Samsung Replenish (Sprint)

After a brief leak yesterday, Sprint has taken the wraps off of its first eco-friendly Android smartphone, the Samsung Replenish. The Replenish has a unusual (for Android phones at least) portrait QWERTY form factor with a 2.8-inch touchscreen above it.

Sprint is touting the recyclable and eco-friendly materials that the Replenish is manufactured with, claiming a full 82 percent of the phone is made of recyclable materials. The packaging that the Replenish comes in is also 100 percent recyclable - complete with soy-based inks. The wall charger is also compliant with EC Code of Conduct on Energy Efficiency of External Power Supplies, Version 4, and includes a visible alert to inform the user when the phone is fully charged and can be unplugged from the wall. With a price tag of just $50, the Samsung Replenish offers good value as a basic, easy-to-use Android phone, and one that's environmentally conscious to boot. Just as we were suspecting that the environmentally aware phase of cell phone construction had waned, Sprint announced the Samsung Replenish, its first eco-friendly Android phone after the rush of the LG Remarq, Samsung Restore, and Samsung Reclaim.

For a pretty low fee, the touch-plus-QWERTY Replenish resembles a cheaper knockoff of the Motorola Droid Pro, except that what it lacks in high-end features it attempts to make up for in recycled build materials. That's not a criticism. Sure, the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, 600MHz processor, and 2-megapixel camera are on the lower end of the Android smartphone scale, but there's an important place for entry-level smartphones, especially ones that cost less than their monthly data plans.

The Replenish is made from 34.6 percent post-consumer recycled plastic (the highest percentage in Sprint's eco-stable), with a total 82 percent of the phone crafted from recyclable materials. The packaging is also recyclable and is made from 80 percent post-consumer material, and it's printed with soy ink (rather than petroleum-based ink, which is also slower to biodegrade.) When you consider the natural resources needed to build consumer electronics, you may agree that with eco phones, less new material is definitely more. This beginner's smartphone also comes at a moderate price. The Replenish costs $49.99 after a $100 instant rebate with a new two-year service agreement and an Everything plan. It comes in three colors: Arctic Blue, Onyx Black, and Raspberry Pink. We reviewed the Replenish in Onyx Black. The Replenish will be available for $49.99 with a new two-year agreement on May 8 and comes in two colors: Onyx Black and Arctic Blue. A Raspberry Pink color version will arrive later in June. Sprint is also waiving the $10 monthly add-on fee that normally applies to smartphones for the Replenish.