*- No, I'm not an iPhone -*. Review on Samsung Star S5233

No, its not an iPhone. And well, you shouldn't expect an iPhone experience from this affordable touchscreen phone either!

But, As Harman Baweja is termed as the Gareebo ka Hrithik, this one can be termed as the Gareebo ka "iPhone". Samsung star s5233 is an affordable touchscreen phone, with a handsome set of features, and has its set of flaws too. In lieu of its price, and the set of features it provides, this one indeed is a good buy. Lets find out why ---

Pros -

• Handsome battery backup of almost 2 days with nominal usage of music player, radio, messaging and voicecalls, with bluetooth on all the time.

  
  




• Loud speakers (When compared to the speakers of the other offerings in this segment like the LG cookie pep(which is almost the same), or the Nokia 5233/5230 (which is really low)).

  
  




• Decent Camera, with a lot of options including a panaroma view, decent zoom and clear picture quality. Lots of options like single, smileshot, continous, modes like Portrait, landscape etc, effects like black/white, sepia etc, and lots more. Video recording was decent too.

  
  




• Included 2GB memory card, provides ample space.

  
  




• Included social networking gizmos for Facebook, youtube, myspace etc.(Basically a compact mode for these sites for faster use on mobiles).

  
  




• A pretty decent user interface, which might take a bit getting used to, but is quite user friendly compared to some others in this segment.

  
  




• Looks better in real, than in pictures, so take a look @ the shop, before making a decision based on looks.(Deifnitely better looking than the Cookie)

  
  




• Easy to use, widgets bar(Customizable) on the main screen.

  
  




• Big enough phonebook, big screen(240x400pixels, 2.8inch), and keypad and typing (for messages, emails etc) is easy once you get used to it.

  
  




• Mobile tracker.

  
  




• A nice looking stylus is also provided in the newer models.

  
  




• Motion sensors, are fun(especially with the motion-sensor enabled games).

  
  




• Lighter, @ around 95grams.

  
  

Cons -

• Very low message memory space. It doesnt even support the 500 messages capacity that it boats of, so if you want to have more message space, this one is not for you. Higher end samsungs like the Monte however supports saving messages on the memory card!

  
  




• No theme support.

  
  




• Isnt having the best touchscreen sensitivity. Would tend to hang a lot if handled roughly. got stuck a couple of times, when a lot of photos were taken, and saved. The automatic photo slideshow, gets stuck a lot, so be careful not to overdo it unnecessarily.

  
  




• No flash with the camera.

  
  




• No 3.5mm jack, so ure stuck with the pair of average earphones that are included in the box.

  
  




• Opening of the set, is pretty rough, and its really hard and dangerous to open the back cover.

  
  

Facts and Know-hows -

• There are different versions of this phone, one with 3g only, wifi only, no 3g or wifi etc etc, so choose which one suits your needs the best.

  
  




• By default, games(java based) are not supported. But there is a way to get them installed. You can go to darkforestgroup site and find it out. Its pretty easy, you will have to save and edit an html file along with the jar files.

  
  




• By default, themes are not supported. There is supposedly a black theme that could be loaded (after ofcourse a tiresome procedure). I would recommend changing your wallpapers instead. Easier that way, and safer too! :)

  
  

Got mine for around 6,800 bucks, (No Wifi/3G version, i,e, Star S5233S)

So, if you think, you are okay with a decent set of features and aren't looking for a iPhone, this one is quite worth the money! Definitely!