By characteristics Samsung SGH-X400 looks like another simple clamshell-style phone from Samsung. But this isn't true, because it has some features that make it quite interesting and unusual phone. According to manufacturer, X400 is the first phone from the new line of phones for mobile gaming. Instead of buttons ''2'', ''4'', ''6'' and ''8'' it has 4-direction controller for games. As we have mentioned before, phone is clamshell-style. As it is common to Samsung phones, it also has big color display. Other phone's functions are very similar to phones from S series. So what makes X400 different from other phones? We're about to find out.
Design
By size X400 is a bit larger than other Samsung phones (excluding such as V200 or S100). Phone's design isn't usual too. Its form is different from other Samsung's clamshell-style phones. Colors are also quite unusual: excluding dark-blue phone, there also are violet, yellow and orange phones. So, despite its quite simple design, Samsung made really good looking image-class phone. It should look well even in the hands of a businessman, not only of teen, because it doesn't look very extravagant. The only disadvantage of phone's design is that in ''opened'' mode phone's cover (where the display is) weighs a bit too much.
Phone's keyboard is common to all Samsung phones and consists of buttons with numbers and group of control buttons: soft-keys, buttons for answering and rejecting call, ''C'' button, 4-direction joystick and button for quickly launching WAP browser. Buttons can be pressed very easily, so it is comfortable to use keyboard. On the left side phone has two buttons for controlling sound volume. They are also quite comfortable.
Samsung X400 has a big TFT color display that has 65K colors. It has a size of 128 x 128 pixels. Display is bright and contrast, its quality is quite good. In bright sunlight information can be read a bit worse, but not as bad as in some other models from other manufacturer. Outer display is monochromic, with the size of 96 x 64 pixels. Display is inverse (shows bright symbols in black background).
On the front side phone has logo ''Game'' with the indicator around it. During the incoming call the indicator flashes in different colors.
Phone comes with two batteries – standard and thin. As in all Samsung phones, battery attaches to phone as a part of phone's case. Battery can be attached and detached very easily. Traditionally port for SIM card is located under the battery.
Features
By functions phone is very similar to phones from S series. Menu is animated and user can select one of two animated themes. Menu can have 3D-animated pictures.
Phonebook can store up to 500 phone numbers (not entries). Each entry can contain up to 5 phone numbers, email and URL. Phonebook's entries can be stored in SIM-card and in phone's memory (but entries in SIM-card can contain only one number). Entries from both SIM-card and phone's memory are displayed in one list. Phone also supports caller groups. It can have up to 5 groups. Each group can have its own ringtone, SMS tone and picture.
Messages. Phone supports SMS, MMS and Nokia Smart Messaging. Phone supports predictive text input. Phone also has some pictures and melodies that can be attached to messages. Phone can store up to 50 messages.
Call lists. This menu item contains standard lists of received, missed and dialed calls.
Sound settings. This menu contains quite standard features. User can choose ringtone (phone supports 40-tone polyphonic ringtones), type of call (sound, vibrocall or mixed mode), ringtone for SMS, turn on/off minute beep and choose ringtone that is played when waiting for the other talker to answer.
Phone settings. This menu contains all standard phone's settings. Besides, user can manually control contrast and brightness of the display.
Organizer contains all standard features, such as calendar, task list, world time, settings for time and date, alarm-clock, calculator and currency converter. User can type up to 2 notes for each day in calendar. But there is a way to avoid this limit, by typing a note in another day and then copying it to necessary day.
Network settings menu contains all standard network settings, such as call redirect, etc. Excluding these features, phone allows to choose the band (GSM 900/1800 or GSM 1900) manually.
Funbox. This menu contains all most interesting phone's features. Menu contains games (Go! Hamster, Honey Ball, Bowling and Snowboard), WAP browser, FM radio and downloads. All these features are quite standard, except FM radio – we have never seen clamshell-style phone with built-in radio. Radio works using hands-free equipment. It can also work with headset, which comes with the phone. Interface of radio's application is very simple and understandable and consists only of volume controller and stations' selector. Of course, application also has such features as auto and manual scans, but they are located in application’s menu. In ''closed'' mode radio station's frequency is displayed on the outer display. Volume can be controlled by two buttons, on the left side of the phone. FM radio application can be quickly launched by pressing arrow-up button. The quality of the sound of radio is quite good. Phone also supports Java and has 4 installed Java games (Bubble Smile, Fun2Link, Phone Golf and Chess) that can be easily deleted from the phone if user needs additional memory for some other applications.
Endings
As in all other Samsung phones, quality of the conversations is quite good.
40-tone polyphonic ringtones sound very well and clear and can be well heard even in quite noisy environment. But phone's vibrocall isn't very powerful and can't be felt well if user wears winter clothes.
Slogan of X400 is ''X400 – play Xtreme''. But we can't say that X400 is perfect for playing. It can't be called ''N-Gage from Samsung''. Despite that it has many games, that weren't seen in earlier phones, it doesn't have any features that make gaming more comfortable (except big color display, but almost all new phones have it). Of course, you can say that it has new type of joystick (on the buttons with numbers), but this joystick even can't be called joystick – buttons are just colored differently. Of course, it is more comfortable to play using this joystick than, for example, the buttons on S300 or other phones, but not as comfortable as we'd like to. But on the other hand, the joystick isn't a very bad idea. The main thing is that it doesn't reduce comfort of using menu and typing phone numbers or messages.
At the beginning of our review we told you that we will find out what makes X400 different from other phones. Some of you may say that we didn't do this, because X400 looks like another simple phone from image-class (except that it has many games). But this phone is different in new type of design of phones for youth. All earlier phones for youth had an unusual form, many flashing lights and some other similar features. X400 doesn't have all this. But Samsung's designers still made very stylish phone that every young person should like. Differently from other phones for youth, X400 is dedicated for 18-25 year old people, when other phones from the same class are dedicated for 12-18 year old users.
So, because of such design elements as unusual form and colors, inverse outer display, unusual keyboard, many games, FM radio and very good looking menu, Samsung SGH-X400 has its style and this should help it finding its buyers. Besides, nobody cares that phone doesn't fit its slogan (''X400 – play Xtreme'') - the main thing for young users is that phone has its own style, which should perfectly fit users' lifestyle.
