Sprint's $130 Samsung Instinct twists free

Mossy don't like it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put finger to screen and give Samsung's new Instinct a test of your own. Particularly if you're a fan of Sprint either by choice or by contract. Available now and right on schedule for $129.99 (with 2 year contract and $100 mail-in rebate), not the original $200 bounced around initially. With Sprint trying hard to position the Instinct as an iPhone killer, we guess they really didn't have a choice but to undercut it in price.

[Thanks, Mona]

[j. @ Jun 20th 2008 3:58AM]

come ooooooon SERO...july 13th ftw,

[Jeremy K. @ Jun 20th 2008 4:23AM]

Too bad you can't get the nice $30 SERO rate with this phone.

[Vcize @ Jun 20th 2008 10:44AM]

Why not?

[Vcize @ Jun 20th 2008 10:49AM]

Ah, nevermind I see, on the site it's only available with the 99/mo plan.

Still though, you can always buy the phone separately if you already have the cheap SERO plan.

[whatishalo? @ Jun 20th 2008 10:51AM]

Last post about the Instinct people mentioned they were going to require the $99/month all you-can-eat-n-purge plan with the Instict. Anyone know if this is the case still?

[Jim @ Jun 20th 2008 1:32PM]

@ whatishalo?

No, it does not require the $99 plan. Sprint's marketing department just sucks and never realized people will confuse the term "Everything plans" with $99 unlimited voice plans. The Everything plans just means the unlimited text + data plans they're selling today.

[db26 @ Jun 21st 2008 10:58AM]

An unlocked price of $630 is still a great deal! If you were to keep it for two years with $30 SERO, vs. the $70 Everything plan...

130 + 24 * 70 = 1810
630 + 24 * 30 = 1350

$460 difference! Plus, you save your upgrade bonus of $150 for not getting a new phone, so you can upgrade again sooner for cheaper. The only question is if sprint will actually active the unlocked phone...

[Logik @ Jun 21st 2008 2:22PM]

@Paul, db26:

That's a GSM phone. It will not work on Sprint's CDMA network.

[youngcalihottie @ Jun 23rd 2008 8:15PM]

LMAO!

[akstylish @ Jun 20th 2008 4:00AM]

Wow, that's cheap.

[Rawtoonz @ Jun 20th 2008 4:00AM]

im still switching to att to get an iphone, sorry sprint.

[Jeff @ Jun 20th 2008 12:48PM]

After 8 years of being with sprint, i'm doing the exact same thing.

oh well.

As a sidenote: having to shell out $230 and then mail in for a rebate? sounds like they're starting the user experience off already much worse than the iPhone....

[vxa09 @ Jun 21st 2008 5:12PM]

Agreed.

Tested it out this morning, its sluggish, Unresponsive some of the time and alot harder to click certain buttons onscreen because you have to almost click exactly on it with pressure. (and some of there icons are rather small)

Iphone 3g is for me

450 for instinct by its self
500 to break free [thank god] from sprint and iphone
i can deal with 50 dollars and not renewing my contract with sprint.

[el @ Jun 20th 2008 4:05AM]

Go get a room with Steve Jobs, Mossy

[Alex P. @ Jun 20th 2008 4:05AM]

Listening to Mossberg for tech is like going to 4chan for girl advice. People still do it, but usually for a good laugh.

From the looks of it, the instinct will be good enough to please Sprint customers who are looking for something like the iphone but on Sprint. But I may be wrong, i'll wait for the /rea/ tech community to make an opinion on the device.

(and omg, I already brought up the iphone in the comments, shoot me.)

[michael @ Jun 20th 2008 4:08AM]

I went to Best Buy today to buy a Bluetooth headset for my Pearl 8120 (T-Mobile). Long story short, I left with an Instinct in hand for only $129 + tax OUT OF PCOKET!

They also game some "value" deal for $23 bux for a nice case and an extra memory card. (Case is for an iPhone strangely enough, but its a DLo, and I like their shit).

I have poor credit, so I had to put a deposit down, but even still, this is a steal of a deal compared to anything else out there. I am

[gad get @ Jun 20th 2008 4:16AM]

You are, eh?

[james @ Jun 20th 2008 10:40PM]

u said u paid 129. how come? they say its 229 and then u get the mail in-rebate weeks later

[youngcalihottie @ Jun 23rd 2008 8:18PM]

then
1. that person didnt know what they were talking about
2. the sale ended
3. you didnt call a best buy store

because i left best buy on june 20 with one for $129 out the door also. no MIR.

probably sending this POS back though. there are some things it does really really right. but others that kill it. most problems are software/interface related, so at least that can always be fixed down the road.

[Thomas @ Jul 10th 2008 11:51AM]

best buy pays the mail in rebate for you... i work there

[raptor87 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:15AM]

I switched from ATT to a Sprint SERO plan, This would be a nice upgrade from my Q.

[raptor87 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:20AM]

Kinda weak its on the SERO site but still requires the $99 a month plan

[Jim @ Jun 20th 2008 1:32PM]

Both the SERO site and the Sprint site are showing only the $99 plan, but from the store I talked to, that's not the case. My guess - they had to rush this out to beat the iPhone to market and don't have enough to offer it to everyone yet so they're limiting it to only those $99 subscribers (or they're intentionally limiting units because the fewer units they sell over the next two weeks the less subsidy they have to report in their 2Q earnings). I would expect it to show up for the $69 plans soon.

[youngcalihottie @ Jun 23rd 2008 8:19PM]

go to best buy in person
they offered me any of the Everything plans
and there is no MIR. $129 out the door

[Munted @ Jun 20th 2008 4:16AM]

What happened to the solar jar story?

[Thomas Ricker @ Jun 20th 2008 4:18AM]

Pulled it, was available in 2006 under a different name.

Thomas

[Bob @ Jun 20th 2008 7:48AM]

The jar wasn't and Apple product! :-)

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:20AM]

imho

anyone who buys a phone before the first Android based phone is gonna spend the next 2 years (Canadians read that as 3 Years) regretting it.

me and my Android are gonna be mockin' you guys.

These HTC touch clones like the Samsung and the iPhone are just not going to survive.

These companies that run their phones on proprietary software restricting applications are gonna find it very hard to find customers amongst savvy switched on customers.

But then again, there is always the rest...

[kjb434 @ Jun 20th 2008 9:26AM]

Do have any basis for your argument?

The line of thinking your are going on right now would mean that LINUX should have done the same thing to Windows and OSX.

I'm not saying Android will be crap, but for a business user like me a WinMo based phone or Blackberry is the best option. The new update to iphone to 3G and its added functionality will also make it more appealing to business users too.

Android is a great concept, but i need it to be proven on a fully functional device i can utilized for business.

[crushinator @ Jun 20th 2008 9:32AM]

Are Canadian years shorter than American years? Oh, that's right... they record time in metric. I always forget that.

[Zak @ Jun 20th 2008 12:36PM]

How is the iPhone a clone of the HTC Touch? They were released in the same month, and the iPhone was in development for 3 years before that. So unless some sort of time travel is involved, I don't see how the iPhone could possibly be a clone of the Touch... and that's if you ignore the obvious differences, which you can see if you look at them. Not that hard.

And you seriously believe the iPhone is not going to survive? Denial ain't just a river in Egypt...

[p3t3b2 @ Jun 20th 2008 12:37PM]

I think some folks are ignorant by choice, Android is not a phone it's an OS. Also, During Sprints Webinar a Sprint official said the Instinct was developed with Android and Linux in mind. Sprint plans on releasing Sprint devices with the Android and Linux environment 4thQ 2009 to 1stQ 2010. A version of Android will be ready for the Instinct later this year to early next year.

[Osiris @ Jun 20th 2008 1:46PM]

Although he is basing his opinino on little facts, I do think he is right to be optimistic about Android.

It is being developed by Google and they have produced some amazing products that seem to exist simply to please their customers (and continue to fill google's overflowing pockets)

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:21AM]

imho

anyone who buys a phone before the first Android based phone is gonna spend the next 2 years (Canadians read that as 3 Years) regretting it.

me and my Android are gonna be mockin' you guys.

These HTC touch clones like the Samsung and the iPhone are just not going to survive.

These companies that run their phones on proprietary software restricting applications are gonna find it very hard to find customers amongst savvy switched on customers.

But then again, there is always the rest...

[Jamie M @ Jun 20th 2008 4:41AM]

There may be some truth to what you say, but I would hesitate to call Windows Mobile 'proprietary software'.

[Quikboy @ Jun 20th 2008 8:22AM]

I'd wait until the Android OS actually does come out, and stops becoming just talk and botchy video shots. Then you could make a statement on how Android OS will be the end-all OS for phones.

With no real annoucnement of launch, and no phones sold with it, I don't think most sensible people are going to be drawn to an OS that's full of promises, but no show.

Last I check, WinMo isn't "proprietary software restricting applications". I know that there's a wide availability of apps. to install on a WinMo phones, the developers are free to make and share. Not a central place, it's free to use.

Android fanboys need to stop posting about their own superior OS on non-Android related posts. It's annoying.

[russ_schroeder @ Jun 20th 2008 12:18PM]

@Quikboy.

Agree completely--nice to see someone else with a sane outlook regarding Android. Until I can see a working version of Android on physical hardware, it continues to be only hype.

Granted, I sincerely hope Android can live up to the hype but history dictates otherwise. When was the last time ANY overly hyped device lived up to expectations?

[Mike @ Jun 20th 2008 4:45AM]

Far from an iPhone competitor but good enough for the sprint people. Makes me happy I picked ATT all those years ago over sprint and the rest. No one ever beat the iPod so no reason to feel bad if the phone doesn't measure up.

[Dan @ Jun 20th 2008 5:57PM]

No one ever beat the iPod?
Maybe not in popularity, but in other categories, surely.

Popular != Best

[KilgoreTrout @ Jun 20th 2008 5:08AM]

What would be the point of getting this thing when they will be letting loose the Omnia just next month?

[Wham Pow @ Jun 20th 2008 5:52AM]

Sprint Centro $99, Sprint Instinct $130.

Is there some cannibalism possibility here?

[SeditioN VII @ Jun 20th 2008 11:45AM]

their not the same kind of phones.

[SPOT @ Jun 20th 2008 6:41AM]

The best blog on Earth (giz) posted a tiramisu (yeah the desert) of the instinct, Vu, voyager, and glyde... the instinct was the best out of them all. Especially in the music and GPS categories - among others. That is, if you arent getting an iphone. At least you have choices, at this point.

[Brian @ Jun 20th 2008 6:44AM]

I got my Instinct yesterday! It is a great phone! All the features and web browsing work great!!

[fred @ Jun 20th 2008 7:10AM]

Not possible. It doesn't have an Apple logo. Uncle Mossy said so.

[Brian @ Jun 20th 2008 7:14AM]

Uncle M is WRONG !

[chickenator @ Jun 20th 2008 8:08AM]

your Momma is right!

[Megan Boris @ Jun 20th 2008 7:28AM]

Does anyone else find that when using Samsung phones the batteries do not hold a charge. Compared to an LG phone I had (which could last up to 5 days without charging), Samsung phones I have used seem to only last a day or two before the battery goes.

[deyanimay @ Jun 20th 2008 11:11AM]

Dude all phones have pos batteries compared to nokias.

[Bladefree21 @ Jun 20th 2008 7:31AM]

More info on the Instinct: http://www.nowisgood.com/