In appearance, the D880 is similar to the typical slider models we've seen from Samsung in the past. It's not a stunner per say, but this one rather looks like a model for professionals. The phone's metal sidings add to its charm. At 116 gram, the phone doesn't feel heavy but is thicker than usual (18.9 mm). It's almost as thick as the HTC TyTN II. This could be disappointing for some since the thickness makes the phone bulge out of the pant pocket.
Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of design
SIM selection key and volume control to the left, headset/data/charging connector and camera shutter button to the right.
Coming to the screen, like all Samsung phones, this one too is vibrant and presents text and images very well. The font size is large enough to be read without straining your eyes. However, I wasn't really happy with the input keys. I particularly had a problem with the OK button on the 5-way navigation key; which I found a bit too small to operate with ease. The same goes for the "SIM selection key" to the left of the phone but later got used to it. The keys on the num-pad are well sized, but just a notch down when it came to tactility.
The two SIM card slots lie below the battery. Next to them is the microSD card slot and thus it does not support hot-swapping. The camera sensor lies at the top of the head.
The sliding mechanism is good. The build quality is above average but the phone's body kept creaking. This was somewhat surprising since Samsung phones have good build quality and comfortable user-input experience. Actually the review unit that was sent to us was in a pretty banged-up shape. I'm sure that was the reason for the creaking. Also, the UP key on the 5-way D-pad did not function and had to be pressed really hard to operate. I'm sure these problems will not be faced in retail models.
This is the most worst set i ever purchased in my life and i'll swear that i'll not purchase any samsung product going forward in my life.. Within 6 months of my purchase I started facing the problem of white screen. Samsung service center doesn't resolve my problem as when the returned the set the screen was damaged. Now they are asking money to repair this problem... I'll suggest everyone to stop purchasing any product of samsung as they are stealing our money...
Thanks for a quick review, Rohan.
However, it would have made a lot of sense to have reviewed the following,
1. Networking features
2. Inbuilt browsers and ease of use while using opera (full/mini)
Since any dual sim phone would primarily be used to do some *work* apart from *play*, i found these missing items important