A new day, a cheaper Corby. Yes, if you thought you couldn’t find a cheaper touchscreen feature phone than the Samsung Corby, then you’re wrong. The Samsung Corby Pop (aka C3510 Genoa) is an even more affordable version of the entry-level handset, sporting much of the same hardware but throwing in a less-capable camera.
Physically, it’s identical to the original Corby, although the front design is slightly angled and it makes do without the replaceable back panels. Overall make and feel is similar to it too, which is cheap but sturdy. It comes with a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with QVGA resolution. Despite the smaller size, the screen is great – very bright, good detail and quite responsive.
As a phone, the Corby Pop makes for above average calls, with natural-sounding voices and plenty of volume. It’s not the best sound I’ve heard, but it sure’s right up there. Speakerphone performed similarly, although it could have used a little more volume. Battery is rated for a whopping 10 hours of talk time and, from our short tests, did seem like it can handle that.
Three things you’ll have to know before you buy this handset: there are no built-in social networking apps, no decent browser (just Netfront) and you’re restricted to EDGE for data connectivity. If you can get past that, then you might have hope for this device yet. The messaging is good, though – it has automatic email setup, push notification and threaded viewing.
Camera is only a 1.3 megapixel module. There are very few options and quality is below average for similar hardware. The music player is good, but the lack of options for filtering (read: none) is a problem for those with larger, unorganized collections.
Honestly, if you’re considering getting the Samsung Corby Pop, we recommend opting for the slightly more expensive Corby instead. The software omissions are glaring (browser and music player, in particular). Paying the extra $50 to $100 (depending on where you buy) is worth it.
