| Review of the Pantech 3200 |
 |
Pantech is a name unfamiliar with most North Americans, but they’ve been
around making cell phones for quite some time (usually for other name
brands). The PN-3200 is the first model to be marketed under their own
name here in Canada and it gets them off to a fairly good start. Last Updated: 01-Oct-2006 |
Before reading this review, please read
Some Thoughts on Phone Reviewing.
RF Performance
RF Sensitivity: I compared the RF performance of
the 3200 against a Nokia 6265i, which I reviewed
a few months ago and found to have excellent RF sensitivity (like most Nokia
phones). Tests were performed at the Ikea store on The Queensway in Etobicoke
where all of the providers have considerable trouble. Under those circumstances
the Pantech is the equal of the Nokia. So it seems that the new Pantech phone is
among the best you can get as far as RF sensitivity is concerned.
Over-the-road Performance: Once again, comparisons
were made against the Nokia 6265i, as it deals quite well with signal issues as
calls are made on the move. Both phones faired about the same through
challenging areas, but the Nokia won out by making those disturbances sound
somewhat tamer. Just the same, the differences were slight and in this regard
the Pantech is an excellent performer.
Click on this link for a full description of
RF Performance, and how to interpret it.
Audio Performance
Tonal Balance: I’m left with mixed feelings on this
aspect. On one had the tonal balance is markedly better than most of the CDMA
phones I’ve tested of late, and when looked at in a vacuum I had no real issue
with the way people sounded when they called me (though my mother sounded a bit
odd on a couple of occasions). The problem is when the phone is compared to the
Nokia 6265i, which has really smooth and natural tonal balance.
By comparison to the Nokia, the Pantech is a bit harsh-sounding in a way that
makes you want to pull the phone away from your ear at times. Direct comparisons
were made by calling an audio test line, which is a number on Telus PCS
that plays a continuous loop of different samples spoken in various male and
female voices. The Nokia makes them all sound smooth, while the Pantech makes
some of them sound rather annoying. Overall however, it is miles better than a
typical LG or Audiovox phone (based on my previous tests).
Sound Reproduction: I had no big complaints here
however. The Pantech does as good a job as any CDMA phone I’ve ever tested
(including the Nokia) for reproducing the nuances of speech accurately
(harshness notwithstanding). “S” sounds are generally quite natural-sounding,
with very little sibilance.
The only really annoying audio-related issue is that the backlight generates a
high-pitched whine that (depending upon whether you can still hear frequencies
that high) can be quite aggravating. Fortunately the sound goes away once the
backlight goes off, and so it’s really only a problem for short calls.
Outgoing sound quality is superb, and definitely among the best I’ve ever tested
on a CDMA phone. I threw all sorts background noise at the Pantech during test
recordings, but the phone masked that noise with little or no distortion to my
voice under all but the most extreme conditions (driving by a tractor-trailer
with an open window on the highway for example). If someone were to call me
using a Pantech 3200, I’d be hard pressed to even tell that it was a CDMA phone.
That’s high praise.
Earpiece Volume: Also excellent. The 3200 produces
plenty of earpiece volume that never distorts, though it does sound a bit
harsher as the volume increases. I never had any trouble hearing the phone, even
under some of the noisiest conditions.
Speakerphone: Sadly the speakerphone is too faint
and too messy-sounding to be used for real conversations (though I did try).
It’s really only suited for those times when you are on hold waiting for someone
to pick up the phone. Even then, it only works in a quiet environment, because
otherwise you can’t hear the speakers at all.
Click on this link for a full description of
Audio Performance, and how to interpret it.
Support Features
Ringer Volume: All of the ringers use the same
speaker as the speakerphone, and not surprisingly they aren’t very loud. In
fact, most of the ringers provided on the phone are faint tinkly little music
numbers that are great for polite company, but useless for outdoors or in
crowded shopping malls. Fortunately Pantech does provide at least 2 ringers that
are loud enough to rank as mid-pack and can probably be heard in moderate to
mildly-loud conditions.
Keypad Design: Even though the keys are
flush-mounted, which I believe is a monumentally stupid idea no matter how well
implemented it is otherwise, I have to hand it to Pantech for making a flush
keyboard I can actually live with (sort of). While most of the major keys are
easy to find and press (with excellent tactile feel), the 4-way cursor key is
tiny and difficult to use accurately. I’ve said this about many 4-way cursor
keys, but the one on the 3200 is extra-poor and sorely needs to be redesigned. I
don’t have the biggest fingers around, and so I can only guess how much of a
hassle this will be for people with really big thumbs.
Display: The display boasts 176 x 220 pixels (which
is identical to most Motorola phones) and it looks quite nice. Unfortunately the
backlight isn’t particularly bright and it’s hard to see outdoors. The external
display is also color, but like most color external screens, it’s even dimmer
and even harder to see in bright sunlight.
When calls come in the font used on the external display is super-tiny, and so
you had better have the eyes of an eagle if you want to quickly see who’s
calling you. In contrast to the tiny font on the outer display, the font used to
display the numbers you are dialing on the inner display is positively enormous.
That’s generally a good thing, especially combined with the automatic hyphens
added to those numbers as you type. Unfortunately, when you type a number that
includes a “1” at the beginning the font is too large and the exchange wraps
around, something like this:
1-888-1
12-4567
Perhaps a slightly smaller font would have been a better idea.
Icing on the Cake
Camera: I’m not even sure why they bothered,
because all you get is a measly 640 x 480 resolution (0.3 mega-pixels), while
other phones offer much higher resolution (typically 1.3 mega-pixels, or even 2
mega-pixels in the case of the Nokia 6265i). The lens seems good, but the
overall quality of the photographs is low and there’s plenty of digital noise in
the darker areas of the image. This camera is really only intended for sending
MMS photos to other phones and nothing more.
Bluetooth: While it is always great to see a phone
that supports Bluetooth, the Pantech provides it only for use with headsets and
tethering a laptop to the internet. There is no OBEX capability, not even OBEX
Push as you find in phones such as the Motorola
i580 on Telus Mike. OBEX refers to the ability to use Bluetooth to transfer
files from one device to another. Full OBEX allows one device to browse all of
the files on another.
Data: The Pantech 3200 only supports 1X, so you
won’t get the blazing speed offered by EVDO. If you live in an area where EVDO
isn’t offered (and probably never will be), this is a moot point at best. So is
the fact that the phone doesn’t really have all that many data-driven features
that would cry out for the faster data rates.
Conclusions
Except for slightly harsh tonal quality, low-volume ringers, a poor
speakerphone, a few other minor quibbles, the Pantech 3200 is actually quite a
good phone. It has exceptional outgoing sound with incredible resistance to
background noise, excellent RF performance, plenty of earpiece volume, and
reasonable over-the-road performance. You could hardly ask for more, except
perhaps a lower price.
Price is sadly the major problem with the 3200. As it stands the phone is an
excellent entry-to-mid-level model, but it’s priced much closer to the upper end
than anything in the range in which it falls. It is unavoidable to compare the
3200 with the Nokia 6265i because Telus prices that phone only $50 higher when
the phone is bought outright and only $30 more on a 3-year contract. What does
that extra $50 buy you? The list is rather extensive and reads like a laundry
list of must-have features in modern cell phones.
The 6265i offers a higher-resolution screen (320 x 240 vs 220 x 176), a
higher-resolution camera (2.0 mega-pixels vs 0.3 mega-pixels), external memory
cards (up to 2 GB), an MP3 player, full-featured Bluetooth including OBEX, and
the ability to put your own material on the phone without going through Telus
and paying big time for the privilege. Add to that much smoother tonal balance,
and slightly better over-the-road performance, and it’s hard to think of any
reason not to spring for the extra $50 and go for the Nokia. To be fair, the
6265i has slightly lower earpiece volume and poorer ability to cope with
background noise on outgoing calls, but that’s hardly a damning list.
I normally don’t compare two phones on the basis of price in my conclusions
section, but the vast gap between the features and capabilities of the Nokia
6265i and the Pantech 3200, combined with a minimal price difference, makes this
comparison inevitable. It’s really too bad for the 3200, because it is a phone
worthy of your consideration. However, like the personnel officer who must
choose between 2 almost equally-talented applicants, they’re going to choose the
one with the better degree, or the greater work experience, or something else
that distinguishes one from other. To complete analogy therefore, the Pantech
3200 is the applicant with a high school diploma going up against an
equally-talented contender with a university degree. We all know who ends up
with the job.
