The Samsung Corby PRO (B5310)

I was so attracted to the Samsung Corby Pro the first time I saw it in a poster that I bought one the week it was released. For its competitive price and wide range of features, I was quite sure that the phone was a steal back then. I am no techie junkie, but I've been roadtesting the product for quite some time now (5 months to be exact!) and I think it's just about time that I make a short review for the others out there who are thinking of getting the same phone.

  

Photo courtesy of google images as I am too lazy to take my own!

I won't be posting all the details and specifications anymore as these can be found in hundreds and hundreds of pages in the internet. Instead, I would be making a list of the things that I liked and disliked about the Samsung Corby Pro.

What I do like:

•  It has multiple typing options. You can input text via the slide-out QWERTY pad, the touchscreen alphanumeric keypad and writing boxes 1 and 2, which recognize your handwriting per letter box and per word, respectively.

• It packs a lot of features for its price, which is around 11,000-12,000Php ($250-265). You've got a 3.2MP camera, music player, Wi-Fi connectivity, HSDPA, GPRS, bluetooth, voice recorder, FM radio and good enough customization features.
• It has widgets for all your social networking needs.
• It has a conversation option, which allows you to view messages as chat logs. I like that I have the option to choose the way by which I read my text messages.
• There are buttons at the left side of the phone which allow you to adjust the font size. This is perfect for those with bad eyes like mine! I can read my messages without my glasses on when I set the font size to its maximum.
• It has 3 interchangeable back covers that come free with every purchase.

What I do not like:

• Although the photo quality is decent enough, I can't help but notice the big difference in quality between photos taken using my Corby Pro and my Sony Ericsson K770i, both of which have 3.2 MP cameras. Sony Ericsson did better in all ocassions; be it indoor, outdoor, portrait or night shots.
• It can't run some games and apps as it has low internal memory.
• It responds poorly when you try to click url links.
• Although the touchscreen is responsive, the phone is quite slow. When using the touchscreen alphanumeric keypad, I sometimes find myself quite unsure as to whether the stroke registered or not because of the noticeably long delay between my typing the letters and its appearance on the screen. This does not happen all the time, but it can be such a hassle when it does happen, especially if you are trying to text stealthily or when you are in a hurry.

During the time when I bought this phone, there was no other Wi-Fi ready touchscreen phone with slide-out QWERTY keypad in the Philippines with a cheaper price  The phone was quite a steal for what it can do and the price that I had to pay for it. However, with recent launches from other mobile phone manufacturers, I am not quite sure if the Samsung Corby Pro is still the sulit phone that is used to be 5 months ago.


Verdict
Performance: 3.5/5 stars
Price: 5/5 stars

If you have questions regarding this unit, feel free to leave a comment and I'll try my best to answer your inquiries!


Have the same phone? Please feel free to share what you think about it! Cheers!