MetroPCS' first 4G Android smartphone is now available and it's quite an attractive offering. Called the Samsung Indulge, the handset brings strong specs, excellent usability and one downside that may prove a deal-breaker for some users.
Physically, it's your typical touchscreen candybar. Just like other Galaxy S handsets, it has a glossy black finish, rounded corners and a sturdy build. While completely plastic, the make hardly deters from the experience.
Display is a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), showing crisp images and facilitating excellent touch response. It's not AMOLED, though, so it's not quite as good as some of Samsung's other releases. Slide-out QWERTY keyboard offers well-spaced, slightly flat keys that actually turn out to be very good for typing.
As a phone, the Indulge makes for good calls. Voices go through clear and there was very little distortion, although you'll often need to turn the volume up to max if you're outdoors. Speakerphone is just as capable, sounding very clear with just a slight harshness. The battery is the low point here (and could very well be the deal-breaker for some). Rated at only 3 hours of talk time, the 1,500 mAh module will probably drain before the day is over if you use your phone regularly.
Packing a 1Ghz processor, the handset zipped through Android 2.2 without any problems. It runs TouchWiz 3.0, which I actually like. With skins like these being a matter of preference, of course, your mileage may vary. The big deal about the Indulge, of course, is its 4G support (which downshifts to 3G when a signal isn't available). Speed is impressive, but don't expect it to beat the Epic 4G under Sprint's WiMax in head-to-head tests.
It's got all the usual Froyo smartphone fare -- multiple calling options, basic and advanced messaging, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, PIM tools and Google's suite of apps. WiFi hotspot isn't enabled, though, which puts a slight damp on the attractive 4G speeds. A slew of additional apps also come preloaded, including Samsung's AllShare service (DLNA sharing), a social networking and IM bundle, and various productivity tools.
The music player looks better because of the TouchWiz skinning; otherwise, it still has the standard Android features. Playback of both audio and video clips is very speedy. The 3.2 megapixel camera snaps good shots, although the general quality of images is pretty dull, even with good lighting.
If you can live with the deficient battery life, the Samsung Indulge is actually a very cost-effective choice for an Android smartphone. We love that it's available without a contract, although the $399 price will likely be restrictive for some.
