Samsung Rugby II Review
By Rob Webber on October 31st, 2011
From first glance you know the Rugby II can take a beating. With its textured section on the front and silver/black colour scheme the phone does take the appearance of a compact walkie-talkie device. It is notably sturdy and durable, though it is slightly bigger than its predecessor. It does have a plastic skin, but even so the phone’s construction feels quality overall. The phone feels comfortable in the palm of your hand at a height of 4.01 inches, a width of 2.05 inch and a 0.86 inch depth. It weighs a total of 3.52 ounces, making it slightly light than the original Rugby.
Mounted on the bottom half of the phone’s front is its external 1.30 inch display. This displays key information such as the date, time, signal strength, caller ID and battery life. Flipping up the phone will reveals its 2.2 inch internal display, supporting 262k colors and a resolution of 240x320. The resolution is appropriate for the size of display, providing sharp and colorful images that are suitable enough for the phone’s features. There are options to adjust the screen’s brightness, the backlighting time and the font. It also allows you to choose between 1 of 2 menus.
The keypad is similar to that seen on other feature phones. The keys lack elevation from the keyboard’s surface, but are spacious enough to give each a distinctive feel. The navigation pad is similar large in size with a nicely textured finish. It can also be programmed with shortcuts. Below the navigation pad sits the usual keys for Call and End Call, plus a few extras.
Amongst the phone’s features is a 1,000 capacity phonebook, MMS, instant messaging and the ability to set caller groups and picture/ring ID. For ring ID the phone has six polyphonic ringtones on offer – a small amount, but not an issue that can’t be solved by adding your own MP3s. Voice dialling is also included as a new feature with the Rugby II.
The phone’s 3G capability is a nice addition to the phone. It also supports applications such as Social Net, allowing you to connect to the main social networking websites, and push-to-talk. The low internal memory of 70MB can also be increased by up to an additional 32GB through an SD card.
Built into the phone is its 2.0-megapixel camera. It has different settings to allow the user to optimise how their photos are taken, including settings for white balance, color effects and resolution. The pictures produced are of an average quality.
