In a nutshell: If you want a touchscreen phone with the
benefit of a QWERTY keyboard and you don't want to spend big bucks,
the Genio Touch is pretty well as good as it gets. With a native
facebook application, WiFi, aGPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and memory
expandable to a monster 16GB, there isn't much not to like about
this phone. If we could improve one thing, it would be the camera.
Everything else rocks! Best buy:
*Free* from BuyMobilePhones.
Review:
February 2010.
It's
hard not to be impressed by the Samsung Genio Slide. If you use
your phone for texting and facebook and you want features like a
music player with FM radio, assisted GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack
and plenty of memory, then you might well have found your perfect
phone.
The
big advantage that the Genio Slide has over most mid-range phones
is its slide-out keyboard. Now, we love touchscreen phones just
as much as everyone, but nothing can beat a full QWERTY keyboard
for fast typing, especially if it has large well-spaced responsive
keys like the Genio Slide. The combination of real keyboard plus
a large 2.8 inch touchscreen makes the Genio a joy to use.
The
Genio Slide has been designed for the always-connected facebook
generation and comes with its own native facebook application, plus
widgets that give easy access to MySpace and instant messaging.
Messages are organised by contact, treating texts and other messages
in one uniform interface, so you can easily follow conversations
with your friends.
The
Genio Slide is a 3G phone, so data transfer is fast. There's also
WiFi, for even faster data speeds in a WiFi hotspot.
The
phone has a music player of course, and has the benefit of a 3.5mm
audio jack, so you can plug in any standard-fit headphones. We're
pleased to see that the internal memory is a generous 150MB, and
you can add a microSD card to expand this all the way up to 16GB,
to store your whole music collection. There's also an FM radio with
RDS.
AGPS
is also included, which is quite a surprise for a phone that costs
a little over £100 on PAYG.
The
one area where the Genio Slide doesn't quite match up to expectations
is in the camera. It's a fixed focus camera with just 3.2 megapixels,
and doesn't come anywhere near the quality of the best camera phones.
But it's fine for taking snaps of friends, and is at least as good
as the cameras on phones such as the Samsung
Genio Touch or the Samsung
Tocco Lite. The Genio Slide has a video camera as well, and
is also able to make video calls.
Battery
life seems to be good.
It's
quite a heavy phone, but that's to be expected when you consider
that it has a full size keyboard. It's a reasonably compact phone
though, being about the same size as the Tocco Lite, just a few
millimetres thicker. Really, it's hard to see how Samsung could
have made it any thinner.
If
you've read this much of the review, chances are that you're as
excited by the Genio Slide as we are. And so, to answer your question,
we'd say: go for it!
One
final thought. The nearest competitor to this phone is probably
the LG GW520. The two phones both have
touchscreens and slide-out keyboards, and cost about the same. In
our opinion the Genio Slide is better because it has aGPS, WiFi,
a 3.5mm audio jack, more memory, video calling and is more reliable.
In fact, that makes it a heck of a lot better!
Features of the Samsung Genio Slide include:
3.2 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom
Video camera / 3G video calling
Display: TFT, 262,000 colours, 320 x 240 pixels
(2.8 inches) with auto rotation
Music player
FM radio RDS
Ringtones: MP3 ringtones
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email, IM
AGPS
Voice memo & voice mail
Speakerphone
Java games (4)
Document viewer
Mobile Tracker
Offline mode
WAP 2.0, GPRS, EDGE, 3.5G, Dolphine 1.5 web
browser
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB 2.0, WiFi,
3.5mm jack
Memory: 150 Mbytes plus MicroSD memory card
slot (up to 16GB supported)
Personal organiser functions
Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) plus 3G
(900/2100 MHz)
Size: 105 x 57 x 16 mm
Weight: 135g
Talktime: 230 - 490 minutes
Battery standby: 390 - 560 hours
Samsung Genio
Slide Consumer Reviews
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear
words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Average
rating from 34 reviews:
Reviewed by Roger from UK on
6th Sep 2010
Thought you might like to know the outcome of my visit to the shop.
(Read the review below first). Happened to find the right bloke
who knew the answer which in the end is quite simple. In the beginning
the phone was set up to "Automatic" in the network mode. This would
be the obvious choice for most people I imagine. However, unless
you are in a good 3G reception area it is NOT a good idea. In the
heirarchy of mobile phone bands 3G is at the top, and will try to
pull the signal to it even if it is weaker than GSM or UMTS. In
my case I am in a poor 3G area and the reason for my poor reception
is that the signal was being "pulled". As it was so poor it resulted
in a drop out. The phone has now been adjusted to GSM 900/1800 and
all is working fine with a 5 bar signal where yesterday it was only
1 or out. It would be better if the manuals explained this in the
first place, as otherwise you are expected to know all the answers
yourself. The Genio manual in my opinion is very poor, as it assumes
that everyone has a degree in mobile phones! Now it is working OK
I can give it 5 stars. This info might be of use to others with
the same problem. Rating:
Reviewed by Roger from UK on
5th Sep 2010
Have had this phone for 3 weeks now and it has been a bit of a struggle
to say the least! Getting the email setup would have been made more
easy if Vodafone (after I had phoned them) gave the right information.
In the shop they didn't know how to do it either! Found the answer
eventually on a webpage. Signal strength is abismal compared with
my battered old phone side by side on the table. The old one shows
5 bars and the new one if you are lucky might show 1. Soon as you
put it in your pocket it's zapped. Taking it back tomorrow to see
if they will change it. Must be something wrong with the phone,
as most other people do not seem to have this problem. Other than
the reception problem it is an easy phone to operate once set up,
but can't rate it very high at the moment. Rating:
Reviewed by Jamie from Northern Ireland
on 31st Aug 2010
Great phone. Touch screens are awful to text on sometimes so the
fantastic keyboard is there. Rating:
Reviewed by Jaime from United Kingdom
on 25th Aug 2010
Hi there i am writing to let you know my friends got this phone
they are really easy to use i am getting one Rating:
Reviewed by George from Uk on
12th Aug 2010
I love this phone it's brilliant. It's the best phone iv had. I'd
definately recomend it to any one considering it. Also type in *#0*#
because you can use the front camera as a mirror and loads of other
stuff. The code connects to the LCD test Rating:
Reviewed by Charlie from England on
9th Aug 2010
brilliant Rating:
Reviewed by Kate from England on
26th Jul 2010
I have had this phone for about 2 months now and it has never disappointed!
The querty keyboard is amazing and easy to use as well as GPS 3G
camera texting internet widgets ect. What I like about this phone
is that instead of paying for the internet you can also join up
to your home internet box like I have a wanadoo box and I can connect
up to the internet on it for free! The widgets are amazing especially
the find music one; you play any song in the world and it'll reconise
it seriously! A 2GB SD memory card comes with it so you dont have
to buy one. The music player is amazing quality, the video calls
are good (if not a little expensive 50p per minute), camera is good
quality (considering its only 3.0 MP)! I love this phone and I dont
care what any body else says Rating:
Reviewed by B-ruc3 from scotland on
14th Jul 2010
Well first of all the keyboard is great. Sadly my phone doesn't
like to get signal anywhere, not because of the network, but of
the phone. Dad on same network (Orange) and he gets fuul signal
wheras i do not. Also When I attempt to change the camera settings
it automatically reboots the phone. Camera quality is mediocre.
Stereo is good quality. Also it doubles up all my music when I set
it as a ringtone? and then the internet is slow, and the entire
phone works slowly. Thought it was amazing to begin with, but as
time passes, i guaruntee that you will be disappointed. Rating:
Reviewed by You don't need to know from
U.K on 13th Jul 2010
This is agreat phone my first one so I'm still getting the hand
of texting. GGGRRREEEAAATTT!!! Rating:
Reviewed by anonymous from England on
18th Jun 2010
I love dis phone!!! it looks so cool plus it has apps 4 facebook
and i just luv the look of the keyboard!!! :) Rating:
Reviewed by Kate from UK on 13th
Jun 2010
Hey, more of a question than a review because what is there not
to like about this phone?? Does anyone know how to work the phone
rings as mine only rings 4 times then goes to answer machine and
i can't really figure it out :/ any help/advice would be much appreciated
x Rating:
Reviewed by Frank from England on
5th Jun 2010
Everything is great apart from the qwerty keyboard which only after
a short time of use is absolutely falling to bits (any I don@'t
text much) the keyboard is very like the Sony Ericsons of a couple
of years ago where the numbers cracked and came adrift.Other than
that excellent phone with good touch screen, excellent mobile internet
access and good battery life Rating:
Reviewed by bwr from uk on 24th
May 2010
When i try and change the camera settings it automatically reboots
the phone every time. really need to change to view picture after
taking one as default is just automatically saving it :( BAD Rating:
Reviewed by some 1 from uk on
21st May 2010
its my first phone evr and its great all my friends want one Rating:
Reviewed by Lizabeth from UK on
20th May 2010
Only had this phone a couple of days but love it already! Touchscreen
is much more responsive and easy to use than previous Samsung touchscreens
(had the original Omnia and it was a nightmare) I love the choice
of widgets which include Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Myspace and Google
as well as all sorts of other things, and the internet is very fast.
Also loving the BBC iPlayer built in, works really well and what
a brilliant little extra! It has no problem playing Youtube videos
and plays them in good quality, no skipping or pausing. Internet
was EASY to set up, I was on Facebook within 2 minutes of switching
it on for the first time. This really is a fantastic phone, I think
Samsung could've charged double what they do for it and it would
still be worth its money! If you're thinking of buying it you seriously
won't be disappointed. The camera isn't as bad as the review makes
it out to be although there are much better on the market, so dont
buy if you rely heavily on a very good camera as there is also no
flash and it doesnt work brilliantly in low light. The only improvements
I would suggest is a longer battery life and a stronger vibrate
as I can't feel it ring in my pocket, which is a bit of a letdown.
Otherwise, this is by far the best phone I have ever owned. Rating:
Reviewed by Liam C from Scotland on
17th May 2010
aye this is great. Rating:
Reviewed by laurabee from UK on
9th May 2010
amazing :O Rating:
Reviewed by Chris from UK on
7th May 2010
I got this phone off ebay; its an unlocked Vodafone. Its not the
most robust of phones, but not bad. Touch screen works very well,
and the internet is fast. I use the popout keyboard a lot, so its
not just a novelty. Fairly easy to use; compared to other Samsung
phones. It has frozen once, but I was just getting used to it and
probably pressed some odd combination of keys; hasnt done it since.
I like the widgets. Google, weather, facebook, bluetooth, picasa,
and calendar are my choices. Would have been nice to be able to
add more widgets. Camera seems fine for a phone. A little more robust,
and this would be a 5* phone. But its not a £400 iphone, so a bit
of plastic is not too bad. Rating:
Reviewed by Ali from UK on 5th
Apr 2010
I have had this phone for about a week and so far I have had no
problems. I love the fact that you can have three homescreens. The
keyboard is very easy to use as is the touchscreen. This phone is
absolutely amazing and is definately worth buying. Rating:
Reviewed by Elvis from UK on
4th Apr 2010
Just an update from my previous March 1st review. Had a couple of
instances of the phone freezing when typing a text, resulting in
an automatic reboot. Sent about 4000 texts and it's only done it
twice so hardly a complete disaster, but still not ideal. Four stars
now for the phone, BAD Samsung! Rating:
Reviewed by Sarah from UK on
28th Mar 2010
Should you buy the Genio slide - YES you should!! Its the BEST phone
i've ever had! And i am not exaggerating. I honestly always complain
about mobiles, and i've had plenty in my time. But the only complaint
I have about this phone is that the touch screen is that good, that
i dont ever have to use the slide out qwerty!! Its awesome.. go
buy it NOW!! :) Rating:
Reviewed by David N from UK on
27th Mar 2010
This phone on paper was perfect for me. Occasional internet surfing
is much easier with a nice slide out keyboard, 3G, WiFi, use your
own headphones, FM Radio. The phone does represent real value for
money. However the phone does, unsurprisingly, betray its budget
roots. Some of the menus are plan ugly and the touch screen can
be hit and miss. I also found things like writing a basic text message
to be counter intuitive due to a general poor menu layout. I have
always had contract phones before and there is always more of a
‘quality’ feel to the whole package. Is Samsung had
paid more attention to detail on the UI and fitted a better touch-screen
I would have given 5 stars. As it is I can only give 3. Rating:
Reviewed by JJ from UK on 18th
Mar 2010
Have had the Genio Slide for just over a week and not too impressed
with it at the moment. Touchscreen doesn't seem very responsive,
wi-fi is a bit hit and miss and often when sending a longer text
it freezes so have to save message in drafts then go back to edit
it so I can finish off the message. I'm on Vodafone contract and
they seem to be really pushing these phones at the monment. It's
being replaced tomorrow. I'm not that optimistic but have a feeling
I might be stuck with it as Vodafone won't extend time for me to
change my mind even though they originally persuaded me to try it
for a bit longer as 'it was my first touchscreen phone'! Anyone
else had any problems? Rating:
Reviewed by Adeel from uk on
15th Mar 2010
It really is a great phone overall but the inbuilt browser is quite
poor , there are alternative browsers out there such as operamini
and bolt. Does anyone know how to check the internet usage on this
phone? I cant seem to locate it Rating:
Reviewed by Bruceey from Scotland on
13th Mar 2010
A great phone responsive touch and great keyboard. Camera could
be slightly better and possibly the speaker quality but you know,
a small priceto pay. Awesome 5 Stars - ***** Rating:
Reviewed by Sonia from UK on
13th Mar 2010
wow! just WOW Rating:
Reviewed by Elvis from UK on
1st Mar 2010
I think Samsung have just released one of the best value phones
that's been on the market for a long time. It's the ideal combination
of menu navigating on the touchscreen and actual typing on the superb
slide out QWERTY. The Samsung OS works well and has not been buggy
at all so far. It's not lightning quick but it works just fine.
To mention a point raised before, this does not seem the no compromise
teen phone it is being billed as. I'm 36 and it's an ideal phone
for me! I love the text conversation implementation, it works like
an instant messaging system, with texts appearing in a neat conversation
layout with no clicking required. And I think the REAL full keypad
is just superb, won't want to go back to anything else now. Also
really like the way you can organise all four menu screens into
what you want personally, and even create and name your own. Samsung's
widget system is present and correct, BUT the choice is limited
to every Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and Bebo based website in existence...
(a definite pointer to it's teen billing!) Why oh why didn't Samsung
give users the option to use widgets for composing texts, inbox,
calculator, alarms, files etc? There are too many useless widgets
as well (stop smoking, go on a diet, two clocks, 'help'....), Samsung
have missed a trick there. Other downsides are not great build quality
(v plastic) and the screen space is not always used efficiently
(pointless grey bars at the top and bottom which reduce visible
list items by one or two) However, even with the few niggles I think
this a superb phone that works like a charm. 3G, Wifi, full QWERTY
and touchscreen all for £135 unlocked. Superb Rating:
Reviewed by Duff from UK on 1st
Mar 2010
Suprisingly good for a 'cheap' phone. Actually prefer to my E71.
Not as much of a Teen Texter phone as it's marketed to appear. I'm
27 and find this a useful phone, the 3.5mm headphone jack is a godsend
and with wifi for the price - excellent. Might actually keep this
phone for more than 12 months! Rating:
Reviewed by sara from uk on 21st
Feb 2010
great phone Rating:
Reviewed by Ketan from United Kingdom
on 21st Feb 2010
I have a Vodafone branded Genio Slide with a red QWERTY slide out
keyboard and a white back door. It's great, for such a cheap price
you get GPS, Wi-Fi and more with themes that are great for kids
and themes that are great for adults, its a "un-age" mobile phone,
two for the price of one a beautiful spaced QWERTY keyboard and
a easy to use no fuss touchscreen that's very responsive. I was
about to buy the BlackBerry Curve 8520, but its much better not
only in style as GSM Arena says; "The Curve 8520 feels like a Chinese
toy..." and they say about the Genio Slide; "The Genio Slide is
surprisingly cheap phone, that feels expensive..." So its way better
than a mid-range BlackBerry for a cheap price that's suitable for
both kids and adults, its great! Totally recommend. Rating:
Reviewed by omz from england on
18th Feb 2010
this fone is brilliant its got evreything Rating:
Reviewed by Vicks from Ireland on
16th Feb 2010
This fone is realy great like. Rating:
Reviewed by rubz from uk on 11th
Feb 2010
awsome fone great for a 15 yr old i got it like 1 month ago from
abroad and its fab it has gps but its not tht responsive but it
has wifi and i use it for internet and its perfect! Rating:
Reviewed by jj from england on
6th Feb 2010
this phone is awesome its cheap but feels exspensive. it is packed
full of features like facebook 3g and a good web browser. The qwerty
keyboard is goodand the leters are quite spaced out so you wont
be hitting to keys at the same time. i havent had any problems with
this phone so i would say go for it. Rating:
It's
hard not to be impressed by the Samsung Genio Slide. If you use
your phone for texting and facebook and you want features like a
music player with FM radio, assisted GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack
and plenty of memory, then you might well have found your perfect
phone.
