When picking out a new smartphone one of the first decisions you typically have to make is if you want a keyboard or can you make do with a virtualized iteration of the standard input feature. If you are looking for a new device with a keyboard, Samsung and Verizon are now taking orders for the Samsung Stratosphere.
A keyboard has a couple of tradeoffs, the biggest being size. That keyboard has to go somewhere and it always adds a bit of girth to the device. But, in return you are treated to a full QWERTY setup that makes texting, emailing and web browsing that much easier.
Specifications
The Stratosphere falls in the middle of the road for specs but nudges ever so slightly towards the higher end with 4G and a 4-inch screen. The full specs can be seen below.
Design
The first thing you notice about the device when you pick it up is the thickness of the device. Maybe it"s because we"re used to a phone without a physical keyboard but the phone is definitely a bit hefty. That doesn"t mean its a poorly constructed device by any means, it"s just a bit...thick, and you can see this in the video above.
Up front you have the basic Android phone layout, a large screen, four buttons, a camera up top and a chrome like banner going around the outside of the device. On the right side of the device is a power button and the left side has a volume rocker; a USB charging port is on the bottom. The back of the device is a very plastic like piece of plastic: I say it in those terms as sometimes plastic can be disguised and feel more metal like or softer like velvet, but this definitely feels like pure plastic. It is also ever so slightly textured and is a bit slippery in the hands.
Display
The display on the Stratosphere is big and vibrant, and while the color saturation might be a bit overkill, there is no doubt that it is a beautiful display. Coming in at 800x480 feels adequate at this size but we would never complain if it a future iteration got a higher resolution screen. Super AMOLED is what powers the screen and it really shows on this device, providing rich colors and accurate touch input; it"s a screen we really like.
Performance
This device comes with an aging Hummingbird CPU which a year ago would have been a big deal but now is starting to feel a bit dated. There is a bit of lag when sliding out the keyboard and web browsing will cause a few glitches. When you use the pinch to zoom on the web, the device will skip a few beats and needs a moment to catch up. But, it does not render the device useless by any means, it just means that its not perfect in terms of performance.
Keyboard
The keyboard on this device is a make-or-break feature for the phone because that"s most likely why you are buying the device to begin with. Fortunately, the keyboard is a solid performer. The buttons have the right amount of travel, feel soft but not mushy and are easy to type on. The layout is spacious and it doesn"t feel overly cramped like some sliders do.
One odd qualm is that the Android buttons (home, search, back, context) have haptic feedback turned on when you press them. It"s an odd feeling and frankly quite annoying; the physical keys already have feedback, why try to add additional feedback?
One other oddity about the slider is that it can"t be closed from the corners, and it may be that the device is not worn in enough, but pushing on the corners will not let you close the device very easily and you must slide it from the center.
Camera
The camera on the device is an average experience as there is definitely noticeable camera lag when you hit the shutter button to when the picture is actually taken. Although, the shutter lag is not as bad as we have seen on other devices. The images were a bit warm and took some time to get the proper colors to be reproduced under artificial lighting.
Video recording is again a trip down average lane. It will get the job done but will not blow your socks off. These types of devices never do exceptionally well with video but it seems that Stratosphere suffers from motion blur a tad bit more than the rest.
OS
Running Android 2.3, the Stratosphere has TouchWiz sitting on top of it. It"s a love/hate relationship but that"s how Samsung defines their mobile products. You can tinker with it as it is Android, but if you like TouchWiz, then you wont have any problem using this device. Our personal preference is with stock Android or even Sense as TouchWiz looks a bit toy-like.
Battery
If there is one area that this device shines, it"s the battery. The spacious 1800 mAh battery had more than enough juice to get you through the day with a various amount of web surfing, calls, emails, and the like. It"s not often that we can say this, but the battery wont hold you back on the 4G device. Samsung made a smart move and it"s paying off with huge dividends in the battery department.
Calls
A key aspect of any phone is the ability to make calls and the Stratosphere gets it done in this department. The speakerphone did sound a bit washed out at times but calls were always clear and we never had any issues hearing the party on the other end.
Conclusion
If you want a 4G device with a QWERTY keyboard, this is your device. We say that because this is currently the only device on Verizon that has both of these features. The phone does utilize older hardware and is a bit thick but the keyboard is a pleasure to use.
It really comes down to if you want 4G and a keyboard, as there are better 4G devices and better Android products in Verizon"s portfolio. But, if you need both of these features, the Stratosphere will fill those needs but may not turn any heads.