The Samsung Beat is pretty easy to sum up: entry-level plus some music capabilities. Those who are looking for exactly that will find that the Beat does a solid job as a phone and provides decent music capabilities. In particular they'll appreciate the exterior music controls and solid battery life. Anyone looking for something more better not come crying to us when they are inevitably disappointed. Looking at the Beat, the eye is initially drawn to the neon yellow grate around the d-pad. This is the speakerphone, which cleverly capitalizes on our instinctual fear of bees. The d-pad has media player controls printed on it: up is shuffle/repeat, down is stop, left and right are skip, and center is play/pause. Above the d-pad is the Beat's 1.08" external display. Above that is the camera lens. The internal speaker keeps up the "neon yellow grating" theme. The second feature on the top half is a 1.91" display. On the bottom half you'll find a fairly traditional d-pad and 12-key array. The d-pad consists of two soft keys, an internet shortcut, a custom shortcut key, the talk and end buttons, and a clear/back button. The 12-key array is standard. Below this, on the right side, is the microphone hole.
The Beat comes with some nice extras for a simple phone. For the price of purchase, you'll get a charger, proprietary USB cable, stereo headset, a 1GB microSD card, a micro-to-miniSD adaptor, and a few manuals. We hope the Beat is ushering in a trend of included headphones and memory cards, because many music handsets released last year didn't come with either.
Handling (3.0)
The Beat is a bit small, so those with larger hands might have to employ the finger tip grip. It's also fairly light. This means it shouldn't overburden you during marathon calls, but also lends itself to the phone not feeling very substantial. The phone also has a really weak flip. While most users won't mind this, those used to a crisp snap will find the Beat's lazy flipping mechanism annoying.
Portability (9.0)
As a small phone, the Beat is very portable. There's really no reason it won't fit into a purse or bag. If it won't fit into your pocket, then perhaps you should buy some more functional pants.
Aesthetics (3.0)
As an inexpensive handset, the Beat is about average. As a general rule, aesthetic appeal is just as valuable -- sometimes more valuable -- than any given feature, which means most pretty phones have ugly prices. Therefore, entry-level handsets tend to be exempt from the general aesthetic gamut, as they usually have a unique, "I didn't pay the beauty tax" look to them. Even in this lower division, however, the Beat isn't particularly handsome. The all-black design would've worked fine, but the giant, neon yellow ring on the front is unattractive and condemns this otherwise professional-looking phone to the youth market.
Durability (4.0)
As a plastic, entry-level handset, the Beat doesn't shout durability. For one, the screen can be bent past the point it would normally extend to. While this doesn't necessarily mean it's any more breakable than a phone with a more robust flip, it certainly makes you feel as though you could easily break the phone in two. The flipping motion itself means there's moving parts, which always have greater potential for wear and tear. To its credit, however, it doesn't creak when you twist it around; regardless of the materials used, it is assembled well.
