Samsung Z320i (SGH-Z320i) - i-mode Handset

Discontinued
30th September 2005

The Samsung Z320i is a 3G i-mode handset available on the O2 network, due for release on or after 1st October 2005 in the UK. It's currently the top of the range of O2's i-mode devices, and it's an interesting handset in its own right.

Like the Samsung S500i, the i-mode capabilities of the Samsung Z320i make it special. Unlike WAP, i-mode services have been specifically created with this type of device in mind, where WAP has always been a cut down version of a standard PC web browser. One advantage with i-mode is greater usability, and this also makes it a more interactive service (WAP tends to be read-only). There's also a "push email" service, which means that you'll receive email notifications more quickly that traditional "pull" services. O2 say that i-mode users make far more use of their i-mode service than WAP users do with theirs. At Mobile Gazette, we find WAP services pretty frustrating to use and i-mode looks like a definite improvement.

But enough about the service, what about the handset? We said that the Z320i was interesting in its own right. As you can see, this is a sliding 3G handset (which makes it rare enough to begin with). It comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, 100Mb of internal memory, stereo Bluetooth and builtin speakers, quad-band GSM and it only weighs 105 grams. As a result, the Z320i is one of the lightest 3G phones on the market.

We don't know the screen resolution yet (we think it's probably 176x220 pixels), and it doesn't seem to have expandable memory (but then the 100Mb included is quite a lot). Physical size is 97x48x23mm which is a little larger than the new Samsung D600 phone.

The combination of i-mode and handset look promising, so the question is "can O2 market it?" If O2 does succeed, then it will give them an important technological advantage over their rivals. Both i-mode and the relevant handsets are due to be released in the UK and Ireland in October 2005, and also in Germany during the first half of 2005.

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