Samsung introduced the Samsung Europa, also known as Samsung I5500 Corby, Galaxy 500 and the Galaxy 5, in August of 2010. While it’s not a new smartphone on the market, it remains one of the top beginner smartphones on the market.

Because of that continued distinction, let’s take a closer look at this model. Remember: It’s over a year old, so don’t expect any technological surprises, but it’s still a quality new-user model that offers the smartphone experience without overwhelming the newbie with too many complications.

Overview

First, this is an inexpensive smartphone, perfectly priced for the new smartphone user. With a bit of digging, you can find this mobile phone for as little as £54.95 with a 3 Mobile contract, for example. Elsewhere, it’s available for as low as £10 per month or SIM-free for £186.83 including VAT charges. New users don’t like paying a huge amount of hard-earned money for a new device, and the mobile phone is perched perfectly between technology and price.

The body is shiny and sleek. Rounded corners lend grace to the profile, and the optical illusion of a non-balanced side-view simply adds intrigue. The illusion is formed by a non-linear edge separation from top to bottom that provides easy battery compartment access and segregates the buttons and connections on the bottom of the device. The Europa has a plastic body, which contributes to its light-weight status, but it’s not the sturdiest model around. It might survive a casual drop off a table, but we wouldn’t recommend too many of them.

Specifications

Dimensions: 108 x 56 x 12.3 mm / 102 g
Display: 2.8 inches / TFT capacitive touchscreen / 240 x 320 pixels at 143 ppi.
Operating System: Android 2.1 Eclair, upgradeable to 2.2 Froyo.
Speed: 600 MHz
Memory: 2 MP / 1600×1200 pixels / Video: QVGA at 15fps
Battery: 1200 mAh / 2G: Talk: up to 9.5 hours; standby: up to 521 hours / 3G: Talk: up to 6.5 hours; standby: up to 375 hours.
Camera:
Connectivity:

Additional comments: The small display would displease many veteran users, but it doesn’t overwhelm the new smartphone user. Unknown if upgraded Froyo OS upgradeable to Gingerbread in this model. Slow processor to today’s standards but quite fine for a brand new smartphone user. Low video capabilities by techie-user standards, but again, should be considered an introductory smartphone. It has no front-facing camera, though, which would have been a nice feature. Excellent battery life for a low-capacity battery, compliments of the low-tech design. MP4 / H.264 / H.263 video player; MP3 / WAV / eAAC+ audio player.

As an Android device, it features a Google apps package with Google Search and Google Maps, and it provides YouTube integration. It also sports social networking integration, one of the highlights for new users.

Overall opinion: The Samsung I5500 Galaxy 5 is one of the best introductory, low-priced smartphones available. It may be “old news,” but sometimes, that’s the best kind of news. Don’t overlook this 2010 model.