Samsung Instinct Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design

The Instinct is a solid black monolith, reminiscent of 2010. The soft touch finish on the back will help some with handling and we found it reasonably attractive, but don't try and pack this phone into a tight pants pocket. We did like that it came with a very nice selection of accessories.

Front
From the front the Samsung Instinct is dominated by the large 3.1 inch display. Above the display is the Samsung log and above that the speaker for the phone. Below the screen you find the Sprint logo and three touch sensitive buttons: Home, Back and Phone.

Left
On the left the Samsung Instinct you'll find volume controls just north of center and above those a covered slot for Samsung's proprietary port. Near the top you'll see the eyelet for a lanyard.

Top
The top of the Instinct holds the power button and the 3.5mm headphone jack, with a tethered cover on the latter.

Bottom
The only thing on the bottom of the Samsung Instinct is a pinhole for the microphone.

Right
On the right side of the Instinct is the dedicated camera key near the bottom, the voice control button near the middle and the Micro SD slot at the top, with a tethered cover.

Back
The back of the Samsung Instinct has the lens for the two megapixel camera at the top left, with a self-portrait mirror right next to it.

Battery Out
Push up on the back and it slides off to reveal the 1000 mAh battery.

In the Box (8.5)
The Instinct ships with a nice assortment of accessories. In the box you'll find manuals, software CD, a stereo headset, carrying case, second battery with charging station, wall charger, data cable and a 2GB Micro SD card. This is miles better than the dearth of accessories we saw on devices like the Samsung Glyde or LG Voyager.

Handling (7.0)
The Samsung Instinct has a soft touch finish on the back that should help keep it in your hand. The edges are curved softly so it sits comfortably in your hand. The device is a bit tall, but width is ok. The Instinct is also a bit heavier than average, which may make it more difficult to hold it up to your head for long periods. It's as comfortable to hold as an iPhone, and more comfortable than the fatter and slippery Samsung Glyde.

Portability (6.0)
The Instinct isn't a small phone, measuring 4.57 x 2.17 x 0.48 inches, you'll definitely notice the phone if you put it into your pants pocket. It is small enough to fit into most pockets, unless you're wearing super tight pants, and any jacket pocket or bag. Weighing in at 4.4 ounces it will be heavier than most cell phones, but not a lead weight by any means.

Aesthetics (8.0)
If you like black, you'll like the Instinct. The entire phone is black, with the front shiny and the back matte. Although there are more buttons than the iPhone there aren't so many that the overall effect is thrown off. We think the Instinct looks good, but of course this is a very personal matter and your mileage may vary.

Durability (7.5)
We detected no creaks or noticeable defects on our Instinct. The lack of moving parts means there's nothing to wear out, and even the three buttons you'll use the most are touch sensitive so they're less likely to break on you. That said there's a lot of shiny plastic on the front that will definitely attract scratches, so you may want to put a screen protector on it.