Samsung Exhibit 4G review

Introduction

As far as Android phones are concerned, Samsung seems to have all the bases covered in the United States. From the Samsung Gravity SMART, all the way to the Galaxy S family of devices, there is a droid for every taste and budget. In the Samsung family of Android phones, the T-Mobile exclusive Exhibit 4G, which will be the subject of our review today, sits somewhere in the middle of the range. It is an interesting hybrid of budget and high end features which, together in its slim body, make it a smartphone worth a lot of interest.

  
Samsung Exhibit 4G official press shots

The Samsung Exhibit 4G shares a lot of its internals with the Samsung Galaxy S – one of the best Android devices to come out in 2010. It packs a smaller, 3.5” AMOLED screen and lesser quality camera. The Exhibit 4G does however, offer Android 2.3 Gingerbread and access to T-Mobile’s ultra quick HSDPA data network. Add all these ingredients in a small, good looking package, and you have a recipe for a great mid-range smartphone these days. Now, let’s see what else the Samsung Exhibit 4G has to offer.

Key Features

• 3.5”, 16M colors, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 pixels resolution
• 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, Hummingbird chipset
• Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz UI
• Quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA support
• Wi-Fi calling enabled
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
• 3.15MP autofocus camera with LED flash; front facing camera for video calls
• D1 video recording @ 30 fps
• Video player with DivX support out of the box
• microUSB port (charging); stereo Bluetooth 3.0
• microSD card slot (up to 32GB; 4GB included)
• Accelerometer and proximity censor; ambient light sensor
• Web browser with Flash support
• Smart dialing

Main Disadvantages

• No camera shutter key
• Low still shots resolution and D1 only video recording
• The all plastic body feels cheap
• The back is prone to scratches
• No FM radio

As you can see, the package which the Samsung Exhibit 4G offers, comes straight from last year's top of the line devices, save for the camera unit. Its performance is no different either, and the price has been nicely adjusted so it looks like a pretty good deal. With Gingerbread on board, the device is up to date in the software department as well.

  
Samsung Exhibit 4G live shots

Now that we are familiar with the key features of the Samsung Exhibit 4G, it is time to see whether the droid will be able to deliver up to the expectations. Hit the next page for a proper hardware inspection.

Retail package has you fully covered

The compact retail box of the Samsung Exhibit 4G is the home of a charger, a microUSB cable, a 4GB microSD card, and a pair of great sounding in-ear headphones. The usual T-Mobile/Samsung leaflets are on board as well.

 
Samsung Exhibit 4G retail package

Design and construction

The Samsung Exhibit 4G measures 119 x 58 x 13 mm, and weighs 125 grams. These numbers put it in the group of the compact droids these days. The device feels compact and comfortable when held in hand. Its soft feel plastic prevents accidental drops. It is also not prone to fingertips.

The purple colored Exhibit 4G unit, which we obtained looked rather feminine, yet there's also an all black version so it's not a girls only club. In fact the black color, coupled with the AMOLED screen of the device, makes it look like it means serious business. In this department, we believe Samsung deserves credit for the color scheme selection of the device, which will make it attractive for a wider range of potential users.

 
Samsung Exhibit 4G next to Samsung Gravity SMART

You will find four buttons at the front of the device, arranged in a fashion similar to its Galaxy S bigger brother – the home screen button, which is the only hardware one from the bunch, and the touch sensitive Options, Back, and Search buttons. We found no issues with their usability.

The screen of the device is one of its strongest features, which can put a lot of higher priced competitors to shame. The 3.5” AMOLED unit with 480 x 800 pixels resolution displays vivid colors, great contrast and sunlight legibility. Multi touch is present as well. Having such a capable display in a middle class device shows how far ahead of the competition Samsung is in the screen race.

 
The screen is probably the best in its class

Right above the Exhibit’s screen, you will find the earpiece, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, as well as the front facing camera unit.

 
The front facing camera, followed by an earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensors

The left side of the device is where the volume rocker and microSD card slot reside. The memory card is easy to access and hot swappable. On the right side you will find only the power/lock key of the droid.

   
The volume rocker and microSD card slot • power/lock key on the right side

The 3.5 mm audio jack and the microUSB port are placed on top of the Exhibit 4G. The bottom has a faux leather pattern and houses the mouthpiece of the device.

   
The 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port • the mouthpiece at the bottom

On the back of the phone, you will find the 3.2MP camera with its LED flash, and the loudspeaker grill.

 
The Exhibit’s camera with LED flash, and loudspeaker

There is a 1500mAh battery under the cover and the SIM card slot. The latter gets inserted into the device much like the hot swappable microSD card. As far as battery use is concerned, the phone easily makes it through a full day of heavy usage including two email accounts in full sync, web browsing, about an hour of phone calls and quite a lot of video game time.

  
The SIM card is inserted on the side of the device

Overall, the Samsung Exhibit 4G is easy to handle. The 3.5” screen appears to be a good blend of portability and usability. You can operate the device with one hand without worrying it will slip out of your grip.

   
The Samsung Exhibit 4G held in hand

However, we have to mention that the plastic used for the body is not looking of particularly high quality and we found it to be rather prone to scratches. In fact, our Exhibit 4G got several noticeable marks in just a few days use without being abused in any way.

HAVE A CLOSER LOOK!!!