Name: Monte GT-S5620
Brand: Samsung

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

+
Great design
+
Good battery life
+
Surprisingly good camera
+
Lots of connectivity options
+
Strong, fast 3G coverage

Cons

-
Laggy touch controls
-
Slow software
-
Browser crashes regularly
-
Some confusing UI design
-
No social integration with contacts

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Samsung Monte: Overview

Samsung's touchscreen mobile phone onslaught shows no sign on stopping, with the Monte arriving on the heels of the Samsung Genio Touch, Genio Slide and Galaxy Portal.

Built around a 3-inch 240 x 400 (WQVGA) touchscreen, the Monte uses Samsung's TouchWiz interface, and that means it has a focus on widgets.

The Monte is pre-loaded with widgets for several social networks, YouTube and BBC iPlayer access, and shortcuts to phone functions and apps.

A physical keyboard is completely eschewed here, in favour of a soft keyboard on the touchscreen. It has haptic feedback, giving a small vibration when you press certain buttons.

For mobile internet lovers, there's speedy 3G mobile broadband for browsing when out and about, and Wi-Fi connectivity means you can get even faster connections from hotspots.

A-GPS location finding is present, along with Google Maps to make use of it.

A built-in accelerometer enables switching to landscape mode automatically when browsing the web and viewing media.

The 3.2-megapixel camera on the Samsung Monte's rear is without a flash, but does feature video recording and numerous shooting modes. There's also a front-facing camera for video calling.

The microSD card slot supports up to 16GB, while charging and PC connectivity is handled via a micro USB port. There's a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting any standard set of headphones to, although the supplied pair come with a microphone for hands-free chatting.