With the release of the X830, Samsung had created the definition of the 'phone-enabled music player' and the features were packed into a phone that was barely bigger than a small chocolate-bar. The only let-down was the comparative lack-of memory as though 1GB was built-in; there was no option for expansion. With the F210, Samsung have obviously seen the error of their ways and built on the platform that the unique dimensions provided.
There is no major difference in the design of the F210 from the X830 it's based on, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing considering how compact everything is. On the outside is the main 1.46" screen with the scroll wheel control located directly underneath. Swivel the top-part clockwise, and the keypad will be revealed underneath.
Everything feels relatively solid and unlike the X830, the swivel design feels like it won't fall off. The design of the scroll wheel has also had a re-think in terms of the materials used it would seem. One of the more common complaints with the X830 was the bad materials used in the construction of the scroll-wheel, as it seemed very susceptible to marks and scratches. Now it feels a lot more solid and fits in much better with the assembly of the rest of the handset.
On the subject of design and interaction with the unit, Samsung have also obviously realised that whilst the unique two column design of the keypad on the X830 may have looked good, usability had been affected. As such the F210 reverts back to a more traditional 3 across keypad, so the numbers (and therefore letter for texters) are where they should be. This certainly makes the phone more intuitive than its predecessor, but be aware, the dimensions of the phone mean that this isn't really suitable for those with big thumbs.
Another aspect that clearly shows where the priorities lie is the integration of a 3.5mm direct headphone jack, which was implemented in the original X830 and is still a welcome feature, negating the need for an adaptor and making the F210 very user-friendly.
Some of the other music features also deserve a mention. There's an FM radio with RDS, as well as a nifty track identifying feature. You record a few seconds of a track if you're not sure of the title and then send the saved clip to the server via WAP and the song is identified in seconds.
The biggest improvement on the X830 is the addition of an SD slot for a memory card of up to 2GB, meaning that the overall memory capacity has gone from 1GB on the X830 to (potentially) 3GB on the F210. Though this should have been done on the X830 in the first place, it's nice to see that Samsung have acknowledged that a limit of 1GB in a music phone isn't nearly enough.
For a music phone, the F210 doesn't claim to be the most feature-packed on the market, but it is amongst the most compact available. The phone-functions and 2MP camera are relatively basic, but are not what this phone is all about. If the price is kept competitive enough, then this is a good opportunity for the F210 to make a killing in the increasingly competitive music-phone market. Add that to a range of colours, this is strongly targeted at the younger (dare I say female) market.
The is currently available on as well as except 3 as the F210 isn't 3G capable.
