When it comes to Samsung, the number of different models they show-off - at shows like MWC and (previously) CeBIT - is just pure inundation. For those familar, you'd probably notice a trend whereby a greater portion of those announced at shows don't actually see the day of light - which I find rather annoying. Anyway...

At 2008's Mobile World Congress, Samsung focused on one single product in their city (Barcelona) wide marketing campaign - the 'Soul', also known as the U900. The Korean electronics maker refers to it as "the completion of the Ultra Edition" (which simply means that the sub-brand is a no-more henceforth), and is a model that supposedly brings the ultimate in design, technology and usability to a handset.

The U900 is a well-sized slider, finished with a metal body, and offers numerous features that will possibly interest a very wide audience. Headlines include a 5-megapixel AF camera gifted with an image stabiliser and face detection capabilities, a dynamic navigation pad that changes functionality depending on the current menu or function, specialised audio technology ('ICEpower' by B&O) to enhance the music experience, an RDS-enabled stereo FM radio, native Google Mail / search apps, and support for mobile blogging and RSS feeds.

For those more-technical capabilities, the U900 is a tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) + UMTS 2100 handset, supports the higher-speed version of HSDPA (7.2 Mbps, up from 3.6), and use microSD cards to expand available memory for multimedia storage. For such a design, and with a thickness of just 12.9mm, it is truly hard to find another candidate that comes close to it - for now. But whether or not this handset will live up to its rather-high expectations is yet to be seen at this point.

At the press conference, the speaker also touched on a few other models, which I will make a very brief mention here (but with pictures):


F480 and F490:
Both are full touch-screen models, but differing in various ways.

The F480 falls under the "Style" category, and has been designed somewhat to challenge the powers that LG's 'Viewty' has on the market currently. The 2.8-inch display offers ample screen real estate for Samsung to properly improvise the phone's UI, and includes experience-enrichment features such as video manipulation software, mobile blogging, and a built-in stereo FM radio with RDS.

Its sister model, the F490, belonging to the "Multimedia" camp, has a slightly-wider screen (resulting in a 3.2-inch viewable diagonal) that's designed for the playback of video clips at the 16:9 video standard. A 3.5mm audio jack socket is also available, making the overall multimedia experience very straight-forward.

Common features include a 5-megapixel AF camera with stabilisation capability, are tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) + UMTS 2100 compatible, HSDPA data-friendly (F480 supports up to 7.2 Mbps, F490 only at up to 3.6 Mbps only), and have a physical thickness of just under 12mm.


G810:
Most would've heard good things about Samsung's more-recent G-series models, ones that specialises in high-quality imaging. The G600 and G800 are prime examples of just how far Samsung is willing to go to get a top product out there and go loggerheads with two of Nokia's higher-end devices - the N82 and N95 8GB Nseries models, both of which do outstanding work in the digital photography department (for mobiles, obviously).

And wasting no time, Samsung showed off the G810 model on the MWC show floor. It is similarly a 5-megapixel AF camera with optical zoom lens, as that of the current G800 model - but with one major difference: it runs the most current S60 platform available (S60 Third Edition with FP1). What this means for the user is a more powerful device than what was previously made available, plus the fact that it now shares exactly the same OS and platform as its competitors - albeit Nokia is the owner and creator of S60.

But... because the design of the G-series models revolve around "high-quality imaging" theme, Samsung needed to do something to differentiate. In addition to making this smart-camera-phone more powerful, the G810 comes with more detailed functions when it comes to controlling the shoot - much more than what Nokia has to offer on either N82 or N95 8GB (refer to the screenshots provided for more info on the camera functions that are available).

Plus, the G810 will also come with Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and HSDPA (3.6), a built-in GPS module, support YouTube streaming video, and a 3.5mm headset jack socket for direct connection of standard audio headphone devices.


i780:
Being the latest successor model in the 'Business' category of smartphones, it is the first model to offer a touch-sensitive screen for its Windows Mobile based products (which also means it is running the "Professional" version of WM6). This stylus-friendly model, along with the added QWERTY thumbboard, will surely gain a greater sense of appeal amongst users - being the unique device design it is now. The i780 also comes with an optical mouse that is controlled with the centre D-pad area - a bit difficult to get the hang of at first, but practice could make perfect. Great for situations when navigating with a pointer (rather than a poke-here-poke-there stylus) is more appropriate.

Navigation is also a new thing on this latest i-series release, where it utilises the Garmin Navigation Package as the front-end for the smartphone's GPS facility. Its larger 2.55-inch display is very much appropriate for the job at hand, given its higher level of multi-functionality. Wi-Fi is also available on the i780, in addition to HSDPA (3.6) network data support - which makes this model a very interesting one to keep a close eye on!


No official word on release dates for the above models - being very typical Samsung style! But we can expect models like the U900 to materialise very soon, with those others to follow suit shortly after (possibly).