The Samsung Shark 2 S5550 is the most sophisticated of the three models in the new Shark line, bringing a few high-end touches to complement the mid-range handset's feature set. A few years ago, this slider would have been considered high-end; today, it still sounds like a mighty good device on paper.
Physically, it shares the same sharp and sleek design language as the other Shark phones (like the Samsung Shark S5350). It feels good in the hand, with a sturdy build and a smooth sliding mechanism (although you can feel it move sideways ever so slightly). The phone can be operated even without sliding open, which works out perfectly since both the navigation array and the keyboard are done excellently.
The handset comes with a 2.2-inch AMOLED screen with a satisfactory 320x240 resolution. That makes for nice, sharp details, coupled with rich colors - a rarity for sliders nowadays. While the display is clear even from odd angles, it does wither considerably under sunlight. By the way, the decision to use a proprietary port (for both USB and audio) is just grating.
As a phone, the S5550 only manages average calls, with voices coming out sharp and monotonous for the most part. There was plenty of volume and you can make out conversations - they're just not as natural-sounding as we would have liked. Speakerphone feature worked the same way, with lots of volume but unsatisfactory quality. Battery life is rated at 11.7 hours, which is crazy. It looked good on tests, too. My guess is this can go on for an easy four to five days of regular use without requiring a recharge.
Samsung hasn't updated their non-touch interfaces for a while and the Shark series bears that all-too-familiar design as well. It's fast and it gets the job done, but it's completely unexciting. All the standard features are here - messaging (SMS, MMS, email and IM, the latter via Palringo), PIM tools, music player (the same one Samsung's been using for years, which is decent), stereo Bluetooth and video playback (MPEG4, no DivX/Xvid).
One notable omission is the lack of much bundled apps - no special software to help you run social networking services, for instance. The browser works fine, but renders complex pages poorly and offers very marginal navigation. Its 5.0 megapixel camera is a saving grace, though, delivering good quality of images with a decent amount of editing options. Video is great too, at 30fps.
Overall, the Samsung Shark 2 S5550 could have been great - if they went after a better user-experience on the software side. As it is, though, it's an adequate mid-range phone with some notable strengths, namely a gorgeous screen, flawless keypad, a good camera and generous battery life. Not bad at all.
