Samsung Z560
Speed demon. The Samsung Z560 has been billed as the first consumer-ready 3.5G phone to hit our shores. Faster download speeds are promised, so don that crash helmet and buckle up. It could get hairy.
EXACTLY this time last year the Samsung Z560 stole the show at 3GSM in Barcelona. With first-class hotels covered in gigantic billboards and larger-than-life phone replicas greeting you at every turn, everyone knew the Z560 was the very first consumer HSDPA (3.5G) phone in Europe. But why has it taken so long to come to Blighty? Well, it’s been surplus to requirements over here in the UK, because operators have only just rolled out their HSDPA networks for faster download times. TMobile and Vodafone were the first to upgrade their existing 3G networks, while 3 will follow shortly with its offering. Mobile Choice is confident that the Samsung Z560 is the first mainstream 3.5G-ready phone in the UK, but we’re sure Motorola will contest this with its recent launch of the MOTORAZR maxx V6 on Vodafone (turn the page to see our review). T-Mobile has already launched the HSDPA MDA Vario II, but it’s business-focused, so wouldn’t appeal to the everyman. Again, the Samsung Z560 is exclusive to T-Mobile, making use of its Web’n’Walk internet tariff to showcase the handset’s new-found download Prowess. Despite being fitted with a new HSDPA motor, the Z560 looks like another classic Samsung clamshell. It’s perhaps a tad wider and longer than you’re used to, but its trim 16mm profile makes it sweet to handle. Okay, the annoying T-Mobile logo and HSDPA badge do taint its minimalist noir finish, but it still feels and looks like a classy number, in line with its Ultra range. Samsung always comes into its own when you flip or slide open its phones. You’re greeted by a generously sized 2.3-inch display, obviously primed for serious mobile internet surfing. Regular readers will know how much we rate Samsung’s displays, probably ranking them the best around in terms of colour and sharpness of detail. The Z560’s QVGA-quality screen is, of course, another stunner. The keypad is a delight to operate, with ample space given to individual keys, including room to breathe between them. The layout is uniform with Samsung only including dedicated keys for video calling and shortcuts (this gives quick access to calls, messages, internet and ending all programs), while the buttons and five-way navigation pad are slightly raised and incredibly responsive. As you would expect, the user interface is T-Mobileflavoured, but is still based around Samsung’s own intuitive system and it won’t take you long to fathom. But let’s get down to why we’re here. Does the HSDPA support make any difference to the download times of web pages and multimedia content? Well, based in London, Mobile Choice is privy to a strong HSDPA signal (T-Mobile has concentrated on major cities before rolling out further), and given this, the download speeds were noticeably faster than 3G. The Z560 uses the NetFront web browser and skipping from BBC News, to Sky Sports and onto Amazon on T-Mobile’s Web’n’Walk homepage was seamless. It took between three and five seconds for each page to load, sometimes even less. The HSDPA signal is characterised by a 3G+ symbol in the top left-hand corner and it did slip back to 3G and EDGE when we used the phone outside of London and, indeed, sometimes within the Capital itself. TMobile’s 3G coverage currently covers 65% of the population and this is expected to rise to 80% by the end of the year. Initially its 3.5G signal will be incredibly patchy, so you might experience initial teething problems. Like the D900, the Z560 offersautofocus with its two-megapixel camera and it whirs into action nicely. The lens captures in a 1600x1200-pixel resolution and if you’re worried about lighting conditions, the absence of a flash means you have to rely on the white balance settings to adapt to your environment. But this can work well if you know your photography onions. Pictures display consistent focus and good detail for a two-megapixel camera, even though it is prone to blow out on whiter areas. Unfortunately, video recording is an afterthought with a juddering 176x144-pixel resolution only worthy for fun. Music is played via the built-in Media Player, but unlike its compadre, the D900, the features are limited to creating playlists. We struggled to find any shuffle, equaliser or 3D sound enhancement, leaving the audio bereft at the bottom end and sounding harsh at high volume through the supplied proprietary earphones. Luckily, the Z560 does support the A2DP Bluetooth profile so we streamed our tunes wirelessly to a pair of Jabra BT820 cans and this boosted the fidelity a tad. There are also music touch keys on the front to control the player. The 20MB of internal memory won’t stockpile much, so a hot-swappable microSD card, up to 2GB in size, can store all your multimedia clobber. Elsewhere, Samsung has also included a virtual pet game called mPet and a highly useful application showing the maps of the underground systems in London, Paris, Milan and Berlin. The Samsung Z560 is undoubtedly the better all-rounder of the three mainstream HSDPA phones on review in this issue. It’s a classy phone and a real pleasure to use. If you live in a big city and surf the internet on the move, HSDPA speeds will be a Godsend. It does make life less exasperating – when you get a true signal that is.
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• Deals on Samsung D and E series slimline handsets
Gets a strong 3.5G signal, web pages load in no time, and downloads zip through.
The Z560’s music player is a bit limiting and sounds weedy through the earphones.
Until the coverage is more widespread, HSDPA will only provide an erratic service, but the Samsung Z560 is a strong first offering showcasing this nextgeneration mobile broadband.
Want to buy this phone? Click on a deal below
• Deals on Samsung D and E series slimline handsets
