Samsung R210

Samsung was a late entrant to the mobile phone market and, while it still doesn't have the same profile as say Nokia or Ericsson, it has come up with a number of interesting models. Its latest sits firmly in the low-cost category and, at just £10 with a contract, they don't come much more low cost than the R210.

'Low cost' is a marketing euphemism for cheap, and cheap mobiles aren't usually cheerful. Samsung has pulled off a bit of a coup with the R210, though, since it's solidly built and stylish too.

It's compact enough to slip unnoticed into a trouser pocket and, at just 99g, is even light enough to carry in a shirt pocket. The phone still has a protruding aerial, so a little care is needed when carrying it next to sensitive parts of the body.

Small phones tend to be fiddly to use but the R210 is a refreshing break from the norm. The keypad is well spaced with a positive action and the generously proportioned screen uses a large font for easy reading, although it still only manages three lines of text.

The menu system is also intuitive to use. It's no Nokia - the standard against which all others are judged - but up/down buttons with select and back buttons at either side make it simple to fiddle with the various settings.

The R210 has a fair number of settings with which to fiddle, too. There are 20 ring tones plus two slots to hold ones you've composed yourself and three for ones downloaded from one of the many ring tone services.

There's a vibrate mode (although, infuriatingly, this doesn't work for text messaging) and the status light can be switched between five colours. Phone book entries can be assigned their own ring tone and light colour, so you can tell who's ringing without looking at the phone's display.

Whether making or taking a call, the R210 performs well, with callers coming through loud and clear. The ubiquitous Wap browser is just as useless as on any other phone but, that aside, this is a tasty little mobile.

Contact: Samsung 0800 521652 www.samsungelectronics.co.uk

Also consider: Nokia 3330.
Free on some networks.