Introduction
As far as Android phones are concerned, Samsung seems to have all the bases covered in the United States. From the Samsung Gravity SMART, all the way to the Galaxy S family of devices, there is a droid for every taste and budget. In the Samsung family of Android phones, the T-Mobile exclusive Exhibit 4G, which will be the subject of our review today, sits somewhere in the middle of the range. It is an interesting hybrid of budget and high end features which, together in its slim body, make it a smartphone worth a lot of interest.
Samsung Exhibit 4G official press shots
The Samsung Exhibit 4G shares a lot of its internals with the Samsung Galaxy S – one of the best Android devices to come out in 2010. It packs a smaller, 3.5” AMOLED screen and lesser quality camera. The Exhibit 4G does however, offer Android 2.3 Gingerbread and access to T-Mobile’s ultra quick HSDPA data network. Add all these ingredients in a small, good looking package, and you have a recipe for a great mid-range smartphone these days. Now, let’s see what else the Samsung Exhibit 4G has to offer.
Key Features
- 3.5”, 16M colors, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 pixels resolution
- 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, Hummingbird chipset
- Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz UI
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA support
- Wi-Fi calling enabled
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
- GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
- 3.15MP autofocus camera with LED flash; front facing camera for video calls
- D1 video recording @ 30 fps
- Video player with DivX support out of the box
- microUSB port (charging); stereo Bluetooth 3.0
- microSD card slot (up to 32GB; 4GB included)
- Accelerometer and proximity censor; ambient light sensor
- Web browser with Flash support
- Smart dialing
Main Disadvantages
- No camera shutter key
- Low still shots resolution and D1 only video recording
- The all plastic body feels cheap
- The back is prone to scratches
- No FM radio
As you can see, the package which the Samsung Exhibit 4G offers, comes straight from last year's top of the line devices, save for the camera unit. Its performance is no different either, and the price has been nicely adjusted so it looks like a pretty good deal. With Gingerbread on board, the device is up to date in the software department as well.
Retail package has you fully covered
The compact retail box of the Samsung Exhibit 4G is the home of a charger, a microUSB cable, a 4GB microSD card, and a pair of great sounding in-ear headphones. The usual T-Mobile/Samsung leaflets are on board as well.
Samsung Exhibit 4G retail package
Design and construction
The Samsung Exhibit 4G measures 119 x 58 x 13 mm, and weighs 125 grams. These numbers put it in the group of the compact droids these days. The device feels compact and comfortable when held in hand. Its soft feel plastic prevents accidental drops. It is also not prone to fingertips.
The purple colored Exhibit 4G unit, which we obtained looked rather feminine, yet there's also an all black version so it's not a girls only club. In fact the black color, coupled with the AMOLED screen of the device, makes it look like it means serious business. In this department, we believe Samsung deserves credit for the color scheme selection of the device, which will make it attractive for a wider range of potential users.
Samsung Exhibit 4G next to Samsung Gravity SMART
You will find four buttons at the front of the device, arranged in a fashion similar to its Galaxy S bigger brother – the home screen button, which is the only hardware one from the bunch, and the touch sensitive Options, Back, and Search buttons. We found no issues with their usability.
The screen of the device is one of its strongest features, which can put a lot of higher priced competitors to shame. The 3.5” AMOLED unit with 480 x 800 pixels resolution displays vivid colors, great contrast and sunlight legibility. Multi touch is present as well. Having such a capable display in a middle class device shows how far ahead of the competition Samsung is in the screen race.
The screen is probably the best in its class
Right above the Exhibit’s screen, you will find the earpiece, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, as well as the front facing camera unit.
The front facing camera, followed by an earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensors
The left side of the device is where the volume rocker and microSD card slot reside. The memory card is easy to access and hot swappable. On the right side you will find only the power/lock key of the droid.
The volume rocker and microSD card slot • power/lock key on the right side
The 3.5 mm audio jack and the microUSB port are placed on top of the Exhibit 4G. The bottom has a faux leather pattern and houses the mouthpiece of the device.
The 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port • the mouthpiece at the bottom
On the back of the phone, you will find the 3.2MP camera with its LED flash, and the loudspeaker grill.
The Exhibit’s camera with LED flash, and loudspeaker
There is a 1500mAh battery under the cover and the SIM card slot. The latter gets inserted into the device much like the hot swappable microSD card. As far as battery use is concerned, the phone easily makes it through a full day of heavy usage including two email accounts in full sync, web browsing, about an hour of phone calls and quite a lot of video game time.
The SIM card is inserted on the side of the device
Overall, the Samsung Exhibit 4G is easy to handle. The 3.5” screen appears to be a good blend of portability and usability. You can operate the device with one hand without worrying it will slip out of your grip.
The Samsung Exhibit 4G held in hand
However, we have to mention that the plastic used for the body is not looking of particularly high quality and we found it to be rather prone to scratches. In fact, our Exhibit 4G got several noticeable marks in just a few days use without being abused in any way.
User Interface: Gingerbread and TouchWiz
The Samsung Exhibit 4G runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, covered with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI. The usual four docked icons at the bottom of the screen are present, along with the familiar functionality.
The TouchWiz user interface comes preinstalled on top of the Android OS
The Exhibit 4G supports up to seven homescreen panels, which can host every widget and shortcuts you’ll ever need. However, if you don’t need all seven of them, the unnecessary ones can be deleted. Doing so makes the phone noticeably snappier.
Sliding the notification bar down reveals the Android notification area. It is majorly overhauled from the stock Android one and holds five switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, sound and rotation-lock.
Editing the homescreens • the notification areae
Pressing the menu button while on the homescreen lets you add variety of content on it (a press and hold on the homescreen does the same thing), add or delete homescreen panels, change the wallpaper or quickly access the settings menu Live wallpapers are supported as well. The contextual menu has shortcuts too for search and notifications.
Homescreen edit mode
By default, the main menu consists of side-scrollable panes, much like the homescreen, instead of a vertical scrollable grid (like in the vanilla Android). List view is available too.
You can rearrange icons freely. Icons are shown in a 4x4 grid with a total of 16 icons per menu screen.
The main menu • editing the main menu
The TouchWiz preinstalled task manager saves you the need to install a task killer. It gives the user details on RAM usage, the amount of free storage and can be accessed through virtually any spot in the UI by holding the home button.
The task manager
Synthetic Benchmarks
Being a mid-range device, the Samsung Exhibit 4G surely isn’t a powerhouse when it comes to putting it through some benchmarks. Don't get us wrong - It doesn’t do a bad job, but it just can't compare to the dual-core beasts that are currently ruling the high-end market. We ran a couple of popular benchmark tests and here are the results:
Neocore • Quadrant • Pi
The Samsung Exhibit 4G is powered by a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and Hummingbird chipset. The device has 329MB of user-available RAM. What’s important however, is that, overall, we felt no lag or signs of inadequate amount of processing power when we used the droid.
The refreshed Android Market has gotten even better
After its recent redesign, the Android market will now offer you books and movies on top of the already familiar apps and videogames. The new look of the app is sleek and easy to navigate. You get all major sections on the left side, and featured apps or multimedia on the right and top of the screen.
The new look Android Market
Each of the major content departments is divided into subsections which can be scrolled horizontally. Accessing content is easy and intuitive.
With Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread and a 1GHz CPU on board, the Samsung Exhibit 4G will run any app from the market effortlessly. Even graphic intense games were not a problem for the device.
Google Maps is a must-have
The Samsung Exhibit 4G packs a GPS receiver, which got a satellite lock in about five minutes with A-GPS turned off. A-GPS can speed this up quite a bit, but requires Internet access.
Google Maps is on board, complete with Navigation, including public transportation directions from the latest update, which can do voice-guidance for free. Availability is not a problem in the United States.
Still, even without Navigation, there is some kind of guidance: your route and current location appear on the screen so you'll reach your destination eventually, but you’ll need a co-pilot to read you the instructions for that one.
Google Maps has evolved a lot since it came into being. The latest version offers a nice 3D looking render of the buildings.
Google Maps
Quite naturally, the app also supports the Street View mode. In fact, this mode is probably the best part of Google Maps. If the Street View is available in the area you're interested in, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the surroundings. When the digital compass is turned on it feels like making a virtual tour of the location!
Street View
With such a complete package which keeps getting better, Google Maps needs no alternative at the moments. Should you decide that you want to be different, you can explore the Android Market for other options. Just keep in mind that they will be paid and will come short from the Google experience.
Apps from T-Mobile and Samsung
As a carrier branded device, the Samsung Exhibit 4G comes with several preloaded apps which are worth noting.
The AllShare app for example allows you to stream your Samsung’s content to another device over your Wi-Fi network. Its setup is easy and intuitive.
The AllShare App
Lookout is an app which helps you backup your device and protect it from the lately popular malware and spyware attacks on Android. Its most important option however, is helping you locate your precious droid in case it is lost or stolen.
The Lookout App
Wi-Fi calling has been a T-Mobile staple for some time now. For an additional $10 towards your wireless plan, you can make unlimited calls over a Wi-Fi network. The setup is easy and the potential to save money is huge.
T-Mobile TV is a self-explanatory service. For an additional $10 a month, you can stream most of the popular TV channels in the United States straight to your droid. The zippy HSDPA network makes this an easy exercise. All you need to do is be prepared for a rapid battery drain.
T-Mobile TV
T-Mobile name ID is an app which displays the name and location of each unknown caller. The location is based on the area code of the caller’s phone number.
T-Mobile Name ID
You get a preinstalled video chat client, courtesy of Qik. Given the recent developments regarding Skype and Google Talk video calls however, we doubt that you are going to need it.
T-Mobile Video Chat
Samsung Media Hub is a multimedia store which you can access through your Exhibit 4G. You can download or stream the latest movies or TV shows. Given the recent improvement of the Android Market however, the app is up against some serious competition.
Samsung Media Hub
And finally there is the standard Samsung diary app on board. It allows you to share your thoughts on a daily basis, and add pictures and multimedia to them. The current weather display is a nice touch too.
Samsung Diary app
Final Words
After spending a good amount of quality time with the Samsung Exhibit 4G, we really couldn’t find much to frown at. The device was up for all the tasks we threw at it and, while not being a benchmark monster, we are quite confident it won’t disappoint you either.
Currently, the Samsung Exhibit 4G can be purchased from T-Mobile for $99.99 with a contract, or $299.99 without one. It is important to note here that there is a multitude of authorized resellers who might offer you a more enticing price on the same device. Yet it's by far not the only droid at this price point, so think twice before taking out the cash. We have selected a few of the more notable alternatives.
HTC Droid Incredible 2 and T-Mobile MyTouch 4G are the HTC made options. Both devices will offer you better cameras and more memory. They will however, fail to impress you as much as the Exhibit 4G in the screen department.
HTC Droid Incredible 2 • T-Mobile MyTouch 4G
Samsung Vibrant is another option which is available for T-Mobile. It does have Super AMOLED screen and higher resolution camera but lacks the zippy HSDPA data of the Exhibit 4G. And believe us, it does make a big difference.
Samsung Vibrant
If you like Samsung in CDMA flavor, the recently released Conquer 4G for Sprint seems like a great alternative as well. Just keep in mind that its screen is a TFT unit with lesser resolution.
Samsung Conquer 4G
Overall, the Samsung Exhibit 4G is a device, which will immediately put you at comfort when using it despite some of its shortcomings. This is something which we cannot say about a lot of more expensive droids.
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