CNET Reviews 2011 Holiday Gift Guide 
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Very good
Starting at: $0.00 $99.99 - Amazon.com $79.99 - Sprint $399.99 - RadioShackWireless $0.00 - LetsTalk.com All prices
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CNET Editors' review Want it ( ) Got it ( ) Had it ( ) CNET Editors' rating 3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars) Design: 7.0 Features: 7.0 Performance: 7.0 Reviewed by: Jessica Dolcourt Released on: 10/23/2011 Reviewed on: 11/28/2011 The good: Like its twin on Boost Mobile, the Samsung Transform Ultra has an uncluttered Android Gingerbread interface, a front-facing camera, and a fair price tag.
The bad: The keyboard on the Samsung Transform Ultra could rise a little higher, and camera quality could be improved.
The bottom line: Folks looking for a phone with a QWERTY keyboard will find in the Samsung Transform Ultra a reliable midtier device, though $20 more could nab you an even better phone.
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Samsung Transform Ultra (Sprint)
It's rare for parent carrier Sprint to show a handset after one of its MVNOs, but that's exactly the order of arrival for the Samsung Transform Ultra, which first debuted on Boost Mobile in early October, about three weeks before the handset became available on Sprint.
An Android 2.3 Gingerbread slider phone, the Transform Ultra features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and an almost-"pure" Android experience, save for Sprint ID, a gallery of "identities" made of certain apps, wallpaper, and shortcuts (it's called Mobile ID on Boost.) The handset runs ... Expand full review
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Samsung Transform Ultra (Sprint)
It's rare for parent carrier Sprint to show a handset after one of its MVNOs, but that's exactly the order of arrival for the Samsung Transform Ultra, which first debuted on Boost Mobile in early October, about three weeks before the handset became available on Sprint.
An Android 2.3 Gingerbread slider phone, the Transform Ultra features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and an almost-"pure" Android experience, save for Sprint ID, a gallery of "identities" made of certain apps, wallpaper, and shortcuts (it's called Mobile ID on Boost.) The handset runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, has a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a front-facing VGA camera, and 3G support.
It costs $79.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, and with a new, two-year service agreement.
Editors' note: Due to an identical design as the Transform Ultra for Boost Mobile, this review covers only the differences in features and performance on Sprint's network. For the full rundown on design and most features, see the Samsung Transform Ultra review for Boost Mobile.
Features
As with the Transform Ultra with Boost Mobile, Sprint's version gives you access to a host of Google services, including mapping, navigation, Google Places, and so on. There's hot-spot support through Sprint Hotspot, and support for Wi-Fi Direct, for direct connection to similarly enabled devices. The Swype virtual keyboard is installed by default.
The Samsung Transform Ultra has a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen and 1GHz processor. Hide Review Next page
The Transform Ultra comes with a relatively light load of preinstalled apps, though Sprint ID, Sprint Mobile Wallet, and Sprint Zone are among them. Qik, a free app for video chats, is preloaded so you can take advantage of that front-facing camera, along with the ThinkFree Office productivity suite. Downloading an ID pack will get you more.
(For camera performance, consult the Samsung Transform Ultra review for Boost Mobile.)
Performance
I tested the dual-band (CDMA 850/1900) Samsung Transform Ultra in San Francisco on Sprint's network. Call quality was variable. Volume sounded a little low on my end, and voices were a bit flatter than usual. There were pockets of audio distortion throughout my call, and whispers of white noise that reared every time the caller spoke. On their end, callers said the call sounded very natural, with strong volume, and no background noise. In fact, it sounded almost as good as a landline.
Samsung Transform Ultra (Sprint) call quality sampleListen now:
Speakerphone volume was a little quiet and hollow to my ears and "uncomfortably quiet" on the other end of the line, but "very good" otherwise.
Sprint's 3G connection seemed pokey. CNET's mobile site loaded in about 25 seconds, and closer to a minute to load the full desktop view. The New York Times' Web-optimized site loaded in a speedy 9 seconds, with the full site completing in 32 seconds. Ookla's Speedtest.net app took care of the diagnostics, with download speeds ranging from 0.5 to 1 megabytes per second (Mbps), and upload speeds clocking in at between 0.3 and 0.75Mbps
Conclusion
The Samsung Transform Ultra is a likeable QWERTY slider for Sprint. With Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a good keyboard, and a fair $80 price, the phone will satisfy those looking for a keyboarded midrange smartphone that also has a good in-hand feel. Still, it may be worth shopping around. For $20 more, the HTC Evo Shift 4G (with a keyboard) and HTC Evo Design 4G (sans keyboard) are faster and more advanced.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Starting at $780.12 Editor's rating: 4.0 out of 5 select 
Motorola Droid Razr Starting at $199.99 Editor's rating: 4.5 out of 5 select 
Samsung Focus S Starting at $19.99 Editor's rating: 4.0 out of 5 select 
HTC Rezound Starting at $299.99 Editor's rating: 4.0 out of 5 
Jessica Dolcourt Jessica Dolcourt pits phone against phone in the ongoing epic battle of the latest and greatest smartphones. Before that, she sat in judgment of smartphone and desktop apps. In her personal life, Jessica remains tireless in her quest for the world's most perfect cheese. Follow @jdolcourt User reviews Be the first to rate this product Thanks for your submission! Thank you for helping us maintain CNET's great community. Write a Review Quickly sign in with: or Log in or create an account to post a review. You are logged in as . Please submit your review for Samsung Transform Ultra (Sprint) 1. Rate this product: 0 stars 2. One-line summary: (10 characters minimum) Count: 0 of 55 characters 3. Pros: (10 characters minimum) Count: 0 of 250 characters 4. Cons: (10 characters minimum) Count: 0 of 250 characters 5. Summary: (optional) Count: 0 of 15000 characters Add Your Opinion The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Click here to review our site terms of use. Where to Buy MSRP: $349.99 Low price: $0.00 $99.99 - Amazon.com See It $79.99 - Sprint See It $399.99 - RadioShackWireless See It $0.00 - LetsTalk.com See It See all prices Specifications See full specs Quick Specs Service provider: Not specified Cellular technology: CDMA2000 1X Talk time: Up to 420 min @import "http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/Ads/common/css/InfoButtons/infoButtons.live.css"; Sponsored Premier Brands on CNET
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Where to Buy MSRP: $349.99 Low price: $0.00 $99.99 - Amazon.com See It $79.99 - Sprint See It $399.99 - RadioShackWireless See It $0.00 - LetsTalk.com See It See all prices Related Stories Boost Mobile snags Samsung Transform Ultra with Gingerbread for Oct. 7 Samsung Transform Ultra: Hands-on impressions Samsung Transform Ultra headed to Sprint Samsung Transform Ultra review: Solid QWERTY slider Samsung Transform Ultra review: Boost's Gingerbread QWERTY 
Cell Phone buying advice 
Buying a cell phone is more than a matter of choosing a handset--you also have to pick a service provider, or carrier, as well. Each carrier in the United States offers a different selection of technologies and services, so it's important to think about your needs when making a choice. In this guide, we will provide you with all the necessary tools for making the best choices for your needs.
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