Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO review: file browser, multimedia, audio quality, camera, connectivity, web browser
Fast file browser
The B5310 CorbyPRO’s file browser can display the files and folders on the phone memory or the memory card, and both at once.
There are folders for different types of files (images, video, sounds) to let the handset sort the memory contents.
However, you are not forced to follow this structure – you can place your files wherever you want and the phone will have no problems handling them.
The efficient file browser
You can copy or move files – both one by one or in bulk, and you can create and delete new folders (except for the root folders, like Images, Sounds and so on).
Files can also be sent via Bluetooth, one by one again, or in bulk. Throughout the whole file manager you can pick files you would like to lock to prevent accidental deletion.
Reading the memory card is quick and won’t bother users at all. Listing the thumbnails of pictures stored in the respective folder on the memory card is quite fast too.
The memory card initiatialization is surprisingly fast: regardless of the capacity, the B5310 CorbyPRO recognizes a memory card in 10-15 seconds. The phone comfortably handles a 16GB microSD card with thousands of different files. Working with the files on the memory card once it’s initialized is fast enough to satisfy most users; however, speed does drop when the card starts filling up.
Basic but useful gallery
Unlike some Samsung phones, the B5310 CorbyPRO has only one picture gallery. However, this isn’t an issue since the gallery it does have is fully functional. You’ll most likely not miss the Photo browser despite its eye-catching qualities.
The B5310 CorbyPRO gallery is an inherent part of the file manager and launching it is as simple as opening any folder that contains images.
Once you open a picture to view, you can sweep your fingers across the screen to see the next image without having to return to the image list. Browsing the images is really fast and responsive with no lag.
Zooming in is easy enough though not as responsive as we would have liked it to be. You have the one-finger zooming too and it seems to work better here than on the Samsung Lindy.
To zoom in quickly from thumbnail size to 100% you can just double tap on the screen. If you repeat, the image will go back to thumbnail size.
Browsing images in landscape mode is also available. Thanks to the integrated accelerometer, you can switch to landscape view by tilting the phone or sliding out the QWERTY keyboard.
Viewing a single image
Music player and FM radio
The music player of the Samsung B5310 is almost exactly the same as in the original Corby and hasn’t been altered much from the M8800 Pixon.
It allows filtering tracks by author, album, and genre. Automatic playlists (recently added, most played etc.) are also generated and can subsequently be used as filters. If that doesn’t seem enough, you can create your own custom playlists. The music player can naturally be minimized to play in the background.
The music player does the job
The music player also has a dedicated homescreen widget, allowing quick access to the full version of the application with only a single tap. You can also start, stop and skip tracks straight from the home screen if you prefer.
The equalizer department offers a long list of presets including pop, jazz, classic, mega bass, bass enhancement etc.
Last, but certainly not least, the player is nicely touch-optimized to include fast forward and rewind, just like on the S5600. This adds up to an excellent music application that can fully replace your portable MP3 player.
And one more thing – let’s not forget that the CorbyPRO also packs a standard 3.5mm audio jack so you can plug in your favorite headphones straight away. No adaptors needed.
The Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO features an FM radio with RDS. The CorbyPRO radio app offers intuitive controls and has the Find Music recognition service implemented, which works much like Sony Ericsson’s TrackID.
The FM radio application • the radio widget
The radio app is in the Applications menu but the Radio widget on the home screen gives you more immediate access. Tapping on it brings up the radio or you could just use the widget’s controls to start/stop the radio or change the station. It can only skip between saved stations though, and if you want to search you’ll have to do it in the actual app.
Speaking of stations, you can save stations but they are labeled just by their frequency and you can’t rename them. There’s a separate list for your favorite stations though.
The video player is OK
The video player has a simple interface with not too many features. All the basics are covered though, and that should really be enough as the screen size doesn’t really imply first rate portable video watching.
The video player of Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO
The player supports MP4 videos but we only managed to get QVGA samples running. VGA resolution videos we tried were a no go.
Very good audio quality
The audio output of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO is pretty good generally, the handset scored excellently on most parts of our traditional test.
The frequency response is spot-on with very minor deviations at either end of the audible range. The stereo crosstalk is excellent and so are the noise levels and the dynamic range readings.
The slightly high distortion levels are the only thing that separates the CorbyPRO audio output from perfection. They aren’t too disturbing but we are still below average and so we have to point them out.
Here goes the table and the graph so you can see for yourselves.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO | +0.08, -0.46 | -85.4 | 85.4 | 0.087 | 0.808 | -81.6 |
| Samsung S3650 Corby | +0.17, -2.15 | -85.9 | 85.9 | 0.010 | 0.173 | -53.7 |
| Nokia 6760 slide | +0.27, -0.09 | -79.1 | 77.4 | 0.0068 | 0.042 | -72.1 |
| Samsung S5230 Star | +1.02, -2.41 | -88.0 | 87.8 | 0.0045 | 0.222 | -82.3 |
| LG KP500 Cookie | +0.13, -0.32 | -87.5 | 81.9 | 0.125 | 0.150 | -63.0 |
| Apple iPhone 3GS | +0.01, -0.05 | -92.1 | 92.1 | 0.0035 | 0.011 | -95.0 |
Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO frequency response graph
The 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera
The Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO features a 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera for maximum image resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.
The camera does not have auto-focus, but it sports the nice Smile shot feature. Basically when it’s on, pushing the camera button doesn’t immediately result in taking the picture. Instead, the camera just starts tracking the framed face. As soon as the person smiles, the handset takes the shot for you automatically.
The camera interface is nicely touch-optimized and is certainly among the most comfortable camera interfaces on a touchscreen device.
The camera interface
The camera is not some spectacular performer, but it’s quite alright for a 3 megapixel snapper. Noise suppression is a bit too aggressive at times, eradicating all fine detail, but it seems passable.
Camera samples
Synthetic resolution
We also snapped our resolution chart with the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO. You can check out what that test is all about here.
Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO resolution chart photo • 100% crops
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic resolution chart photo • 100% crops
Compared to the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO performs slightly better, having a slight edge in both horizontal and vertical resolution. This is in no small part due to the more aggressive noise reduction of the 5530.
Video recording
The video recording capabilities of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO are very poor – it maxes out at QVGA@15fps. Hardly any usable videos can be produced with those specs but the consolation is that the competing LG GW520 for example doesn’t offer anything better either.
Here is a sample Samsung B5310 video recording for you to check out.
All-you-can-eat connectivity
The Samsung B5310 is usable worldwide with quad-band GSM support – even though Europe is its main market at this point. The handset also has 3G with HSDPA aboard, as well as support for Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth is also enabled and comes with A2DP support.
Like the majority of recent Samsung devices, the B5310 CorbyPRO sports a microUSB port. Upon a USB connection, the phone can be used in mass storage mode or PC suite mode (or Media player).
In mass storage mode, it gives access to the memory card but not to the internal memory and you cannot use the phone for calls or data while connected.
Excellent web browser
The Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO, like the Samsung Corby, features the new WebKit-based Dolfin web browser, which is an in-house application. With full Flash support and the new one-finger zooming algorithm, it is one of the finest web browsers we have seen on a feature phone.
The one-finger zooming works like a charm too. Of course you can also rely on double tapping a block of text or an image and the handset will automatically zoom in to it. Another double tap and you are back to the previous zoom level.
The web browser is just great
In addition to Flash and Java support, the new web browser also offers kinetic scrolling and fullscreen view. You can scroll by simply sweeping a finger across the screen. The actual scrolling is very choppy and is perhaps the only downside to browsing.
Organizer
The Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has a number of useful time-management applications.
For starters, the calendar offers three views – daily, weekly and monthly. You can choose which calendar view should be default and you can pick the starting day of the week – the options are Monday or Sunday. However, with the Samsung B5310 there is only a single type of event available in the calendar. You can set the starting date and time of the event and set an alarm to act as a reminder.
The calendar monthly and weekly view modes • setting up an event
The alarm is quite customizable. You can set up to 10 alarms, each with the following configurable options – custom ringtone, volume, repetition days and name.
Alarm clock application • world clock • the nice unit converter
The calculator of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO is very basic. Among the other organizer offerings are a voice recorder, a world time application and a unit converter. The voice recorder limit is set to 60 minutes. A countdown timer and a stopwatch also come in useful.
The calculator is simple • voice recorder • stopwatch • timer
There are also to-do and memo apps for jotting down tasks and notes. You can also use the memo widget to place a memo on the homescreen where you’re unlikely to miss it. The widget and the application are separate so don’t expect your memos to automatically pop up on screen.
Finally, the Samsung B5310 comes with an office document viewer that supports Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files. It’s an application developed by Access and is one of the nicest additions to the software package.
Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has no problems handling office documents
The document viewer is quick enough when opening files; however, panning is rather slow.
Only trial games, again
Typical of Samsung recently, the B5310 CorbyPRO offers only a bunch of trial games – Rollercoaster 3D, PyramidBloxx, Crazy penguin, Brain Challenge 2, and Bobble Popper.
The other disappointment when it comes to applications is the lack of any preloaded GPS navigation software despite the phone having a built-in GPS receiver. Well, yes, you’ve got the Google Maps app but we all know what it can and can’t do.
The Google Maps application
Final words
The original Corby and the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO which showed up less than a month later are like brothers from different mothers. They are so much alike, yet so different. And it is exactly this versatility that keeps the Corby range up and running. A glance at all the Corby devices reveals something this article started with: there is a Corby for everyone.
But, having seen the CorbyPRO in action, we can safely conclude: there is a Corby that wants to be the top Corby. If you are into texting, into web surfing, into music and pictures, and want to give touchscreen a try but don’t want a smartphone, the CorbyPRO is a nice choice. Yes, the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has a lot to offer, but why does it get the PRO label?
Well, it’s definitely not because the B5310 is the ultimate feature phone. There are some downsides but none of them are a deal breaker. It’s all plastic and looks and feels a bit cheap, the camera lacks autofocus and the screen could have been a lot better (both in terms of size and image quality).
If there’s one reason why it deserves to be called a Pro it’s a darn good one. The CorbyPRO has a QWERTY keyboard it can be proud of. In fact, it’s an absolute surprise given the relatively low cost, the plastic build and the not-too-demanding target audience.
The current street price of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO is somewhere below 300 US dollars. In its price group there are quite a few competitors to match it. Some of them have a side-slide QWERTY keyboard, while the others are candybar messengers.
If you are keen on sliders, before you head for the store to buy a CorbyPRO you should also consider the following threesome: the LG GW520, the Samsung B3410 and the Nokia 6760 slide. All of them skimp on Wi-Fi support (the B3410 has no 3G either), the 6760 slide is a non-touchscreen phone and the GW520 has no 3.5mm audio jack. On the other hand, the B3410 is considerably cheaper, the 6760 slide is a smartphone and the GW520 comes with a much larger screen.
LG GW520 • Samsung B3410 • Nokia 6760 slide
The other group of competitors feature the Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT, LG GW300 and the Nokia E63. None of them is a touchscreen and the CorbyTXT display is on the small side and has a shockingly low resolution. The GW300 has a worse camera and loses points due to its limited connectivity options. The E63 is a powerful yet affordable smartphone with rich connectivity capabilities so you might be willing to forgive the disappointing snapper.
Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT • LG GW300 • Nokia E63
So, as you can see, there is a long list of competitors waiting to stand face to face with the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO. Some of them hold some really strong cards up their sleeves while the greatest strength of some others is simply that they cost a lot less.
Honestly though, the CorbyPRO has the form factor and the feature set to find itself right in the thick of heavyweight smart messenger action. No, we’re not saying it’s a viable alternative for QWERTY touchscreen smartphones – no way. But it seems capable of carving its own niche and serving it well.
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