Samsung Galaxy 5 most affordable Android smartphone

MANILA, Philippines - Samsung Electronics Phils. Corp. currently has the most affordable Android-based smartphone in the market with the release of the Galaxy 5 for only P10,980.

Samsung hopes that at this friendly and attractive price, the Galaxy 5 could be the first Android smartphone of the technologically savvy but financially challenged young set.

Because it runs on the Android 2.1 operating system, the Galaxy 5 gets virtually limitless access to an array of free, downloadable applications accessible via the phone’s built-in Android Market widget. It’s a sure way to have the applications that a Galaxy 5 user really likes and finds useful compared to just getting a smartphone loaded with applications that the user really doesn’t want or need.

Until recently, LG Optimus is the most inexpensive Android smartphone at P12,900 targeted at the entry level and mid-level markets.

To bring the cost of the Galaxy 5 even lower, Samsung removed some features that made the Galaxy 5’s big brother, the Galaxy S, a premium Android smartphone that costs at least three times the Galaxy 5.

Unlike the Galaxy S that boasts of a four-inch AMOLED screen that runs on a 1GHz processor, the Galaxy 5 uses a 2.8-inch QVGA TFT LCD and a slower processor.

The Galaxy S has a five-megapixel camera and High-Definition video capability while the Galaxy 5 only has a two-megapixel camera and support for MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 for video formats.

Also, the earlier but superior model has an 8-16GB internal flash memory while the new Galaxy 5 only has 170MB internal memory but with a MicroSD option of 1GB upgradable to 16GB.

The two Galaxy models share a lot of common applications though. Both are equipped with the Layar Reality Browser, Google maps, the Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 user interface and Swype, which is Samsung’s ultra-fast text-input service that only requires a user to draw his or her finger in a continuous motion over the letters on the screen to quickly form a word. Swype then intelligently predicts the word that you are spelling, providing a fast and easy way to write messages.

The junior Galaxy also has Samsung’s Social Hub application found in the Galaxy S. The Social Hub offers users another way to socialize with the online world. With Samsung Galaxy 5’s Social Hub, a user can upload his or her contacts from popular social networking sites and have them integrated into their SMS contacts list. This application can also alert users of activities or updates from other people they follow online.

Although physically smaller than standard smartphones in the market, the Galaxy 5 remains big on intuitive tools. For example, a single tap on the address bar enables seamless Web navigation and with webpage thumbnails one can revisit favorite sites fast. Because the Galaxy 5 is armed with HTML5 and HSDPA 7.2, the user will also be able to view all types of content more quickly, and download files faster.

Additionally, Samsung AllShare allows for easy search, swap and play of videos, photos, and music across a full range of DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified Samsung devices, including notebooks and TVs. The technology makes it easy to seamlessly share videos without the hassle of connecting cables. One can even use the Galaxy 5 as a remote control for Samsung TV or play video games through a laptop.

The Galaxy 5 is good to go in most parts of the world as it supports multiple network bands that include 2.5G: 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz, and 3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps): 900/2100 MHz. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, and USB support.

All in all, the Galaxy 5 won’t likely disappoint a first-time smartphone user, especially those who happen to have champagne taste but a beer budget.