Feature phones are devices we don’t take too kindly to here at IntoMobile. While we understand that some people face monetary issues, the benefits of owning an always connected device that fits inside your front pocket far outweigh the cons of a higher phone bill. That being said, feature phones are getting more and more advanced each year, while simultaneously the price of smartphones is also dropping. They’ll be some point in the future, sooner rather than later, where buying a feature phone simply doesn’t make any sense, but until that day comes handset vendors will continue to make devices like the recently announced Samsung Ch@t 350.
Boasting a 2.4 inch 320 by 240 pixel display, the Ch@t 350 joins Samsung’s lineup of QWERTY based feature phones and brings something new to the table. It’s side sliding QWERTY keyboard is roomier than the portrait QWERTY featured on the Ch@t 322 and Ch@t 335. That’s where the list of good things ends however and the heavy feeling of disappointment sets in. There’s no 3G, the camera is an ancient 2 megapixel shooter, and worst of all are the 100 mm x 52 mm x 16 mm dimensions, making it one of the thickest mobile phones to be announced in the past 12 to 18 months. No word on price or release date or which territories will even get this thing, but Mobile World Congress is less than a month away, so we’ll find out soon.
If you want a cheap QWERTY device then check out Nokia’s X2-01. Like the Ch@t 350 there’s no 3G or WiFi connectivity, and the camera in the X2-01 is only VGA, but hey, this is a Nokia. No one does feature phones like Nokia, and the 2.4 inch 320 by 240 display, along with the slightly thinner 14 mm body, make for what will probably be a better total experience.
[Via: Unwired View]