Sanity Check: Samsung Instinct HD Costs $249?!

Somehow, despite the existence of Apple’s $99 iPhone, the $250 feature phone lives on. Today Samsung and Sprint announced the stratospherically priced Samsung Instinct HD.

Don’t get us wrong, the device is loaded with features like a 5-MP camera that can supposedly record HD video, which you can then output to your TV using HDMI. It also packs an accelerometer, Sprint TV, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi (new in the Instinct line), GPS, and more. But the Instinct HD is not as versatile as a smart phone. In other words, if you want an app store, you’re out of luck.

We’ll withhold final judgment until we’ve gone hands-on with the device. But for now I think most Sprint customers would gladly sacrifice HD video recording for a 3.2-MP camera on a device like the Palm Pre (as low as $149) or the HTC Hero ($199)–and spend the extra dough on apps.

The Instinct HD will be available on October 11th for $249.99, and we’ll have a review up shortly.