Samsung Trace Review - Introduction and Design

Reviewed by: Carley Petesch - Nov 22, 2006

Introduction

The turnover rate for cell phones is becoming faster as the competition for the thinnest, most hip and media savvy phones becomes greater. Samsung followed Motorola's lead after the release of the SLVR and RAZR by releasing the T509 in the summer of 2006. It was small, but had flaws. Now, only a few months later, Samsung has outdone its T509, and stepped up quality and style with the new Samsung Trace (SGH-T519). This phone boasts a sleeker style and improved features. It's also the thinnest phone out there.

The Trace is stylish, versatile and more than that, has impressive multimedia options including a 262K-color LCD wide screen, 1.3-megapixel camera, video capabilities, MP3 player, external microSD memory slot, and Bluetooth wireless capability. Boasting an enduring battery life, the Trace also comes with T-Mobile's newest added feature, the MyFaves program.

With the hype for the slimmest phones rising, the Trace maintains function as well as form, but some of the functions, such as video capture, can be much improved upon, as can the too hard to handle side charger slot and microSD insert. Compared however to other slim phones out there, including Motorola's new RAZR series, the Trace stands strong. Without a flip top, it's even skinnier than its competition.

Design

"Credit card" type phones are a benefit to any owner who wants to be able to slip it in their pocket, set it on vibrate, and avail themselves for any phone call. But as phones get slimmer, Samsung makes a point of maintaining and improving some features that any cell phone user demands, such as organizational tools, camera, voice recorder and web access. As technology improves, and companies want to make phones that are barely there, they still maintain a standard for features.

Samsung Trace Front The Trace is a sleek sophisticated phone that would make any owner look fashion savvy. With a silver and champagne color exterior and polished metal finish, the 4.45" x 1.97" x 0.33" phone out-thins its predecessor the T509 and the Motorola SLVR.

Ideal for slipping in a small pant pocket or purse for a night out, the Trace's rounded edges give it a bit more flare than the average rectangular phone, setting it apart from the Motorola ultra-thins.

The keys are wide and flat making it easy to avoid misdialing, but the light grey color of numbers on the keypad blend with champagne background making the numbers somewhat indistinguishable, even when backlit, something that most of its owners complain about. This is a feature especially hard to get over when dialing in the sunlight.

The handling of this phone can also get tricky at times. The battery charger is barely noticeable on the side of the phone. The lid comes off and rotates on a white cable to allow the battery charger to slip in. Without nails, it is extremely difficult to open. The microSD slot is the same. Samsung's T509 had a sliding battery charger which was a superior function to this difficult to handle new rotating battery socket.

The Samsung Trace feels fragile at first touch, but when talking on the phone or text messaging, the thin frame feels sturdy and comfortable. The width of the phone allows for a good grip.

Out of the box, the Samsung Trace comes with a Standard 900 mAh Li-Ion Battery, Travel Charger, Ear Microphone, Conversion Plug, Welcome CD, Quick Reference Guide, and User Manual.

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