history, offering insights into mobile phone development during the mid-2000s.

Design and Build

The Samsung U700 measures 102.5 x 50 x 12.1 mm and weighs only 86 grams, making it compact and lightweight. Its stylish slider design, available in colors like Blue/Violet, Silver/White, and Gold/Chocolate, contributed to its appeal among users seeking both functionality and aesthetics. The phone uses a Mini-SIM and is designed for easy portability and comfortable usability.

Display

The device comes with a 2.2-inch TFT display that offers 256K colors. Though small by modern standards, the screen was adequate for its time with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, translating to a pixel density of approximately 182 ppi. This screen size and quality made it suitable for basic multimedia tasks such as viewing images and playing games.

Camera Capabilities

The Samsung U700 is equipped with a 3.15 MP rear camera featuring autofocus and an LED flash, which was fairly standard at the time. It supports QCIF video recording, allowing users to capture life's moments. Additionally, it includes a VGA front camera designed mainly for video calls, adding a dynamic communication aspect to the device.

Performance and Hardware

The Samsung U700 operates on a proprietary operating system typical of feature phones. It offers basic functionalities and performance designed for everyday use, including SMS, EMS, MMS, and email capabilities. However, specific details about the processor and RAM are not documented widely due to its feature phone status.

Memory and Storage

Internally, the phone offers 20MB to 40MB of storage, depending on the region, with external microSD support for memory expansion. This flexibility allowed users to store additional music, photos, and other files as needed. The device's phonebook can store up to 1000 entries and includes photocall features, along with call logs for up to 30 dialed, received, and missed calls.

Battery Life

The Samsung U700 is powered by a removable Li-Ion 690mAh battery, providing up to 270 hours of standby time on 2G networks and up to 235 hours on 3G networks. Talk time is rated up to 5 hours on 2G and up to 2 hours and 30 minutes on 3G networks, which was competitive for mobile phones of that period.

Connectivity Features

Connectivity on the Samsung U700 includes GSM/HSPA network technology, with GSM bands of 900, 1800, and 1900, and a 3G band of HSDPA 2100. It supports HSPA speeds of 3.6/0.384 Mbps, facilitating basic web browsing on its WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (NetFront 3.4) browser. The phone features Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for wireless audio streaming, USB 2.0 for data transfer, but lacks WLAN, GPS, and FM radio.

Sound and Multimedia

Despite lacking a 3.5mm audio jack, the phone supports a loudspeaker and offers a range of alert types including vibration and downloadable polyphonic or MP3 ringtones. It supports Java MIDP 2.0, enabling users to download and enjoy various games and applications available at the time.

Market Position and Legacy

Priced at around 130 EUR at release, the Samsung U700 provided an affordable yet feature-rich option for consumers in 2007. As a discontinued model, it represents a bygone era of mobile telephony focused on bridging communication and multimedia functionalities with elegant design. The phone's legacy lives on as an example of Samsung's innovative approaches in the competitive mobile phone market of the 2000s.

Conclusion

The Samsung U700 remains a fascinating subject for technology enthusiasts and those interested in the evolution of mobile phones. It reflects the design and technology ethos of its time, where compact form factors and basic interaction capabilities were the highlights. While modern smartphones offer exponentially superior features, the U700 and similar devices paved the way for the development of today's mobile technology ecosystem.