Samsung's Exhibit 4G

ooks small, but it delivers big-time performance. It can hit speeds of up to 21Mbps down on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network. It also features a fast 1GHz processor and the latest version of Android (at least for phones). If you think devices with 4.3-inch screens are too large, but you don't want to lose the latest features, the Exhibit 4G may be the best cell phone for you.

Design, Call Quality, and Apps
The Samsung Exhibit measures 4.7 by 2.3 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.4 ounces. My test model was black, but you can also get one in violet. The tapered edges and soft touch housing were comfortable to hold, though you'll still see fingerprints on the glass screen, as with any other top-end phone these days. The 3.5-inch capacitive LCD sports a sharp 480-by-800-pixel resolution, and the smaller diagonal size helps keep the phone's proportions trim. The LCD isn't as vibrant as one of Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus panels, but I still thought it looked nice. The built-in Swype keyboard is a cult favorite for some Android users, while others will prefer the default keyboard. Either way, I didn't make many mistakes while typing, although the 3.5 inch size makes the virtual keys a bit small.

The Exhibit 4G is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual-band HSPA+ 21 (1700/2100 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. That makes it a true 4G device as far as we're concerned, at least in terms of real-world performance. Calls sounded loud and clear in the earpiece, if slightly computerized, with some audible dropouts around words. This is par for the course with T-Mobile devices in my house, as I live in a marginal coverage area for this carrier. Callers said I sounded great through the microphone.

Calls also sounded clear through an Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset ($99, 4 stars). Voice dialing worked well over Bluetooth without training. The speakerphone sounded a bit scratchy, but at least it had decent gain for use outdoors. On the plus side, battery life was stunning at 18 hours and 3 minutes of talk time on 2G EDGE. That network sips power compared to HSPA+. But even so, I would have expected roughly 9-10 hours, especially given the small size of the phone.

The Exhibit 4G ships with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on board. While this OS has been technically "available" since December, few handsets are shipping with it even now. Gingerbread contains lots of small refinements, including a significant speed boost and smoother animations, although there's nothing earth-shaking about it. Still, it's nice to have.

There are five customizable home screens you can swipe between. The 1GHz Cortex-A8 Hummingbird processor keeps things moving at a decent clip, although you won't mistake this one for a dual-core phone; I saw some freeze-ups here and there that lasted several seconds. The Exhibit 4G works with over 200,000 third-party apps in Android Market. You get free Google Maps Navigation for voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions, and TeleNav's own app is also on board. Samsung Media Hub and T-Mobile TV offer live, on-demand, and downloadable TV and movie options.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
There's a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack on top, plus a welcome, side-mounted microSD card slot. Samsung throws in a great set of wired stereo earbuds and a 4GB microSD card, and my 32GB SanDisk card also worked fine. There's an even 400MB of free internal storage. The Exhibit 4G has Bluetooth 3.0, which is good for the future, but doesn't serve much practical purpose now; in fact, it always took at least two tries to pair my Bluetooth accessories to this phone, which was strange. Music tracks sounded clear and full through Samsung Modus HM6450 ($99, 4 stars) Bluetooth headphones. Gingerbread's upgraded music player now features useful progress bars and more clearly delineated album and track titles. Standalone 720p HD and SD files played smoothly and looked vibrant on the Exhibit 4G's screen.

The Exhibit 4G feels like a higher-end phone thus far, but the camera kills the buzz. The sensor is only 3 megapixels, although the camera has auto-focus camera and an LED flash. There's no dedicated camera button either, so you'll want to drag a shortcut for the camera app to the home screen. Test photos looked okay but not great, with slightly soft outdoor photos and grainy, but still useable, results indoors. The auto-focus was dreadfully slow, sometimes taking several seconds to lock in. There's also a front facing VGA (0.3-megapixel) camera, and Samsung preloads Qik for video chat. Recorded 720-by-480-pixel videos were perfectly smooth at 29 frames per second, even in lower-light environments, but there was no high-definition mode.