Camera Phone Reviews

Samsung Instinct

Samsung Instinct Reviews

Wired does a hands-on review of the Samsung Instinct and writes, "...The 2-megapixel camera is, well, a 2-megapixel camera. The few images we snapped had decent image quality with true colors. It's not remotely close to super camera phones like the LG Viewty in terms of image quality. We'll have a little more on that particular phone in an upcoming post though."

MobileTechReview has a review of the Samsung Instinct and writes, "The Samsung Instinct has a 2 megapixel camera with a fixed focus lens. There's a self portrait mirror but no flash. The camera uses the entire screen as the viewfinder and there are very few settings-- a cue Samsung shouldn't have taken from the iPhone. The phone takes images at max resolution, 1600 x 1200, and resizes them down if you send them as MMS (Picture Mail). There are no settings for white balance, effects or anything else. Likewise the camcorder has no settings other than a button to switch between MMS length (2 minutes or less) or for saving locally (length limited by available storage)."

NetworkWorld reviews the Samsung Instinct and writes, "This isn’t an enterprise-class phone — the e-mail application and lack of a VPN client prove this — but it could be considered at small or midsize businesses. I don’t think iPhone users will switch to the Instinct (especially with the iPhone 3G now available), but Sprint loyalists who’ve had iPhone envy for the last year can finally have a multimedia phone that matches the iPhone in several categories. If the iPhone is an A+, then the Instinct is a solid A-."

Yahoo! Tech does a hands on review of the Samsung Instinct and writes, "Moving on ... the Instinct comes with GPS and turn-by-turn directions powered by TeleNav, which makes for a pretty slick experience. Meanwhile, the 2MP camera takes decent, if not awe-inspiring images (about on a par with the iPhone), but the Instinct also records video clips—still a (sore) missing iPhone feature. Once you're done shooting, you can send photos and clips via e-mail or MMS, or you can upload them to MySpace."

CNET reviews the Samsung Instinct and writes, "The Instinct has a 2.0-megapixel camera, but we were surprised by its lack of options. You can't adjust the resolution, quality, brightness, or any of the other settings you'd find on any basic camera phone. We're not sure what Samsung was going for here. Perhaps they're trying to make the Instinct easy to use, but we were disappointed at the lack of options. Sure, those options don't always make a big difference in photo quality, but it's still nice to have them. As we said earlier there is a self-portrait mirror but the Instinct doesn't have a flash. However, we did like the handy photometer and the "fuzzy picture" warning when you're about to take a bad photo. Photo quality was decent, though not spectacular. Objects were distinct and colors were natural but there was too much light in most cases...On the other hand, we liked the Instinct's photo-viewing feature. Similar to the iPhone, you can move between photos by swiping your finger across the screen. It makes for a fun experience and we like that fluid motion. Alternatively, you can view photos in a filmstrip mode. Shortcut options are plentiful as well. You can send your photos via Bluetooth, upload them to an online account, save them as a contact's photo ID, or zap them to a friend in a multimedia message. There's also a 2x digital zoom."

InfoSync reviews the Samsung Instinct and writes, "This is a sort of kick in the pants as we finish this review. For all the great features, including the cool camera panning on the Web browser, Samsung still seems to be skimping on camera lenses, at least for their American phones. The pictures we took with the Samsung Instinct's 2-megapixel sensor were pitiful. They looked washed out with jagged edges and fuzzy details all around. We wish photography was taken more seriously, with touch sensitive focal points and real autofocus, but this isn't the case."

Wired reviews the Samsung Instinct and writes, "With its buttonless face and black monolithic look, the all-touchscreen Instinct is immediately familiar: It's virtually the same weight and size as the iPhone, only about two-tenths of an inch narrower. Most of the expected specs for any 2008 handset are here: 3G, GPS, 2-megapixel camera (with video recording), and full e-mail and web browsing features. But the Instinct doesn't stop there; it tries to stake a claim on new ground by adding features its arch rival (even the upcoming version) skips: Haptic feedback buzzes below your fingertip when you work the touchscreen, and voice control lets you do certain tasks sans typing."