(Update: Read our Samsung Monte Review) A new touchscreen phone from Samsung is now out and selling for just Php11,000USD 187INR 15,891EUR 179CNY 1,365. The Samsung S5620 (Monte) has everything but the price should shake up the competition.
Last time we saw touchscreen phones selling within the vicinity of Php11,000USD 187INR 15,891EUR 179CNY 1,365 was with the LG Cookie and Samsung Star, both of which were huge hits.
Samsung Monte (S5620)
3.1-inch screen @ 240×400 pixels
Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
3G/HSDPA 3.6Mbps
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
USB 2.0,
WiFi 802.11 b/g
FM Radio with RDS
233MB internal memory
up to 8GB via microSD
3.15 MP camera @ 2048×1536 pixels
GPS with A-GPS support
TouchWiz 2.0 Plus
The Monte has social networking integration with live updates and GPS is supported by Google Latitude. The handset should be out in stores by now.
(Update: Read our Samsung Monte Review)
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kesterbt says:
nice! 3g/Wifi/3.15MP Cam
Mobile Pinas says:
Nice phone, with 3g and wifi for Php11,000.
netbooksearcher says:
Nice! I want one!
Jhay says:
I’m sold! :D
Jovz says:
hopefully AF yung cam hehe ;p
fr0stbyte says:
Wow. This is better than LG’s early offerings of touch screen phones! Wala akong nakita dati na may accelerometer at Wifi for 11K. Okay din ang screen resolution niya. Hmmm.. At pareho sila halos nang interface nang Viewty ko. If the touch screen performs well, this is a must-buy! Kung na increase lang nila from 8GB to 16GB ‘yung maximum size nang SD card and at nalagyan nang at least 5MP camera eh ultimate-must buy na ‘to. Does anyone here know kung proprietary ang ear/headphone jack nito?
fr0stbyte says:
Confirmed it. 3.5mm headphone jack. BUT lacks 850 or 1900MHz 3G support according to my sources. I may be wrong.
sky says:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_s5620_monte-review-446.php
–can anyone confirm? does it really have a capacitive touch screen? Wow. I’m going to buy this!
sky says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxx1Ow7_MU8
–but how about this? they say it doesn’t have a qwerty landscape keyboard? that’s disappointing! can anyone confirm?
mac says:
its like 5800. competition.
Rich558 says:
Looks good, but the Nokia 5230’s knock-out punch is free turn-by-turn voice navigation at a much lower price point.
laptoper says:
great specs for the price. it also looks sleek
Abe Olandres says:
@Rich558 – the N5230 does not have WiFi so the specs don’t match.
symbiandreamsdotcom says:
Processor, RAM, and type of screen?
I think this device doesn’t support xvid/divx. No LED flash/video light? And how about the auto-focus on cam?
Abe Olandres says:
@symbiandreamsdotcom – I think they left out those features for the high-end models. Otherwise, nobody’s gonna buy the Samsung Omnia anymore.
mac says:
@symbiandreamsdotcom-almost same specs as 5800
Alvin says:
@mac: Yup, rival of 5800. Sir Abe, Bada na kaya ang OS nito?
Abe Olandres says:
@Alvin – TouchWiz lang. Same as the Samsung Star.
mac says:
@Alvin: what is Bada?new OS for Samsung? have you heard nokia C6 will be most likely like n900 but for the masses?
mac says:
@Sir Abe: have you went to Shell Magallanes? I not sure if it was you but he kinda looks like you.
Abe Olandres says:
@mac – yup, was there last night.
mac says:
@Sir Abe. oh my!~_~ should have ask for autograph.:) haha. Im going to approach you next time. haha
Rich558 says:
Nokia 5230
+ Bigger Higher Resolution (320 x 640) 3.2 inch screen
+ Genuine smartphone (Symbian OS)
+ Symbian apps available for download in the thousands
+ Higher Capacity battery (1320 mAh)
+ Free Turn-by-turn voice navigation
+ Cheaper by P3,000
+ Video VGA @ 30 fps
Samsung S5620
+ Wifi
+ 3 MP camera (fixed focus)
As far as I can see it the Nokia trounces this Samsung in all fronts except Wifi. I would get the Nokia for the free navigation alone (a seperate GPS navigation voice navigation unit would cost more than the Nokia itself).
Abe Olandres says:
@mac – hahaha! pakilala ka next time. I usually gas up at that station.
@Rich558 – Let me add a couple bullets for the S5620:
+ 2nd camera for video calls
+ Higher Internal memory (233MB vs. 70MB)
+ Google Maps 3.0
+ Geo-tagging
+ Thinner (12.4mm vs. 15.5mm)
+ Lighter (92g vs. 115g)
As well as the S5230:
+ Proximity sensor
+ Flash Lite 3.0
For a lot of mobile phone users, the absence of WiFi is a deal breaker. The Php3,000 savings you get from the S5230 can easily be spent in a month since all your downloads and connectivity will be via paid 3G connections.
mac says:
@Rich: A cellular phone without wifi is like an ipod without a headset XD. Just choose between 5800 and S5620. These two phones are somehow comparable.
Rich558 says:
@Yuga
Well that’s one way to look at the P3,000. But on a functionality viewpoint, both devices can access the internet, but only the Nokia can be a voice GPS Navigator.
Another way to look at it is that you’re getting a free GPS device with free navigation subscription FOR LIFE.
Here’s what you save:
$10 per month – GPS navigation fee in the US
up to $500 – GPS device
If you do the math that easily eclipses the price of the phone.
WiFi is only useful if you have the patience to surf the internet on such a slow device and a small screen. Honestly, I get a better internet experience on my DSi.
Rich558 says:
@Mac
I do believe that in terms of reliability, the 5230 is miles ahead of the 5800.
mac says:
@Rich. ^_^ miles ahead? haha. okay. thats your opinion. i should respect it.
Rich558 says:
@mac
Peace bro. They’re both Nokias anyway.
mac says:
@Rich. you own one right? thats why you defend your phone so much. haha. Anyways I really hate nokia for some reasons. They easily upgrade their units so fast. For the wealthy ones, its fine.
Rich558 says:
@mac
It’s not mine it’s my wife’s :) I did take a little offense with the Samsung’s seemingly blatant challenge by copying the 5230’s white and red color scheme (unit on the right in the picture above). The gauntlet has been thrown.
I’m with you on the fast model turnover of nokias. Sometimes its detrimental to them as a company (case in point is the aforementioned 5800). It’s better to wait for version 2.0 (like the 5230).
Abe Olandres says:
@Rich558 – the voice GPS navigation is primarily meant for those who have or drive cars. As such, I’d assume that those who can afford to drive cars can also afford to get a phone that has all of the bells and whistles — WiFi, 3G, and voice GPS. The rest (95%) of the mobile consumers who don’t drive cars will not find GPS compelling.
So, if we put a vote among all readers here whether they’d want GPS or WiFi on their phone, I bet 95% or more will say WiFi trumps GPS. Last time we did a poll here, WiFi won over 3G.
Rich558 says:
@Yuga
With all due respect, I think you grossly underestimate your blog readership if you think only 5% of us have or drive cars (this is after all the best Gadget blog in the Philippines).
Carlo says:
Is this capacitative?
5800 was a big mistake imo for ditching the physical keyboard while having a resistive touch screen.
Also, is there a way to measure a capacitative touch screen’s responsiveness. I have an iPod Touch and I thought all capacitative touch screens are that good. But when used my friend’s samsung (I dont remember the exact model) phone, I was disappointed. =(
Miguel says:
And they also make the cheapest local Android phone, the Spica. Review please!
Sanctuarian06 says:
Ang akward gumawa ng samsung ng design ng phone. Lalo na sa touchscreen!
warfab says:
I agree with mac and yuga that the Samsung 5620 is a better deal than the Nokia 5230 since the Samsung has wifi. I put more value on Wifi since I like to regularly check emails or bookmarked sites for updates when I’m at home or when I’m mobile or when I don’t have time to open up my pc, notebook or my netbook.
Rich558 says:
@warfab
The only reason anyone would prefer checking websites on a small, slow device at HOME instead of using a PC is if someone was looking at something NSFW.
markmarcelo0210 says:
I used to be a big fan of Samsung phone. I had a Samsung E250 and D900 before. When affordable touchscreen became a hit I bought a Samsung Star S5233 last August 2009. Ok naman siya pero I find something lacking to its user interface. It has no 3G, limited widgets to download, and its quite expensive during the time I bought it but its ok since its a touchscreen kaya medyo mahal despite its not 3G. When I first saw Nokia 5800 I fell in love with its features because its 3G and has excellent user interface. But when 5800 was first released I can’t afford its pricetag. And then Nokia 5230 was released with an affordable price. I’m not bothered by its 2 MP camera and lacking of video calls as long as may 3G and has excellent user interface. I bought my Nokia 5230 last week and Im very happy with its performance. Although the 5230 has a Samsung contender – Samsung Preston but it has a smallish screen. I like my Nokia’s 3.2 inch display…
Ardz says:
@Rich588
Don’t assume that everyone needs turn-by-turn voice navigation. Note that both phones have GPS built in. This is turning into a WiFi versus turn-by-turn voice navigation war which I find ridiculous since they are not even comparable to each other! I understand that you like the 5230. I also like it, honestly. But there are people who want to access the internet for free via WiFi in schools or malls for whatever reason they have.
Ardz says:
Correction: @Rich558
mac says:
The good thing about this S5620 is that its much cheaper than other mid-range phones. For the price of 11k, its quite affordable than other touch screen wifi enabled phones. One thing i like about this S5620 is the live widgets.:) i just wish that nokia would have that widget thingy too.^_^
symbiandreamsdotcom says:
@rich558, @mac, @ardz @warfab
5800 is way too old and there are lots of 5800 users, while Nokia 5230 is just a copied looks from 5800 but with lower specs. If you are a mobile enthusiast you will go the new and with much specs compare to the other one.
Going for for s5620 if i have 11k and if I DONT KNOW anything about mobile tech…but I will not spend on that thing for 11k.
I hate Samsung because the materials they use on their phone are not good as I expected kahit maganda yung design ang durability naman ung mahina.
I think if you are looking a touch phone that has a wi-fi, better go to the phone that has higher RAM, wide range of support and apps for OS, at think of the durability of that one.
5800 and 5230 are much tougher but i hate those designs kahit I’m a Nokia fan.
well…?
symbiandreamsdotcom says:
Camera and Screen.
Capacitive for s5620 which is best for apps and games but I don’t see it is very useful for Samsung phones coz there are not wide range for Apps.
Resistive for 5800, 5230, a bit hefty for typing and no physical keypad but you will get a bunch of apps on the web and on the ovi store.
Camera..
5800 has a better camera coz of dual-led and auto focus.
Calvin says:
this is weird, why would they release the monte here if they will also be releasing the marvel s5560? almost the same features but with 5mp camera. hmmm.
luki says:
This is great phone!
tetchie says:
nice specs (with wifi) and reasonable price but OS touchwiz? I don’t think you can download lots of apps with this OS … unlike symbian and windows mobile
ardz says:
yuga,
i called samsung about this phone. they said it’s not yet available here.
Abe Olandres says:
@ardz – which number and person you called? I will forward this with Samsung PR to clarify.
Ardz says:
Thanks for the quick reply. I called their hotline number (02)580-5777 and was able to talk to a contact center agent named Hannah (from the Samsung head office in Taguig). I asked for the availability of this specific model and she said that this is an upcoming model thus not yet available. She then asked me where I got the information that it’s already out. I told her that I got it from this site. She later told me to call the Marketing department tomorrow since they’ve already gone home.
Rommel A. says:
Hey guys, I just bought this Samsung Monte this afternoon at a price below Php 11k..I love this phone, nice design, nice touch.I even like the box, a compact one. The good thing is this is the latest Samsung feature phone..I still have to study all these features as this is my first ever touchscreen phone. So that Samsung agent named Hannah must be hallucinating..I just got it here in Quezon City, what is she doing? This is a big bang for the buck midrange phone.Lucky few…
Ardz says:
@Rommel A.
Could you tell me the name of the shop where you bought the phone and the selling price of the phone? Could you also confirm if the phone you bought has a local manufacturer’s warranty, meaning it’s officially sold here? I’ll be calling the Marketing department tomorrow morning, so any information would be helpful.
Rommel A. says:
@ Ardz
Check this site:
http://www.cmkcellphones.com/
Its all there.. you can go to their store at Roosevelt ave. QC..just check the site and you will see the store’s location map and can call them for delivery if you wish..Yes, I got the phone with 1 year warranty..no worries mate!
Ardz says:
@Yuga
I called Samsung again regarding the Monte. This time I was able to talk to Genevieve. She was kind enough to confirm my inquiry with their sales department. She then confirmed that the phone has already been officially released although they haven’t delivered the phones yet to their authorized dealers. Some of their authorized dealers are as follows:
Memo Express
Hello
Wellcom
Power Telecom
Mega Exchange
Megacellular
BSD International
Enovasia
Commworks
Silicon Valley
Galaxy Telecoms
@Rommmel
Thanks for that information. Upon confirmation with Samsung, the CMK Cellphones is not an authorized dealer of Samsung Philippines since the shop gets their phones direct from Samsung International although the one year manufacturer’s warranty of the phones are honored here in the Philippines.
Time to get one now!
Rommel A. says:
@Ardz
Get it now! What are you waiting for? Enjoy it! I’m charging my own at the moment..Cheers!
Pabs says:
dun sa mga nakabili confirmed ba na wala siyang landscape qwerty? thanks!
nonoy says:
If there are no products yet to the Samsung stores and its distributors, are these products (SAMSUNG MONTE) in the stores outside originals or not? Are they imitations? Let me know of the details, that wud be a great help, coz I’m planning to buy one of it. Thanks in advance.
nonoy says:
@RommelA:
Have you checked, if their Samsung Warranty or NTC thingy at Samsung Stores or Samsung Service Centers to verify if they are legitimate or not? Thanks, just to make sure that the store is really giving the warranty from Samsung.
Rommel A. says:
@Nonoy
Its better you go to the site that I posted here, call them and visit their stores personally to check your queries. Cheers..
hungry says:
i went around in park square and megamall looking for this phone. most of the establishments haven’t even heard of the phone yet. meron ngang unit at the megamall samsung concept store, ayaw naman pabuksan!!! when will this be officially released to authorized dealers? any word?
@rommel, did the store also have it in white? please let me know. thanks!
Ardz says:
@noynoy @hungry
See my last post for the information you need. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t give a delivery date for the phone. I think they’re still waiting for the inventories to arrive. I’m also looking for the white version. I hope it comes here.
Rommel A. says:
@hungry
What I got is Deep Black..check my previous post for the store’s website, call or visit their store to confirm.
monte says:
@Rommel A.
ano ang nsa loob ng box pare? and kmusta performance ng phone?…nbasa ko kc sa ibang review my soft cover included and 1gb micro sd and adapter?… sa cmk ko din balak bumili, pro dun n lng ako sa sister store nla msmlapit eh…sa quality cellular…tnx!
Rommel A. says:
@monte
Bro, the box contains headset(3.5mm earjack), adapter (Have to buy separate micro sd), warranty card, user manual and 2 Kies installer cd..Yup quality cellular along West ave, okay. So far satisfied naman, the web browsing is okay, the touch sensitivity and even the Google maps is great, it pinpoints your whereabouts. Have to maximize the features of the phone para sulit.
monte says:
@Rommel A.
ahhh…thats good, hndi nman b fingerprint prone? wla bng ksama sa box ung usb cable? bi2li n kc ako ngaun n april…not decided between samsung marvel or monte pro msgs2 ko ata ung monte kc msbgo ung user interface and capacitive pa…just update n lng sa xperience mo sa phone na to…tnx!
Rommel A. says:
@hungry
Me USB cable pala na kasama sa box I forgot to mention and battery too which is good. Mas bago ang Monte kesa Marvel. The only advantage of Marvel is the 5mp cam but Monte have 3G and GPS features (Good if I use it abroad Down Under). As of now I haven’t notice any smudge because me plastic pa ang harap at likod nya (ala screen protector).
Rommel A. says:
@monte
My previous post was meant for you too..cheers!
monte says:
ok, tnx!…my virtual keyboard(QWERTY) b? kc sbi sa reviews wla dw…pro my mga nbasa din ako n meron…
Rommel A says:
@monte
Sadly no qwerty but it doesnt matter to me..If you download operamini me qwerty dun for internet use only.
monte says:
ok lng din sakin…very good!…Tnx! any new discovery or xperience with the phone n gs2 mo i-share?…i’m xcited to buy this phone!…
windz says:
san po b my available na monte???
ethan says:
Which is better? e63 or s5620 monte, considering that the price range are almost the same. May nakita kasi ako sa ebay na 9,050 yung e63 brand new with 4gig memory card na kasama. Yung monte 10,200 sa ebay. Which is sa tinggin niyo yung mas value for money?
aldrin says:
Very nice… does it support ba ng skype? or ano ba magandang phone na may support on skype?
mcv says:
so it’s true, no qwerty… sayang, mas bago pa naman yung touchwiz UI nitong monte kaysa dun sa samsung marvel. i guess i’m getting the marvel instead. mas maganda rin naman yung camera nun…
jimini says:
bought mine yesterday, pero ung usb ayaw mag install sa asus laptop ko and desktop T.T dont know kung may defect lng un unit ko.
bad sides i found:
no flash.
no qwerty.
ung search functions nia through out, dapat type mo buo un gusto mo, walang parang auto complete.
mark says:
do not compare the 5800 resistive to the monte capacitive…. the nokia 5800 resistive the most worst touchscreen i ever use…… i dont care about the specs the responsiveness of the touchscreen should be the priority when buying phones…. the toucwiz 2 is perfect for the monte… try it yourself… it is much closer to the iphone same interms of responsiveness and in music player…. but in other features IPHONE hands down..
ryego says:
wer i can i buy this phone?
gino says:
tanung po ok po ba ang samsung phone?
b/w these three anu po ang ok
spica, marvel or monte?
Andy says:
is it available in white colour
Mr.Blue says:
In samsung monte Can i Down load
*yahoo messanger
*skype?
can i download it in this cellphone?
gino says:
sa mga gumagamit po ng samsung monte tanung po san po makakadownload ng file explorer para sa monte at panu po makita yung laman ng memory card thru phone thansk!
rony says:
spica oki ang spica bro…. go for it.. pero kung kulang budget mo go for monte d ka magsisi… wala syang lag oki interface nya parang iphone tlga sya. saka maliit sya d sya halata sa pocket mo…. sa features nya hands down ako kasi 11k lng sya mostly un mga features nya makikita mo din sa high end na cp. gps wifi saka sa mga music lover un dnse technology nang samsung sulit.. ang panget lng d2 walang flash camera nya.. pero mas oki cam nya sa iphone 3gs
Jellon says:
There are 2 things good about this phone. First, the capacitive screen. Second, Wifi. The screen is not as responsive as the iPhone or iPod touch but still, it is a welcome feature for such a mid-ranged device. But, as i have said, it is not as responsive as you may be expecting.
Honestly it will be unfair to match this with the 5800XM. Obviously, the 5800 was launched with a higher price tag, about Php 19K way back last quarter 2008. The 5800 is a complete Phone. And for it’s price tag nowadays (13k-11k), it is a steal. The 3.15MP camera of the 5800 is miles better than the Monte’s because of the Carl Zeiss tech. Plus the 5800’s music player outclassed the Monte’s by a notch.
The Monte on the other hand can be considered a good catch. With all those features, you’ll be paying so much more for less. It looks good, feels good in the hand, but it feels cheaply built. it feels more plastic than the 5800.
Besh says:
i have this phone. ganda. di ako nagsisisi na binili ko to. very responsive ang touch screen compare sa mga mga nahawakan ko nang phone. :) 8.5/10 ang rating ko. hindi kasi nag qwerty ang pag nilandscape mo pag nagtetext.
Kuzon says:
Sick phone! Nice and satisfying features for only 11k?! I’m so gonna get this!
Val says:
Im very disappointed sa samsung monte. Meron ba sa inyo nakaexperience na nagrerestart ung cp nila for unknown reason? May kakilala din ako na may samsung monte at ganun din daw naexperience nya. Pinalitan ung board nya at nireformat naman ung sakin ng mas upgraded OS pero pareho pa din nagrerestart ung cp namin.
Any advice?
elec_math123 says:
sa akin naman po ndi ko naman po naencounter un
tanung po pwede po ba mag save ng pictures galing net dito at panu?
suzzy says:
just bought a brandnew pearl white samsung monte yesterday for only 8500, the black one costs only 8000…
phone works great!…=)
suzzy says:
just bought a brand new pearl white monte yesterday for only 8.5k..one year warranty with NTC..:)
black costs 8k..:)
great phone, no complaints so far..
mark says:
@suzzy
saan mo nabili iyong 8.5k? thanks
andrew says:
pano ma fifix un not enough resources pag nag bbrowse sa ibang websites? kailangan ba ng additional external memory? thanks po
Daniel says:
Dear all, I have a problem with my samsung monte. When someone phones me up and I have his number stored in my phone, his name appeares on the display, but when the same contact send me an sms only his number will appear. Is it a problem with the phone or there is a setting? Can anyone help me out please as I never had such problem with other phones I had.
Amador says:
opa! mais k falam ingles?? poça!! e eu k tava a procura de sites portugueses e saiem sempre os mesmos!! bem sobre o tele (n sei se me entendem) (lol) adoro, adoro e sabem k mais adoro! alias vou te-lo mas se tiver a venda! fui a mts lojas e disseram me k este tele aparecia mais po fim de setembro… por isso vou compra-lo esta semana…pelo k vi custa 120, uns disseram 99, outos disseram 135. mas 120 e o preço k mais se adqua ao tele! bem bjs pa todos e abrçs! xau!
naiyanachanok says:
I want buy it.!!
I like white.
AND!!!I don’t have money..555
Erika Jane says:
This phone is nice, i have one but the problem is i an’t maximize the use of GPS… anyone?
Erika Jane says:
GREAT PHONE:
if you want to maximize the use of GPS
Repost:
In phone settings > GPS settings > GPS+ settings > download data. After download is complete, press back to GPS Position > satellite status. You’ll get all the satellites available in your area. Press back and you’ll get your coordinates.
set the auto download to ‘On’ in GPS+ settings in order to get ‘My location’ in Google Map.
daisy jane rey says:
how much?
zkcehj says:
im selling my salightly used phone for 7,500 pesos..:)