Samsung Galaxy Fit Review

The Fit slots in at the bottom end of the series price range, retailing for as little as £100 pay-as-you-go. Yet despite its low price, the Fit pulls out all the stops to shake of its humble roots and offer the complete smartphone experience -- an endeavor that were it not for its low resolution screen and out of date Android 2.2 operating system it would achieve.

Tech Spec

Desperately trying to hide its affordable roots, the Fit comes loaded with a capacitive, rather than physical menu and back buttons and a mat-groove finish that make the device feel more expensive than it actually is. So convincing is the Fit's attempt to look respectable, that were one not to turn the device on, you might well fall for Samsung's ruse.

Unfortunately, despite Samsung's best efforts, the Fit's budget nature becomes immediately apparent the moment you power it up. The most noticeable corner Samsung has cut to keep the Fit in the affordable price bracket is the device's screen. A 3.3-inch affair, the Fit 240x320pixel screen resolution is one of its biggest shortcomings.

While the size is a bit small for everyday tasks such as checking your email or reading a Facebook post it's the resolution that is a real chore. Looking fuzzy at the best of times, reading tweets or locations on Google Maps can at points be difficult, with the words occasionally meshing together.

The Fit's processor likewise shows off the device's cheap roots. Powered by a puny 600MHz processor, the Fit does feel underpowered when attempting to run certain apps -- Angry Birds in our case -- on it. That said for general scrolling and navigation the device worked fine, only suffering from the occasional chug when we used multi-touch features.

Operating System

Running the now archaic Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, the Fit's OS is another major stumbling block in its attempt to look presentable.

With Ice Cream Sandwich now out alongside the much higher end Galaxy Nexus, it would have been nice to see the Fit come pre-loaded with 2.3. Yet, despite being slightly out of date, 2.2 isn't a game breaker. The OS version still grants all the mainstream features most smartphone users would look for, letting you check your email, peruse the Android Marketplace, install apps and watch YouTube videos.

A Surprising Decent Camera and Battery

Despite the cheapness of the Fit's screen, the units camera is surprisingly decent. A 5-megapixel affair, the snapper comes equipped with auto-focus and is fully capable of standard-definition video recording. The battery was similarly solid, with a full charge we managed to get three full days use out of the Fit.

Conclusion

Having spent most of the review pointing out the Samsung Galaxy Fit's shortcomings, we can't help but respect the device for its ability to offer the core smartphone experience on a shoe-string budget.

Despite housing a fairly old version of Android and an abysmally low resolution screen the Fit manages to offer all the key features most entry level consumers would look for in a smartphone. In short, those looking to take a first step into the smartphone forest would do well to consider the Fit, with its modest price tag and surprisingly streamlined design offering a good starting point for new smartphone users.

Those already firmly in the smartphone camp, looking for a phone capable of fully taking advantage of the Android Marketplace would do well to look elsewhere, with the Fit's tiny processor leaving it unable to deal with the workload demanded by many modern apps.

The Good: