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There's Something about Sensitivity
Samsung sure has it going for them in terms of cosmetic appearance. Clad mostly in white, with a gray screen and black trimmings, the F330 blends in well with almost any outfit, accessory, or occasion. Some may rant on about the chassis being too plasticky, but we welcomed the design as the plastic frame allows the F330 to be much lighter, but somehow manages to still retain that solid feel that we are used to. However, even with all its beauty and aesthetic design elements, we still have one gripe, the F330's sensitiveness on being 'touched'.
In what appears to be a common physical four-way directional navigation pad turns out to be a touch-sensitive square. And so are the four additional buttons located on the sides of the phones, only a hair's breadth away from all the action, including the Receive and Disconnect buttons. For the F330, all these touch-sensitive buttons grouped together creates a mobile that is too sensitive, resulting in temperamental and quirky responsiveness.
On top of this, tactile feedback is something to be concerned about. Accidental brushes are frequent, and so are making phone calls to the wrong parties. Another major drawback on this front is that the key lock feature seems to lose functionality, and a light touch of the power switch turns off the F330, when you don't mean to.
Music Prodigy
Sensitivity issue aside, the Samsung F330 is a whiz at music. Plug in the bundled earphones into the proprietary jack and audio tracks are portrayed brilliantly in sharp and crisp notes. Given that the F330 is currently advertised as Samsung's contribution into the music centric mobile market - together with the likes of Sony Ericsson's Walkman and Nokia's MusicXpress devices, the F330 actually fares excellently as an audio player when combined together with Samsung's Live Loud program.
For most, the prowess of the F330's excellent audio playback capabilities would be more than sufficient to lure them over, but some of the phone's other features may be a little restrictive. For example, settings of the 2.0-megapixel camera are limited with only two scene modes to choose from; Normal and Night Landscapes. There is also the lack of a flash unit, making the F330 capable of taking decent pictures in the day, though you might have to endure noisy indoor and night shots.
With a full charge of the Samsung F330, close to a day of usage for messaging, calling and music entertainment can be packed in before the low battery indicator warnings came on. So, do be prepared for daily charging if you're a power user.
All In All
The Samsung SGH-F330 has an undeniable beauty aspect, which makes it an excellent social device, but it does have its flaws for being too sensitive and slightly less full-featured for those looking for a complete all-rounder. What the phone excels in however, is being an excellent music player. Priced at S$568 (~US$404), consumers who appreciate its audio performance and looks should seriously put the F330 into their consideration list.
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