The Samsung i450 is marketed as a music handset, and delivers multimedia and communication features in a stylish dual slider package.
The most striking feature of the i450 is the touch sensitive scroll wheel dedicated to music control. The wheel is controlled by your thumb and can be rolled to scroll through the menu options and then tapped to select. This half wheel is revealed when you slide the handset downwards. While this form of navigation tool does take a bit of getting used to it is a good way to access and control your music on the go.
The music player on the Samsung i450's uses ICEpower technology, which has been developed by the highly respected audio company Bang & Olufsen. You can change themes, background effects and utilise any of the 15 programmed presets. There is also an FM radio that can store up to 50 presets.
The Samsung i450 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can use your own headphones to receive excellent sound quality. Strangely though, the hands-free headset that comes with the i450 uses a proprietary connection, so you will need both sets of headphones with you if you are planning on listening to music and taking hands-free calls.
Scroll wheel aside, the other controls on the Samsung i450 make for a pleasant user experience. The keypad is large, well spaced and while the keys are flat, they are very responsive. There is also a backlight, which is bright enough to make night time messaging a breeze. Design wise, this particular Samsung handset feels sturdy, despite being made of shiny plastic. There are more solid devices on the market, but it does weigh in at only 114 grams.
The 2-megapixel camera comes with a flash and works pretty well, even in low light. This Samsung handset also supports video recording, but it isn’t as good as it could be. The VGA camera is front-mounted, so you can make video calls.
USB 2.0 and Bluetooth connectivity with A2DP is included with the i450, as well as 3.6Mbps HSDPA-capability, a PDF viewer, a voice recorder and a simple web browser. There is also a slot for a microSD card. The Samsung i450 runs the Symbian Series 60 operating system, which can support a wide range of applications. Personal organisation features include a currency converter, a calculator, notes and an alarm clock.