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Review: Samsung Sunburst

Form Basics Extras Video Tour Wrap-Up Comments 5

Is It Your Type? Body The Three S's Touch

Samsung has flooded the market with phones like the Samsung Sunburst: simple tablet phones with a resistive touchscreen dominating a small and light shell. While the rest of the pack, including the Samsung Solstice and Samsung Mythic on AT&T, or the Samsung Highlight on T-Mobile, sticks to a more square, stately look, the Samsung Sunburst tries a friendlier approach. The phone seems more curvy, with chrome accents sweeping in from the sides in an effect that gives the phone a hippy, hourglass appearance. The most striking feature, though, is the shiny chrome smile that weaves between the three buttons on the face. When you wake the Sunburst from sleeping, the smile actually lights up, adding to the effect.

The phone is small, thin and light in the hand or pocket. Though the light weight gives it a somewhat less expensive feel, the metal accents and soft touch paint on the back cover make it pleasant to hold and use, so it doesn't feel too cheap.

There are few buttons around the device. On the face you'll find a Send and End key and a Back button. The End key pulls double duty as a power button. These are real buttons, not touch sensitive keys, and they have a nice, sharp click. On the left side there's a nicely raised volume rocker with some tiny metal accents to help it stand out. There's also an external microSD port, always a better choice than a slot hidden under the battery.

On the right side of the phone there's a large camera button, though it's only a single stage shutter release since the Sunburst doesn't use auto focus. There's also a screen lock key. Near the top of the right side you'll find Samsung's proprietary port for charging, USB and headphones. I hate that Samsung still sticks with a proprietary port, especially on these less expensive phones. This means you won't be able to use your own earbuds, you won't be able to use a standard USB cable and you won't be able to share microUSB chargers with other devices.

Next page: The Three S's

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Samsung Sunburst A697

3" display 240 x 400 pixels
1,000 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot

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