Samsung Stratosphere
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We have collected 5 reviews of the Samsung Stratosphere. Experts rate Samsung Stratosphere 7.1/10. Reviewsor.com helps you find reviews, best prices, user reviews of the Samsung Stratosphere and Samsung SmartPhones.
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Samsung Stratosphere Reviews
Samsung Stratosphere review
Not all that long ago, tapping into Verizon Wireless' rapidly expanding 4G LTE network meant choosing a huge, expensive smartphone with poor battery life. But oh, how things change in just a short time.Billed as "a Galaxy S phone," the carrier's Samsung Stratosphere (aka SCH-I405) nicely fills a niche as the first 4G LTE-enabled smartphone for users who prefer an old-school slider QWERTY keyboard coupled with a 4.0-inch, 800x480 WVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen display.Weighing in at 5.8 ounces and measuring 4.96 inches tall, 2.54 inches wide and a not-so chunky 0.55 inches thick, the Samsung Stratosphere offers a nice compromise for users who want a slightly larger display. However, it does so at the expense of being able to comfortably hold the device to your ear for any length of time while having a conversation.The front of the Stratosphere features a thin earpiece slightly raised above the surface of the display, with a Verizon logo emblazoned below. A 1.3MP front-facing camera is embedded at right. At bottom are four capacitive buttons for Menu, Home, Back and Search, crowned by a Samsung logo.
Samsung Stratosphere
Verizon is quickly becoming the king of 4G LTE phones, but it wasn't until the Samsung Stratosphere strode onto the scene that Verizon could claim a 4G phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Try as Samsung and Verizon might to persuade us that the Stratosphere is "A First," with its 4G LTE-plus-keyboard combination, a quick glance at the specs of this fancy Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS with its 1GHz Hummingbird processor, brilliant Super AMOLED screen, 5-megapixel camera, and VGA front-facing camera reveal that it is actually none other than...an updated Samsung Epic 4G! The Epic 4G, an original Galaxy S series phone, was great for its day when the first phones debuted in 2010. It was sleek, designed for multimedia, and had that great five-row QWERTY keyboard. But times have changed and I'm wondering if this phone has the chops to draw customers away from some of the other choices in Verizon's very strong repertoire. The updated Gingerbread OS and standards-setting 4G LTE speeds are a must, and with four business tools, and some fun add-ons, it's time to see what this phone can do. The Stratosphere costs $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and with a new two-year service agreement.
Samsung Stratosphere
Verizon is steadily filling out its 4G LTE smartphone roster. Since the HTC Thunderbolt's ($149.99, 4 stars) debut back in March, there are now six phones on offer that tap into the carrier's incredible 4G speeds, which we found to be the nation's fastest in our testing of the Fastest Mobile Networks this year. The Samsung Stratosphere is Verizon's latest LTE device, but it's the first to offer a full, physical QWERTY keyboard. It's worth a look for users that must have a keyboard, but there are better options available for everyone else. Design and Call Quality The Samsung Stratosphere measures 5.0 by 2.5 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.8 ounces. While none of the 4G LTE devices thus far have been particularly light, the keyboard definitely adds some bulk; you won't forget this phone is in your pocket. Made out of lightly textured black plastic, the Stratosphere looks unassuming, but feels solid. The 4-inch, 800-by-480-pixel Super AMOLED display is gorgeous. It can get incredibly bright, but darker colors manage to maintain their depth and richness. Four haptic feedback-enabled functions keys sit beneath the display, which are suitably responsive.
Samsung Stratosphere Review
We’ve seen Verizon release quite a few 4G LTE Android smartphones over the past couple of months, from the high-end Motorola DROID BIONIC and HTC ThunderBolt, to the entry-level Pantech Breakout. But there is one feature that all of them have been missing – a physical QWERTY keyboard. Enter the Samsung Stratosphere, which just happens to include a handy slide-out keyboard. This combination clearly targets the device to individuals that want fast data speeds, and also prefer a real keyboard as opposed to using the on-screen one.Included in the retail package is the Samsung Stratosphere i405 smartphone, 4GB microSD memory card, 1800mAh battery, wall charger with microUSB cable, and user guides.The overall appearance of the Samsung Stratosphere draws closely on other Samsung models, such as the last year's Fascinate, but it is a bit more refined. Even though the Stratosphere has a plastic shell, it feels more durable and less “plasticy”. Gone is the slippery battery cover on the back, as the Stratosphere has soft-touch coating with a grooved texture, which allows the phone to feel more secure in your hand.
Samsung Stratosphere Review
The next step forward in having the mobile world adopt a connection speed isn't always necessarily straight to the newest high for specs, and the Samsung Stratosphere is here to prove it. Fitted with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard complete with Android menu shortcuts and coming in as the second Samsung handset to work on Verizon's 4G LTE network, the Samsung Stratosphere isn't here to win any benchmark wars with its single-core 1GHz processor and relatively thick chassis, but it IS the only 4G LTE device on the market with a full QWERTY keyboard, and the 4-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display doesn't hurt none either. Will the Stratosphere access a market just waiting to be tapped? We shall see! This is a device that someone who seeks only the 4G LTE Verizon connection speed and absolutely cannot live without a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from under the display will be picking up. Samsung makes a 4.3-inch device running on 4G LTE with the same amount of pixels and the same screen technology as well - no QWERTY, but four physical buttons below the display - that's the DROID CHARGE - it essentially has the same 1GHz processor as well. So which is best?
Prices
| Retailer | Information | Prices | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Samsung Stratosphere - Black (verizon) Smartphone | $159.99 | See it |
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Samsung Stratosphere i405 White Verizon Wireless [Non-retail Packaging] | $399.99 | See it |
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Samsung Stratosphere : (7.1/10)
5 expert reviews
0 user reviews
