Samsung has a history of teaming up with experts from other fields to partner them with the launch of its handsets. The manufacturer has teamed up with Italian fashion giants Armani, for the devilishly handsome Samsung Armani, Adidas added its fitness nous to the Samsung miCoach, and one of the longest-running partnerships that Samsung has endured is its relationship with audio experts Bang & Olufsen.
First we saw the Samsung Serene back in 2005, which was followed in 2007 by the oddly shaped Serenata. Both failed to really make their mark in the popular market, though their music capabilities couldn’t be faulted. With the launch of the Samsung F400 it would appear that the two companies are very much the best of friends.
Samsung F400 - Dual slider
Assembling our Samsung F400 we were alarmed to find that the battery was loose. When we held the phone upside down without the back of the handset in place, the battery fell to the floor with an almighty crash. Not the kind of incident that fills you with confidence on the craftsmanship of a phone, which is a shame as when assembled the F400 is quite striking. A dual slider – think Nokia N95 – the F400 sports a glossy black fascia that adorns a clean metal body.The sliding mechanism feels secure and fluid. Sliding the front up will reveal the keypad, and when sliding the front down you will be met by the pièce de résistance, the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio technology enhanced speaker, more of which later.
