Some phones are blessed with outstanding features, making them must-have mobiles. Others muddle along with only a few factors in their favour.

Samsung's UltraTouch is a phone of a different stripe. Instead of a single seductive "take-me-home" trait, it boasts a sizeable basketload of treats.

Some of those traits are functional, like the combination of a touchscreen and a slide-out numeric keypad. Most touchphones such as the iPhone lack a keyboard, an omission that's not to everyone's liking. But unlike the iPhone et al, there's no virtual keypad on the screen it's more for finger-friendly convenience rather than emailing or texting. The slide mechanism and overall construction is reassuringly solid.

Other traits are a step ahead of the pack, such as an incredibly sharp and bright screen (it uses a new display technology similar to that of Samsung's flat-screen tellies) and the high quality of the snaps grabbed by the 8-megapixel camera thanks to an excellent lens and bright LED flash.

As you work your way through the UltraTouch's checklist, style can't be discounted. The brushed metal finish of dark mocha with cherry red fairing lends a more "serious" and possibly even more masculine look, although it doesn't forsake femmes. It's more about the androgyny of a tailored waistcoat than a phone clad in bright neon for the nightclub set.

Finally there are some tricks to make you smile. Coolest is the Fake Call feature, which at the subtle press of a button sets the phone ringing as if it were an incoming call the perfect setup to get you out of any boring meeting or dinner date. You can even pre-record audio to be played back so it sounds like a real conversation.

The UltraTouch isn't without flaws. The screen is quickly covered in fingerprints and grime because it's where you press your thumb to slide it up and reveal the keypad, while the lock key is situated much too close to the camera shutter.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/digital-life/mobiles--handhelds/reviews/review-samsung-ultratouch/2009/06/01/1243708400540.html