Review: Samsung Propel Pro

When nosotros kickoff noticed the Samsung Propel it sported a standard feature-telephone OS. Several months later, we learned that Samsung had replaced the feature-telephone OS with Windows Mobile Standard thus creating the Propel Pro. Forth with some cosmetic changes the Samsung Propel Pro joined the AT&T line up this month to with its older brothers, the Samsung Epix and Blackjack II.

WMExperts.com had the opportunity to take the Propel Pro out for a test drive recently.  Follow the break to encounter how well this new Windows Mobile Standard phone handled the road.

 Out of the Box

To exist honest, when I picked up the Samsung Propel Pro for the showtime time, it reminded me of my old Palm Pilot; curt and stocky. Then add the lesser sliding keyboard and I had flashbacks of my old Palm Tungsten (granted no QWERTY Keypad). The Propel Pro, collapsed, measures three.9" 10 two.4" x .6". Extend the keyboard and the 3.9" grows to roughly 5.5" in length. The phone weighs in at 4.83 ounces.  The Propel Pro has a solid feel to information technology but does feel deceptively thick.  At .6" thick, the Pro isn't much thicker than the Samsung Epix (.51") just considering of information technology'southward shorter length I think the thickness comes beyond thicker.  The heft of the Propel Pro isn't a "deal breaker" but does make an impression.

The Propel Pro is thicker than AT&T'southward leading Windows Mobile Standard Phones, the Motorola Q9h (.46")  and Samsung Blackjack II (.four").  But it's narrower than the Motorola and shorter (when collapsed) than the BlackJack Ii.  Extend the keyboard on the Propel Pro and all diminsional comparisons goes out the window.

The Propel Pro comes packaged with a charger, sync cables, owners manual and software CD.

Pattern

The fundamental characteristic of the Propel is the bottom sliding keyboard but there are other features that brand this an attractive phone likewise as others that I could easily live without.

The Propel Pro has a silvery, shiny, fingerprint magnetic finish that I could definitely live without. Why can't manufacturers choose a more than durable, less reflective, less grease attractant, fingerprint showing end? It does have a "showroom" appearance but I found myself spending more time wiping the smudges off the screen than using the phone!

Beneath the fingerprints you lot'll find a 2.55", 320 10 320 non-touch screen that is rather nice. Under the hood you'll find a 528mhz processor with 128mb of RAM and 256mb of ROM. A micro-SD carte du jour slot is to the left side of the phone for expanded memory capabilities. The Propel Pro is fitted with Bluetooth, Wifi and GPS. As mentioned, it runs Windows Mobile Standard vi.1.

The elevation of the phone slides upwards to reveal a QWERTY keyboard that is very similar to the Motorola Q's but more compact. At get-go I was concerned that the gap between the peak row of keys and the phone would be too narrow for comfy typing only it wasn't. The keys were responsive merely lack the spacing the keyboard on the Samsung BlackJack Two and Epix. I institute the keyboard to be good merely not great. The keyboard is spring assisted and does open smoothly.  The only challenge with extending the keyboard is getting a grip on the phone (cover this in a infinitesimal).

The keyboard does have three shortcut keys for silent operation and to launch your electronic mail application and web browser. In that location are two spaces at either end of the bottom row that might accept accommodated extra short-cut keys (wireless director, photographic camera?).

By extending the keyboard, not only practise you lot reveal the keyboard you also expose a three megapixel camera.  The photographic camera has both still every bit well as video capabilities. On the right side of the phone is a photographic camera shutter button or the heart button tin be used to activate the shutter.

Having the camera hidden when the keyboard is collapsed is a nice feature to give the camera a trivial protection. The one thing I'd like to run across changed is if your going to have a side shutter push, the orientation of the camera should exist horizontal. It'due south more comfortable to employ the center button equally a shutter every bit designed, making the side push button a piffling unnecessary. While I take my reservations on phone cameras, I will accept to acknowledge, the Propel Pro's camera does a decent task.

The button panel on the confront of the phone includes the obligatory answer/finish keys, a home cardinal and a "back" push button. 2 soft keys are located above the answer/finish buttons and a middle joystick is the center piece of it all. Samsung didn't go with the optical mouse of the Epix or the 5-manner D-pad of the Blackjack. Instead you have a joystick that when depressed serves as your eye button. The jury is withal out on whether or not the joystick is a welcomed improver. If you are accustomed to the five-fashion controller the joystick will take some getting used to. Personally, I prefer the d-pad just recognize that with time, I could go used to the joystick.

The design of the Propel Pro has the ability button, volume button and micro-SD card slot on the left side. The photographic camera push and charge/sync/headphone port is on the right side of the phone. Samsung stuck with the proprietary connection (a.k.a. no 3.5mm headphone jack). Ane interesting side annotation to the camera button is that it doubles equally a zoom button. Pressing and holding the camera button zooms in on a corner of the screen and with the joystick you tin scroll the magnification around the full screen.

Performance

 As far as phone performance is concerned, the Propel Pro handles calls no different than whatever other Samsung phone. Calls came in clear both through the speaker and earpiece.  The microphone, located just below the keyboard, picked up my voice with no problems with the keyboard extended or retracted. To dial a call you lot can extend the keyboard and use the numeric keys or with the keyboard collapsed, printing the answer button to pull up your recently called numbers/contacts list. From there you lot'll use the joystick to highlight the number and then hit the answer/ship button. Answering calls can exist accomplished by either hit the respond push or extending the keyboard.

Just similar the Pantech Matrix Pro, if you lock the screen on the Propel Pro yous accept to extend the keyboard to access the asterisk cardinal.  I would have preferred to come across ane of the soft keys utilized to confirm the unlocking of the screen instead of having to extend the keyboard to access the asterisk.

The Propel Pro is powered past a 1440mah battery and it while would have been squeamish to have seen something similar to the BlackJack Ii'southward 1700mah battery, 1440 is still a sight amend than many batteries out there. The battery made information technology through the solar day with calorie-free to moderate employ and maybe once conditioned, you could extend operation into day 2.  Samsung reports bombardment life to be approximately 6.5 hours of talk time and 12 days of stand-by time.  This has to be based on vocalisation calls only because I but don't run into these estimates possible when you add information into the mix.

One handed performance of the Propel Pro is possible but not every bit easy as say the BlackJack Ii or Treo Pro. The shiny stop is a little on the slick side so it takes do to open the keyboard ane-handed.  The keyboard glides smoothly and is a breeze when 2 easily are bachelor just with ane hand, it takes a little time to master.  The same tin be said of the joystick which definitely requires a footling patience.

Software

Being an AT&T branded telephone, you guessed it, the Propel Pro has its fair share of bloatware. You do take Wikimobile and Role Mobile installed, along with all the AT&T stores, subscription services (My Conditions, Mobile Banking, MobiTv). You do have a handy tip estimator, conversion application, business card reader (DioOCR) and vox notes in your Organize Folder. For the nigh part, the installed software is heart of the route.

There are ii new Home Screens (or at least new to me) to choose from that might spark an interest. WizPro looks an a lot like HTC's Touchflo 3D, absent-minded the bear on capabilities. You take scrollable tabs at the bottom of the screen to take you from the Home Screen to contacts, calendar, music and photo screens. Samsung Pop-Up showcases your wallpaper with a pop-upward field that includes an awarding launcher bar as well as bulletin and appointment listings. With Windows Mobile Standard, I call back information technology's hard to beat the sliding panels but the WizPro comes close.

The 528mhz processor, combined with the efficiency of Windows Mobile Standard, lets the Propel Pro move along smoothly. I didn't feel any hiccups, hangups, or stalls while exam driving the phone. Windows Mobile Professional has advanced in leaps and bounds with regard to stability and efficiency just Standard still manages things only a hair better.

Overall Impression

When I first handled the Samsung Propel Pro, information technology reminded me of the older devices that I've endemic. It's curt stocky build wasn't far from the thickness of the AT&T Fuze, my principal telephone, simply the Propel Pro was more compact (until you extended the keyboard).  If yous can become past the fingerprint prone stop and the odd little joystick, the Samsung Propel Pro represents the Windows Mobile Standard phone family rather well.

Could information technology be better? Sure. What device out there couldn't run across improvements? For the Propel Pro, I recall if you returned to the five-fashion D-pad, toss in a larger battery, put a soft-impact finish on it, and tweak the screen lock to eliminate the need for the asterisk I call up you would have a more competitive, attractive phone.

I found the Propel Pro growing on me for the brusque fourth dimension I had the telephone. I volition be curious to see how well it measures upwards to the other new Windows Mobile Standard phones.  In specially, the HTC Snap. While the shiny vs. soft finish will exist a landslide victory for the Snap, the trackball vs. joystick might exist a closer match upward. Bombardment life volition likewise exist an interesting comparison. Volition the HTC 1500mah out perform the Propel's 1440mah?

Regardless how the Propel Pro matches upwards with the Snap, information technology'southward a solid enough device to warrant a closer look at if your looking for a Windows Mobile Standard phone.

Overall: 4/5

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/review-samsung-propel-pro

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