Featuring a spacious full-QWERTY keyboard and a large LCD, the Samsung Ace SPH-i325 offers a host of features for a low price. Definitely marketed with the Blackberry in its crosshairs, the Samsung Ace has a solid and sturdy feel for a smartphone. The buttons are exceptionally tactile, making for speedy messaging, and the device's size and shape make long sessions comfortable. But the feature that will bring most consumers to this phone is its versatility. While you are in the US, the phone operates on the CDMA band, but if you travel a lot to Europe where GSM reigns supreme, the Ace also has a SIM card. More important, the SIM card is unlocked. So if you want to buy a prepaid service while you're overseas, you can easily get a local number to save yourself the big bucks of roaming charges. However, if you want to hold onto your number, you can also change your own rate plan to a more suitable international option. Your very own SIM card is shipped with the phone.

While in the US, you have access to EV-DO high-speed networks, so you can watch streaming video and television with relatively hiccup-free quality. If you pay a small subscription fee, you can receive content from CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, and E!, just to name a few. You can also have access to satellite radio and streaming music. One downside of note, however, is that chronic web surfers will suffer in Europe, as the phone cannot access 3G networks.

In addition to this dual-network feature, the Samsung Ace has a lot of functionality. While half the phone is covered with buttons, the other half is occupied by the 2.3-inch LCD. The screen isn't incredibly vibrant, supporting only 65K colors, but it does its job. The Ace also has a 1.3-megapixel camera that provides surprisingly sharp photos, even if the color accuracy is a bit off. Photos can be taken in one of three resolutions, but unfortunately, there is not a flash.

As for the smartphone features, the Ace uses Windows Mobile 6 and has Microsoft Office Mobile Suite pre-loaded. So, given the excellent QWERTY keyboard, you can view and edit documents that are sent to you with ease. The phone has push email, so you receive your messages in real time, rather than having to check the server every so often for new correspondence.

Given the screen size and the mess of keys, you'd think the Samsung Ace would be rather bulky. But its thin profile keeps the weight at a mere 3.9 ounces. This is exceptionally light, even for a regular phone. That said, the other dimensions of the device are large, but it remains very comfortable to hold. Plus, the longer length makes talking on the phone for extended sessions seem less like you're holding something tiny to your head and talking into thin air. In other words, there's something psychologically satisfying in having other people know that you're on a phone call. Of course, attaching a wireless headset will remove this advantage, as Bluetooth 2.0 is supported.

Call clarity for the Samsung Ace was exceptional, with callers reporting very little or absolutely no ambient noise. Meanwhile, incoming sound was rich and full, with volume levels that proved more than ample. Unfortunately, performance of the speakerphone, however, was somewhat spotty at the edges. The low frequencies weren't especially rich and the highs were tinny. The same thing happened during music playback. Fortunately, most folks will opt for headphones (stereo Bluetooth is supported) so this downfall will be circumvented. If you're an audiophile, you'll probably be disappointed by one other thing though. With only 96MB of memory built into the device, most people will opt for a microSD card. However, large cards are not supported with the capacity maxing out at 2GB. A few years ago, this would have seemed like a lot, but when you have a camera, a camcorder, and a music player onboard, you'll find yourself quickly running out of room.

Given that the phone is so packed with features, there was one unsurprising performance flaw and one pleasant surprise. When running a few applications simultaneously, the Ace had problems with speed, and occasionally the unit would freeze. But the feature that offered up impressive performance was the battery life. It was able to eke out almost 7 hours of talk time and a week of standby, which is quite good for a smartphone.

The phonebook can hold entries until you run out of memory, with each contact capable of holding a wealth of information including multiple phone numbers, email addresses, and various other fields. Each entry can also be paired to a distinctive ringer or a photo ID. Overall, the Samsung Ace SPH-I325 is a powerhouse of a business phone with some very user-friendly features.

Pros: CDMA and GSM access, good camera, EV-DO 3G network, great keyboard
Cons: No European 3G access, low memory capacity

Warranty
1 year