It was only a matter of time before Samsung introduced its slimline Ultra design into its smartphones. But is the new i600 all size zero and no brains?

We don’t know what diet Samsung feeds its Ultra range of phones (dust?) but they rank as the thinnest phones on the planet. The manufacturer’s latest collection of size zero heroes have shaved off further millimetres to usurp the Korean’s previous record holders.

With some profiles measuring 5.9mm thick (U100) no other manufacturer has dethroned Samsung as the King of Thin. But, while Samsung has wowed the mainstream with these phones, it has only recently taken its weight-watching gene into the more sober world of smartphones.

The first smartie to be given the slender treatment was the i320. This BlackBerry-esque device measured only 11.5mm thick and still managed to cram in a QWERTY keyboard into its gossamer frame. Now, its follow-up, the Windows Mobile-powered i600, goes one step further and wedges even more power into a trim frame. At 11.8mm thick, the i600 ranks alongside the i320 as one of the world’s thinnest smartphones. Impressively, it still features built-in express Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity and a QWERTY keyboard. It seems Samsung’s Smart Surface Mounting Technology (SSMT) can accommodate anything.

Handles nicely

The i600 is decked in Samsung’s signature black finish and despite the sexy thin torso, its design is quite rigid and regimented, no doubt appealing to the serious suits. However, because of its svelte chassis, it’s great to handle and grip and you can easily use the QWERTY keyboard and navigate one-handed without fear of dropping the phone. One-handed operation is aided by the right-sided jog-dial and the back key, and navigation works in the same way as similar devices such as the BlackBerry 7130 and Sony Ericsson’s M600i. Alternatively, you can use the responsive five-way navigation pad which is flanked by equally receptive touch-sensitive soft, call, home and back keys.

Screen scream

Samsung has devoted a lot of space to the full QWERTY keyboard, albeit at the expense of the display. This means the raised angled keys are large and great to thumb, making it very conducive for typing long emails. Unfortunately, the display appears wide and narrow which effects your enjoyment of web browsing. You’ll also need to scroll down to view your entire home page information. It’s a real shame because, as you will know from reading 3G.co.uk, Samsung fashions the best displays of any manufacturer – bright, luminous and detailed. However, while the i600 is still a quality phone, the Korean outfit hasn’t played to its strengths on this smartphone.

Well connected

The i600 comes equipped with the best connectivity options mobile technology can currently offer, namely HSDPA and Wi-Fi. Connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot or home wireless router is straightforward and it delivers rapid web page download speeds when surfing the internet on the Pocket Internet Explorer browser. If you can’t connect to a W-LAN then you have the next best thing in HSDPA to fall back on. HSDPA UK coverage is still a little patchy but establish a strong connection and at times you can definitely see it outstripping 3G speeds.

When it comes to operating systems Samsung has dabbled in both Symbian and Windows flavours. The business PDA-type smartphones, like the i300, i320 and now the i600, run off Windows Mobile. However, this smartphone doesn’t use the latest 6 version but plumps for the 5.0 platform instead. This means you still get embedded Direct Push email capabilities and the obvious PIM (Personal Information Management) features. As always, you can sync your calendar appointments, contacts and tasks with your desktop Outlook and with Microsoft Office document readers you can view Word, Excel and PowerPoint email attachments. Also, if you dally with instant messaging, the i600 has MNS Messenger already embedded, so all you need is your username and password to get chatting.

Token camera

For such a serious business smartphone, a camera is way down the list of priorities and this is reflected in the i600’s meagre 1.3-megapixel lens. It’s adequate for wallpaper and MMS fun but the inclusion of auto-focus is still a nice touch.

Music playback is via the Windows Media Player 5.0 and you can transfer your songs from your PC via the desktop Windows Media Player or select the i600 as a mass storage device. The audio quality sounds decent enough if a little tinny through the supplied headphones but just like the camera situation, someone who chooses the i600 will be more concerned with its business functionality.

The i600 has enough storage options to stockpile your documents, multimedia and third-party software with 64MB of internal user memory and a hotswappable microSD card to seriously boost its potential.

So far we only have news of Orange signing up the i600. However, it definitely ranks as Samsung’s best smartphone yet and has the necessary connectivity weaponry to challenge the likes of the BlackBerry, the Nokia E61i and the HTC brigade. Whether you choose it as your device will be down to personal preference and which OS and smartphone form factor you dig the most. For some, the i600’s Ultra slimline frame may be the clincher.