Samsung Z510: Will the real slim 3G phone please stand up?

The Motorola V3X is a good 3G phone and, don't get us wrong, when it first came out we couldn't get enough of it. We wined it, we dined it -- we even asked it back for coffee. We were completely smitten with the Razr nametag and it was much thinner than other 3G phones, but in the cold light of day, it somehow lacked the Razr V3's je ne sais quoi.

After Motorola's success, a host of other mobile companies realised that slim was definitely in and Samsung, a company that doesn't do things by halves, leaked information last year about an incoming super-slim range that included the SGH-Z510 handset. It's a 3G clamshell phone that's almost identical in size to the original Motorola V3 -- it's the V3X after a quick spell on the Atkins diet.

Impressively, it also features Bluetooth, an MP3 player, speakerphone, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a spacious 138MB of internal memory and an expandable memory slot. It only weighs 98g, which is 2g more than the V3, and means carrying it in your pocket won't slow you down on your way to your weight-loss support club.

The Z510 is currently available on O2 for £19.99 with a £19-£45 monthly contract, depending on the usage plan you go for. There are also rumours of the highly anticipated Samsung SGH-P300 2.5G phone, purportedly an incredible 8.9mm thin -- only slightly fatter than an iPod nano -- which is set for release in April, but we'll believe that when we see it. Expect a full review of the Z510 soon. –AL