Samsung Bresson Review

Released initially in 2008, the Samsung Bresson [or Pixon if you prefer] is one of the first phones that was able to compete with the Apple iPhone for mobile photography lovers. With an 8 MP camera and a display that is quite modern, with 16 M colors, HSDPA, and a 3.2 inch screen, some looking at this phone today would call it something that they would reasonably love. Named after a famous French photographer, the emphasis of this feature friendly phone from Samsung is clear. Is it still able to live up to the anticipation that it created so long ago?

The Basic Features of the Samsung Bresson Are a Bit Lacking

Users will find that the Samsung Bresson has a reasonably good set of features. There’s a calculator included that has a number of trigonometric functions included with it that provide niche users with an incredible value. A music player is included, there’s a front camera in addition to the 8 MP rear camera, and video calling is also possible with the Bresson. It should be noted, however, that even though internet browsing is possible with this Samsung device, it is not a smartphone.

What this smartphone does not have, however, is a Wi-Fi connection. There isn’t any voice guided navigation either, even though the phone is GPS equipped, and there is no smart dialing. The stylus for the phone is used as a dongle only and there isn’t a stylus compartment.

This makes the Samsung Bresson a smartphone that is primarily geared towards those who want to take mobile pictures and still have a great image. At the time of its release, it was the slimmest 8 MP camera phone that was on the market at 15.5mm, but that has been improved over time [the iPhone 6 is below 8mm, for example]. Users get to use the autofocusing features of the phone effectively and there are plenty of image detection features in the camera software that make it easy to use. The WVGA video even records at 30 frames per second.

The Samsung User Interface Is the Perfect Medium

In many Samsung smartphones, and Android operating system is used as the foundation for the phone, but the user interface that Samsung puts onto it is their exclusive TouchWiz system. The swiping that is required from this UI is usually a bit problematic, but that isn’t the case with this particular phone. Users can easily access the software or app that they want to use and then be able to take a quick picture or find the right route to take as they travel somewhere.

The multimedia functions of the Samsung Bresson are also still something that would be considered top of the line. It will play DivX and XviD files in addition to the standard MP4s for video playback. There’s an FM radio included with RDS and Bluetooth connectivity is included with the phone. It has a USB v2.0 port and 200 MB of internal storage for some limited app functionality. Most importantly, however, it has ShoZu integration so that users have direct video and image uploads from the phone.

What Have Users Found With the Samsung Bresson?

Although this phone is rich with features, that may also be one of its weak points. Many users have noted that they have had trouble with their Bresson freezing on them when they are attempting to access specific features or software on the phone. This requires a complete reset of the phone at times, including pulling the battery, and that can be problematic when you’re trying to get the perfect shot as a mobile photographer.

Although the internal storage is limited, the mSD card slot does allow for a reasonable amount of expandable storage for extra images, songs, or software. The Bresson also has handwriting recognition capabilities, a first for a phone of this size, and it weighs just 110g overall.

Otherwise the user experience is reasonably good. If users are looking for a feature rich phone and don’t necessarily want to have a smartphone for some reason, the Samsung Bresson has the goods to deliver a great experience. With a strong camera, good call support that sounds clear, and authentic sounds, there is plenty to love about this phone. It would likely be loved even more if it had full GPS support or could connect to Wi-Fi for graphics and video uploads.

What’s the Verdict on the Samsung Bresson?

In looking at this phone, users are going to be struck by the size of the 8 MP camera on the back at first. Technology has developed a lot since 2008 and these cameras have become much slimmer over time. It is nearly twice the thickness of a modern smartphone which provides similar features, but the Bresson is able to provide similar outcomes from a photography standpoint. For users who want a great mobile phone that can take sharp pictures and have a good set of user functions for customization, then there is a lot of value still to be found in this phone.

For those who want to have the traditional smartphone experience, however, the Samsung Bresson is not going to be able to provide that. The swipe functions are nice and software is easy enough to access, but the various apps that are so useful today on the modern smart device are not something that users will be able to access with this phone.

The Samsung Bresson is definitely showing its age. Although the features were highly competitive at the time of its release, that simply isn’t the case anymore. Many users are going to find the phone bulky, even though it is rather lightweight. Call quality is clear and texting on the capacitive touchscreen is fine, but that’s the limits to what this phone can do. If you like photography, texting, and calling someone, then you’ll like this phone. If you want more, however, then you’ll want something other than the Samsung Bresson.

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