Hands on with the T-Mobile Samsung Gravity 2

One of the QWERTY phones I included in my Back to School article was the Samsung Gravity 2 and I have had a couple of weeks to play with the Metallic Orange one. When it first launched it was priced at $29.99, but I now see on the T-Mobile site that it is up to $69.99 after instant discount and mail-in rebate. The Gravity 2 is a nice upgrade to the original Gravity with an updated camera (2 megapixel vs 1.3 megapixel), 3G wireless radio, integrated GPS receiver, and updated keyboard layout (4 row vs 3 row). Take a look at my image gallery for some product photos and comparison shots, as well as my thoughts on the device below.

	Image Gallery:Check out some product photos of the Samsung Gravity 2 along with a comparison with the original Gravity.

Available options, box contents, and first impressions

You can find the Samsung Gravity 2 in both Metallic Orange and Berry Mauve color schemes. The Metallic Orange one is mostly a dark silver color with orange highlights around the device. The Berry Mauve one is mostly a dark purple color with pink highlights around the device and on the keyboard.

The fairly standard T-Mobile retail packaging includes the device, battery and charger, hands-free wired headset, Start Guide, User Guide, and Terms and Conditions pamphlet.

When I first took the Gravity 2 out of the box I was immediately impressed by the high quality feel of the phone. One of my daughters has the original Gravity and it too is quite a stout device that feels good in your hand. The plastic feels quite durable and the slider works smoothly with a definite lock into the open and closed positions.

Specifications

Specifications of the Samsung Gravity 2 include the following:

• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA 1700 MHz 3G radio
• 240x320 resolution 2.3 inch display
• 2 megapixel camera
• Integrated GPS receiver
• microSD card slot
• 1000 mAh battery
• 4.5 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches and 4.4 ounces

Walk around the hardware

The front is pretty packed with buttons on the lower half, including large green and red send and end buttons, center directional pad and OK button, two soft keys, messaging button, and back/clear button. Below these buttons you will find the phone keypad with very well spaced and good sized buttons and overall I am quite pleased with the button design and layout. The 2.3 inch display looks nice and is roomy enough for a feature phone design.

To access the QWERTY keyboard you slide the display to the right and then rotate it around into landscape mode. The 4-row QWERTY keyboard is very functional with excellent key spacing and good tactile feedback. The keys are all very well backlit and there are large soft keys on the left and right side of the keyboard. Buttons on the QWERTY keyboard that help make for a good experience include the directional arrows, www/.com button, and smiley face emoticon for including in your messages. It is definitely targeted to the heavy texter and if text messages are important to you then this is an excellent choice.

There is nothing on the bottom of the Gravity 2 and only a lanyard opening up on top. The volume button is over on the upper left side. On the lower right side you will find the camera button. A cover is placed on the upper right that protects the microSD card slot and standard Samsung connector that is used to charge and for the headset.

The 2 megapixel camera is found on the back left upper side adjacent to the speakerphone speaker. Most all of the entire back is the battery cover with the battery and SIM card under the cover.

User interface and final thoughts

Samsung has done some work with the user experience compared to the original Gravity and pressing the Menu button (left soft key) takes you to a circle view that lets you rotate through Settings, Organizer, Call History, People, Messaging, and Media categories. You can change the menu design to grid if you want, but I liked the default.

TeleNav GPS Navigator software is included on the Gravity 2 and works well with the integrated GPS receiver. You will find a RSS Reader included as one of the pieces of software in the Organizer folder.

Menus are very snappy and I was able to fly around the device. I am very used to using smartphones, but found a device like the Gravity 2 a phone that I could probably get by with if I needed to. Call quality was fine and data was zippy with the 3G network. I like the phone so much, I am going to get one for my daughter's upcoming birthday present.