Update 21/12/2009:

Because it won't be upgraded to the next version of Android, the Galaxy has last a star.  Just two months after its release, the Galaxy has already had to make way for a new model, the Spica, which almost makes it obsolete.  That leaves it with a final score of two stars.

The Galaxy is Samsung’s first try out with the Android OS. It therefore gives very easy access to the Google universe and, at least on paper, seems to do better than the HTC Magic. With its 3.2 inch AMOLED screen, 8 GB memory, 5 Megapixel photo sensor and flash, all the connectivity you require to offer the best communications link-up and a very powerful battery, has the n°1 mobile phone manufacturer in France succeeded with its first attempt?

Low on the style ratings

We weren’t very impressed with the look of the Galaxy. Not at all stylish. Strange, as in the past Samsung has come out with some nice looking phones. For its first Android, which puts it de facto in a category apart, we expected better. As it is, it's not a patch on the HTC Hero, that has real allure and, whether you like it or not, at least has the merit of making sure you notice it!

Nevertheless, the Galaxy does have a nice finish and, a real plus, the superb large AMOLED screen that you now find on all top Samsung products (the Jet, the Player HD). Contrast, colours, precision, brightness and viewing angles, all are up to the mark. Compared to the HTC Hero (320 x 480 pixels, the screen lacks brightness) you can clearly see the difference.


Four days with the Galaxy

Our time with the Galaxy went well. In fact, there was no real difference with the HTC Magic. The interface is the same (not like the HTC Hero that has a nice coating); ie intuitive. It is also fluid and responsive, like the HTC Magic.

You certainly won’t get frustrated with your Galaxy. It won’t crash or slow down and won’t choose what actions to take in your place, as some more temperamental smartphones do. For example, the accelerometer isn’t too sensitive and won’t change the device display unexpectedly. For those who want an alternative to the total touch experience for navigation within pages, the pad around the ‘OK’ button will be very practical.

Of course, we are still impressed with the access to the Google universe (Gmail, Search, Maps…) and Android Market to install any new apps simply and rapidly (the catalogue is moreover increasing all the time)
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The multimedia experience

As far as using the internet goes, there’s no change: this is still an agreeable experience and the precision of the zoom (that appears when you touch the screen) is much appreciated. Pages don’t take long to download: here the Galaxy is comparable to the speed of the iPhone 3G S.


The Galaxy has been supplied with the usual semi-in-ear Samsung headphones. These aren’t great but better than the standard headphones supplied by other manufacturers. The Android interface is nicer than the Samsung interface but could be taken a bit further. The headphones out and the speakers could, as usual, give better, cleaner sound, but at least the socket is a standard one, in contrast to that on the HTC Magic.



The Galaxy does a bit better than the Magic as a camera and has a sensor on a par with the HTC Hero. The focus and shoot are pretty fast, which is a good thing for this type of device that you’ll often want to use to catch a moment. The photo results are far from perfect: the colours are quite saturated. Also, the images lack detail and you’ll often get slightly blurred results. Note that the flash although there – in contrast to the Magic or the Hero – only lights up the top part of the scene when it is really dark, leaving the bottom section unlit altogether. See here:


Video quality isn’t very good and is of rather low definition (352x288 pixels) and the sound is only just ok.

The Galaxy does of course have a GPS chip. Although it is delivered without navigation software, a version of CoPilot for android is available on Android Market (we’ll give more details on this soon). If you don’t have CoPilot, you can always fall back on Google Maps.

The Galaxy battery lasts for a good day as long as you don’t overuse the internet and mails.