Samsung Pixon Review

Introduction:

It’s an 8-megapixel camera, it’s a multimedia player… it’s the new Samsung Pixon. The latest model from the Korean company falls in the highest-class and is a direct rival to the Renoir by LG. It’s also one of the many contenders for the title “King of the multimedia phones”, which is currently held by the iPhone. Under the Pixon’s hood you’ll find many features, including an 8-megapixel camera marketed as “better than an actual camera” and multiple video file formats in order to play clips without having to convert them. The only thing it lacks specification-wise is Wi-Fi and global 3G.

The package includes:

Design:

The Pixon is advertised as the slimmest 8-megapixel phone, though certainly not the slimmest of all. Though it shares the same form-factor as the iPhone and OMNIA, the Pixon is considerably thicker than its two rivals. Unfortunately today’s technology has not reached the level needed to hide an 8-megapixel module and a whole bunch of extras in an extremely slim body. Do not think that Pixon is “fat”, but it doesn’t have the same profile as the fashion conscious phones on the market. Since the lens and the bottom are also protruding (resembling a regular camera), when placed next to the INNOV8 it is nearly as thick, but feels slimmer in the hand. This makes it slightly thicker than the rival Renoir, although in theory it’s the other way around. Don’t get us wrong, the Pixon is not fat, but is not as slim as the iPhone or OMNIA. Its design would not win an award, and it’s the typical multifunctional model. Nevertheless, it is user-friendly and well made. The Pixon is heavier than the Renoir, but that gives it a massive feeling.



You can compare the Samsung Pixon with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The overall appearance of the phone is characterized by its form factor and reminds us of other models with large displays, taking up most of the face of the phone. In our case, it is 3.2” (3” for LG Renoir, 3.5” for iPhone), with a 240x400 (WQVGA) resolution standard for a wide screen and support of only 262k colors. It’s kinda strange that Samsung, known for its beautiful displays, doesn’t offer 16 million colors as in iPhone, and 64 times less. Nevertheless, it produces decent images even when watching videos. A nice addition is the brightness sensor, which when activated makes the display usable in sunny days. The videos will not look good, but you’ll still be able to dial a number or read a message. It is slightly less sensitive to the touch than iPhone but we have no complaints. Renoir on the other hand, is a few steps behind regarding pressing buttons and scrolling.

The Pixon primarily uses touch for its input method, but there are physical SEND and END keys. They are small but protruding and very well distinguished by touch. There’s a small round button between them, which in contrast to OMNIA’s optical mouse can only be pressed. In most cases, it is used to take you a step back. All three have a very good tactile feedback.



The majority of buttons are located on the rugged sides. On the left we have the Hold (used for locking) and Shortcut keys. There is also a microSD card slot, covered by a lid. The right side houses the only easy to spot side key – the camera trigger. You’ll see the rest of the camera buttons; play, one for switching to different modes, and the digital zoom rocker (also used as a volume rocker of course). The top side houses the charger connector, which surprisingly is not microUSB but Samsung’s proprietary one also used for headphones and data cable.