The line between smartphones and feature phones started to blur a long time ago. And at the intersection of both mobile phone segments, it’s not unusual to find something like the Samsung Brightside. It’s a phone that looks like a good entry-level smartphone, but in reality, it’s actually nothing more than a souped up feature phone that lacks the chops to compete with the likes of the Lumia 920 or the Galaxy S III.
The Brightside comes with a very basic feature-set. It has a 3.1-inch QVGA touchscreen display, 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, GPS, and support for EV-DO Rev. 0 data. While it doesn’t offers HSUPA or LTE data speeds, it does have dualband CDMA network support. And its limited amount of internal storage space can be expanded further with microSD cards.
As a feature phone, the Brightside can’t do much for users who intend to multitask. At least it comes with a 1,000 mAh battery that lasts up to 6.5 hours of talk time per charge. It’s also comfortable for messaging thanks to its built-in, slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The market has no shortage of phones like the Brightside. Its small, low-resolution touchscreen display is made tolerable thanks to a handy hardware keyboard. And compared with many touchscreen-only entry-level Android handsets, it’s a far better deal for the money. But as long as we’re talking money, then it’s worth noting that much cheaper models exist with similar or better features.
Need to Know: Samsung Brightside
1. Slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen display for user input. (The Good)
2. Battery life is quite long at 6.5 hours of talk time per charge. (The Good)
3. Limited amount of onboard RAM and a slow processor, which affects performance. (The Bad)
4. Touchscreen display has a low native resolution. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Alex Colon, PC MagazineThe Brightside is actually just an overly ambitious feature phone. It pairs a nice slide-out keyboard with a responsive touch screen and decent call quality.
- Jessica Dolcourt, CnetThe Brightside is a bizarre little feature phone, mostly because it reminds me of a throwback device more than it does a new entrant to a highly cutthroat device market. The fact that today, entry-level smartphones (and better) can cost less than Verizon's full-retail $100 asking price for the Brigh...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Samsung Brightside user manual here.
Samsung backs up the Brightside with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Brightside has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Samsung support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Samsung's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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