Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2

Samsung makes devices in so many sizes and variations, I wasn't that surprised when it crafted the Galaxy S WiFi 4.0, a 4-inch Android smart phone that's not a phone. Bereft of calling capabilities, the Wi-Fi-only gadget was designed to take on the iPod touch as a music, video and gaming device. Now Samsung's got a slightly bigger option, creatively dubbed the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2.

I've been hands-on with the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and I'm laying out my first impressions on whether this Android-powered bad boy can take on the iPod touch. Read on for my thoughts.

I was told that it'll be out in Europe in March, so expect it to go on sale soon.

Design and hardware

The Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 makes a good first impression. Looking a lot like the Galaxy S2, it's a classy device that's garbed all in white. The screen, which as you probably worked out measures 4.2 inches on the diagonal, is bright and colourful. While the 480x800-pixel resolution isn't terribly high, everything on screen looks clear, with text and icons rendered pleasingly.

With a design that appears somewhat like the classy Galaxy S2, the styling looks all white to me.

The bright display should do justice to your photos and hi-def video, so that's good news. The large screen could take its toll on the battery though. How well this device survives away from the mains is something we'll be checking when it's time for the full review.

The Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 is slim, and it's light as well -- not as much as the iPod touch though, and you might struggle to fit this beast into your pocket alongside a smart phone.

I like that there are two speaker grilles in place. While testing the sound you can squeeze from this device proved tricky in noisy trade show surroundings, I'm hoping it's possible to get some reasonable sound quality from this gadget when you don't have headphones plugged in.

Here's one of two speaker grilles that I'm hoping will offer an audio quality boost -- I'll give them a grille-ing in my full review.

There's a 2-megapixel camera on the back. With a megapixel count that low, I wouldn't expect any award-winning snaps. On the plus side, having Android at your fingertips makes it dead easy to upload your photos and video to sites like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. There's a 640x480-pixel camera on the front too.

Storage-wise, this bit of kit comes in 8GB and 16GB options, but you can ramp up the capacity using a microSD card if you choose too. I wonder why you'd buy the 16GB option when it would almost certainly be cheaper to buy the lower-capacity version and use a microSD card if necessary.

The Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 is powered by a 1GHz processor. It felt perfectly nippy during my hands-on time, though a more potent chip could've made this device more adept at crunching through graphically intensive games. There's a gyroscope on the inside to make tilt-controlled gaming a possibility.

The 1GHz processor doesn't sound too impressive, and it may struggle with hardcore graphics, but it coped will enough in our hands-on.

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 vs Apple iPod touch

So how does Samsung's new gadget stack up against the iPod touch? Well, in hardware terms it compares quite favourably. One big difference is the screen, and which of the two you prefer will likely come down to personal preference.

The display on the iPod touch has a really impressive 960x640-pixel resolution, which makes everything on screen appear with pin-sharp clarity. On the other hand, it's only 3.5 inches compared to the 4.2-inch Samsung offering. So if you prefer a big screen, Samsung would be a better choice.

The major difference between these two gadgets is their respective operating systems. The iPod touch runs Apple's own iOS software, while the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 uses Android, which is Google's mobile operating system. It's running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which isn't the latest version -- that privilege belongs to version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

For apps and games, iOS is arguably much better, thanks to Apple's insistence on checking each app for quality. Finding new apps is easy with the App Store, while browsing Android Market isn't such a slick experience. The iPod also has access to iTunes -- a convenient source of music and movie downloads.

The more pliable Android, meanwhile, is preferable if you like to heavily customise your tech to fit your exact needs. Widgets can be stuck to your device's home screens, and if you've already got an MP3 and video collection, getting those files onto the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 will be quite easy.

I suspect if the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 turns out to be more expensive than the iPod touch, it'll struggle to compete with Apple's offering. So I'm hoping for a wallet-friendly price tag.

Outlook

The Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 is shaping up to be a cool gadget. I like the big screen and the slick design. If it wants to go toe-to-toe with the iPod touch, it'll need some competitive pricing though.

For more news, previews and hands-on video from Mobile World Congress, check out mwc.cnet.co.uk.