Samsung S5560 Review

Introduction and Design:

Two years ago a cell phone with touch sensitive screen were a trendy device. Now, at the end of 2009 they are a dime a dozen and there are even entry level handsets equipped with such a display. Some manufacturers (mostly Samsung and LG really) have taken it to heart to offer at least one handset with touchscreen in every single product class of their cell phone catalogues and the compact Samsung S5560 (also known as Marvel) owns its existence to the this particular policy – it´s a mainstream device that offers more extra features than the popular Samsung Star S5230, but is inferior to the capable Jet S8000. It´s equipped with 5-megapixel camera, 3-inch display and Wi-Fi, but lacks 3G connectivity.

Similarly to all latest Samsung´s handsets with touch-sensitive screens, the S5560 sports three handy buttons on its front – send and end keys and an oddly shaped button that gets you a step back into menus. The 3-inch WQVGA resolution screen above them offers pleasing image quality indoors, although it turns into a proper mirror in direct sunlight and gets uncomfortable to use. It has decent overall sensitivity for a resistive display, but it´s definitely below par alongside of the Samsung Jet S8000.



On the sides you have volume rocker, camera shutter and screen lock/unlock button and we have to say we didn’t have any problems with them. The Samsung S5560 is charged via microUSB slot located on the top side, next to the 3.5mm jack. The back of the phone is matted, has a pleasing shape and allows for proper grip, which is always a definite plus.




The Samsung S5560 didn´t exactly wow anyone who saw it, but still, it looks well and comes with proper build quality.

Interface and Functions:

The Samsung S5560 runs TouchWiz 2.0 interface (like the Samsung Jet S8000 and Pixon12), but doesn’t feature multitasking. The home screen comes with three separate pages where you can place widgets and there are several we have never seen before, like currency converter (XE), kelkoo search service, bebo social network etc. It is a good thing that most of the widgets are now active and not just shortcuts to functions or websites. Placing the widgets on the screen involves some lagging and you would have to wait a bit until all relevant information gets updated, especially if you´ve signed up with more online services.



The main menu itself is identical to the versions available on all other TouchWiz 2.0 handsets, consists of three pages (by default) and all icons can be freely rearranged. It allows access to nice extra features like Photo contacts, links to the mobile pages of popular social networks etc. The phone comes with dedicated Facebook, Twitter and MySpace applications, although you would have to use the relevant widgets to start them. The phone contacts function is relatively comfy to use, although you can´t get it to filter contacts in real time, i.e. as you enter letters, so searching feels somewhat clumsy. Still, there is a handy band that allows filtering by first letter that helps.



You will have to rely on two keyboard layouts - standard numeric and landscape QWERTY. The latter is handy even if you happen to have thicker fingers, despite the relatively small size of the phone display. Unfortunately, the Samsung S5560 doesn´t allow for automated email account setup, even you are registered with major service provider like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail.



The internet browser is WebKit based (like the version available on the Samsung Jet S8000) and you will be able to relish smooth scrolling and zooming via double taps once pages have been fully loaded. We would advice you not to open heavier websites unless you´re connected via Wi-Fi, since this is the only high speed connectivity option the phone offers.



Another phone feature we are pleasantly surprised by is the camera. It´s equipped with 5-megapixel sensor with autofocus and small LED flash. Taking a snapshot is actually so snappy, that you can fill the built-in 40MB memory to the brim in a few minutes. Fortunately, the phone is equipped with microSD card slot, so you can easily expand the available memory. Its interface covers all the basics and allows fiddling with settings like shooting modes, presets, white balance, effects etc. and several advanced options like automatic contrast, face and blinking eye detection. Our only gripe relates to the video capture, because the maximum resolution is QVGA and their overall quality – rather bad really.



The snapshot quality is, however, another pint of beer, erm, cup of tea that is. They have enough details for a cell phone camera, if taken in proper lighting conditions. Colors appear slightly oversaturated, but not to the point of being annoying. The flash kicks in if you feel up to the odd indoor picture and will help you to get less blurry and noisy images. It´s a weakling, however, so you better stay away from pitch dark places.




The audio player is better than the one found on Samsung Jet S8000 – it visualizes album art in half screen and its control keys look even trendier. The audio quality through the boxed earphones is, however, slightly lower and sound gets virtually unbearable with the player going at full blast, due to excessive sharpness. Turn down volume level down until it gets suitable for prolonged listening.



The video playback capabilities are slightly limited – the handset features support for MPEG-4 and H.264 files and they are playable if their resolution doesn’t exceed QVGA.



The Samsung S5560 comes with several demo games and two full titles - WiseStar and Bubble Popper. The latter is quite funny and can help you kill an hour or two.

Performance and conclusion:

Our callers sounded somehow far-off and muted through the earpiece of the Samsung S5560. The situation appeared to be slightly better on their end of the line, although they complained we sounded rather surreal. As a whole, the in-quality is below average, although we didn’t have any troubles understanding people. According to the manufacturer, the battery should be quite tough and provide up to 9.5 hours of continuous talk. It did perform well during out tests and managed to keep the phone operational for two days with moderate number of calls, but heavy internet surfing.

There is nothing about the Samsung S5560 to make it stand out really, although it comes free of serious shortcomings as well. Its connectivity, camera and browser functions are better than those of lower-end models like the Samsung Star S5230 or Corby S3650 and what we are most disappointed at is the mediocre video playback capabilities of the handset. If you cannot afford the Samsung Jet S8000, LG ARENA KM900 or any other high-end device, but still consider taking snapshots and surfing the Internet important, the Samsung S5560 is a nice option indeed. We would recommend that you take a look at the LG GT505 that comes with similar overall functionality, but adds a built-in GPS and 3G connectivity.

Samsung S5560 Video Review: