Our friend Rob from Phandroid had a tipster send in new pics of the Samsung InstinctQ which is headed to sprint.  We reported in our rumored Android dates article that this phone was expected to land October 11th, but some sources are claiming it won’t launch till November.

The Samsung InstinctQ joins the HTC Hero as the two phones that are rumored for Sprint.  If this proves to be right, Sprint customers will be able to choose between a full qwerty keyboard phone (Samsung) or a slimmer model with touch screen only (HTC).  Which phone will come first remains a mystery.  Sprint has officially said they would have at least one Android phone in 2009, but has not specified the details.

No specs have been leaked for the Samsung InstinctQ, but I hope it receives an update over their previous phone the Galaxy.  This is only Samsung’s second offering so I wouldn’t expect much.  We have seen other manufacturers like HTC release three Android phones with the same processor.

The Samsung InstinctQ could be the first Sprint Android phone.

The Samsung InstinctQ could be the first Sprint Android phone.

We can see from the photos that the InstinctQ features a directional pad instead of the traditional trackball we have come to expect.  I have no preference over either input method, but I reckon the trackball offers more control when playing games.  It looks like talk and end have their own physical buttons, but home, menu, and back are touch controlled.  Also absent is the search button we have seen on the front of newer Android phones.

Sprint fans should also be pleased to see the Google apps installed on this phone.  In our last Sprint Android phone recap, some people were worried about Sprint and other carriers crippling the Android OS.  You can also see a new voicemail icon in several of the pics.  This leads me to believe Sprint will offer their own visual voicemail similar to what we have from T-Mobile.

It has been a long wait, but Sprint customers certainly have something to look forward to this holiday season.  With the recent news that Sprint is expanding their 4G network to 20 markets this year, it is a excellent time to be with Sprint.  If they offer a 4G handset soon, I would consider switching since my city gets WiMax/4G on September 1st.

The Samsung InstinctQ could be the first Sprint Android phone.


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