Samsung X200

The Samsung X200 is an entry into the low-end mobile phone market. Naturally it does not possess all the bells and whistles of more expensive models, but nonetheless it offers a cost-effective and simple solution for those who only require the basics.

The X200 is a clamshell design and is extremely compact and lightweight. Measuring just 85mm x 43.5mm x 19.9mm and weighing a mere 70 grams it's one of the smallest phones on the market. What this phone offers is simplicity and this includes the design element, focusing on what is needed, rather than superfluous extras.

With this in mind, it's no surprise to see that the X200 lacks an external display. An external display is useful on clamshell phones to display the caller ID information as well as battery life and reception without opening the phone. To compensate for this, Samsung has included a small blue LED on the front of the handset, which notifies the user of incoming calls and messages. It doesn't fully replace the convenience of a screen, but at this price point we really can't complain.

The X200 is finished in a dull silver colour with a black strip across its front emphasising the Samsung brand. Importantly, despite being priced at well under $200, the X200 manages to include external volume control keys on its left side just underneath the proprietary charging and headphone jack.

Flipped open, the X200 reveals a small and largely uninspiring display with a very comfortable and tactile keypad below it. We can't help but feel the screen could have been a little larger, especially taking into account the unused space around it. The 128 x 160 pixel UFB display is capable of producing 65k colours, but it does lack crispness and clarity. There is no camera on the X200 so it is fair to say that the screen is adequate for this handset.

The X200 has a number of features that we didn't expect considering the price. There is a voice recorder and WAP 1.2 as well as a hands-free speaker phone. The voice recorder is of a surprisingly good quality and has an excellent range, and the speakerphone was loud and clear throughout testing. In addition, the quality of calls was also fairly good, with no volume or clarity problems to report. The X200 also includes 40 polyphonic ringtones and infrared connectivity, but Bluetooth is absent. There is no MP3 player or camera, and the phone has just 1.8MB of internal storage with no memory expansion options. There is support for SMS and MMS messaging, with T9 predictive text input offered.

Disappointingly, the X200 has a below average battery life, with just three hours talk time and 300 hours standby time. On a handset lacking in multimedia features and primarily designed for calls and messages, we expected better than this. We found the quoted figures almost spot on, having to charge our handset every two days or so. The X200 includes an AC charger, standard battery and hands free earphone in the package.