Sprint's Samsung Instinct Is Selling As Briskly As The Razr Two Years Ago

Sprint ( NYSE: S) Nextel wants some attention for how well the Samsung Instinct is selling, and with a lot of hype and media attention going to the Apple ( NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone, you can't blame them, especially since the touchscreen iPhone look-alike appears to be flying off the shelves since launching June 20. Six days after the phone's launch, Sprint called the Samsung Instinct the fastest-selling EVDO handset in the company's history. It said the intense demand even led to temporary shortages of the device at some locations and in order to prevent more, Samsung increased its manufacturing plants to full capacity and plans to deliver new supplies on a daily basis. Yesterday, Best Buy issued a press release, confirming the device's brisk sales. It said early results are showing that the device is the retailer's "best selling handset in the past two years." When asked for further clarification, a Best Buy spokesperson said the Instinct is selling comparably to the super hot Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Razr during the holiday period of 2006.

With Apple's amazing marketing machine at work, it's going to be hard for Sprint to win in this match-up, but a quick look at the two devices side-by-side may gain it some fans because the Instinct is both cheaper to buy and cheaper to own. Here's a rundown:

The devices: Sprint's Instinct is $130 with a two-year contract and a $100 mail-in rebate. Without a contract, the Instinct is $450. The device comes with a 2GB microSD and two batteries for the device. AT&T ( NYSE: T) will charge $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model with a two year contract. Without a contract, the phones will cost $599 and $699, respectively. The iPhone does not have a replaceable battery.

Voice and data plans: Sprint's $99 Simply Everything plan offers unlimited voice, data and messaging for $99.99; AT&T's unlimited voice and data plan is $129.99, and does not include text messages. AT&T charges $20 for unlimited texts.

Applications: Sprint includes such applications as navigation, 50 commercial-free streaming music channels, Sprint TV, which includes 25 streaming channels, and access to NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile. AT&T iPhone customers will have to sign up for additional applications through iPhone App store, which may either cost a fee or be free.