There's nothing flashy about the Samsung Shark S5350. Despite the decidedly mid-range feature set, though, it does make the candybar form-factor appear somewhat enticing.
Physically, it's brings a rather refreshing look - rounded lines, a metal back cover and a sharp-looking navigation array. Construction doesn't feel as cheap as you'd expect from such an affordably-priced candybar. In fact, it has a great feel in hand, apart from having a sturdy build.
It sports a 2.2-inch LCD screen (with 320 x 240 resolution). Colors are great and lines look sharp, but the display is hardly legible at angles. The keypad is adequately sized, with good spacing. Samsung could have raised it just a little, though.
As a phone, the Shark S5350 made for good calls. Everything went through spotlessly on our end, but those on the other line reported a slight robotic quality to the voice. Speakerphone worked much the same way, with ample volume and just some amount of tinniness. Battery life is rated at a generous 10 hours and it looks to hold well in real-world use (probably around 3 days or more on a single charge).
Like we said, this isn't a feature-heavy device, so don't expect a lot. It does have all the basics - an intuitive phonebook, smart dialing and full messaging support (SMS, MMS, IM and email). Do note that email setup isn't automatic, though.
The S5350 supports 3G bands. As a result, the browser can load pages really fast. Problem is, the browser isn't that good, rendering complex pages very poorly. It comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera that offers some amount of editing options and manages decent-looking photos. The music player is functional, but you'll have to chuck the bundled earbuds, which are just horrible. By the way, the loudspeaker here is decent for playing music, which is a pleasant surprise.
Overall, the quad-band Samsung Shark S5350 is a decent handset. It looks better than your average candybar, makes good calls and comes with some amount of advanced features. Priced between $180 to $200 unlocked (although I've seen it sell for as high as $250), it sounds like a great value.
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