Meet the Samsung Moment, Sprint's Second Android Phone Available November 1st for $179

By Casey Chan
last updated

We've heard whispers of a second Sprint Android device before and now it's official--meet the Samsung Moment. The Moment is a QWERTY-slider device that packs a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, 800MHz processor, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with video and flash, and an 'optical joystick'. And of course, the usual slew of wireless options--Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and EV-DO.

The Samsung Moment will be the second Android device on Sprint and it certainly looks like a winner. The Moment is most definitely the previously rumored InstinctQ and we applaud Sprint and Samsung for delivering a top-notch Android device without the baggage of a previously used name. The Moment will be available for $179 on 2-year contract ($100 mail-in-rebate) on November 1st.

More info to come!

Casey Chan
Casey Chan
29 Comments
  • I'll be the first to ask... Hero or Moment??? I like having a physical keyboard but I like Sense UI. I like the HTC screen but that OLED is supper sharp. 800mhz thank you, 5MP Thank you... I'll take both.
  • Go with the Hero, the Samsung Moment is a basic Google phone. No multi-touch, no Exchange support, no Sense UI, no integrated messaging, etc. 1.6 will not be available for the Samsung Moment until 2010.
  • Where does it say that the Moment does not have 1.6. I thought 1.6 was the release that among other things provided support for CDMA.
  • Except for the fact that multi-touch is super super minor, most people have no need for Exchange support, integrated messaging is merely a slight perk, and the Sense UI is pretty and useful but not everyone wants to be HTC exclusive for life. The 1.6 bit might be one of the few quirks.
  • I like that the real QWERTY keyboard is not dying out in the wake of all these new touchscreen phones. We've got the Motorola Shole QWERTY, the Cliq semi-qwerty, and now this. Keep em coming!
  • The moment supports exchange if you bother reading the release info.
  • Does the Moment have a standard headphone jack?
  • My deciding factor, though, is does this have a built-in compass like the Hero. I am like a lot of people, torn between the two. Brighter AMOLED screen, but it will likely suck in the sunlight. Physical keyboard, good, I don't know if I'll miss the physical keyboard from my Blackberry or not, but I'm willing to try. The faster CPU definitely is a plus, but then again, so is the UI on the HTC. I wish I could look a few months into the future to see which (or if both) get modded first/best to allow installs to SD cards.
  • I am interest this phone. because Samsung announces have 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and camcorder with auto-focus. I love Samsung.
  • I like the keyboard on the Samsung. I'm not down with the touch screen keyboard.
  • I wish I could combine these two phones. Keep the UI of the Hero (with all the custom HTC widgets) add the key board and the 800 mhz processor keep multi-touch and you have an awesome superphone!!! oh also keep the 5mp camera from HTC. I am so torn so torn, I think I may end up going with the Moment..no the Hero.. no ahhhhhh, maybe there will be a third android phone from Sprint that will blow them both away that has at least the majority of the features I love from both. Being that I won't be upgrading until March I have a little while to decide.. who knows maybe HTC wil come out with a hero with a better processor and a qwerty key board so my dalema will end.
  • I just pre-ordered the Hero today at Best Buy--so I got to actually hold and use the HTC Hero --it is really awesome- It looks great and feels really nice-the manager there told me he likes it better than his iphone!! But--I DO LIKE a physical keyboard--oh well- I have 30 days to make sure I like it or I can change!
  • Will the base Android platform include multi-touch at some point? It seems like there are some advantages to having a more "vanilla" standard Android so that you can apply updates as they come along... I'm intensely curious to know the battery life.
  • If I read the specs right, the Hero appears to have 32GB internal storage and the ability to add a microSD 32GB external. The Moment doesn't seem to have extendable storage, true?
  • I've got to play with this phone before I make my decision on this or the Moment.
  • The moment does have a microSD card slot. The Hero has minimal internal storage(a few MB maybe), but supports up to 32GB on a microSD card.
  • 133MB internal memory.
  • It has 512MB of internal storage, just like most of its smartphone kin. Still very minimal, and something smartphone creators need to focus on expanding.
  • I went to the Sprint store today to check out the hero. I had my heart set on it after reading the media hype, blogs, video reviews, etc.... I'm out. Trying to type on that damned virtual keyboard was so hard, especially coming from a Samsung Blackjack2. I've turned into a phone whore, looking at these blogs, reading the reviews, and watching the videos. There's nothing like walking into a store and seeing what you think for yourself. I'm a keyboard guy, what can I say? The hero is a real performer, has a great UI, awesome interface. I want it all... PLUS A KEYBOARD. Best wishes to all in your search for the right phone for you!
  • Ditto on all accounts. I went to Best Buy with my heart set on a Hero, and they did have an actual activated Hero there for me to play with. That virtual keyboard just does NOT cut it at all. Even after I discovered that tilting the phone to landscape mode switched from a compressed dialpad-ish keyboard to a full QWERTY keyboard, I could not type accurately or quickly, and I have child-sized hands. There is just no substituting for tactile feedback, which you cannot get with a virtual touchscreen keyboard. So it's the Moment, for the moment.
  • The only question I have is if Sprint will make me change my current plan??? All these new cool phones are coming but I don't want to lose my current plan.
  • I know, I don't want to change my plan either. I just want a data add on for $10. But they said u can't do an add on, u have to change to a data plan which sucks. I emaik Dan the CEO to complian. I think we all should write to him. I think AT&T started this with the Iphone.I just want internet on my phone with an add on, not a new plan. Write to Dan@sprint.com The more people to write to him, he might change it.
  • If your plan includes data, you do not have to change your plan (I work for Sprint).
  • So why would Sprint require us to change plans for Hero and not Moment? Are you sure moment wont require a plan change? I currently am on the Fair and Flexible plan with unlimited data, will I have to change?
  • just having a great time reading all the coments! I too am tourn between these phones, what will I do?
  • Okay, I bought the Hero a couple weeks ago. Had my heart really set on it - thought I could get used to the virtual keyboard. It's absolutely frustrating and takes forever - can't hit the right numbers for dialing, etc... ugh! I am heartened to hear about the Moment. Had a Samsung before. I will definitely get the Moment as my 30 days will not be up!
  • Well ever since the Hero came out I have wanted one. Today I went into the store and was playing with the Hero abd I finally decided to buy it. The sales guy hten told me there was a new Samsung phone that wasn't even out yet but he could sell it to me today. Then I remembered reading about the Moment. Sure enough it was it and I got the phone before the november 1st release date. I am using it to type this right now! I had to put them side by side a bunch of times but the fact of the matter is that this phone operaters much faster and the keyboard was the kicker. There was some graphical aspects I liked better about the hero but you can download widgets and programs to make up for this. As far as the camera goes its only 3.2 but that is still good quality, plus this phone has flash and auto focus. Also the camera program itself works nuch quicker. All in all I would say the Moment is a far better choice. Don't get me wrong the HTC is a nice phone as well. Just make sure you compare them back to back before buying!
  • I bought the HTC Hero when it came out. The UI is very nice, HTC has done a very good job there. The 5.0MP camera is ridiculously excessive. You could print the photos in very large format. The virtual keyboard, once you've run the calibration, is not too bad, and it fixes typos very smartly... but if you're texting a lot, it's a bit of an issue. The other thing that I noticed, as I used it more and more, was that unless I closed programs, some would stay open in the background (which is cool in many cases) and the phone started to get very sluggish and unresponsive. The other problem was phone calls. While I was talking, I would sometimes hang up with my cheek, or start saving contacts or... do whatever my cheek touched while chatting. Kind of annoying. I traded in my HTC Hero for the Samsung Moment yesterday, just shy of a month after buying the HTC Hero. Don't get me wrong, the Hero is a good phone, but the key elements that made me switch are:
    *the better processor makes the phone able to handle more applications without being sluggish. I haven't felt like the Moment has been sluggish, and I use it the same way as the Hero
    *the proximity sensor that locks the touch screen when I'm on the phone, so I don't hang up on people anymore.
    *the slide out keyboard. The things I miss about the Hero, but weren't enough to make me keep it:
    *the better UI
    *the miniUSB (the Samsung has a micro). I only miss the mini, because I have 3 other chargers that are mini, but this is my first microUSB device so I have fewer chargers.
    *the Hero is a bit slimmer than the Moment Overall, I'm very happy with the Moment, but the Hero is still a very nice phone.
  • I did some research and ended up buying the Moment recently and love the phone, though it does have 2 major drawbacks.
    1. Short battery life when not just making calls
    2. Laggy touchscreen Multi-touch and Android 2.1 (not 2.0) seem to be coming to the Moment sometime before June of 2010. From what I've gathered, the screen is capable of multi-touch but its OS isn't, yet. Hopefully the update will also improve touchscreen latency too.