Last month, on September 27th to be precise, the Samsung Instinct HD (aka m850) from Sprint hit U.S. shelves. Though it is a beautiful looking smartphone, with its rounded edges and beveled backside, it does have its problems and unique qualities. Still, the Instinct HD is functional, capable, and desirable – as long as you have an abundance of patience and don’t mind waiting on an erratic and slow Wi-Fi connection (not to mention a slow 3G connection). Fast data speeds, good; slow data speeds, bad.
The major selling point on the Samsung Instinct HD, however, is in the name; the smartphone offers a 5-megapixel autofocus camera that shoots video in 720p HD – a first for mainstream devices in the U.S. While the HD video capability is a definite boon for the Instinct HD, users will be frustrated by two things: 1) the 3.2” HVGA capacitive 320 x 480 touchscreen won’t show HD (you’ll have to use the TV out, but Samsung and Sprint didn’t include the necessary cable to do so), and 2) the 6MB (which equates to about 6 seconds of footage) upload or e-mail restrictions when trying to do so with the phone. If you want to get vids out there that are any larger, you’ll have to use your computer.
Another disappointing feature is the “ABC” keyboard when in portrait mode (the full QWERTY only appears in landscape). More to that end, everything on the Instinct HD is in portrait mode, except the browser and Sprint TV.
On the bright side, the capacitive touchscreen is highly responsive and the haptic feedback on the virtual QWERTY is excellent. Also excellent is the SMS/MMS/Exchange messaging. Yes, Samsung and Sprint were thoughtful enough to include Microsoft Exchange support. The Instinct HD is also running on the Opera Mobile 9.7 browser.
It may take some getting used to for some users, but the Instinct HD doesn’t have a home screen. Instead, there are menu screens that are logically subdivided (into favorites, main, fun, and web) and easy to navigate. Other easily navigable menus come up when you press the phone button.
Undressing the Samsung Instinct HD
In terms of its size, the Instinct HD is no Smurf at 4.01 ounces and 4.6” x 2.3” x 0.5”, but it’s not going to stand out like the Starship Enterprise. There’s also 2-D and 3-D GPS navigation, which will help you find the nearest gas station or free Wi-Fi hotspot – but the maps don’t have a “you are here” function. The Instinct HD has visual voice mail and a pretty cool set-up for browsing your pictures. Talk time runs about 5.7 hours, but that depends on how much you use the multimedia stored on the 16GB of external memory. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter clients are preloaded on the Instinct HD as well.
It’s a decent phone and you wouldn’t go wrong owning this, but the $249 price point is a bit steep.
