Vodafone 360 Samsung M1 review
The Vodafone 360 Samsung M1 has arrived, hot on the heels of its bigger Samsung H1 brother. Is this cheap and cheery way to get in on the Vodafone 360 social networking experience a handy option for those short of cash? Should you scrimp and save to grab the H1 with its OLED screen instead? Read on and find out in our full Vodafone 360 Samsung M1 review…There’s a lot to love about the Vodafone 360 M1. Samsung has trimmed down the hefty waistline of the H1, squeezing the Vodafone 360 software on to a phone with a more compact 3.2-inch screen without losing any of the social networking suite’s main selling points. The Vodafone 360 M1 is a sturdy, cute looking handset that will slide comfortably into any pocket, no matter how tight your trousers. It’s got the shape and lightness of Samsung’s Tocco Lite, but much more power, in both app variety and under the bonnet kit.
If the Vodafone 360 M1 is the mini H1, Samsung has still had to cut corners. Gone is the gorgeous OLED display of the H1, replaced with a blander, smaller LCD panel. The camera’s been shaved down to 3.2MP from five too, though it’s still perfectly reasonable, but the real bugbear is the lack of Wi-Fi for hotspot super-speeds online. Given that even the dinky HTC Tattoo can squeeze this in, it’s a pity Samsung’s
scrooged on this one, leaving 3G as your only option.
Read our full Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 review
On the software front, Vodafone 360 runs just the same on the M1 as the H1. We like the panel layout with certain widgets hogging extra space, while the clever People address book pulls in updates just as before, so you know when not to call via Facebook declarations of hangovers.
Unsurprisingly, it’s not quite as snappy as the beefier H1, and it’s here that the Vodafone 360 M1 makes us hesitate ever so slightly. Core aspects of the Vodafone 360 software are headed to a range of mid to entry level blowers on the network, including the ingenious contact book. And many of them, particularly the supported Nokias, have a vast catalogue of apps ready to download and go. If you’re not going to go the whole hog and slap down for that luxury screen and horsepower of the flagship H1, we’d be tempted to get the best of both worlds and plump for them instead.
That’s not to knock the Vodafone 360 M1 in any way. At just £20 a month on contract with no upfront cost, it’s a great value phone and a good way of testing out Vodafone 360 on a budget,.
Verdict
If you’re keen to get Vodafone 360 on the cheap, it’s a good way in. But 360’s address book is heading to plenty of other phones too.
Love
Petite, light, powerful
Hate
No Wi-Fi
The spec
Screen: 3.2 inches
Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth
Camera: 3.2MP
Storage: 1GB onboard, expandable to 16GB via microSD
