Orange San Francisco Review

The fact that Android is available to anyone to use it as an operating system on their products is without doubt beneficial because it greatly increases the number of devices that can run the software. However, my recent experience with the Next Tablet highlights a potential problem in terms of the type of products that can be developed under the ‘Android’ umbrella. If a succession of poor hardware is released it can only devalue the brand and turn away potential new customers who have had a bad experience.

The smartphone market of today is dominated by Symbian (Nokia), BlackBerry (RIM) and iPhone (Apple). One operating system per company and one company per operating system. Of course Android is quickly gaming market share and will likely be the leader one day, but at what price? You know what you are getting when you buy an iPhone, BlackBerry or Symbian device (good and bad) and the control is what makes these phones, on the whole, consistent and reliable.

Android is fragmented in so many ways; from the multiple devices available to the number of OS versions the current crop of phones run. It is confusing for hardened smartphone obsessives like me and I expect even more confusing for most users. To be fair though most users of Android smartphones do not care what version of Android their phone is running, if they even know it is running Android, and so their expectations do not have far to fall if the product isn’t as good as the competition.

Android has been proved to be a highly capable smartphone operating system and the Samsung Galaxy Tab and HTC Desire are just two examples of hardware that run the OS as it was intended to be. The debate is open as to Android tablets and if manufacturers should all wait for version 3 before they commit to making products that offer as good as experience as is found in the aforementioned phones. The debate is also open regarding the potential damage budget Android products will do to the reputation of the platform and the Orange San Francisco (stupid name) would appear to be the perfect example of a budget Android handset that has the potential to inflict further damage.

This phone is £99 without a contract, but boasts a specification list that seems inconceivable at such a price point-

Android 2.1 Eclair OS
3 Megapixel Rear Camera
FM Radio
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
3G+ Connectivity
150 MB Internal Memory
2 GB Pre-loaded MicroSD Card
MicroSD Card Slot Expandable Up To 32 GB
USB Port
POP3/IMAP 4 Email Supported
Orange Maps, Messenger, App Store And Orange Wednesdays

After some digging, I found out that the processor is running at 600 Mhz which is on the limit of what is needed to power Eclair. However, the Motorola FLIPOUT, Acer Liquid, Motorola Milestone XT720 and Sony Ericsson X10 Mini pack processors ranging from 600 Mhz to 720 Mhz so this is not that unusual.

It would be easy for me to continually consider the low price point of the San Francisco (stupid name) throughout this review, but I am not going to do that. Whether a smartphone is £99 or £399 it still needs to function as a smartphone and so I will put the price to the back of my mind for the time being.

In the box

As you would expect there is not a lot in the box, but then again you get an AC charger, USB cable and headphones. The charger is unusual in that you get the standard 3 pin plug (which looks like something from the 1970’s by the way) which has a short lead coming out of it with a female USB jack at the end. This potentially can be used for any device you charge with a USB lead and is a nice touch.

The headphones feel cheap and nasty with very thin wires and an design reminiscent of the older HTC style. The media volume with the supplied headphone is quite quiet and no amount of tinkering could make them louder which is a shame because the sound quality was way above expectations. I tried my iPhone headphones and they were even quieter with some interference so I will continue to test and update more on this part tomorrow.

I connected the San Francisco (stupid name) to my Mac Mini and everything worked immediately. iPhoto popped up and the SD card was available in Finder for copying music and video to. This sounds basic, but this has not always been my experience and I have encountered many problems on past devices in this area.

Overall I am fairly happy with the box contents which are rounded off by a superbly written 135 page manual and an equally as good introduction to Orange booklet.

First Impressions

The phone is very light at only 130 grams and the depth is a mere 11.8 mm. These would normally contribute to the feeling of a cheap phone that feels like a budget offering, but it is very well built indeed. There are no creaks or movement when you hold it and I would go as far as to say it is not unlike the HTC Desire to look at or to hold. The styling is a little bland on the back and somewhat dated, but the front offers a sleek slab-like appearance that belies the asking price. It really is very enjoyable to hold.

Below the screen are 3 buttons; home, menu and back which, despite their small size, work quite well. I have so far not had any problem hitting the keys I need when in a hurry. On the top left you have a microUSB which is of course a silly place to put it and along the top are the 3.5 mm headphone jack and power button. To the right are two large silver volume buttons and that’s your lot. There is no dedicated camera button and only one speaker on the right.

I expected bad things after inserting the SIM card and battery, but got another surprise when the screen lit up. The 3.5” screen (which I believe is OLED) looks great thanks to the 480 x 800 pixel resolution and it works outdoors in all conditions I have tried so far. It is a bit of a fingerprint magnet and somewhat reflective in specific conditions, but nothing an anti-glare screen protector wouldn’t take care of. I would go as far as to say that this screen is better than the HTC Desire setup because it works in many more situations and is almost the same size (3.5” v 3.7”). It is also very responsive and every finger touch so far has been greeted with an immediate response which offers a quality experience right from the start.

The real story is in the features though and how well each of them works, so here goes.

Screen (9/10)

The screen is seriously good and offers a clear resolution in most lighting conditions. It is also viewable from obtuse angles and this is the part of the phone that has surprised me more than any other. It is highly responsive and is, I kid you not, one of the best smartphone screens I have used to date.

General Performance (9/10)

The 600 MHz processor is not hugely fast, but Android 2.1 is not hugely resource hungry either. I currently have many apps open at the same time and not once has the San Francisco slowed down at all. Video playback is smooth and everything I have thrown at it has been accepted with aplomb and it just keeps puffing along.

Call and signal quality (8/10)

This is going well so far. The in ear call quality is good and offers enough clarity to give some depth to the experience. Turn on the loudspeaker and it feels even deeper, as though the phone is 2 inches deep with a small sub-woofer hidden inside. Both suffer a little in terms of the maximum volume which could be higher, but in most situations the quality makes up for the volume.

I tested the signal alongside a BlackBerry Bold 9700 on Orange and the differences were almost imperceptible. To get close to a BlackBerry for signal performance is not easy and needless to say it captured a signal much better than my friend’s iPhone 3GS, also on Orange.

Camera (4/10)

Hmmm. 3 Megapixels is not a lot these days, but it can still produce a handy snapper if the process is quick enough. I managed to capture some half-decent shots with concentration, but the time it takes to take a picture and the fiddling about is a bit of a hassle. It isn’t dreadful, but is definitely a weak point.

The camcorder function is very poor though and suffers from motion blurring, poor sound capture and generally poor quality in low lighting. There is no flash on this phone so your options are limited.

Media (7/10)

Music quality is actually very good, but there is definitely a problem with the maximum volume setting. I have now tried 4 sets of headphones and I could not attain a volume I was happy with. Admittedly I tend to ‘blast’ out my music at a very high level, but suspect that many will find this slightly annoying. This is not a problem that just affects the San Francisco because I have seen this issue on a few Android smartphones so far. There are hacks you can try to up the volume, but with a bit of luck Orange will come up with a software solution for this.

The external speaker is reasonably clear and offers enough clarity for showing video clips to friends, but again the volume is slightly too quiet.

Video playback is excellent and every clip I have tried played flawlessly. I was concerned that the processor would struggle, but so far there has been no evidence of that.

Battery (7/10)

This is a difficult one to judge so far, but it is just about acceptable. Orange quotes 4 hours of talk time and 9 days of standby which is pushing it in my opinion (how unlike a mobile manufacturer to overstate battery life). It has required a charge once a day so far and this is not unusual for most smartphones. The charging appears to be exceptionally fast though- attached to the AC adaptor it went from 15% to 85% in 20 minutes. This is, however, an area I will always mark down unless I can count battery performance in days.

Connectivity (8/10)

3G+ (HSDPA) is supported alongside Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and GPS. An FM radio is thrown in for good measure which you will not be surprised to hear is very poor. In my tests Wi-Fi worked perfectly and connected almost immediately every time and the 3G performance in a good signal area was also well above expectations.

Software (8/10)

Orange, as usual, can’t resist bundling its own apps into the OS, but this time some of them are actually quite useful and do not ruin the performance of the phone.

Noteworthy additions include Orange Maps which offers street maps, turn-by-turn directions and more if you decide to subscribe to the professional version for £2.50 / month. The Orange App Shop is included which looks like a poor attempt at revenue generation when the Android Market is also present. Orange Photos is there alongside a couple of demo games; Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and Guitar Hero 5. A Global Time app makes an appearance with Orange Wednesdays in there for good measure. Add all of this to the copious selection of Android apps pre-loaded and you are spoilt for choice before you even touch the Android Market.

I was slightly concerned about the email integration until I realised that Microsoft Exchange is supported along with Workplace Connector, IMAP, POP and pre-loaded settings for 10 other major email providers. It would take me forever to discuss each app included, so I won’t, but I can confidently say that the selection included is more than complete and of good quality the whole way through.

Conclusion

At no point in this review, or when giving markings to each feature, have I offered extra marks because of the price of this phone. If something does not work, it is irrelevant how cheap it is- value for money starts with a working product first and your wallet second.

It would be hard to underestimate the importance of the Orange San Francisco. It is a very well built smartphone that includes almost all of the high-end features you would expect from a smartphone in late 2010. The camera is poor and the overall volume needs a tweak, but who would have thought that there would come a time so quickly when a smartphone with HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WVGA OLED screen, Android 2.1, GPS and so much more could be bought for under £100. Even more important is the fact that it all works together so well. There is absolutely no way that Orange can be making a profit on this phone at this price.

If this phone was £249 I wouldn’t consider it overpriced and it really isn’t far away from the HTC Desire. It is astonishing value for money and, believe it or not, one of the best Android smartphones I have tested to date. It is better than the Motorola FLIPOUT, the Xperia X10 Mini and the HTC Wildfire. It is £99.

Available from www.orange.co.uk for £99 + £10 top-up.