Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

The Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal is a smartphone that sets its sites on the mainstream without cutting down on high end features. You get the Android operating system, a 3.2 inch touchscreen display and an 800MHz processor to power through applications.

The Galaxy Portal is blessed with excellent web browsing software and fast connectivity via 3G or Wi-Fi. The 3.2 megapixel camera may not sound as impressive as some alternatives, but it takes consistently good snaps in a variety of lighting conditions.

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal offers and deals

Monthly cost

Contract

Free gift

Tariff

Mobile Phone Details

Minutes

Texts

Internet
Usage

Phone
Costs

Monthly
Cost

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

100 minutes

Unlimited texts

7 months free

100

MINUTES

UNLIMITED

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£9.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

100 minutes

100 texts

7 months free

100

MINUTES

100

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£9.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

Unlimited texts

8 months free

300

MINUTES

UNLIMITED

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£11.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

24 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

Unlimited texts

4 months free

300

MINUTES

UNLIMITED

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£11.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

24 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

300 texts

4 months free

300

MINUTES

300

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£11.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

300 texts

8 months free

300

MINUTES

300

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£11.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

600 minutes

Unlimited texts

11 months free

600

MINUTES

UNLIMITED

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£12.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

18 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

600 minutes

500 texts

11 months free

600

MINUTES

500

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£12.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

24 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

Unlimited texts

7 months free

300

MINUTES

UNLIMITED

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£12.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

24 MONTHS

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

300 minutes

300 texts

7 months free

300

MINUTES

300

TEXTS

FREE

HANDSET

£12.00

PER MONTH

See Deal

About the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal

The number of smartphones that use the Android platform is growing fast and the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal is just one of a number of new mobiles that boast Google's operating system. For those in the know, the Galaxy Portal uses version 1.5 of Android.

This is a few versions behind 2.1, which is the latest edition of Android and offers a few tweaks and improvements. However, if you are completely new to the smartphone market, you will be very impressed with what the Galaxy Portal has to offer and there is a chance that Samsung could work on an update to bring it up to speed in the future.

The Galaxy Portal really benefits from its 800MHz processor, which is faster than the iPhone 3G S. A fast processor works for a smartphone in a number of ways. The most subtle application of all this speed comes throughout the interface. You will be swiping your way through menus and the homescreens with your fingers much of the time and doing so feels fluid and natural.

Lesser processors can stutter or lag when you interact with onscreen elements, but the Galaxy Portal never feels as if it is over-encumbered with its day to day tasks. The processor also helps when web pages are being loaded and rendered.

You want pages to pop up as quickly as possible and some phones can struggle with the conversion of larger pages into a format that fits onto the mobile phone screen. The Galaxy Portal speeds through web pages and you will feel as if you are browsing on your desktop or laptop, rather than your mobile phone.

The web browser itself is the standard Android app, but it is one of the most capable of its kind. The framing and onscreen browser buttons are kept to a minimum, so you get to enjoy web pages spread across the majority of the 3.2 inch screen.

The screen itself is supremely responsive to the touch and does not leave you in a pickle because of fiddly buttons or icons. It is also bright and vibrant, which makes everything from watching videos to reading text a pleasurable experience.

The Galaxy Portal comes with a decent media player and it also supports YouTube with a native app straight out of the box. Searching for videos is simple and the onscreen elements are kept to a minimum to make things look as good as possible.

Samsung has not tweaked the media player beyond its standard look, which means that this too is unfussy and easy on the eye. If you are not interested in unnecessary flash then the Galaxy Portal will let you listen to your favourite tunes for hours on end.

Video playback is exemplary, as the quality of TV shows or clips you have recorded yourself is high. The Galaxy Portal also does away with glitches and other niggles that can make watching videos on other phones a pain.

Related Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal news

Samsung to offer Android upgrade for Galaxy Portal i5700

19th March 2010 - Samsung is to make an upgrade for the Galaxy Portal i5700 available to download.

Samsung Galaxy 'exclusively available on T-Mobile'

25th January 2010 - The Samsung Galaxy - previously known as the Spica - is currently available from T-Mobile where monthly price plans start at £13.50.

Samsung i5700 Galaxy Portal