I know the grass is always greener and all that, but I can't help casting envious looks across the fence at my partner's HTC. That fence being a metaphorical divide of handset ownership - not an actual fence in our house. That would be weird. Nonetheless, I'm on the Samsung side, she's Team HTC, and I'm a little green. Still, she lets me play with it now and then.

I've gone a bit hyperbolic with the title - this isn't going to compete with the SIIIs and iPhone 5s of this world, but I'm sure it's modest enough that it doesn't expect to. In its field, though - as a middle-market phone that offers a solid range of smartphone functionality and stands clear of the bargain-basement models - it's a winner.

First things first, I love the feel of this phone, front and back. The rubberised rear plate gives the phone a nice solid grip, and offers a tactile edge that stands out from the usual plastic-and-chrome affairs. The touchscreen too is a joy - neither too sluggish nor too hyperactive, it responds impeccably well to your touch, and makes it so easy to tap, flick and swipe your way through the phone's intuitive menus. Everything's been well thought-out here, from the materials used to the placement of buttons and the size of the phone in your hand - with a 4" screen that's perfectly adequate for basic web use, it's not oversized but still offers a good clear picture and sharp display.

The Android operating system is a pleasure to use, as well. Everything feels natural and logical, the design's bright and clear, and everything runs together like clockwork. You get the feeling that this has been well-tested, and hours upon hours of development have gone into creating a product that really does meet its users' needs. Generally, it boasts a simple, uncluttered layout that's easy to customise, with 5 screens waiting to be filled up with widgets as you see fit.

In keeping with its position in the market, the camera isn't anything special compared to the top of the range models, but from the layman's perspective it's hard to tell. The pixel-count is high enough to take some pretty sharp, high-quality pictures, and for the kind of everyday needs I've got, it's more than enough.

Texting is nicely designed, with an auto-complete system that's for the most part fairly helpful, although it does have a tendency to offer up the most obscure words at the expense of the everyday alternative you're most likely looking for. Still, it's quick and intuitive to use, and lets you rattle off messages pretty quickly. Call quality's generally excellent, and this too uses a predictive system to bring up your contact numbers.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this ahead of the big-hitters of the phone world - but then you're not paying big-hitting money for it, are you? For those of us who want a range of up-to-date features, with a phone that can handle the demands of a myriad of apps and social networking functions, and looks and feels pretty good to boot, this is a great choice. If you don't absolutely have to have the latest and greatest offering that's out there, this is a solid, reliable, seriously well-designed piece of kit that'll keep you happy for years.