Samsung’s second Android phone Galaxy Spica is the second in what’s likely to be several Android-powered handsets from the manufacturer. It’s a more affordable version of the first Galaxy, but it’s been improved in more aspects than the price cut. Surprisingly, Spica wipes the floor with its big brother in several ways.
The build is an improved version of Samsung’s celebrated touch screen design. It feels more sturdy and well build compared to its sibling, and by and large it gives off a much better impression than the original Galaxy.
Usability and Features
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Most of the buttons on the front serve more than one purpose. Press and hold the Menu button and it pulls out a keyboard. Doing the same thing with the Home button pulls up a simple task manager. These are all small details of course, but details that add value.
Samsung doesn’t offer anything like the Sense UI from HTC, and there are not as many pre-installed applications, but the Galaxy Spica is one of the most successful implementations of the standard Android interface. Obviously, you can still customize it to your heart’s extent and load it with as many apps as you want from Android Market.
Since it costs less than the Galaxy, some cutbacks had to be made. This is mainly reflected in the internal memory, which is 200MB compared to the huge 8GB internal flash memory in the original. The camera has been stripped down to a 3.2-megapixel model without LED flash, making it pretty in anything but well-lit conditions, but this is really the only really weak point.
Faster Processor
With the lower price you’d expect a similar or slightly slower processor than that in the Galaxy, but instead, the Spica is about 300MHz faster than the previous model at 800MHz. Some extra processing power works wonders for the whole user experience. Except for the Snapdragon smartphones, this is no doubt the fastest Android phone on the market so far.
