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Samsung Hero 3213 – Cheapest 3G phone with video calling
Samsung Hero 3213 (GT-3213K) is one of the cheapest 3G cell phones in the market. It is available for a mere USD $ 62 ~ Indian Rs 3100.
Recently I bought one, and these are my thoughts on this device.
If you are looking for a cheap, 3G cellphone, then you can buy the Samsung Hero 3213. It is a good cell phone for the price and comes with many useful features.
Samsung Hero 3213 cell phone
Main Features
Samsung Hero 3213 has 3.5G support which means you can experience high internet speeds at HSDPA 3.6Mbps.
It has 2 cameras. A VGA camera at the back, and a front facing camera with which you can make video calls.
On the side, there is a microSD slot that supports up to 8GB of expandable memory. It has 36 MB of internal memory.
Samsung Hero 3213 phone
The 3.5mm audio jack at the top of the cell phone lets you listen to music with any generic headphone or ear phone. Of course, an earphone is included with the device itself but you may want to invest in a better quality earphone.
It has a large 2 inch QQVGA display that is easy on the eyes.
The keys are really good and have a tactile feel when you press them. Unlike many other cellphones, It is a real joy to press the keys.
The micro USB port at the top is used to charge the phone via the adapter as well as to connect to the computer.
Unfortunately, if you want to connect to the computer, you will need to buy a USB cable at extra cost ~ USD $4 ~ Indian Rs 200.
On the software side, it is basically a Java based OS. However, the home page has limited widget support. You can access most of the features right from the home screen. I felt, the home screen looked and acted similar to the Symbian Series 40 interface.
The menu has the usual set of features found in all Samsung entry level cell phones. One notable aspect is the social media support. It comes bundled with an instant messenger, Facebook and Twitter apps. Apart from that, you can also access MySpace, Picasa, Orkut, and Flickr. You just need to insert your id and password to start using these popular social media services.
It supports a talk time of up to 500 minutes (2G)/200 minutes (3G), and a standby time of up to 550 hours (2G) / 30 hours (3G).
Unboxing video of Samsung Hero 3213 Cellphone
Catering to Indian Customers
Samsung Hero 3213 is a cell phone manufactured specifically with Indian customers in mind – for the following reasons.
Multilingual support – Apart from English, Hero 3213 interface supports 9 other Indian languages which includes Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Bangala, Gujarati, and so on.
Mobile prayer – If you are a devout person, depending upon your faith, you can set Christian prayers, Hindu prarthana, Islamic salat, and Sikh Gurbani to play during a specified time of the day or week.
Pros
- At Rs 3100, this is a cheap cell phone rich in features but easy on your pockets.
- 3.5G support lets you surf the internet at 3.6Mbps HSDPA speed.
- Large tactile keys are a joy to use.
- A front facing camera lets you make video calls.
- Good volume levels.
- User friendly software interface.
Cons
- Does not have a volume rocker on the side. You have to access the software to change the volume.
- USB cord for connecting to the computer is an optional accessory for which you have to pay extra.
- Basic VGA camera at the back will not inspire the photographer in you.
- Battery is only 800mAh. Most cell phones nowadays have at least a 1000mAh battery. However, since this is not a smart phone, you will get decent battery backup.
Who should buy this cell phone
Samsung Hero 3213 is meant for people who require a feature oriented cell phone at a budget price. The target customers of this cell phone are those who feel throwing away good money at a cell phone is an utter waste, but at the same time wish to stay connected.