Samsung S8530 Wave 2 Review

In a nutshell: The Samsung Wave S8530 (or Samsung Wave 2) is a souped-up version of the original Wave, with a larger screen. It's a cutting-edge phone with a 3.7 inch Super Clear LCD display, a fast processor, 2GB of built-in memory, a 5 megapixel camera with HD video and assisted GPS. The Bada operating system provides all the core smartphone functionality, but third-party apps are very thin on the ground.

The Samsung Wave S8530 is a reincarnation of the original Wave. It looks very similar, although it's grown in size to accommodate a larger 3.7 inch screen, and it's put on weight as a result, although it's not so heavy that this is a problem. Everything else remains pretty much the same, so you could view this as an addition to the Wave range rather than a direct replacement for the original wave.

As well as increasing the size of the screen from 3.2 inches to 3.7 inches, Samsung have switched technology from Super AMOLED to Super Clear LCD TFT. We've previously described Super AMOLED as the best possible display on a mobile phone, so is this an even greater step forward? Which is the winner in the Super Clear LCD vs Super AMOLED battle? Well, the difference isn't great at all. But place either of these displays next to a conventional TFT display and the difference is so great that both of the new technologies are clear winners.

Apart from the bigger screen and the bigger overall size, the only significant change that will affect users is the increase in internal memory from 1GB to 2GB.

Here's the bottom line: the Samsung Wave S8530 is a flagship phone with cutting edge features and its only shortcoming is the lack of third-party apps for the Bada operating system. But all the basics are here: mapping, social networking, a document viewer, personal organizer functions, integrated contacts. If the downloading culture doesn't appeal to you, then you might as well stick with the Wave 2 and benefit from the cutting edge hardware at a very competitive price. 

Features of the Samsung Wave S8530 include:

• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash, face detection, smile shot and 4x digital zoom
• HD video recording (Up to 720p) / video calling
• Display: Super Clear TFT, 16 million colours, 480 x 800 pixels (3.7 inches) touchscreen with auto-rotate
• Music player with 3D sound
• FM radio RDS
• MP3 ringtones
• Integrated handsfree speaker
• AGPS with geo-tagging
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, email
• Personal organiser functions (1,000 phonebook entries)
• Picsel document viewer
• Memory: 2GB plus MicroSD memory card (up to 32GB)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-Out
• Internet: Dolfin Browser 2.0, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
• Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), dual band 3G (900/2100)
• Size: 124 x 60 x 11.8 mm
• Weight: 135g
• Battery: 1500 mAh
• Talktime: 13.5 hours
• Battery standby: 600 hours