Wave Y

The only tangible thing that seems upped except the version number of the operating system and the NFC chip addition, is the slightly higher screen resolution, but even at 320x480 it is only decent for the 3.2” screen. Moreover, the camera resolution has gone down from 3.2MP on the previous cheaper Waves to 2MP here, making you go “hmm”.

Having “Y” in the title is an indication that the phone is supposed to be priced sub-$200 without a contract, and is geared towards teens and emerging markets. Is the Samsung Wave Y just low-end, or low-end but with a twist that will justify its purchase over some affordable Android handset? Read on our preview to find out...


Design:
The Samsung Wave Y is actually a tad thicker and wider than the first batch of entry-level bada phones like the Wave 575, so it won't be winning any design contests in the compact department. The chassis takes a cue from the flagship Wave 3 bada phone with tapered edges and rounded corners, which is apparently the new look of bada phones.

The tapered back battery cover is trying to mimic a brushed metal pattern, but the phone is all-around plastic, and in the uninspiring black/grey combination at that.

The 3.2” display sports 320x480 pixels, which finally puts bada on par with most of the low-end Androids, and the screen actually sports decent viewing angles and sunlight visibility. Small text still looks jagged and letters interrupted with such resolution, though.

Underneath the display we have a large physical home key, flanked by two capacitive buttons that light up, ready for action, which is the only contemporary feature around the phone's design.

There is no LED flash for the 2MP camera on the back, just a speaker grill next to it, but we like that the microSD card slot is taken out of the battery compartment, and placed on the right side for easier access.