The Koreans have got is right. Review on Samsung C5212

I have been a dual sim user for close to a year. The first dual sim phone that I had, the Karbonn K330 (which I reviewed on this site) was a trusted companion all this while, and the only reason I had to upgrade is that it did not work as a modem for using GPRS on a PC.

The Samsung C5212 was no where on my list of probables. Being a price conscious, and patriotic Indian, I was looking at the cheaper Indian brands, like Onida, Videocon, Micromax, Maxx etc for a solution. But after visiting many stores and checking online sites, I was disappointed by the Indian offers : poorly built and all seeming to come from the same factory in China. Onida and Videocon phones even had same menu icons! Atleast Karbonn still was standing tall in their midst. The Rs. 4000 Fly DS410 was the closest one that fitted the bill and deserves a mention here.

Another notable piece of info that one store salesman managed to squeeze into my ear was the fact that none of the dual sim phones I was interested in had a true dual standby mode. My present K330 would be "Not Reachable" on one SIM if I was connected on the other. This would have led me to lose some customers, but I would never know exactly since even a missed call alert is not displayed.

The dual standby feature is what brought the C5212 and it's smaller brother the C3212 into my radar. All salesmen only had good things to say and even comments on online sites were similar. The C3212 is a Rs. 1000/- less than the C5212, and so it was the first preference among the two - but it did not come bundled with the data cable (should cost about Rs. 200) or driver CD (downloading a 30 MB file will take a long time on a GPRS line). These two factors besides the larger screen made the C5212 the better choice.

Positives

1000 mAH battery, a bit less than the 1200mAH on my K330

Dual standby

Dual GPRS

All cables and CDs in the box

Neutrals

Size is more than the K330, slightly unmanageable

Heavier too

Negatives

Hard switches

Flimy data socket cover

No torch

No auto shutdown and power up options. The K330 had it (why have the phone on through the night?).

Irrelevant (features that I will not use)

1.3 MP camera

FM, Audio, Video player

Voice recorder

Bluetooth

Support for 8 GB card

My experience

Overall the phone is quite good. The looks are solid, nothing flashy. I liked the ability to put on a custom wallpaper. The darker colour code on the menus is also welcome.

The important functions are well performed. Ringtone choices are limited for those who are not after flashy tunes. Just two of the ringtones get my approval. The audio reception is loud and clear. I liked the way I could switch on the speaker phone even when the phone was diaiing, something the K330 did not allow.

GPRS Issues:

As a Linux user, it was paramount that the phone jell well with the OS. The first attempt unfortunately was unsuccessful, and I contemplated selling off the day old phone. Then I tried the bundled PC suite application for Windows, and there too the interface was annoying, but it did manage to get me online. The windows experience also made me consider the sell off option. But, after that session, for some unknown reason, the phone worked just well in Linux!!!!

I liked the fact that the data cable also recharges the phone when connected.

Some areas that could have been worked on:

The font sizes on the menus could have been reduced.

The buttons could have been made softer. Really, typing a short SMS leaves the thumbs aching.

I liked the dedicated buttons for camera and volume control. Frankly, there is a SIM change button as well, but it's use can be tricky. Since the phone goes by a default SIM setting to route all outgoing calls, everytime the default SIM setting is changed the phone reboots. BUT, one can make a phone call without changing the default SIM, and for this one needs to first enter the number or select the contact before using the SIM switch button. initially I considered this a worse alternative to the K330 scheme of having a call button for each SIM, but once I have used it I have no complaints.

Conclusion

Overall the phone is good. But is it good for the 4950 that I spent? I would like to admit: NO. The K330 for 2500 (now Rs. 1800) offers all that the C5212 offers in the dual sim area.

The additional Rs. 2500 that I spent to get the dual standby, dual GPRS features feels too much. But, fact is, since there is no one else offering this, I cannot complain. Nonetheless, those looking to get the C5212 should know that the C3212 only differs in the smaller screen, smaller camera resolution, and longer battery life.

I would recommend the C5212 only to those who will be really needing the dual standby feature. For 4950 there are many Indian phones that offer more functions and offer longer backup.

UPDATE :

Within a week of using the 5212, I sold it off at a 10% discount. The 2500 extra for the dual standby feature was not easy to come to terms with. I continue to use my trusted Karbonn K330, while hunting for a replacement.