Samsung REX 70 S3802

Overview

Solid and Rugged

Samsung REX 70 Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Rex 70 has a candy bar form factor featuring a 3-inch touch screen, and is available in white, grey or blue. Three function buttons, Call Attend, Home and Call End are prominent on the phone face, below the screen.

User Interface and Comfort to Use Samsung REX 70

The phone runs on a Java operating system, with the TouchWiz UI that is standard with Samsung’s phones in this niche. However, the interface is noticeably slower than that of the Nokia Asha, the Rex 70’s main competitor.

Telephony and Phonebook

The Rex 70 allows for simultaneous use of two lines as well as features Samsung’s True Hot Swap technology, allowing the user to remove or insert SIM cards without having to power off the device.

Messaging and Emails

The phone supports SMS, MMS, email, and Instant Messaging with predictive text input with a capacity to store up to 500 SMS messages.

Gallery, Photo Viewer and Video Player

The phone supports a variety of formats, namely MP4, H.263 and WAV playback. Photo viewing and video playback is unimpressive due to the relatively low resolution of the 240 x 320 pixel display on a relatively large screen.

Samsung REX 70 Music Player and FM radio

The Rex 70 music player supports all major audio formats including WAV, AAC, AAC+, AMR, MIDI, iMelody and MP3. The sound reproduction through the included headphones is crisp, even in relatively noisy environments. Additionally, the handset has a built-in FM radio receiver.

Samsung REX 70 Camera and Image Quality

With its 2-megapixel camera that features digital zoom, the Rex 70 feature phone can take photos with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. However, while the resulting pictures are adequate for most purposes, the lack of a flash or auto focus capability is a handicap in low-light conditions.

Samsung REX 70 Video Camera and Video Quality

The device possesses good, if unspectacular video recording capability. The Enhanced camera does have some redeeming features though, a particularly impressive one being the TV output, enabling streaming to an external LED or LCD screen.

Samsung REX 70 Connectivity Options

The Rex 70 feature phone provides an array of options for connectivity to devices via 802.11 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0. Also available on the handset is a USB connection hub supporting USB 2.0 for fast data transfer between the device and a computer.

Organizer and Other Utility Tools

Alongside standard features like a calculator, notes and organizer, the phone has Active Sync Push Mail preinstalled, allowing the user to connect to their email provider to download and send email messages. The email application also enables synchronization with contacts and the calendar.

Web Browser and Applications

The phone is preloaded with the Opera Mini browser and ChatON messaging application, enabling cross-platform instant messaging. There are also social media applications to connect to Facebook and Twitter accounts but a lack of 3G network connectivity means that the browsing experience is slow.

Value for Money

Retailing at a price of Rs 4500 (approx., may vary) in major cities across India, the phone represents good value for the target market and, despite the low price tag and the lack of some minor but important features, the phone performs capably with the features it does have.

Verdict

The Samsung Rex 70 feels solidly built and should withstand rugged use relatively well, but feature limitations might lower its appeal to feature-hungry younger buyers and power users.