We get a lot of mobile phones to review here at Claris, and honestly, there’s just not a whole lot that’s been very exciting in the smartphone industry lately. Thus, not many tech reviews. The 4G network came to Knoxville this year, and that was really…well, fast. But it sucked batteries dry in minutes. The tide is turning though. One phone that’s got something a little different to offer is the Samsung Stratosphere. Enabled with 4G, a big touchscreen and full sized slide-out keyboard, it’s no game changer, but is enough different to warrant a full trial. Another resident Claris techie Zac McKinney reviewed the phone and the tech specs.
Overall Rating: 7.5 out of 10
The Test Drive
First, I formatted the Stratosphere to look just like my phone and I used it as my primary device for a week. To do this, I linked it with my Google Voice number and was able to receive calls and send texts that way. I had previously been using the Droid X and it's a pretty common phone, so most of the comparisons are based on that device.
Pros
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Screen. The color and resolution are great. It also doesn’t smudge as much as older phones. After using it all day, you can hardly see any fingerprints.
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Full Keypad. I’ve gotten used to the touchscreen keypad, but the full regular keypad is a nice touch. Especially for any Blackberry users who are considering a phone switch.
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Front facing camera
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Battery life. 4G phones are known for sucking battery life. This one is very comparable to any other phone, and lasts for the most part throughout the day without an extended battery pack.
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Fast. It’s got a fast processor and download/upload speed. It’s incredible. 4G is very fast. To illustrate, here is a video that shows how much faster the Stratosphere on 4G is than a 3G Droid X. The video shows me loading a game that’s completely online and very intensive. The stratosphere is on the right. As you can see, it's very fast.
Cons
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Reboot time is ridiculous. It can take over a minute each time (note: I’ve wiped the phone clean. This is as fast as it gets.)
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Bloatware. As with many devices, the phone comes with a few apps that cannot be removed no matter what you do. You’re stuck with them and your phone is slower because of them. I’m not sure if this is a Verizon issue or a Samsung issue.
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Annoying Wi-Fi popups. Any time you come in range of a wireless network, a pop up comes up and you have to manually get rid of it. Even when you’ve said you don’t want to join the network. Not sure if it’s this phone, or this version of Android it’s running (Gingerbread 2.3.5), but it’s definitely not cool.
Overall, the Samsung Stratosphere is a good phone and passes the Claris trial by fire. It's a really fast, really bright, 4G phone.