The Samsung Chat 335 (styled as Ch@t 335) is an entry-level smartphone. It's meant for users with a strong SMS habit who also want online connectivity without shelling out too much money. See also Samsung Galaxy Ace review.
The Samsung Chat 335's stand-out features - apart from its inexpensive price tag - are its qwerty keyboard and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Samsung Chat 335: Features
Along with the qwerty keyboard, the Samsung Chat 335 has a 2.4in TFT screen with a resolution of 320x240 pixels and 256K colour output.
It has a 3.5mm jack for plugging in headphones and uses a microUSB port to charge and connect to the PC. The Chat has 60MB of internal memory and supports microSD cards up to 8GB (it comes with a free 2GB microSD card). The Chat supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but no 3G and GPS. The Chat also has a 2Mp fixed-focus camera with no flash that can record videos in CIF resolution (176x144).
The Samsung Chat also comes pre-installed with a couple of social networking and chat applications that include Facebook, Twitter, Palringo, MSN and Yahoo.
Samsung Chat 335: Design & Usability
Our colleagues at PC World India put the Samsung Chat 335 through its paces in their lab. here's how it got on.
The tale of the Samsung Chat 335's design and usability can be told in two parts: the surprisingly good and the surprisingly bad.
The good is that the Chat is one of the best-looking phones at this price. It looks stylish and elegant with a brushed-metal look on the keyboard and the front buttons complemented by a metallic rim.
The Chat is light but feels solid in the hand and is quite slim too. The presence of the optical trackpad is also nice since when done well, the optical trackpad is better to use than a D-pad. Also, the Chat's user interface (UI) is easy on the eye and has a simple design with a couple of customisation options.
The bad begins with the keyboard which is very disappointing to use in spite of looking good. The keys are too soft and aren't sufficiently raised making it difficult to type on. Also, on pressing a key almost every other key around it wobbles, which takes away from the usability. The optical trackpad is also a little too sensitive and not very accurate. Even after I had set the trackpad's sensitivity to its lowest, the Samsung Chat 335 was difficult to control.
The Chat's screen is average but at least the UI looks good on it. However, it handles terribly under sunlight and videos, even indoors, don't look great on it.
Samsung Chat 335: Browsing and Multimedia
The Samsung Chat 335 is definitely not a phone you want to browse the web on. In fact, it won't let you browse most of the internet, as it almost always runs out of memory on sites that aren't optimised for mobile browsing. Also, the optical trackpad makes it difficult to browse on the small screen.
The Chat has a surprisingly capable 2Mp camera. Although you probably shouldn't rely on it for anything more than casual shots, it takes colourful and sharp pictures - although it does falter indoors because of the absence of auto-focus. The Chat records very ordinary videos which are only good for watching on the phone's screen.
Images shot with the Samsung Chat 335
The Chat is pretty good at playing music. The phone is capable of loud volumes and it has a decent set of EQ settings too.
Samsung Chat 335: Comparison with rival phones
The Samsung Chat 335’s looks, features and price (£96) put it in competition with the Nokia C3. The Samsung has an edge over the Nokia in terms of looks, screen quality and multimedia, whereas the Nokia has a better keyboard, is better to use and costs a bit less. It’s actually quite difficult to separate the two, although I would say the Nokia has the slightest of edges over the Samsung.
On the other hand, it might be worth spending a little more and opting for the Nokia E63.
Next page: Our expert verdict >>
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Comments
Lizzie said: my sister had this phone and she really liked it but it randomly locked itself so she had to get a new one because no none could unlock it
emma <3 misty :) said: so agree
emma <3 misty :) said: same
emma <3 misty :) said: the wifi is rubbish anywhere i go in my house while its connected it just turns off so rubbish
emma <3 misty :) said: i agree but for me it could do with a different and a better version to it blackberrys are more my choice
emma <3 misty :) said: get the blackberry much more better
emma <3 misty :) said: just get a blackberry theyre much better
emma <3 misty :) said: get a blackberry they are alot of money but believe me they do last long and they are efficient
emma <3 misty :) said: this phone is good with all its features but you cant get that many apps on it and when you flicking through your photos it just flicks and skips loads Also i would recommend this phone but to be honest i would rather pick a blackberry
Irenelaycock said: How do I unlock the phone permanently It keeps locking before I get a chance to do anything
Kanemcgahon said: it wont charge when i put it in the charger it just vibrates
Sherrydarsan said: hi can anyone tell me why i cant see the names of my incomming calls i only see the persons number showing up how to i set it to show name and number thks
Elisha Louise said: battery
Elisha Louise said: i have borght a samsung cht and it keeps vibrating when no battery any ideas
Tt3 said: Currently had blackberrys and with bieng an iphone user i dont like this phone my friend has this phone and the touchpad is too sensitive the keyboard and software isnt too good either and iv has blackberrys in the past and i loved my blackberry curve 8520 butNow i upgraded to an iphone and i love it soo much so dont buy this phoneBuy an iphone for a blackberry
Slevens said: My samsung chat wont turn on fully charged and all just froze switched off and Ive only got it today so not to keen on taking it backany ideas
Sukdeb said: I also have same problem If anybody know the way please reply
PwincessPresh said: Soo should i gt 1 or nott
Sami said: I have the same problem did you find a solution
Bhfuller208 said: Just got this phone It will call out but turns itself off when there is an incoming call Any ideas