Samsung Galaxy Pro
3 DirectThe Galaxy Pro utilizes QWERTY technology and adds in the Blackberry platform with Froyo plus a 2.8 inch touch screen.
Our Samsung Galaxy Pro Review
Samsung introduces the Samsung Galaxy Pro to a pretty much open market. It is rare to find a smart phone today with the old candy bar shape and physical keyboard. Larger screen sizes are depleting the standard physical keyboards that many of us love to use. The Galaxy Pro utilizes QWERTY technology and adds in the Blackberry platform with Froyo plus a 2.8 inch touch screen. The question is, is Android accessible on a small screen?
The Samsung Galaxy Pro stands out in the market as a candy bar smart phone. It has the 2.8 inch capacitive touch screen with the QWERTY keyboard below. It is made of molded plastic in a deep grey casing. On the front you will find the four Android buttons – menu, home, back, and search. These buttons divide the keyboard form the touch screen from the keyboard. The volume rocker is found on the left hand side of the device. Power is on the right hand side. The top of the phone houses the 3.5 mm headphone port and micro USB port. The bottom contains a microphone slot and opening to aid in removing the back cover.
The Galaxy Pro has a low resolution screen for such an advanced device. The touch screen has a 320 by 240 pixel resolution which could be improved and we are not sure why Samsung chose the low resolution. The viewing angles are not horrible but a sharper image would improve the angels. Landscape is the primo orientation for the screen. This is dramatic change for most phones using Android technology.
What brings most users to the Galaxy Pro is the keyboard. It is formed of thick, black rubber and offers a good clicking sound when you punch a key.
A Look Inside
The Galaxy pro runs on Android layered with an 800 MHz processor. The version of Android used in this phone is 2.2 or Froyo. You get 512 MB of internal storage plus a microSD that ups it to 32 gigs. There are many different sensors. An accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and digital compass are all on board. You get Bluetooth and b/g/n Wi-Fi. The camera shoots 3 megapixel photos but must be used with a memory card. Battery life was found to be average. We got a normal day’s use form the basic battery but had to plug in every evening.
Software shipping with the Galaxy Pro includes Froyo and TouchWiz 3.0 which a skin. You will find permanent icons on the right of the screen for prominent tasks such as messaging and contacts. The device comes with up to seven home screens. You also get the basic suite of Google apps that come with all Android devices.
This is a cool phone in a touch screen world. We like the old school QWERTY keyboard. The battery life is plus and it has fairly good performance.
What We Disliked
As much as we like the QWERTY keyboard idea the layout has its drawbacks. It lacks multitouch - a big letdown for anyone used to this feature. Plus, if you like to play graphics heavy games you won’t be happy with the resolution.
Our Final Verdict
This is an excellent phone for anyone who wants the advantages of a smart phone with the old school features of a QWERTY keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Pro fills a place in a market of smart phones that are high tech – some more so than people want. That is what Samsung is banking on with this device.
Compare Handsets
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| Read Review | |||
| Samsung Galaxy Pro | |||
General | |||
| Form Factor | Candybar | ||
| Dimensions | 108.6 x 66.7 x 10.6 (mm) | ||
| Talk Time | 350 mins | ||
| Standby Time | 370 hours | ||
| Weight | 67 g | ||
| Quad Band | Yes | ||
Photo and Video | |||
| Integrated Camera | Yes | ||
| Camera | 3.20 megapixels | ||
| Video Player | Yes | ||
Phone | |||
| Voice Recognition | Yes | ||
| Polyphonic Ringtones | Yes | ||
| Integrated Keyboard | Yes | ||
| Internal Memory | 160MB | ||
| Memory Card Type | MicroSD (max 32GB) | ||
Messaging | |||
| Instant Messaging (IM) | Yes | ||
Screen | |||
| Colour Screen | Yes | ||
Connectivity | |||
| 3G | Yes | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | ||
| Yes | |||
| WAP | Yes | ||
| Web Browser | Yes | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | ||
| GPS | Yes | ||
Music and Radio | |||
| FM Radio | Yes | ||
| MP3 Player | Yes | ||
Additional Content | |||
| Downloadable Content | Yes | ||
| Downloadable Games | Yes | ||
| Downloadable Ringtones | Yes | ||
Samsung Galaxy Pro Full Specification
General
| Form Factor | Candybar |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 108.6 x 66.7 x 10.6 (mm) |
| Talk Time | 350 mins |
| Standby Time | 370 hours |
| Weight | 67 g |
| Quad Band | Yes |
Photo and Video
| Integrated Camera | Yes |
|---|---|
| Camera | 3.20 megapixels |
| Video Player | Yes |
Phone
| Voice Recognition | Yes |
|---|---|
| Polyphonic Ringtones | Yes |
| Integrated Keyboard | Yes |
| Internal Memory | 160MB |
| Memory Card Type | MicroSD (max 32GB) |
Messaging
| Instant Messaging (IM) | Yes |
|---|
Screen
| Colour Screen | Yes |
|---|
Connectivity
| 3G | Yes |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Yes | |
| WAP | Yes |
| Web Browser | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| GPS | Yes |
Music and Radio
| FM Radio | Yes |
|---|---|
| MP3 Player | Yes |
Additional Content
| Downloadable Content | Yes |
|---|---|
| Downloadable Games | Yes |
| Downloadable Ringtones | Yes |
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