The first thing that you’ll notice about the Samsung Infuse is that the screen is enormous. The second thing you’ll notice is that it weighs far less than a phone this size should. With its Super AMOLED screen, solid performance and fantastic camera, the Infuse should be on anyone’s list of Android phones to consider as long as they can handle the bulk and the quirks that come along with the Android OS and Samsung’s TouchWiz customizations.
The Samsung Infuse 4G falls into its lineup just below the flagship Galaxy S II. It features the single-core Hummingbird processor running at 1200MHz and a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus screen running at 480×800. The Infuse has 16GB of internal memory with the ability to add up to 32GB more with a MicroSD card. The 4G in the name comes from the fact that it supports the HSPA+ standard, which AT&T considers ’4G’, but more on that later. An 8MP front camera and 1.3MP back camera round out the major hardware features.
Design and feel
At just over 5″ long and less than 5 ounces, the construction of the Infuse is both large and light. The lightness is largely due to its almost entirely plastic frame, with the glass screen being the primary source of weight. The back panel is crucial to keeping the Infuse light as it’s a paper-thin piece of plastic. Thankfully, at only 9mm thick at it’s beefiest, it still manages to feel relatively sturdy in use.
The size of the screen did have a bit of an impact on usability, at least for me. Because of the sheer size of the phone, it’s hard to pocket if you’re not wearing baggy clothes. It’s also difficult to reach across the screen with your thumb when using the phone one handed. I found two-handed operation to be a much easier and more comfortable prospect. If you’ve got fairly big hands you’re probably going to be OK but anyone else should be aware of the size.
The front of the phone is dominated by the huge screen, with a relatively tasteful silver AT&T logo and Samsung branding framing it on top and bottom. I love the fact that the speaker grille protrudes from the front of the phone slightly. This eliminates a lot of the ‘lint trap’ problems that inset speaker holes like the iPhone tend to have. A front camera and sensor ports are tucked into the upper left corner.
Along the bottom of the front edge are the stock touch-sensitive Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons that you use to navigate the Android interface. These all felt very responsive in my testing and rarely did I have to tap one twice, although the OS is a bit erratic in how it lights them up for use; I did find myself hunting for the correct button in dark conditions from time-to-time. While watching video in landscape mode I managed to pop them once in a while with the heel of my hand but that may just be my meaty palms.
The back of the phone is pleasantly textured and finished in a chromium color that gives it a retro vibe. The speaker placement could have been better as it ends up landing right where you hold it in your right hand when in portrait. Even so, it is loud, far louder than the iPhone or the Samsung Captivate for instance.
The camera and flash are positioned near the top on the back. The flash placement looks odd at first but makes more sense when you think of it in terms of holding the phone sideways like a ‘regular camera’. The noise cancellation hole at the top and the mic hole at the bottom are small but call quality was very good across the board so no real complaints. The noise cancellation seemed especially good on the Infuse, with background noise never becoming an issue.
Next: Performance, battery and camera.
