The upbeat Samsung Genio range has already earned plenty of accolades by offering an impressive roster of features in affordable handsets. The latest addition to the brood is the Samsung Genio Slide, rocking a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard underneath its 2.8-inch touchscreen. So how does this bargain handset stand up? Read our full review to find out…

Considering you can pick up the Samsung Genio Slide free on monthy contacts starting at £15, it really packs in those features. There’s Wi-Fi, HSDPA and GPS all on board, as well as its knock-out feature, BBC iPlayer pre-loaded.

There’s also a host of other features for the webaholic – Facebook, Twitter and Google, are all accessible from the side panel of the TouchWiz UI. This works best when the keyboard is slid out and sits down the bottom of the landscape screen and it’s in this mode you’ll become most adept at using the Samsung Genio Slide.

The keyboard on the Genio Slide is impressive, especially considering how cheap the handset is. The buttons are reassuringly well designed and have just enough of a shape to them to make typing nice and easy. Compared to the much pricier Motorola Milestone, it’s a winner.

The touchscreen is passable – being resistive it does take a few prods in order to register. The vibrating action is infuriating, as the phone buzzes every single time you touch the panel. We’d advise you turn this down.

There are some minor glitches however. While it has a decent heft, the slide mechanism shows off the mobile’s cheapness. It’s a tad flimsy and we bet after a few months being lugged around it would feel even looser. The camera, at 3 megapixels, is average and stragely only works best in low light. But with such stellar features, it’s easy to have expectations that are too high for this budget phone.

Verdict
The Samsung Genio Slide is a really great handset. It crams in important features which until a year ago would only have been found on expensive smartphones. Plus BBC iPlayer makes it a worthwhile investment.

Love
Great price, BBC ilayer, good keyboard

Hate
Slider feels flimsy, average cam

The spec
Screen: 2.8in resistive
Connectivity: 3G, GPRS, Wifi, Bluetooth
Camera: 3.2 megapixel
Battery life: talk time: 8 hours. Standby: 560 hours
Storage: 120MB, up to 16GB microSD
Size/weight: 105×56.8×15.7mm/135g