New in box
101 of 101 people found the following review helpful.
By Robert G. Weiniger
I really have to wonder why there aren't a lot more reviews of this very capable Samsung handset. Maybe it's because everyone else is too busy talking, texting, and surfing to write one! I spent a lot of time carefully comparing the vast selection of smart phones on the market, and 'auditioned' quite a number of instruments; including a bunch of Motorolas, Nokias, LG, Samsungs, and the famed Galaxy SII and the near legendary iPhone 4...which were also the two most impressive of the bunch. But I had major issues with both. While nearly perfect, the iPhone was just too limited in terms of 'fine tune'ability, and the Galaxy SII was just too large to hold comfortably, yet so thin I felt it might shatter in my hand at any moment. I realized that what I wanted was the versatility and features of the Samsung SII with its Android operating system, but in the smaller, more ergonomic form factor of the iPhone 4. And just when I was about to give up and go another two years with my pedestrian (but reliable!) Samsung Impression, on June 10, Samsung released the Galaxy Exhilarate i577 and solved my dilemma!
What's so great about it? Well, the ATT website covers the specs pretty well, but here's the short version. Despite it's quite affordable price, the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate (i577) is a very up-to-date and sophisticated device. Dual core 1.25GHz processors running Android 2.3.6, 4G connectivity, 1GB RAM, 4" SuperAmoled HD screen, Blue-tooth, lightning fast WIFI (with Wifi hotspot capability) 5Mp autofocus main camera with optical zoom and HD video plus a front mounted cam for video calling, Bluetooth, 32GB micro SD card slot, full GPS capabiliy, and best of all, you DON'T need iTunes to load and play your music and video collection!
Basically, it does everything the Galaxy SII does (and almost everything the galaxy SIII does) in a more solid and compact enclosure. Call quality is exceptionally good, reception is excellent, and it has the fastest Internet speed I've ever seen...26 Mbps downstream and 5.5 Mbps upstream (tested on browser-based speedtest.net to Atlanta GA and Chicago, IL servers) That's better than the SII, SIII, iP4 and for that matter, most 4 core laptop computers! It handles all the myriad Android applications with aplomb, and more importantly without lags or freezes on any of them, and being used to a 4 core desktop PC, I've tried some very demanding apps on my little Exhilarate. Top scores on all points. Battery life, the downfall of nearly every smartphone, while not the equal of the flip-phones of years ago, is quite respectable. It will go 3 full days on a single charge in light usage, and just under two days running it hard with long voice calls, frequent texting, and heavy Internet and app usage. There may be a better phone out there, but I guarantee you won't pay $30 for it!
Yes, I really love this phone!
About the only thing it can't do is rip and burn DVDS!
****UPDATE****
Wednesday, September 19, 2012:
The best smart phone for the money just got even better!
Samsung just released a FREE firmware upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 for the Galaxy i577 Exhilarate handset, joining the Galaxy SIII on the short list of serious alternatives to the iPhone5!
[...]
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful.
By Meganers
I had an LG Thrive for a while on a prepaid android plan with AT&T. It was a great basic starting android, but I found myself wanting something more.
I was contemplating getting a samsung galaxy s2 until I found this phone ebay. And I am SO happy that I did! This phone was just about everything I wanted and didn't think I could get in one phone!
PROS:
First of all, it's the peeeerfect size for me! It's 4 inches, about .7 less than a galaxy s2, which I am SUPER happy about. I always felt that my friend's s2 was a bit too large for me, but figured if I wanted a phone of that quality, I'd have to just get used to the size. WRONG! This phone is the perfect size and has just as great of a performance as the s2, if not a better performance. Like a previous reviewer said, it's like a galaxy inside of an iphone, which I absolutely love! I'm not an iphone fan at all, but always loved the size/shape of them. Now I have the best of both worlds :)
And for those of you with smaller androids like my old thrive (3.2 screen), this phone will rock your world! Imagine finally being able to write a decent length text with your phone (in the vertical position that is) without messing up half your words! Simply fantastic.
I adore the feel of the screen too. Feels solid, and it's super responsive. Texting is pretty much a breeze. And, even though I thought I wouldn't, I'm getting used to the swipe keyboard as well.
In addition, this phone is crazy fast! My apps/games load very quickly and never stall. And thanks to something I found online, I was able to change some settings in my phone so my data could work with this phone on my prepaid account. It's so much faster than my 3G android (but that may have been obvious! haha).
The camera is a 5 megapixel, which isn't an 8 like the s2, but I really don't mind that much at all. I still think it's a great, clear picture. It also has a flash as well as a front camera.
CONS:
If I had to find a con with this phone, it would be that it's a bit of a smudge magnet. But if you don't mind your phone looking a big smudgy, then you should be fine.
And the battery life doesn't seem as great as my thrive, but then again, I am using this phone WAY more than my thrive, so it's to be expected. With heavy use I get about a day out of it (excluding calling). With very limited use, I got about two days out of it before needing to recharge it, but my data was turned off (with help of a widget from the app store) for the majority of it. So battery life is decent.
Overall, I'm in love with this phone! I'm just hoping that I'm not totally jinxing it by writing this review!! Haha. If you're contemplating getting this phone, I would get it again in a heartbeat!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
By Rafid Ahmed
I love almost every feature of this phone, especially at this bargain price. First, the order came with the whole box, instruction manuals, battery and cover, and a bonus set of earphones. Set up took no time at all - you can use any gsm SIM card you'd like, and it is currently used prepaid. The display is beautiful, the device feels nice in my hand, the camera is really nice, the front facing camera a bonus. The phone is said to come equipped with Android OS Gingerbread; however it came with the more advanced version of ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich). From this seller, the price was less than the $200 margin - unactivated elsewhere would run you upwards of $350.
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