Samsung’s sorta-retro S480
The “classic” Samsung SGH-E700 (T-Mobile subscribers will remember it as the SGH-E715) really doesn’t bring the fond memories flooding over us the same way, say, a StarTAC might. That’s not a knock on the Samsung — far from it, in fact — but let’s be honest, 2007 might be a bit soon to be drawing design inspiration from a phone originally released in 2003. Anyway, that’s not stopping Samsung from following Motorola’s footsteps and playing the retro card, rehashing the E700 as the SCH-S480 and SPH-S4850 in Korea. Besides exchanging GSM for CDMA radios, the new models upgrade their cams from VGA to 1.3 megapixels, come in a handful of color combos, and add in your typical 2007 amenities like media playback. Look for it to run 300,000 won (about $323) unsubsidized on your Korean carrier of choice