Samsung Admire Hits MetroPCS Shelves For Only $130

Samsung Admire, which has hit MetroPCS shelves for only $130 on Monday is probably the best sub-$200 smartphone you can buy without being locked into a contract.

The mid-range smartphone boasts of a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT capacitive touchscreen (320x480 pixel resolution) display, is powered by a single-core 800Mhz processor and features 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture capability, 196MB RAM, 2GB memory card pre-installed (expandable up to 32GB via microSD card slot), 3G connectivity and 3.5mm headset jack.

It also features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, microUSB port, Accelerometer and GPS.

The candy bar-type handset measures 4.56x2.38x0.46 inches (lxwxd), weighs 4.14 oz and runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3 OS.

The only drawback of the smartphone is its battery - Samsung Admire's 1600mAh battery is rated at 3 hours of talk time. But then, for $130 you can't really expect too much.

Nonetheless, Samsung Admire is worth a look especially as you're not tied down to any contract - just prepay $50 a month for unlimited talk, text and data.

And, in case you're still wondering whether you should get the smartphone, perhaps this promotional offer from MetroPCS will help you decide - MetroPCS is tossing in $15 in free Android apps by mail for those who buy the handset.