Samsung Infuse 4G initial review and hands-on

Samsung and AT&T just made the Infuse 4G official with a slated release date of May 15 in stores and online. It'll go for $199 at launch with no rebate. We're here in New York City and we just got a first look at the device, which AT&T VP of Devices Jeff Bradley called “the supermodel of superphones.” Here are the specs:

• 4.5 inch Super AMOLED plus screen at 480x800
• 1.2 GHz Hummingbird processor (single-core)
• Android version 2.2 Froyo
• 8 MP rear camera with 720p video recording and full HDMI playback
• 1.3 MP front-facing camera

Let me first say that this phone is a BEHEMOTH. The screen is huge: that extra two-tenths of an inch doesn't sound like much, but it really dwarfs my Thunderbolt. The Super AMOLED Plus screen is the star here: it's bright, it's big, and it's beautiful. It offers amazing viewing angles, and Samsung says that you won't have a problem seeing it in the sun. If you're afraid that huge screen will weigh you down, fear not: Samsung has managed to fit everything into an incredibly thin package, at only 8.99 millimeters and 131 grams.

The phone feels great in the hand (albeit a bit plasticky, but nothing out of the ordinary for Samsung). The battery cover feels flimsy at best, but honestly, we cannot overstate just how great this phone looks. Its size and weight, coupled with that stunner screen, comes together for one seriously sexy package.

Samsung is predicting that this will be its summer blockbuster. It will support HSPA+ and HSUPA, with receiver diversity, which Samsung says will allow for the fastest experience available on AT&T. Firing up the browser, we didn't see anything mind-blowing speed-wise, and certainly nothing radically different than what we've seen from AT&T's current lineup. Hopefully real-world use will live up to Samsung's hype.

A quick note: It looks like AT&T might have chilled out with their sideloading ban. The Infuse does come with the option for installing apps from unknown sources, a departure from what we've seen on previous AT&T offerings. More on that in our full review.

Hit the break for some more pictures, and stay tuned for a hands-on video, with a full review and some in-depth testing coming soon.