Our beloved Philippines still ranks low in the list of smartphone-using countries. If you don’t believe that, just count how many major telcos we have. In the US, for example, there are quite a number of telcos, enough for cellphone makers to build specific phones for each of them. Case in point: Samsung’s Galaxy Reverb.
The Reverb is an Android phone offered by Virgin Mobile. It packs a single-core, 1.4 Ghz processor, 5-megapixel camera, a 4” Super AMOLED screen, and Ice Cream Sandwich OS out of the box. Not too long ago, these might be considered top-end specs, but with flagship models nowadays sporting quad-core processors, the Reverb is now strictly mid-range.
With those specs, performance would probably be nothing to write home about. It would be able to perform various tasks we subject other, more powerful phones into, but expect hiccups and lags. It has a removable battery, which is becoming a rarity nowadays so battery life would probably not be a problem. Also, it lacks 4G capabilities and while the technology is still in its relative infancy here in the Philippines, it wouldn’t hurt to have a phone that’s future-proof.
Looks-wise, the Reverb looks just like, uhm, the myriad of Samsung phones out there. The whole plastic chassis looks flimsy but still looks presentable nonetheless. The 4” screen should also make the phone nice to hold, compared to the huge ones that have recently come out (yes, I’m referring to you, Galaxy S3 and Note 2.)
That said, if ever it becomes available here the Reverb might just be a hit. For starters, majority of Pinoys still have the ever-reliable Nokias of 10 years ago, you know, the ones with the Snake game? At $250 or roughly around P10,000, the Reverb might be the bridge to a modern but affordable smartphones. It might face stiff competition, however, from HTC’s One V, which was already introduced here several months ago.
Still, if you’re in the US and looking for a budget smartphone that can handle basic modern activities such as browsing, gaming and the good ‘ol call and text, the Reverb is a good phone to start with.
