T-Mobile on Thursday brought out a pair of Android phones raising the bar for its entry level. The Samsung Exhibit 4G should be one of the most affordable phones on its network to support its full 21Mbps HSPA+ data speeds. It shares the 1GHz processor of the Galaxy S line but is the only other phone on T-Mobile beyond the Nexus S to ship with Android 2.3, giving it most of the latest features, even including video chat from a front VGA camera.
The smartphone mostly trims costs through a three-megapixel rear camera and a slightly smaller 3.7-inch screen versus the four-inch screen on virtually every Galaxy S device. T-Mobile saw the phone as a family-friendly model and has loaded it up with copies of Bejeweled 2, Doodle Jump, and Scrabble.
Samsung has also promoted its Gravity messaging phones into smartphone territory at the same time with the Gravity Smart. It uses the familiar side-sliding QWERTY keyboard of the Gravity series but brings in Android 2.2 and a 3.2-inch touchscreen. It too has a three-megapixel camera on the back but doesn’t have the front camera.
Even with the hardware keyboard, the Smart comes with Swype to make typing easier while closed up. A TouchWiz-based front end is also loaded up along with support for T-Mobile’s Group Text messaging.
Both of the phones are due before the end of the month, though T-Mobile has unusually chosen not to give out pricing even with a product page ready for the Exhibit 4G. Unofficially, the Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart are expected to show on June 8 and to peak at $100 on contract for the Exhibit 4G.
Samsung Exhibit 4G
Samsung Gravity Smart
