Techcitement Review: Samsung Double Time, And Now For Something Completely Different

If you’ve noticed that modern smartphones are beginning to look strikingly similar, this new budget handset from Samsung will be a breath of fresh air. The Samsung Double Time is an AT&T branded device that earns its namesake from the use of dual displays. That is, instead of having the keyboard slide out like other popular QWERTY devices, the entire device clamshells open like a teeny tiny laptop. A teeny tiny laptop with a second screen on the outside, that is.

When open, you’re presented with a QVGA touch display and surprisingly comfortable physical keypad, complete with Android navigation buttons. When closed, the internal screen shuts off and a larger display with its own set of physical buttons can be found on the outside.  Sort of a phone-within-a-phone.

A phone within a phone, it is the Inception of Smartphones.

The amazing thing about this is that Samsung manages to do it without making the device feel unreasonably bulky. While the thick white bezel may lack the appeal that popular sleek black shiny devices have, there’s something about this design that exudes cuteness. Let’s be honest, not everyone wants the same shiny fingerprint magnet devices as everyone else. If you do want that, Samsung already has you covered with their Galaxy S series. Options are what make Android great, and this is a perfect example of manufacturers like Samsung being able to offer different strokes for different folks.

Aside from the eyebrow-raising ergonomics and design, the specs and other details are rather low end. A 600 Mhz CPU, QVGA display (both of them, and only one works at a time so you can’t even say it is doubled), a paltry 260 MB internal storage, and the phone runs the older 2.2 Froyo version of Android. No front camera, 4G, or three dimensional display tomfoolery here. Just basic specs on a well-aged edition of Android.

The specs are similar to the LG Optimus S, another no-nonsense budget device with solid performance.

One thing I particularly like about this device is the keyboard. Because the hinge is on the outside, you have the entire surface of the phone to lay out keys, with enough real estate to have them comfortably sized and space in between. I found typing on this sort of keyboard required almost no learning curve and was much more comfortable than many sliding keyboard phones, including Samsung’s own Transform Ultra.

Surprisingly comfortable keyboard, complete with directional navigation keys.

The battery life seemed to be on par for a device in this class. In other words, you won’t be running for a wall charger by five o’clock. The small display and slower CPU means that the phone draws less power to operate than higher end phones, so the battery life is pretty respectable. It easily makes it through a day with moderate usage, more if used lightly or just left on overnight. Combine that with the ergonomics and relatively snappy performance, and you have a functional and cute little device.

Speaking of snappy performance, the transition animations are disabled by default, which means that just about everything happens instantly (no waiting for the app drawer icons to animate into place). I figured that Samsung left them off to keep the OS running smoothly on lower-end hardware; however, turning them on revealed that the device is still fast enough to handle them. Running a Quadrant benchmark test scored 602, and Neocore’s performance benchmark scored over 51 frames per second, revealing respectable graphic processing power for a device in this price range.

If I had to sum up the Double Time in a single word, I think it would be adorable. If you’re looking for the latest high-speed superphone, this isn’t for you. If you’re looking for the most hackable custom-rom toting device, this isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a no-frills straight forward user experience or perhaps a first smartphone for someone who isn’t sold on the concept yet, this is a great option.