Insight Into The Samsung Instinct: An iPhone Killer or Sophisticated Copycat?

With the release of its new $199, 3G-enabled iteration, smart phone buzz in the month of June will once again belong to the iPhone just as it did during the phone’s initial release at this time last year.  With telecommunications juggernauts growing weary of watching their market share slip away, one iPhone “killer” after another has been released since the introduction of the handset.  None of the new offerings have come close to generating the buzz and fanfare of the famed product they aim to dethrone. [See image1]

Despite unfavorable odds, Samsung is openly marketing the new Instinct as the iPhone’s doombringer, complete with bullet-point laden feature comparisons and a generous online advertising blitz.  Sprint has also placed its full force behind the new product, touting its use of the company’s Now network as a faster and more reliable alternative to iPhone’s exclusive, and sometimes clunky, relationship with AT&T.  Anytime one of the world’s largest cellular carriers combines with a major consumer electronics producer to stake such claims, the product behind the hype will find itself under intense scrutiny.

Based on initial photographs released of the new device, the Instinctt appears to match the iPhones ease of use and capabilities without delving into mimicry.  Its interface resembles its stated nemesis, complete with a touch screen and similar “modules” the user can access for various tasks, including phone functions, music, and photos.  Much like the iPhone, it is also decidedly button free, with two additional buttons gracing its surface for “back” and “forward” functions in addition to the iPhone-inspired “home” button used to return to the initial point of the touch based interface.

Little else is known about the device beyond its basic menus, which seem to reflect the same functions and aesthetics as the iPhone right down to the icons.  No information has been released regarding the phones ability to convey visual voicemail or whether its e-mail or browser offerings will match those offered through Apple’s Safari-powered interface.  While phone, Internet, and PIM functions are separated from photos and games through button-based categories (“Main” functions versus “Fun” functions), no new functionality appears to be present within the device from a software standpoint. 

Sprint-provided content from SprintTV and Sprint Music can only hope to be, at best, comparable to offerings form iTunes.  The built in GPS, while potentially more sophisticated than the existing iPhone firmware, will be potentially trumped by Apple’s Google Maps-friendly GPS once a new firmware update is released later this month.  Samsung has been mum in regards to a method for implementing third-party software on the Insight.  This ability must be implemented if the device hopes to compete with the release of the Apple-supported SDK.

The hardware powering the device does have apparent advantages over the iPhone, even at this pre-release stage of exposure.  A 3.5mm headphone interface allows for the use of standard audio devices, relieving the need of handset-specific adapters and interfaces.  In addition, the phone can accept microSD cards for expanded storage and functionality, a feature the iPhone notably lacks.