Samsung Instinct S30

Like the original, the new Samsung Instinct S30 is supposed to go toe-to-toe with the iPhone as an easier, feature-rich alternative. In some ways, it still holds up. Sprint's 3G network has been faster than AT&T's network in our tests. The Samsung Instinct S30 has great turn-by-turn GPS navigation, a feature the Apple iPhone 3G lacks. But while Apple's device has exploded with extra apps and possibilities, the Samsung Instinct family has remained stagnant, falling behind competition even from Samsung itself on other carriers. The Instinct S30 may look better than its predecessor, but it needed to see improvements in the camera, the music and video player, and even in the messaging apps to remain compelling. We like the Work E-mail app that let us check in with our Microsoft Exchange accounts, but this feature is a nice bonus on the Instinct, while multimedia is much more important. As the top of Sprint's multimedia phone range, the Samsung Instinct S30 is a good phone, but not as good as it easily could have been. Release: April 2009. Price: $130.

Pros: Snazzy interface in an improved body. Good calling features. Exchange support, even for calendars and contacts (kind of). Very good GPS performance. Cons: No significant improvements to feature set or UI since the last version. Great Opera Web browser is hidden in the menus. Disappointing camera. Lacks any IM options.