Samsung has introduced a new version of its popular entry-level texting phone Freeform. Other than a larger display, the new Freeform III has retained most of the features of its predecessor.

Samsung Freeform III is a budget feature phone. It comes with a sleek and slim candybar body, measuring 112mm long, 61mm wide and 11mm thick and weighing 92grams. It sports a standard 480×320 pixels resolution 2.4-inch display. A 1.3-megapixel rear-facing camera is installed in Samsung Freeform III. You can’t expect to do much with the feature phone camera other than snapping low resolution photos on the go. The built-in media player would play your MP3 music files and your videos. The built-in speakers would enhance your audio experience.

The candybar phone features a full QWERTY keyboard. It is especially suitable for users who are frequently sending text messages to family and friends. However, it might take a few days before one becomes accustomed to the small keys of the keyboard. The small keys are closed spaced and slightly stiff. There are some discrepancies while using the keyboard for writing text messages and web-based texts.

The browser of the feature phone might not display the graphic rich contents of webpages. Sluggish browsing is a major drawback of Samsung Freeform phones. It supports only Brew scripts, which reduces the utility of the browser. You can’t expect the browser of a budget feature phone to support Adobe Flash, and Samsung Freeform III is no exception. You can’t upgrade the browser.

Inability to upgrade the browser security would make the Samsung feature phone unsuitable for accessing secure websites such as mobile banking sites. It lacks speedy browsing speed and smooth multitasking. Samsung Freeform III could not smoothly toggle between applications. In most cases, you must return to the home page to launch a new application. If the music player is running in the background, you cannot change the sound volume while browsing the internet. You cannot text links or write notes on the memo pad while surfing the web.

Samsung has installed GPS in the Freeform III. It would support navigation and location based services. Standard connectivity features are installed in the feature phone. With the aid of the embedded Bluetooth 2.1 technology, the Samsung Freeform III handset could be connected to Bluetooth headsets and other Bluetooth compatible accessories and devices. The micro USB port facilitates synchronization of contents with PCs. Wi-Fi is absent in the device. You can use the device for sending emails and SMS.

Samsung Freeform III offers limited onboard storage capacity. If the 100MB storage space fails to store all your apps and multimedia files, you can opt for external memory expansion. It supports up to 32GB memory expansion. The 1000mAh battery of the Samsung feature phone supports 3.30 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time on a single charge.

In the US, Samsung Freeform III will run on the CDMA network of MetroPCS. With a price tag of $50, it is a decent phone for communicating with family and friends on the go.