Hands-On With Samsung’s Mammoth Android Phone, the Infuse 4G

When it comes to smartphones, how big is too big?

Samsung obviously isn't preoccupied with that question, as evidenced by its
latest Android device release, the Infuse 4G.

As soon as you pop the phone out of the box, the first thing you notice is
its size. The thing is massive. It needs to be, though, in order to support
its 4.5-inch super AMOLED display. Save for the first Dell Streak
smartphone-cum-tablet hybrid — whose screen is a whopping 5-inches — the
Infuse is packing one of the largest screens we've seen on a smartphone.

This is a good thing. I watched the HD trailer for Cowboys and Aliens on the
little silver screen and could practically feel the trail dust on my face.
The picture quality was excellent, and as bright as can be. I did wish the
Infuse came with a little kickstand for my movie watching, something akin to
what the HTC Thunderbolt has on its back. With this phone's slick edges, it
won't be very stable propped up on my airplane tray table during a long
flight.

After seeing how well the screen handled the trailer, I could see myself
using Samsung's Media Hub store, which lets you download from a library of
thousands of HD movies. To sweeten the pot, Samsung throws in a $25 credit
with the phone, which is enough to rent about 6 films.

Size has its disadvantages. After sitting down with the phone in my pocket,
it felt a bit like a splint trying to straighten my upper thigh. And I don't
even wear skinny jeans.

But for being such a fatty in pure surface area, the thickness of the phone
is surprisingly svelte. Samsung boasts that the Infuse is the "thinnest 4G
smartphone out there today." It's light, too. Airy, not terribly bulky, if
not a little too light. I personally prefer a bit more heft in my device —
one of my biggest complaints with its Nexus S brother was the light,
plasticky build that made me feel that I'd break it if I wasn't delicate
enough.

The removable plastic backing that protects the phone's innards is thin and
flimsy. It practically peels off the back of the handset, and I was worried
I'd snap it in half while I took it off to look under the hood.

Samsung included a few perks that I don't often see come with other phones.
The Infuse comes with a 2-GB micro SD card, saving you a trip to Radio
Shack. It also comes with a microSD adapter card, so if you've got a
regular-sized card reader built into your laptop, transferring files is easy
as pie.

An issue: The phone doesn't have HDMI-out on the handset itself (Samsung
probably ran out of room, being its "thinnest" phone to date), which is a
bummer. Samsung remedies this, however, with an included MHL adapter. With a
screen this big, you may wonder if you need anything else, but you might
find times when an HDTV is easier to watch.

Like every other 2011 Android smartphone release, the phone doesn't ship
with the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but instead runs 2.2
(Froyo). I've almost ceased to mention this in reviews, since it's been
the case in every new phone we're seeing. Still, the fact that it's not on
this phone while it is on Samsung's nearly six-month old Nexus S (which was
launched in conjunction with Google) is disheartening, to say the least.

Listen up, bird-chucking addicts: The Infuse 4G comes bundled with a copy of
Angry Birds, complete with hidden level only available to Infuse owners.
Whoop.

Both the 8-megapixel back-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing
camera take clear, crisp photos, which can be auto-uploaded to an
AT&T-hosted online locker for storage or sharing, which I found pretty cool.

Overall, Samsung has created a media hub, as much as a smartphone, in the
Infuse 4G. All of the included attachments practically beg for you to use it
as such, and from my initial tests, it delivers.

As for the phone's performance on AT&T's network, that's something to be
saved for a longer review.

Beginning May 15, the phone will be available on AT&T's HSPA+ 4G network
for $200 with a two-year contract.