The design of the Samsung Z510 has been heavily influenced by Motorola's enormously successful V3 (RAZR) range. The squared contours, keypad layout, shortcut keys and outer display are all, well, let's be charitable and say "inspired by" the RAZR, but Samsung's model has enough of its own charms to be more than a mere copycat.
The main difference looks-wise between the two phones is that the Samsung Z510 features a rotating camera on the hinge of the clamshell, whereas the V3 camera is embedded in the Motorola's lid. The Z510 is also 1mm thicker than the original 2.5G RAZR, but almost 5mm -- and at 98 grams, 27 grams lighter -- slimmer than the 3G V3x.
One multitasking port on the right of the Z510 serves as the socket for charging, USB connection and stereo headphones. While this convergence makes for a more streamlined look, it also makes it impossible to connect the phone to a PC while charging it.
Befitting the focus on multimedia, there are three buttons on the clamshell cover for music playback and a camera shortcut key.
The Z510's keypad lacks the novelty of the RAZR's Tron-esque, neon blue-accented design, preferring a sleek, shiny black and brushed silver finish. The only problem with this is that the ebony number keys tend to become sullied with smudges after a number has been dialled.
Features
When we switched on the Z510 for the first time, we were immediately smitten with its dazzling 262K-colour display, which makes 65k colour displays look like the SBS test pattern by comparison.
Like the Sony Ericsson Z800i we played with last year, the Z510 features a 1.3-megapixel swivelling camera built into the clamshell hinge. Unlike the Z800i however, the camera does not automatically flip vertically when rotated inwards. This quirk puzzled us for several days, during which we took several awkward upside-down photos that, in an unintentional homage to Mr. Squiggle, had to be rotated to be deciphered. We even pondered whether the upside-down factor was a deliberate ploy by Samsung, intending to crack down on the number of vanity shots being taken throughout the world. After a Google search however, we finally discovered that pressing the volume button in camera mode fixes the problem. This function is sneakily hidden in the back of the manual - perhaps a lesson in the merits of reading the user guide thoroughly before getting mad at a phone.
For the non-business user, the Z510's 138MB of embedded memory should be ample for a collection of MP3s, the odd download and a few folders of photos and video clips. Heavier users with a desire to use the Z510 to view substantial PDF documents and store e-mails with attachments may find the memory capacity limiting, especially given the lack of an expandable memory card slot.
Performance
The short battery life of 3G phones can be a bit of a shock for those making the switch from 2 or 2.5G. We found that with moderate Web browsing and phone calls, the Z510 lasted between two and three days before needing a jolt of electricity.
We were a little surprised at the camera being only 1.3 megapixels, given that last year's D600 featured a 2-megapixel version. Snapshots taken at high resolution looked very pretty on the phone display, but not so impressive when transferred to a PC. As with a lot of camera phones, using the flash resulted in slightly grainy snaps, and photos were best taken in daylight.
The Samsung PC Studio software package was a cinch to use, with the drag-and-drop interface making contact synchronising and file management (via USB or Bluetooth) quick and painless. However, it's worth noting that the USB driver should be installed before the rest of the applications to make sure that your computer recognises the Z510 automatically.
The Picsel Viewer application which made PDF documents so mobile-friendly in our Z800i review makes a welcome return in this model, although Excel files were a little difficult to read.
Web browsing was surprisingly easy, with fast downloads and a simple method for text-field character entry. The only downside was having to scroll through long documents using the flat navigational key - a process none too ergonomically friendly on the poor old thumbs.
All up we were very keen on the Samsung Z510, which, with its sleek black look and combination of multimedia and business-focused applications, is cleverly designed to suit males and females of both the fashion-forward and corporate persuasions. Although we were initially judgmental regarding the derivative design, the phone impressed us enough to appreciate it on its own merits, which are thankfully plentiful.
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ZERO
30/07/2008, 11:53 AM
rating
1/10
Had 2 of these phones, heavily influenced my decision to not use Samsung ever again. Keypad at about the 6 month mark started to fail on one phone and at the 12 month mark on the other. SIM card compatibility issues with one of them, throughly disappointed with this product!
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samsung z510
07/06/2008, 08:47 PM
rating
8/10
I like this slimmest mobile introduced from samsung. Samsung Z510 has fast responsive cell phone. Best for businessmen. I rate it excellent.
Pros: User-friendly interface.
Intuitive menu design.
Finger-friendly keypad.
Cons: No memory expansion slot.
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justin.d
22/03/2008, 02:03 AM
rating
9/10
great phone allround, but reception and battery life is poor. krystal clear mp3's and an okay camera dont know ehy samsung didnt make it a 2 megapixle, still takes good pic's no good in night, flash is poor. strong and a nice finishing coulor. but flakes when dropped. screen is large. but the front screen dont show the battery life.. i giv it 9
Pros: large bright screen
loud and clear mp3's and ringtone's
strong vibration
strong/nice finish
Cons: finish flakes bad when droped
battery life bit poor (as all with 3g phones)
camera could have been a 2 megapixle
flash is usless unless uset as a tourch
memory
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SIMMSY
23/01/2008, 10:02 PM
rating
9/10
GOOD LOOKIN AND GOOD DISPLAY
Pros: SLIM
Cons: EASYLY DAMAGED
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nickcdon
31/12/2007, 11:42 AM
rating
8/10
Great phone. really happy with it. even more so now after i just got a Nokia 6500 slide, and realise even more just how good i have it with this Z510.
Pros: So light and slim, easy to carry round. Size perfect. Camera 1.3mp is pretty good. heaps of memory
Cons: Yes, buttons is playing up a bit now, had it for a year and a half. Freezes on the odd occassion as well, though all issues can be tolerated.
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none
17/12/2007, 02:02 AM
rating
4/10
msg is just getting worse every day, and yes it does shut its self off at the weireds of times especially when trying to type a msg. it also changes letters into numbers for example a into 2 and i into for (without holding it for 2 sec)
Pros: good colour screen
flat buttons
browse feature with bluethooth
Cons: screen too bright even when on 0
no expandable memory
switches off
is branded with telstra crap
not bright enough light for shots
flat buttons are touchie
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want a new fone...real bad!!
16/12/2007, 10:14 PM
rating
5/10
ive had this fone a year and it was really good in the first five months or so then it went downhill. texting is an absolute nightmare coz the keypad doesnt recognise what your typing and then it keys the digit/letter in multiple times... very irritating
Pros: nice design, cool camera, music features good, games alright
Cons: the keypad...annoying when trying to renew credit.
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ramona
30/11/2007, 09:46 AM
rating
2/10
We bought three of these phones, all three are malfunctioning within 6 - 12 months of purchase, the coloured finish has peeled and flaked. One has a malfunctioning keypad, which does not recognise when you press a digit, another was not sealed correctly and appears to absorb small amounts of moisture from the air, the third receives erratic reception (even when in metro areas), all three phones turn themselves off at will, and then request the puk code when turned back on - none of these users are heavy users, and only use the phones for light business use. One user is over 50, another over 60.
Pros: slim design
Cons: finish peels and flakes
not sealed correctly around the buttons
numerical keypad malfunctions
poor reception
turns itself off at random intervals
poor customer service
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Jhurley
27/11/2007, 08:51 PM
rating
9/10
Just recently bought one off ebay ^^ great phone excellent colour screen.
Does anyone know if you cna get a memory mod to change the internal memory?
Pros: Everything
Cons: Non-expandable memory
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ellie18
05/09/2007, 11:47 PM
rating
7/10
well ive had this phone for over a year and a half now and if it wasnt for the glitches i would still have it but overall its lasted from being dropped many many times on just about everything, even had my horses step on it,with only few scratches and nothing has broken off or snapped.
Pros: -very durable and doesnt break like some of the new nokia models where the camera and such fall of from one fall
-have found the camera and video quality good
-
Cons: like other have said :
- restarts and turns off at random times and mostly if u want to save drafts.
- if someone is calling the'accept/pickup' button doesnt work
- the i turning to a 4 in msgs
- when you put new words in msgs they sometimes dont stay there.
- battery life dies especially if you use the music player.
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