The Design of the Samsung UpStage

The two-sided feature of the Samsung UpStage has definitely generated a buzz in the tech world. The first of two sides contains the common buttons that you would expect on a cell phone; dial pad, end button, talk button, etc. Flip it over and you’ll see the face of a multimedia player; large screen, play button, forward and backward button. With the two completely different sides having two completely different sets of functions, the Samsung UpStage may prove to be a bit confusing at first. But, damn does it look slick.

Samsung Goes Thin Again

With the slim design of the UpStage, Samsung has clearly displayed, once again, that thin is their preference. This model stands at 1.73 x 4.07 x .37 inches; similar dimensions to the iPod Nano which is another device known for its petite size. Weighing in at only 2.57 ounces, the Samsung UpStage is a phone you can store just about anywhere; it slides comfortably into any pocket and won’t weigh you down or bulk you up.

The Phone Side

The phone side of the Samsung UpStage is quite basic in terms of functionality. You have your dial pad in the lower portion and the navigation pad found at the top portion. The navigation is your typical Samsung pad; square toggle containing an OK button in the center. They even managed to squeeze a camera button, back button, and two other soft keys along with the Talk and End keys in that top portion. As stated above, the phone face functions of the Samsung UpStage is basic at best; you have access to contacts, text messages (send only), missed alerts and call history. Notice that there are no tools or settings mentioned. The display of the phone side is also rather small. In fact, it’s downright tiny. The text may prove to be too small for some users but they did manage to cram the date, time, Bluetooth connection, signal strength, battery life, and caller ID into that small display screen.

The Multimedia Side

Flip to the multimedia side of the Samsung UpStage and we’re invited by a large 2.1 inch screen which supports 262K colors; very bright and colorful indeed. The size and color support is perfect for taking photos and videos with the Samsung UpStage. Much of the missing options on the phone side are found in the multimedia side; this includes the tools, settings, shortcuts, and favorites. For navigation, we are presented with an efficiently sized touch pad below the display screen that contains a soft key in the center. The sensitivity of this touch pad can be adjusted and the soft key must be pushed before the touch pad is activated. The user is given the option to use a sliding motion on the pad or simply tap the side of the pad which corresponds to the direction they wish to navigate to. Once you have entered the music mode, this touch pad doubles as your music controls giving you the options of play, fast-forward, and rewind. This navigation method may be confusing, maybe even frustrating, at first. But with some patience and practice, navigation through the Samsung UpStage will become second nature.

Samsung Upstage’s Lone Speaker

One major fault in the design of the Samsung UpStage is the lack of speakers. In fact, there is only a single speaker and it is found on the phone side. This means that if you are using the multimedia player of the Samsung UpStage, the only audio output is found on the other side of the screen that you are facing. Also, if you want to rest the handset on a table while listening to music or watching a movie, the sound from the speaker will be weakened because it will be facing down; not very efficient.

A Fix to the Weak Battery

The battery of the Samsung UpStage also has its flaws. For one, it’s not user-replaceable meaning you won’t be able to simply replace your battery if it’s ever to go awry. Also, with such a slim design, the battery-life of the Samsung UpStage is lacking. However, to counteract this, they have included an extended battery to be included with the phone. This extended battery looks more like a leather wallet for the Samsung UpStage and protects it from any scratches and scrapes. You need only snap the phone into the extended battery to enjoy an extra 4 hours of talk time. The only issue is that the extended battery is a bit bulky which takes away from the slimness of the Samsung UpStage.

Overall, the design of the Samsung UpStage is pleasantly unique and, despite it’s few flaws, effective. It’s also quite impressive how they managed to fit the amount of hardware and functionality that they did into such a small device.