Samsung's SGH-U600 set a world record for thinnest slider handset on the market, a record that Samsung itself had set. The new U600 is thin - thinner than many of the thinnest candy bar shaped handsets available today. The danger of miniaturization, such as we see in the U600, is often compromised ergonomics and usability. In this review we'll see if Samsung can avoid those issues with their latest and greatest slider phone.
Compared with its predecessor, the D900, the U600 looks a lot more streamlined. All three color schemes look very attractive. Few could find fault with our Sapphire Blue review model. The material used in the body is mainly plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap at all thanks to its metallic finishing and coloring.
At 103.5mm x 49.3mm x 10.9mm (4.1" x 1.9" x .43"), the U600 feels very sleek and smooth in the hand. Its 81g weight is about right, and the build quality feels very solid. Users should have no problem sliding the device into a shirt pocket.
The front of the phone is almost completely flat. The d-pad is slightly raised in the middle, making it very comfortable to access. Unlike the d-pad, the soft keys and dial/hang-up keys are all touch-sensitive, making it possible to have them mounted on a completely flat surface. The clear plastic used on the front of the phone is much stronger than that of the D900 - pressing on the hard surface won't result in any distortion of the screen image.
The dial/hang-up buttons are not backlighted, whereas the softkeys and d-pad have a very attractive white backlight behind them. Since these buttons are touch-sensitive, they are not the most reliable in use. Samsung added in the function of having the softkeys blink when accessed. This doesn't rectify the fundamental problem with touch keys, but it might allow users to be more confident with these non-mechanical buttons. All touch sensitive keys are automatically locked during phone conversations, so they shouldn't pose a problem when the user's face touches them.
The design of the U600 is very clean. The volume keys, ports, and shutter buttons can be found on the sides. One addition would be the new power button at the top, which also serves as a keypad lock key. This is a useful feature, but being as the power button is located on the top, it is not as accessible as it could be for such a common function.
