The S30 is also a 3G EV-DO device that supports Sprint's NFL Mobile, Nascar application, Power Vision, and the Sprint Music Store. Yet, we were blown away that Sprint and Samsung downgraded the 3G support. Instead of EV-DO Rev. A, the S30 supports the carrier's lower EV-DO Rev. 0 network. The means that instead of download speeds of 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps, you'll get 400Kbps to 700Kbps. Similarly, upload speeds will average about 50Kpbs to 70Kbps instead of 350Kpbs to 500Kpbs. While the Rev. 0 speeds may be fine for some people, we can't imagine why a second-generation device offers slower wireless data speeds.
We also were disappointed that the S30 does not come with the extra battery that could be charged separately in its carrying case. That was a nice touch on the previous phone.
Samsung is promising that the S30 will be more open to developers, who will be able to access the core Java application programming interface. Available features will include messaging, multimedia, contacts, calendar, and Bluetooth. As part of the program, Sprint is creating an Application Developer Program. We'll give you more details on this program as they are made available.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO) Samsung Instinct S30 in San Francisco using Sprint service. Call quality was somewhat improved over the first model. We experienced none of the patchy and harsh audio that we had before. For the most part, we enjoyed a clear signal without any interference. Voices sounded natural except at the highest volume level (the phone can get pretty loud).
On their end, callers said we sounded fine. They could tell we were using a call phone, but they reported fewer problems than on the Instinct. They only times they had trouble hearing us was when were in a particularly noisy locations. It was the same experience with automated calling systems. Speakerphone calls were average. The audio was a bit distorted muffed and the volume didn't get as loud as we'd like.
Streaming video quality was as mixed as on its predecessor. Videos loaded quickly, but videos paused a few times while playing and there was a bit of choppy motion. On one occasion, the video was so pixelated that we couldn't make out what was going on, but that was the exception. The audio was mostly in sync, though as with the speakerphone it could be louder. Music quality was fine, though headphones will provide the best experience.
The Web browser performed well for the most part. Simple Web pages loaded quickly, but busier pages took longer. For instance, CNET's Web site took about 15 seconds from start to finish. Again, the downgrade to Rev 0 is a mystery. On the upside, it's pretty easy to navigate around pages using the touch screen and the internal performance was zippy.
The Instinct S30 has a rated battery life of 4.6 hours talk time, which is more than an hour shorter than the original Instinct. Our tests showed a talk time of 5 hours and 44 minutes. According to FCC radiation charts, the S30 has a digital SAR of 1.33 watts per kilogram.
What You'll Pay
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