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Pros
- Responsive touch panel.
- Good camera and video recorder.
- Plenty of mobile media features, all of which are included in Sprint's Everything plan.
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Cons
- Low-res screen.
- No Wi-Fi.
- Reception could be stronger.
- Some clumsy interface elements.
Samsung Instinct s30 SPH-M810 (Sprint) Specs
802.11x/Band(s): | No |
Bands: | 1900 |
Bands: | 800 |
Bluetooth: | Yes |
Camera Flash: | No |
Camera: | Yes |
Form Factor: | Candy Bar |
High-Speed Data: | 1xRTT |
High-Speed Data: | EVDO |
Megapixels: | 2 MP |
Operating System as Tested: | Other |
Phone Capability / Network: | CDMA |
Screen Details: | 240x432-pixel |
Screen Details: | 262K colors |
Screen Size: | 3.2 inches |
Service Provider: | Sprint |
The
Unlike most of Sprint's recent handsets, this is a dual-band (850/1,900 MHz) EV-DO Rev 0 phone—not the faster Rev A. It also still lacks Wi-Fi support—a disappointment. In a rural area northwest of Boston, I had some trouble with reception. Whereas a nearby Sprint
The s30 paired automatically and sounded fine with a
The 3.2-inch, 240-by-432-pixel touch screen has a lower resolution than the iPhone's—and looks it, with drab icons and blocky menu graphics. But Samsung wasn't joking about the touch-screen upgrade: It's a tenth of an inch larger and considerably more responsive than before, and feels about as precise as the iPhone's capacitive touch panel. The subtle, pleasant haptic feedback (vibration as you touch the screen) can be disabled if you don't like the effect.
The software design, however, needs work. For example, the phone opens to a favorites page rather a menu of icons. That's good if you like to custom-configure things but annoying otherwise. What's more, when you tap the dial button, it defaults to a speed-dial list instead of the dial pad. So it takes a few clicks to get around, and the favorites page and speed-dial lists are rather unattractive looking, as well.
Technically, the s30 still isn't a smartphone, since it's not equipped with an open OS for running thousands of third-party apps, as can the iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, and the Palm Pre (once it begins getting third-party apps in earnest). But Samsung is blurring the line by giving programmers access to core Java APIs and other handset features. That makes the handset more "open" than before, and Samsung is bringing these changes to the original Instinct as well. The effects of this on the third-party app market, however, remain to be seen. There's still no Mac support or ability to sync calendars or notes to a PC.
Browsing the Web is better than before owing to the Opera Mini 4.2 browser, which is always pleasant to use. Combined with the expansive touch screen, it's a decent package on paper. But in operation it still felt somewhat clunky with its lower-resolution screen, lack of two-finger pinch zoom, sometimes unexpected sluggishness given the slower 3G radio, and the blocky UI elements surrounding the browser window. In addition, Sprint finally added an IM client (with Sprint's usual AIM, Yahoo, and MSN support)—a curious omission on the original, given how many other Sprint handsets come with one. Many of the s30's other features carry over from the original Instinct.
The s30 won't leave you wanting for media options. Music playback sounded clear but tinny through the included set of Samsung earbuds, and unusually bassy and muffled over a normally bright-sounding pair of
The 2-megapixel camera is unchanged. There's no LED flash or autofocus feature, and you still can't adjust the resolution, ISO, or other settings. Even so, the s30 takes nicely detailed pictures with even, balanced lighting. None of my test photos immediately screamed "camera phone" when I opened them on a nearby iMac. Indoors or out, the s30 did well, although color was a little flat and lifeless regardless of the setting. Recorded 320-by-240 videos were relatively smooth and usable as well. The s30 also automatically detected my 8GB SanDisk microSD card and saved photos and videos to it, which is a nice touch.
Sprint's Instinct s30 SPH-M810 occupies a unique place in the company's lineup: It has more power than most feature phones, but it's not really a smartphone. The Palm Pre is our Editors' Choice Sprint smartphone due to its stunning touch-screen UI, powerful messaging, and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. But the s30 has longer battery life, less weight, a thinner design, and a lower price in its favor. You could also go with the $199
Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 4 hours 18 minutes
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