Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G Review

Newly released by Samsung on MetroPCS, the Galaxy Attain 4G is an affordable, solid smartphone that runs on MetroPCS' 4G LTE network. While phones typically released on “second-tier” networks such as MetroPCS and Boost Mobile are not as feature-laden as those found on Verizon, AT&T and others, this phone will not disappoint.

Aesthetics

The Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G is a decent-looking phone, combining a black face with a silver rim and grey bottom. The phone measures 4.5” in height, 2.6” in width and is 0.4” thick, placing it on par with many other smartphones.

Display

The 3.5” screen is an HVGA LCD touch display and features a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. While the screen is more difficult to see in direct sunlight, the contrasting difference between the background and the icons makes it much easier to see when indoors.

Interface

The Galaxy Attain 4G has Samsung's TouchWiz interface implemented, which is a Samsung-devised series of tweaks to the Android interface. You can easily access system settings, applications and home screens with just one touch. Physically, there are four physical buttons integrated into the phone: Menu, Home, Search and Back. Either series of commands (touchscreen or physical buttons) can be used to control the main functions of the phone.

Features

For starters, this phone has dual-cameras: a 3.2 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera. There is also a side-button on the phone for taking pictures, which makes it easier than opening up the application and selecting the 'Take' button on the screen. The phone charges via USB and includes ports for audio and a microSD card. Volume and power buttons are also present on the exterior of the device.

The inner workings of the Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G also include a variety of software solutions. The phone comes standard with Wi-Fi, Voice Control, GPS and Bluetooth. Messaging (e-mail, text, multimedia) makes it easy to communicate and can also be used with other features such as Google Chat.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G does well on MetroPCS, but there are aspects holding the phone back: namely, its network. The LTE speeds observed while using this phone are not nearly as fast as those on other networks. Call quality is mediocre, but this again can be attributed to MetroPCS' somewhat spotty service. No issues were reported when using the phone for a variety of applications; the 1 GHz processor provides plenty of power. Battery life is average for a phone of this caliber.

Conclusion

At just $200 (not $200 with a contract, just $200), this makes a great Android smartphone for those who hate commitments. Unfortunately, MetroPCS is the only network at this point that is offering the phone and so using their service may be the biggest downside to the phone itself. It's definitely one of the best offerings in Metro's lineup right now and would make a good solid smartphone for anyone on their network.