Samsung U900 Soul Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The U900 is Samsung's flagship phone of 2008. It's a super-sexy super-slim slide phone that looks very "2008" with its dual-screen touch-sensitive controls and metal casing. With a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 3G video calling, MP3 player, FM radio and plenty of memory it should tick most people's boxes. The only reason we haven't awarded it 5 stars is because some people think that the ringtone and call volume are too quiet. Available in Graphite, Silver, Pink or Black.
Best buy: *Free* with half-price line rental or a free Nintendo Wii from Mobiles.co.uk (Pink); or £124.95 on Pay as you Go from the Carphone Warehouse (Graphite, Pink or Silver).

Review: April 2008. Updated March 2009.

The Samsung U900 Soul is Samsung's flagship phone for 2008. Is it a triumph of marketing, or can the Soul really live up to the mega hype? Mobile Phones UK checks it out!

At first glance, you can tell that the Soul is something different from the usual Samsung slide design. We've watched the slide phone evolve over the past 4 years from the compact but definitely-not-thin D500 to the superslim D900 to the wow-that-really-is-thin U600 with its touchscreen controls that left some users unimpressed. More recently the Samsung G600 has been top of the bestseller lists. The reason why we're waffling on about the history of the slide phone is because it's obvious that the Soul is something quite different. Let's call it the next-generation slide phone. The photos here do it no justice at all - trust us, it looks much better in the flesh. The body is made from metal, giving it a high quality feel, like one of Nokia's premium handsets. We absolutely love the sleek, minimalist design and the way that the thumb rests securely on the base of the slide. The slide moves smoothly up to reveal a flat keypad. OK, so the keypad won't be to everyone's taste, but if you can handle a Motorola RAZR, you'll have no problems with this. The U900 is ultra-slim at 12.9mm thick, and is almost exactly the same size as the old Samsung D900.

The feature that truly sets the U900 apart