Samsung E730

Name: Samsung E730
Rating: 3.50
Author: Nigel Freitas

Nigel Freitas

Good Gear Guide

12/09/05

Expert Rating

3.50 / 5

Pros

1.3 megapixel camera, FM tuner, stylish finish

Cons

No memory expansion slots, no missed call alerts on the external screen

Bottom Line

The SGH-E730's fashionable design, high-resolution camera and Bluetooth features make it a compelling all-round phone package.

Would you buy this?

Yes 3
No 0

Price
$ 799.00 (AUD)

Marketed as the Fifth Fantastic, the stylish Samsung SGH-E730 is an update to the popular SGH-E720, with an improved 1.3 megapixel camera, increased Bluetooth speed and new FM radio tuner function. But once again, no memory expansion slot is provided and users will have to make do with the 90MB supplied to store music and photos.

With a clamshell design and a weight of only 88g, the SGH-E730 is compact, but Samsung hasn't compromised on its build quality. The glossy black finish on the unit certainly appealed to us.

The external OLED screen of the Samsung can only display 80 x 64 pixels. It does not display missed call alerts for more than a few seconds, meaning you have to open the phone to find out if anyone has called.

There are three multimedia buttons on the front of the phone that can be used to access the MP3 playback and an FM radio tuner. We were pleased with the sound quality and reception of the FM tuner, which can hold up to 30 preset stations. MP3 playback quality was average.

Samsung supplies headphones (with FM antenna) that can be used with the unit. Unlike its predecessor, the SGH-E720, the SGH-E730 supports speakerphone capability.

The SGH-E730 ships with a 1.3 megapixel camera, and can take photos at resolutions up to SXGA (1280 x 1024). Video can be recorded at 160 x 120, 128 x 96 or 176 x 144. They can be limited to the size of an MMS message.

The SGH-E730 includes support for Bluetooth 1.2 (the SGH-E720 has Bluetooth 1.1).