Samsung has long been a prolific producer of cell phones, and somehow manages to make each device special in its own right. Most of the time they nail it, and the Sunburst is one such occasion.
The Samsung Sunburst is a GSM candy bar phone with a unique, soft-looking form factor. Unlike its rectangular counterparts, the Sunburst has a curved, almost oval shape, that appears to taper slightly toward the bottom, an illusion resulting from a thoughtful two-tone paint job.
The Sunburst boasts a 3-inch touch screen. If you need a bigger screen you’ll have to consider a netbook. Add a 3MP camera, video record, expandable memory, stereo Bluetooth, MP3 player and a moderate-sized rocket launcher (okay I made up the rocket launcher), and you have a sexy, fun and definitely competent cell phone.
Samsung is very careful to make each device it produces subscribe to a well-articulated target group. In this case, the demographic is rather large, ranging from teens who want to text and customize their phone to young professionals, who need access to email, turn by turn directions and additional downloadable content.
But Samsung did pull back on the horsepower of the Sunburst, and that is what keeps it from being a full-blown smartphone. It’s 200 MHz processor is far below what you’ll find in an iPhone or BlackBerry, however, more than enough to allow you to drive through all the features that it has to offer.
If you want a touch screen backed by a solid manufacturer that allows you to text, MMS, listen to music, take a picture, video record and event, provide directions, and more, the Sunburst is one phone to consider.
One word of caution. Lacking a full, real QWERTY keypad, you will want to test the virtual keypad to be sure it is to your liking. Keep in mind you’ll probably have this phone for some time and want to be sure the touch screen is responsive enough to meet your needs.
That said, the Samsung Sunburst is a solid device worth a serious look.
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Philip Berne, Phone ScoopThe Samsung Sunburst has a pretty face and great design for a simple tablet phone, but I'd have a hard time recommending it. The unresponsive touchscreen caused problems in almost every application and made the phone much less fun to use. I have almost nothing good to say about the TouchWIZ inte...
- Lauren Haselton, MobileBurnThe Samsung Sunburst's poor web browsing experience, lack of 3G connectivity, sluggish user interface, and mediocre camera all make it a tough recommendation.
- PhoneArena Team, PhoneArenaWe rarely witness a cell phone design that is truly different from our general understanding of how such a device should look. Over the years, we have come to think that Samsung is among these few companies that have affinity to experiment to a certain extent with the design of their handsets. T...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Samsung Sunburst user manual here.
Samsung backs up the Sunburst with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Sunburst 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.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Samsung Sunburst Manual (PDF)
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