Samsung Exhibit II 4G is a $30 Android steal for T-Mobile
T-Mobile is selling Samsung's Exhibit II 4G two ways--for $30 with a contract, and for $199.99 without. Either way you slide it, it's a bargain price.
Samsung is a company with a penchant for sequels, and just a few months after releasing Exhibit A, here comes Exhibit B: the Samsung Exhibit II 4G.
The specs are modest to be sure, and very similar to the original. It starts with Android 2.3 Gingerbread running behind a 3.7-inch WVGA touch screen and powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. There's a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing VGA camera. In addition to the usual Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth support there's also T-Mobile TV and the Samsung Media Hub.
Of course, there's also the speed. The Exhibit II 4G will run on T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. A $29.99 price tag (after a $50 mail-in rebate) would already be a bargain price for a phone like the Exhibit II, but the 4G access is what really makes it such a steal. On other networks, a 4G-capable phone usually costs a premium.
That $30 price point is with the two-year service agreement, mind you, but the phone will also be available off-contract. In fact, T-Mobile is branding it the "first no annual contract 4G smartphone to be sold at most Wal-Mart stores." That starts tomorrow, for $199.99.
T-Mobile stores start putting the Exhibit II on display a few days later on November 2. Unlike the original, which came in black and violet, the Exhibit II is painted "marine blue."
Although it seems a little soon to see the Exhibit's sequel hit store shelves, the original was a likable phone that offered great value for the modest price, and I expect to see more reliability here as well.