Samsung Galaxy Appeal, a Gingerbread slider (pictures)
AT&T's prepaid Samsung Galaxy Appeal has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.3.
Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica is a passionate content strategist and team leader across the CNET family of brands. She leads a number of teams, including commerce, performance optimization and the copy desk. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on the iPhone and Samsung devices. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds.
Jessica began her leadership role managing CNET's How To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones to home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick in the UK.
AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Appeal wraps Android 2.3, a keyboard, and a 3.2-megapixel camera into a reasonable $150 package.
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QWERTY keyboard
The keyboard buttons are fairly spacious and the keys themselves are responsive. Still, they didn't quite line up with my fingers, and I found typing to be at times slow and uncomfortable. (Of course, everyone's fingers are different.)
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Touch-sensitive navigation
The usual touch-navigation options and TouchWiz interface are Galaxy Appeal mainstays.
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Soft-touch
I do really enjoy the gently textured soft-touch coating that makes the phone easy to hold.
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Side view
The QWERTY makes the Galaxy Appeal a little thicker around the middle, but that's normal for handsets with physical keyboards.
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Whole picture
The device is rather generic, but there's a certain comfort in familiarity. You know what you're going to get with a handset like the Galaxy Appeal.
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Studio shot
The camera didn't blow me away with its shots, and it also lacks flash and auto-focus, so you'll need plenty of ambient lighting and a steady arm. Note the brownish cast to this studio shot, which was set up indoors with professional lighting.
