Samsung U700

The U700 is the latest in a long line of slim slider phones from Samsung that boast supermodel looks. But this handset has brains as well as beauty, thanks to support for the latest ultra-fast 3G standard.

Strengths
The first thing you notice about this handset is its brilliant display. Not only is it big, bright and colourful but it also has a crisp 240x320-pixel resolution that's ideal for viewing Web pages using the built-in browser.


In fact, access to the Web is one of the areas that this phone excels at. Sure, the large screen is a bonus in this regard but what's even better is the support for HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), the next generation 3G standard. It allows the handset to connect to the Web at speeds of up to 3.6Mbps, and certainly it felt blisteringly quick while we were browsing sites via the Vodafone Live service.

As this is a 3G handset it's also equipped with twin cameras for video calling. The one on the front is the usual low-resolution affair but once you open the smooth slide mechanism the rear mounted 3.2-megapixel snapper is revealed.

This has both a micro mirror for taking self portraits and also a flash for shooting in low light. The shots it takes are above average as the autofocus keeps everything nice and sharp and images have natural-looking colour. A slight bit of smearing in the detail means it's not going to replace a dedicated camera but it's still pretty impressive.

The handset's slim and light design means it feels comfortable to hold, and battery life isn't too bad either -- you'll get around five hours of talk time out of it.