Samsung Freeform II messaging phone (photos)

The Samsung Freeform II updates the original Freeform messaging phone. The biggest change is its look, which has gone from somewhat playful to business professional.

We love the looks of the new keyboard, whose ridged keys are intended for easy gripping and pressing. However, it felt cramped and a bit stiff beneath our fingertips.

The left and right spines house a dedicated camera button, a 3.5mm headset jack, the Micro-USB charging port, and the volume rocker. The Freeform II's pointed "chin" is a nice touch.

Surface smudges are an annoyance, which is why we were pleased to see a soft-touch material on the phone's back cover. It's one you'll feel often as you remover the cover to access the 16GB microSD slot.

The 1.3-megapixel camera remains the same from the original Freeform model, but the Freeform II inexplicably loses its self-portrait mirror.