They’re sleek, look designer made and boast fancy features. We tell you which touchscreen phones are worth the splurge.
APPLE IPHONE 3GS FROM $0 TO $698 (WITH CONTRACT), FROM SINGTEL
DESIGN
A carbon copy of the original iPhone 3G – right down to the 3.5” screen, glossy fi nish and menu button. The QWERTY keyboard is easy to get used to, and it’s spacious when rotated to the landscape mode. Weighs 135g.
PERFORMANCE
Navigating the phone is absolutely intuitive – no instruction manual needed. It loads and runs applications smoothly, thanks to its fast processing speed. Syncing to both a Mac and a PC is straightforward, which is
especially useful for users of Microsoft Outlook as you can sync your address book and calendar with it. Its one-touch access to the Apple Store will please application addicts.
CAMERA
Delivers clear and sharp images with rich colours, despite having just a 3-megapixel camera. No built-in flash so snap pictures under natural light.
BATTERY LIFE*
5 hours 50 minutes
VERDICT
Comes out tops on account of its consistent performance and long-lasting battery SAMSUNG OMNIA HD I8910 $1,098 (NO CONTRACT), FROM ALL TELCOS
DESIGN
The glorious 3.7-inch screen is its selling point, and it doesn’t disappoint. Its AMOLED screen – which claims to produce brighter images with richer colours and better contrast than LCD screens – has the best colours of all, although visibility is poor in bright sunlight. Like the iPhone, it houses a spacious virtual keyboard that is comfortably responsive. Weighs 144g.
PERFORMANCE
One of the faster models tested, thanks to its Arm Cortex A8 processor, which also runs the iPhone 3GS. Multitasking and loading applications are a breeze. Downloaded widgets are displayed on the home screen.
CAMERA
Its 8-megapixel camera gives digital compacts a run for their money. Images are clear and sharp. The bonus: it also records 720p high-definition videos.
BATTERY LIFE*
3 hours
VERDICT
Impressive screen and camera
PHOTOGRAPHY JUSTIN LOH ART DIRECTION NIKKI HO MANICURE COCO PANG
