Samsung G810 review: Zoom on Symbian

The announcement of Samsung G810 must have had many a geek's heart skip a few beats. The handset has all but the kitchen sink and there's Symbian under the hood. Now, we just had to test it, right? So, get your pulse back to normal and stay with us as we check if the Samsung G810 has the performance to back up those marvelous specs.

Samsung G810 camera phone

Key features

• 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and 3x optical zoom
• Symbian OS with S60 user interface
• 2.6" 256K-color TFT LCD display with QVGA resolution
• Wi-Fi
• Built-in GPS receiver
• 3G capabilities with HSDPA support
• Xenon flash
• 330MHz TI OMAP processor
• 130MB of internal memory plus a microSD card slot
• 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
• Bluetooth and USB v2.0
• TV-out functionality
• Great metallic design

Main disadvantages

• Large size
• Awkward keypad
• Tri-band only
• Poor sunlight legibility
• Xenon flash is disappointing
• Optical zoom reduces picture quality noticeably

It's pretty obvious Samsung G810 is having a go at Nokia N95 8GB. We're yet to see about how timely an attempt it is and if the top dog is to fear dethronement. G810 tops the Nokia feature pack with xenon flash, lens cover and face detection. Let's not forget the 3x optical zoom, which is still enough of a rarity. All this comes at the expense of a tad smaller screen: Samsung G810 features a 2.6-inch display, while Nokia N95 8GB has a 2.8-inch one.

Samsung G810 review photos

Other potential market rivals of the best-equipped Samsung to date are the Nokia N95 classic and Nokia N82. Sony Ericsson G900 could also sneak into the bunch of contenders. With a few other interesting names yet to hit the shelves, users are in for some exciting high-end hustle-and-bustle.

Another color version of Samsung G810, which we saw in Barcelona

One last thing before we get to the point - a little warning is due of our Samsung G810 being a beta sample. In fact, we can't really remember having the… well… pleasure of welcoming an earlier beta than this G810 to our office. Tweaks and fixes are bound (and more than welcome) to happen before the handset's up for grabs. Of course, we will update this article as soon as we lay our hands on a market unit.