Samsung Wave 578 who we do appreciate in hands-on photos

If you've been craving the sleek Samsung Wave, but can't afford its waterlogged price-tag, check out the Samsung Wave 578. It's not as big or good-looking as the daddy of the Wave family, but it shares many of the same features under the hood.

The Wave 578 isn't one of those Android phones everyone's on about. Instead, it uses Samsung's own simpler, smart phone-inspired user interface, called Bada. You still get a colourful touchscreen, and several home screens you can fill with widgets. But the app store is limited to a handful of Samsung's own choices, compared to thousands on Android.

The Wave 578 doesn't skimp on hardware features, despite being a budget phone. It's got the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0, as well as 3.6Mbps HSDPA for faster downloads over 3G.

You do have to make some sacrifices to keep the Wave 578 on the bargain shelf. Costs are kept down with a 3.2-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel snapper on the front.

Check out our photo gallery above to catch the Wave 578.