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The Samsung Tocco Lite offers a budget touchscreen alternative to the variety of high-powered, high-spec models hitting the high street. It has plenty of appeal for mobile users looking for a bit of touchscreen glamour at a bargain price.
We liked
It looks the part, with a neat and tidy minimalist touch phone design, with a large screen and Samsung's TouchWiz UI underpinning the phone's control system.
Sure, it doesn't boast the heavy hitting top-end features, but what it does have onboard is nicely done. The screen is responsive, and Samsung's UI is consistent with higher budget models rather than being a cheapskate version.
Doing the basics right, it puts in a good call performance too and has fine battery life. It's not the iPhone, but it feels pleasant enough and intuitive to use. And with a wallet-soothing price tag it provides a decent entry level way to experience touch-controlled mobile technology.
We disliked
The lack of high-speed 3G and Wi-Fi data connectivity was a real shame, considering the large screen and a reasonably handy browser onboard. You can get higher-range Samsung models that do have better connectivity, but a bit of fast downloading or video streaming would've been welcome on a nice big screen like this.
Of course, there's no smartphone functionality, or GPS to add to the phone's versatility (though at least there is Google Maps).
The camera on this handset is a run-of-the-mill shooter, with no flash or autofocus, so results are limited. The rather ordinary earphones supplied with the music player, and lack of a standard 3.5mm headphone socket to upgrade them, is unfortunate, too, as otherwise the music player operates well.
Like with most touchphones, speedy texters will find text input slower than on a conventional handset, though it's better than many touchscreen devices.
Conclusion
Despite going light on the big-ticket features, the Samsung Tocco Lite offers a decent way to get into touch control on a limited budget.
It has its limitations, with its data connectivity hampered by a lack of high speed 3G and Wi-Fi, and there are compromises on other features. If you want a phone that offers bargain-priced touch operation and don't mind these limitations, this is a decent handset that's pleasant to handle.
Other users with more demanding requirements in the functionality department are likely to head further up range.
