Samsung Metro S5200

 Stylish slider phone 

 

 

 

Good looks, great build, good screen, 3.2 MP autofocus camera, FM tuner

WAP browser, battery life 

 Samsung has a series called the Metro and now they have made an addition to it with the Metro S5200. This is a slider phone that is far more stylish than the other slider in the series - the Metro S3500. The Metro S5200 boasts of a 3.2MP autofocus camera with smile detection and Google integration. Let's see how it really places itself in the market, which is overflowing with handsets in its price range.

Bundle

• Samsung Metro S5200
• Stereo Headset
• 1GB microSD
• USB Cable
• Charger
• Software CD & Manual

Build & Design

The Samsung Metro S5200 is a stylish slider that is available in two color combinations. There is red & black and a blue & black combination. We received the red and black one, but I somehow felt it didn't look all that good. Samsung have always been really good with designing sliders and the Metro S5200 is very good in terms of design and build. The slider is firm and seems quite sturdy. There is no play or creakiness noticed when sliding the handset open or closing it.

On the face of the handset is the 2.1-inch screen with a QVGA resolution, which keeps the display sharp. The screen is good even under direct sunlight and offers good legibility. Below the screen is a chrome ring in the center, which is elevated from the rest of the surface around it. The chrome ring is the directional key, while the large 'OK' button in the center is the select button. On either side of the ring are menu buttons, and below them are the calling buttons. The phone has a nice red chin that makes the face of the handset look stylish.

On the left of the handset is the volume control towards the bottom, while almost at the edge, there is the memory card slot hidden behind a dust flap. The right side sees a similar treatment with the camera shutter button placed at the end, with the multi-purpose port hidden behind a dust flap as well. 

The Metro S5200 has a very simple to use interface. It is Samsung's proprietary interface that has matured over time, becoming intuitive to use. The phone has 50MB of internal memory and a memory card slot capable of housing up to an 8GB microSD. This provides for ample amounts of storage space. The phone is quick and there is no lag whatsoever. The thing I liked most was the custom main menu. You can choose the shortcuts for the D-Pad and on doing so the used shortcuts for the D-Pad are eliminated automatically from the main menu. This is only with relation to the D-Pad though.


You can still access the default Main Menu through the left menu button of the phone. The file system is also a smart type; data is well organized as Images, Videos, Music, documents, etc. However, the Metro S5200 could have done with a better browser, as of now it is a plain and simple browser. It is good for what it is, but at this age when internet on mobile is key; I think that it surely could have done with a better browser than just a standard WAP type browser. Overall, I really liked using the phone with just the exception of a poor/standard browser. 



Multimedia

The Samsung Metro S5200 that we received did not have a headset bundled with it, and so I can't really comment on the quality of audio playback. However, on the video front the phone does a pretty decent job with 3GP videos and videos recorded on it. The Music player of the Metro S5200 is a neat one. There is good organization of songs offered. The 'Now Playing' has option of three visualizations, of which one is album art. The display of albums can be set to Album Art or list. The equalizer presets offered are plenty to choose from, though sadly, they are not customizable.

The Metro has a FM Tuner, which unfortunately couldn't be tested, as we were not provided with a headset.

Camera

The Metro S5200 has a 3.2MP camera with a single LED flash, and is an autofocus module. The quality of images captured is good for a 3.2MP, though images seemed to be slightly overexposed. This camera particularly delivers brighter images for images captured indoors. The flash of the camera isn't strong, as it's just a single LED. The image processing is pretty smart and makes up for the lack of flash. Video recording is @ QVGA resolution and the quality is good enough for a mobile phone.

Battery Life

The Samsung Metro S5200 has an 800mAh battery. The phone provides a backup of just about two days. With around four hours of talktime, couple of hours of music and some internet browsing, it lasted me about one-and-a-half days. I find that to be below average, especially for a phone that's not bundled with too many features. It should definitely have been better.

Price & Verdict

The Samsung Metro S5200 sells for round about Rs. 6,500 with a one-year warranty. The phone comes bundled with a 1GB memory card. Overall, the phone really finds itself well placed. The build quality and the interface makes you want to use the phone. The browser could have done with a more advanced version, which would have made the internet experience even better. But then again, there is so much that you can get, and Samsung has done well in providing a good stylish slider. I'd recommend the Samsung Metro S5200 to those who wish to opt for a slider with a budget of around 7k.