2 March 2007 9:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

"It looks amazing" was what the PR man on behalf of Samsung wanted us to say, and compared to other Ultra Edition models we would have to agree.

The D840 is the company's pseudo fashion looking phone. Opting for, the now fashionable again silver, the phone features a highly reflective large 2.12-inch screen with 240 x 320 resolution screen that dominates the slider design.

If you're thinking you're all of a sudden reading the LG Shine mobile phone review, your not. The Samsung might have gone for the sliver look, the reflective screen, and the slimline 11.9mm thick design, but that's all.

The inners are very much Samsung and its Ultra Edition interface and we found the multiple controls including the dpad on the front a lot easier to use.

Likewise the software is very easy to use whether its finding a contact or checking your messages.

Compared to the D900, the phone's nearest cousin from Samsung, there are some noticeable differences, mainly the use of a 2 megapixel rather than a 3 megapixel camera for starters and a better looking design.

That 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and flash performs okay, but not great and there is enough memory on board to record up to an hour of video. Failing that you can add extra memory via the MicroSD expandable memory slot accessible at all times. However we wouldn't recommend this model if that is your main focus for wanting to buy the phone.

Samsung say that a lot more attention to detail has been paid to the D840 and this includes considerably work, time and effort on making the sliding function slide just right - and that it does.

Also gone is the bulbous rim on the bottom of the phone that got in the way of the flush metal keyboard. It's still there, but no longer affects typing.

Verdict

Samsung say it has gone for the fashion angle with the D840 and we are struggling to see it to be honest. Yes it's certainly better looking than the previous Ultra Edition models, but compared to fashion phones like Nokia's L'amour range and LG's Chocolate handset we can't see it.

In fact Mrs Pocket-lint (always a good judge of these things) didn't really get excited about the look, design and feel of the phone.

A strong competent model, but the "It looks amazing" comment is stretching it a touch too far.

Score

Review Recap

Made by

Samsung

Price as reviewed

£price dependent on contract

The good

Slim, easy to use, great slider mechanism, 2 megapixel camera

The bad

Not that fashion focused, Mrs Pocket-lint didn't seem that bothered by the design

Quick verdict

A strong competent model, but the "It looks amazing" comment is stretching it a touch too far

Score

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