About the SGD-1030 from Sewon: A Feature Phone Ahead of Its Time
In 2004, feature phones were all the rage with their compact design and basic features. One such device that made its debut that year was the SGD-1030 from Sewon. Despite being discontinued years ago, this device was ahead of its time with some of its unique features.
Release Date and Operating System
The SGD-1030 was released in the second quarter of 2004, making it over 15 years old now. It was a feature phone which means it only performed basic functions like text messaging and calling. The most common operating system for these types of phones at that time was the Symbian OS, but the SGD-1030 used its own feature phone system.
Design and Dimensions
The SGD-1030 weighed only 90g and had a thickness of 22mm, making it extremely compact and lightweight compared to other feature phones at that time. Its dimensions were 82 x 44 x 22 mm and it used a mini-SIM card, a standard for that era.
Display and Memory
The phone featured a small STN display with 65K colors. Although the resolution was not impressive at 128 x 128 pixels, it did have a second external display and a seven-color LED indicator, a unique feature for that time. Unfortunately, the phone did not have a card slot for additional storage, but it did come with a 200-entry phonebook and call records for the last 10 dialed, received, and missed calls.
Camera and Sound
The SGD-1030 had a VGA camera, which was still a rare feature in feature phones back then. However, it did not have video capabilities. It also lacked a loudspeaker, but it made up for it with downloadable polyphonic ringtones and vibration alerts.
Connectivity and Features
One downside of the SGD-1030 was that it did not have any form of connectivity such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or even a radio. It only had SMS messaging and a basic WAP browser. It did come with some pre-loaded games though, which was quite impressive for that era. The phone also supported English and Chinese languages but did not have Java support.
Battery Life and Other Features
The phone ran on a removable Li-Ion 900 mAh battery, which was average for feature phones at that time. In terms of other features, the SGD-1030 had a predictive text input, stopwatch, calculator, world time, and memo options.
Although the SGD-1030 may not seem impressive compared to the advanced smartphones of today, it was a unique and ahead-of-its-time device in its era. Its compact design and pre-loaded features made it popular among users. If you happen to come across an old SGD-1030, take a moment to appreciate this feature phone from Sewon.
Sewon SGD-1030 Full Specifications
Network
Technology
GSM
2G bands
GSM 900 / 1800
GPRS
No
EDGE
No
Launch
Announced
2004, Q2
Status
Discontinued
Body
Dimensions
82 x 44 x 22 mm (3.23 x 1.73 x 0.87 in)
Weight
90 g (3.17 oz)
SIM
Mini-SIM
Display
Type
STN, 65K colors
Size
Resolution
128 x 128 pixels, 1:1 ratio
Other
Second external display
7 colors LED indicator
Downloadable logos
Memory
Card slot
No
Phonebook
200
Call records
10 dialed, 10 received, 10 missed calls
Main Camera
Single
VGA
Video
No
Selfie camera
Other
No
Sound
Loudspeaker
No
Alert types
Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic ringtones
3.5mm jack
No
Comms
WLAN
No
Bluetooth
No
Positioning
No
Radio
No
USB
Features
Sensors
Messaging
SMS
Browser
WAP
Games
Yes
Languages
English, Chinese
Java
No
Other
Predictive text input
Stopwatch
Calculator
World time
Memo