Samsung Instinct M800
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 13, 2008 by Eric M. Zeman
Samsung and Sprint break out the touch screen Instinct to combat the swelling ranks of touch devices. Does it compare to the competition? With video tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
The instinct true colors
The Instinct M800 is a simple touchscreen phone. I find the phone very easy to navigate through email and social networking site. The phone makes it hard to text and sometimes will delay the words if you do manage to text fast. I am really disappointed that this phone is not equipped with wifi and has no holster for the stylus. This phone is good for teenagers (parent control locks) and preteens. I have found many problems with the programs and apps. When writing an email from the phone (not easy with touchsreen} it begins to slow down the more you write, the phone goes into a delay and sometimes will just freeze. The second issue is when writing an email, if someone IMs you, the phone alerts you but then deletes your email in the process. I was expecting alot from this phone because of the add campaign saying it was compared to the iphoen, it doest even come close.
ITS NO IPHONE BUT I'LL CHOOSE THE INSTINCT OVER AN IPHONE
The instinct is by far the best phone I ever had, and believe me I been through a lot of phones. I mean the phone is so easy and the speed is incredible,
Ok for all you Iphone lovers and always comparing the instinct to the iphone I just got this to say, The iphone is a great phone I actually had one, but to me the instinct is better, 1st of all, the price beats the iphone's price, 2nd the operating system is faster and easier,3rd the touchscreen is waaayyyy more accurate than the iphone, 4th I could send MMS pictures using my instinct; iphone users can't,5th my instinct gps has this loud sexy lady voice(i think)giving me directions where to turn iphone I just hear crickets(no voice), I could go on and on why I would choose the instinct over the iphone but I just wanted to cover the basics...
Overall I think it all depends on what you want in a phone, Comparing the iphone and the instinct is like comparing apples and oranges, and Benz with a BMW, Kobe and Lebron James, they're just different but yet good in their own way,me personally I like my phone to be sophisticated yet simple to operate(dont know if that was an oxymoron or not) and I think the instinct is the best phone that came close to meet those standards, Iphone is a great smartphone but instinct is easier and faster.
PROS:
1.Visual voicemail
2.Live search (no more 411 or mapquest for me)
3.Quick email access
4.Accurate touch qwerty keyboard (great for texting)
5.GPS (with voice)
6.Sprint Tv
Cons:
1.Hard to text with one hand (no t9 options)
2.Web browser could be better, (but opera mini is a great way to solve that problem)
3.no flash on camera.
I love my Instinct
Fortunately for me I bought the phone without reading the reviews. I played with the phone and learned it and then read the reviews and was shocked because this phone is everything I want. I think if you want a business phone that is the type of phone you should buy. If you want a media phone that has a lot of great features this is the perfect phone. You have to do your research. I have gone to att forums and found the same problem over there for the iphone. It all depends on what you want and I doubt if there are any perfect phones out there. But for me this phone comes close. Because it does what I want it to do and more.
Pros:
Despite a lot of complaints I love the key lock. I know without a doubt that I am not calling anyone by mistake.
I love the music player. It does everything I need it to do and it sounds great.
I love threaded messages and threaded contacts. Out of all the phones I have had this is a first I love it.
I love visual voicemail again a first for me and I absolutely love it.
I love the INTERNET. (not the browser it comes with but opera mini) the speed is unbelievable. For those who complain about their speed must live in a area without evdo. I live in the San Francisco area and it is great.
I love the voice service I have not had any dropped calls. (I have had the phone for Three weeks now. Caught the 49.00 dollar deal) In the bay area Sprint works great inside and out.
I love the live search. It is unbelievable.
along with the voice gps.
I like the tv. Sometimes the picture is choppy but remember its a cell phone. I love all the options that the tv has.
I love the email. All my email comes right in without any problem.
Cons
No way to separate volume for email and texts
Mute button should be slide like the end button.
I wish the phone would remain on the main page.
I know I bought the phone after all the updates and that might be why I don't have any complaint. Give the instinct a try it is worth it especially for 49.00 dollars.
Not an iPhone
The Instinct is a great touch-screen phone, but can't compare to the iPhone. The iPhone would be more closely compared to a minilaptop with a touch-screen, based on the open SDK for it.
This is the first version of the software that it runs and does have some slow-downs and screen hangs if you get too far ahead of the processor, turning the phone off or going to the Home screen for a minute or so. These will all be fixed with software and firmware updates.
The phone doesn't crash or lock up, but hangs on a previous screen when it can't keep up with you.
The signal indicator does bounce around more than my other phones but it doesn't appear to affect the functionality of the phone.
I am a massive texter with over 4000 each month outgoing and have made no more mistakes on this phone than my computer keyboard.
All in all, this is a great phone that has a touch-screen interface, but it cannot be compared to the iPhone, they are just too different. The 'issues' this phone has can be corrected by slowing down on the phone and software/firmware updates. Sprint has the best network out there and this is the best multimedia phone they have.
Great Phone
Having worked for Cellular agent I believe this is the best phone I have ever had. The screen is unbelievable and coverage is great.
Pro's
Great Screen
Visual Voicemail
Fast Internet
Good reception
Customizable
Con's
while listening to music its hard to change the song by unlocking it.
Instinct is amazing!!
I waited until the phone was at the store before ordering. I wanted to see it before i bought it.
I have been using my phone for 3 days now. I have mastered all of its features except for the speech to action. Only because I have not had a reason to use it. I am sure i will do that before the weekend is out though.
The screen is amazing. Vibrant display, lacking only slightly when in direct AZ sun. But my treo 755 did as well. I have had excellent reception, for better than any of the other phones I have had in recent years. I have had many. The camera is ok. But I do not buy phones for their cameras. They are a perk. The video is handy. I like the web features.
Pros: The touch screen is great. Keyboard is just right for 2 thumb typing. mastered it in an hour. Spell check is nice. No need for accessories, box holds them all. Spare battery, USB cable, case (I dont Use), Live TV is fun, my son enjoys it..sports, cartoons, news, major networks, its awesome..Live radio/music videos. Internet is FAST!!..Great reception! Visusal Voicemail is incredible! Great tool. Like the pause and rewind feature. Phone works great with Myxertones.com
Cons: Does not sync directly to outlook. MEDIA Phone, not for the heavy business user.
Email and calendar are sufficient for casual use. If you need major business use. this is not the phone. Small biz users and real estate/mortgage people (I am) great phone. Fun gadget for work and personal use. If you can handle the touch screen, even mega texters can enjoy. I am buying 5 more for the other people on my plan.
Sprint got this one right! iPhone can not compete. Several clients who have iphone are dumping for the instinct after seeing mine. I am truly much more pleased with this phone than I had anticipated after the review this site gave it. And I am a power user. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AWESOME!
I brought my Instinct the first day it came out. I put in an online order for it on that Friday and it arrived Tuesday. So far, I can truly say that i'm definately impressed! I actually switched from AT&T to get this phone. As a new Sprint customer, I am very satisfied. Here are my pros and cons:
PROS
- Beautiful screen
- Email is a breeze
- Chat style text messaging is wonderful
- Visual voicemail has worked flawlessly
- Web browser is pretty good. Especially with Myspace!
CONS
- Ringtones can be a hassle. Sprint has included plenty of polyphonic ringtones on the phone but trying to get actual MP3 ringtones is pretty difficult
- Screen dimming really annoys me at times. When i'm listening to the MP3 player and the screen dimms/turns off, I have to press the "power" button to get it back on and do whatever I need to do on the phone. It's especially annoying when I want to skip to the next song yet I have to turn the screen back on every time.
- No IM. I'm pretty sure a firmware update will get this working in no time.
- You can't turn down the loudness of message/voicemail tones.
- You can't change the theme! Honestly, I'm a tad bit sick of looking at yellow and grey.
Those things mentioned aboved can be fixed with simple updates so it's nothing to worry about. Otherwise, this phone is the BEST phone i've ever owned (and trust me, i've had ALOT of them!).
GO GET IT!
OUTSTANDING
When you read other Instinct reviews keep a few things in mind:
1. SIGNAL IS NOT BAD ON THE INSTINCT - I have poor reception in my house and can barely hold a call with my bb or lg rumor or my gf's katana dlx and q9c. This phone is no worse, and although the signal meter jumps around a bit, I did not drop any calls and experienced far less garbling than on the other handsets I have used.
2. SOME FEATURES WORK BETTER IN EVDO COVERAGE - Features like Sprint TV work better (better picture, cleaner sound, far less cutting-out) when you are in an EVDO area. This goes for Sprint Radio, Web, and the Music Store as well.
3. THIS IS NOT A "PDA" PHONE - although sprint.com has the instinct in their "pda/smartphone" category, this phone lacks certain features that most would consider part of a smartphone: Calendar/Memo/Task synchronization with outlook and attachment viewing (word, excel, pdf files, etc.).
MY P's and C's:
***PROS***
-AWESOME INTERFACE - The touchscreen is very responsive and the haptic feedback is really cool. Many features (Navigation, Music Store, Live Search, Sprint TV) were totally reworked for the instinct and work really well with the touchscreen.
-LIVE SEARCH - Like having free voice activated visual directory assistance built right into the phone, and it works seamlessly with Navigation.
- VISUAL VOICEMAIL
- 2 BATTERIES AND EXTRA CHARGER
- VOICE ACTIVATION - also launches Weather, News, Sports, etc
- ON SCREEN KEYBOARD - works surprisingly well
- EMAIL - Works great even with Exchange
- SIMPLY EVERYTHING - Makes full use of the Everything plans. Totally worth it!
***CONS***
- BATTERY COVER - Difficult at first
- BROWSER - Although it is very functional, it could've been better. Not on par with the iPhone's mobile Safari.
- UNLOCK BUTTON - having to press it for a full second is annoying.
OVERALL - Outstanding device with a great interface, awesome features, a cool look, and a great price.
Worth Every Penny, and more...
PRO's
Livesearch integrated with GPS is amazing, fast, and accurate. GPS navigation is equally good. Call quality is top notch regardless what the signal strength indicator says. Being able to customize favorites screens with applications (text a certain contact, search, weather, etc.) is very handy. Really appreciate landscape keyboard for messaging which works better than I had anticipated. My experience with Sprint's customer service has been nothing short of exemplary. I even had a tech call me back just to make sure my lone issue was resolved.
CON's
Sometimes the screen indicates a 'press' on an action and nothing happens. Having to press the power button to wake up the phone becomes a bit tiresome, though far from a deal killer.
The phone is worth the price and gives a very satisfying user experience with great call quality. GPS integration is the best and the ability to access OWA work email along with personal accounts just adds to its value.
So far great .....
To make it simple, this is a great phone overall with just a few small detailed glitches depending on what you need the most for your phone to do.
As a phone it works very well, just have to get use to the lack of physical buttons for normal phone functions. No drop calls so far, great connection even if the bars don't show that all the time. is a bit confusing when taking another call waiting though
Pro: Phone functions well nice features
Voicemail is great
Excellent navigation and POI points
Love the Live search feature
Texting is fairly easy but with faults
Reading the news tab is great by the
large screen
Email feature great have 4 accounts
memorize on it but there are limitations
to the type of account and views of
files or formats
Very good battery life
Good picture quality
Like the easy note taking feature
Cons Freezing when texts or multiple calls
Camera is nice but no zoom or flash
Needs more settings for display to time
before stand by(hate the power button)
Internet is not that fast either
Texting complicated by no auto-fill and
small back button to erase
Also got the invisible shield and it works well front and back but starting to come off the smooth metal sides.
I am very happy with the phone overall and would highly recommended unless you do not like the touch format or are a heavy palm or blackberry user
