B100

Samsung's B100 is the company's entry-level prepaid mobile phone. While the lack of some basic features like a camera can be excused, the absence of Bluetooth will force many users to turn elsewhere despite this handset's cheap as chips price.

The B100 is one of the most compact phones we've reviewed. It doesn't attempt to be a fashion handset, but the combination of gloss black casing and a dark grey keypad certainly looks the part. It weighs just 78g, meaning it is easy to slip into a pocket or bag and not notice its presence.

A downside to the small size is the display — it is one of the smallest we've seen and also suffers from poor viewing angles. At this price there is little to complain about, but with all the spare real estate surrounding the screen we are not sure why Samsung decided to make it so small.

The B100 is simple to use and the menu system is easy to grasp. The controls are straightforward, and the keypad, while a little small, is comfortable to type on and provides reasonable tactility. A five-way navigational pad does most of the work, flanked by two selection buttons, answer and end call keys, and a clear button.

Features are sparse on this phone, but the B100 is for calls and text and little else. There is no room for a camera or an MP3 player, nor is there expandable memory. These are shortcomings we can live with considering the target audience and market position, but we can't excuse the lack of Bluetooth — this means you won't be able to use a wireless headset or speakerphone with the B100.

The B100 is as basic as they come, with a 500-name phonebook, SMS and MMS messaging and a range of PIM functions that includes a calendar, alarm clock, calculator, a currency converter and sound recorder. Unfortunately, there are no sound profiles and the voice quality, while not horrible, could have used a little improvement.