MetroPCS getting LTE, Android 2.2, 1GHz Samsung phone

[zerocool84]

As you may have gleaned from the small leak last night, Samsung's MetroPCS LTE phone isn't called the Forte as we may have previously thought, but the rest of the information we've been hearing about the phone for the last few weeks (thank you, FCC and Flickr!) was pretty dead on. Officially called the Galaxy Indulge, the 3.5-inch, Android 2.2 smartphone isn't quite as well spec'd as the rest of the Galaxy S line up -- most notably it doesn't have that stunning 4-inch AMOLED screen (TFT LCD here, folks) -- but it packs a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 3 megapixel camera, 1500mAH battery, and some fast LTE speeds. As for the latter, the slider will naturally be backwards compatible with MetroPCS' CDMA network and the carrier will be offering two monthly plans, both of which include unlimited talk and texting -- the $50 plan buys you 1GB of data and the $60 version all the gigabytes you can eat. Combine one of those with the $399 sans-contract-price of the phone itself and it's not a bad deal.

That said, compared to the other LTE or just general 4G phones we've seen of late, the Indulge feels rather cheap. Don't be fooled by its rather Epic 4G looks -- the .6-inch thick phone just feels overly plastic in hand (it makes those plastic squeaking noises) and the keyboard just can't compare to Epic's slightly raised keys. However, what it lacks in rigidity it makes up for in speed -- we consistently got 3.1Mbps down and 3.3Mbps in our Manhattan apartment and saw it loading sites and apps faster than our Droid 2 Global. On the software end, there aren't many surprises -- it runs Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 and comes with a few of MetroPCS' preloaded apps, including an Iron Man 2 app that actually includes the whole movie. We're not sure you'd want to watch the entire thing on the low-contrast HVGA screen, but it's always an option if you decide to, you know, indulge. (Sorry, we had to!) The handset will be hitting shelves (or websites) later this week making it the first available LTE smartphone in the US -- but in the meantime, hit the break for the full press release and a short hands-on video.

Seems decent as you'd be saving a good chunk of money over it's lifetime. Obviously not the best phone but for a prepaid it's top of the line.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/09/metropcs-lte-samsung-galaxy-indulge-available-this-week-for-399/

 

[gsaldivar]

The specs look great, and damn its about time they replaced that dog known as the Samsung Craft. 4G ... oops but it's a proprietary OS! haha!

The problem here is, while $399 is a bargain for a smartphone (we compare no-contract pricing, not subsidized pricing) it will still put the Indulge firmly in the high end prepaid category, and well out of reach of 90% of the MetroPCS's target market.

There should still be strong demand for this phone from savvy consumers who are able to do a little math to see the real savings from the monthly bill though. If enough people aren't too ashamed to sport a MetroPCS logo on their next phone this should do very well. Let's hope Samsung gets the GPS right on this one!

 

[OBLAMA2009]

thats cool, but what is the timetable for release and what is the fee for a month. metropcs isnt as cheap as virgin, but from their map they do seen to cover a large part of the bay area with their lte already. for higher end hardware and lte, i wouldnt mind paying $399.

isnt the downside of metro that they dont have 3g; if you cant get 4g you get 2.5g?

 

[rudeguy]

if they get LTE in my town, I'll switch both my lines over to them. Today

 

[Pliablemoose]

Metro has poor building penetration & coverage in LA

 

[OBLAMA2009]

...and according to reviews, their 4g is SLOWER than most 3g's, but its 4g!