Samsung Galaxy Pro Review

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In a nutshell: The Samsung Galaxy Pro offers the twin benefits of a physical QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen-controlled Android smartphone. With Samsung's Social Hub at its heart, the Galaxy Pro is a superb messaging and social media device, with easy access to email, facebook and twitter. A 3 megapixel camera, media player with FM radio, Google Maps, fast internet access, Wi-Fi, plenty of memory and good battery life complete the package.

Review: April 2011.

The Samsung Galaxy Pro looks rather like a Soviet-era BlackBerry, if such a thing can be imagined. In place of a gently curving QWERTY keyboard, it has a stark rectangular grid of keys. It's also unusually wide: one of the widest phones we've seen in fact, which doesn't necessarily make it difficult to hold. It's flat too. In fact, it looks and feels rather like a pocket calculator. It's a phone with a certain amount of attitude.

It may look unusual, but if staying in contact when mobile is your goal, you'll find the Galaxy Pro to be a very handy tool. Because this is a BlackBerry with horns on. It's an Android-powered smartphone that not only has a full QWERTY keyboard, but has a touchscreen as well. And it's very much geared to social networking on the go, with facebook, twitter, email and texting all ready and waiting to respond to your touch. And with fast HSPA "3.5G" internet and Wi-Fi, you'll find out what's happening just as soon as it happens.

The Galaxy Pro runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, making it a very user-friendly and powerful machine, with easy access to all modern smartphone features, including over 100,000 downloadable apps from the Android Market. The 2.8 inch touchscreen is one of the smallest on an Android phone, but that doesn't matter because the Galaxy Pro is a different type of phone. It's more of a PDA and communications hub than a media phone. And the runaway success of BlackBerry in recent years demonstrates what a popular niche that is. In many ways the Galaxy Pro out-BlackBerries BlackBerry at their own game, thanks to the versatility of Android and the combination of physical QWERTY keyboard plus touchscreen. 2.8 inches may be small for an Android phone, but it's still bigger than the 2.4 inches you'll find on the BlackBerry Curve 3G.

The Samsung beats the Curve 3G in other ways too. There's a better camera here, with 3 megapixels and autofocus plus video recording. The media player supports a wide range of formats, including DivX movie playback, and there's an FM radio with RDS too. Being an Android phone, you'll also find a GPS receiver with assisted GPS and Google Maps, which is a real bonus. As for games? We'll just whisper Angry Birds.

The phone is well spec'ed with an 800 MHz processor making it respond just about instantly to anything you ask of it, and with 512MB of built-in memory plus a 2GB memory card included in the sales package, you've got plenty of data storage available. You can upgrade the memory card to 32GB if you need more.

Connectivity includes everything you could hope for: super-fast 3G HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and 1 3.5mm headphone socket. And there's a solid battery behind the scenes, delivering good battery life.

In fact, despite our first impressions of a rather cumbersome-looking device, we've found the retro-styled Galaxy Pro to have grown on us, and we can't really find anything to complain about. After a while even the size no longer seems unusual, especially as it's so slim. There's so much packed into this neat device that it seems surprising that it sells for less than the BlackBerry Curve 3G. Yet it does. Go buy it before anyone notices.

Features of the Samsung Galaxy Pro include:

3.15 megapixel camera with autofocus
Video recording
Display: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256,000 colours, 320 x 240 pixels (2.8 inches)
Media player with DivX support
FM radio RDS
MP3 ringtones, vibration alert
Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, email
GPS with Google Maps and digital compass
Personal organiser functions, Thinkfree Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF)
Memory: 512MB plus 2GB MicroSD memory card (up to 32GB supported)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
Internet: Android browser, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, YouTube, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA
Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), dual band 3G (900/2100)
Size: 109 x 68 x 10.7 mm
Weight: 103g
Talktime: 11 hours
Battery standby: 610 hours

Samsung Galaxy Pro User Reviews

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Average rating from 14 reviews:

Reviewed by Lisa Palmer from plymouth, devon on 12th Aug 2012
AN excellent phone all round. No complaints at all. The touchpad and qwerty key pad give you the best of both worlds! I was new to touchpad but this phone has made it extremely easy..A must have for anyone thinking about moving over to touch screen.
:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Sparrow from UK on 6th Aug 2012
I hate this phoe for the following reasons:

1. It is sold with a lousy bettary, this means that I had to purcharse a new one which last longer than 3 hours for the old one but I am lucky if it lasts until the end of the day.

2. It is sold with a lousy recharger and I has to purchase a new one too because it stopped working for no reasons.

3. Sometimes it does not always ring therefore I have missed quite a lot of calls and they are not always recorded on my missed calls either.

4. Worse my messages arrive sometimes several days later and this is not good for my business.

In conclusion this telephone is an absolute nightmare and I had ti revert back to my old Nokia waithing for my contract to expire.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by M.Manghat from UAE on 7th May 2012
I have been using Omnia B7330 for the past 18 months although I regret my decision to purchase it.It is not at all user friendly and freezes quite often.The volume control goes haywire frequently and the phone gets switched off automatically when you least expect it!! I used to be a Samsung phone lover and now would never recommend this to anybody. The service support here in the middle east is very poor and accessories are never availble!!!
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by jo king from england on 2nd Dec 2011
i had a blackberry before my galaxy pro, and much prefer the pro its fab, i love the aps, its so easy to use, everything about it really, even the size is good for me as i can always find it in my bag, only gripe i have is the battery does run down quick but i would deff get another samsung.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by salman from bahrain on 22nd Nov 2011
I bought this phone before 1 week its is ok very less app works. And adobe flash player cannot be uupdated man ........
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by vivek from india on 24th Sep 2011
Owsmmmmmm phone Gr8 fun to use Love it
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Roy from Paisley, Scotland on 8th Sep 2011
I have had this phone now for 2 weeks and had sold my Acer S100 to "UPGRADE" to the Galaxy Pro and what a difference. I know that the acer has a much bigger touch screen but if you have a qwerty keyboard you don't actually need such a large screen as typing is a joy with buttons, I'm never going back to a total touch screen option. The newer Android 2.2.2 on the Galaxy Pro is excellent and setting up Google and other email accounts is easy peasy. Im trying to find a fault with the phone but I cant, the only thing that was wrong or missing was the fact that I got the phone from 3 on PAYG and their was no headphones or screen protector or carry case. This may be a 3 thing, cos I don't know if other providers come with the said items but that is my only gripe. So not with the phone only with the packaging. All in all its a top class phone for calls messaging and surfing and you can get it cheap with 3. Its so good that I'm going to get one for my lucky little sis for crimbo cos she was drooling when she saw the handset yesterday. So go on and get one. I very much doubt you'll regret it.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by John Bradshaw from UK on 3rd Sep 2011
I have had this phone for long enough to know what it's worth. If I knew then what I know now! The features on this phone are fantastic, it punches well above it's weight. Forget Blackwhatevers and HTwhoever, this phone does it all and for the price you can not go wrong, untill that is you unplug it from the charging socket. That's when it all goes plumeting earthward. The battery is more or less usless in normal use. Sit on the bus or in the back of a taxi and get your phone out, we all do it, and start the games or flicking through files, 15 mins later you have a battery thats almost flat! This can not be right you say, switch off all the not in use applications, dim the display a little, even watch the film Apollo 13 for some energy saving tips and you gain perhaps a further 15 minutes of play time. The stated talk time is what, 6 or 7 hours? try less than 1 hour in the real world, even if you talk slower and whisper it won't last any longer! If Samsung can remedy the poor battery life they will have a real winner on their hands, untill then carry a charging lead or walk around with a solar powered charger on your head.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Billie from England on 29th Jul 2011
I have this phone and I am in love with it! Loads of people say that the resolution is bad but I seriously don't think there is anything wrong with it. I think it is a fast, modern phone and I would recommend it to anyone who wanted a new phone. The android market is good and you can access emails, facebook, twitter, tumblr etc. easily without fuss. The wifi works well and you can connect throughout a normal sized house. I love it loads and I haven't found any problems after 2 months!! :)
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Jay from UK on 30th Jun 2011
Very good phone! Although admittedly it is my first Android smartphone and I am very impressed at how good this OS really is. All my Google stuff works with this phone and is easy to set-up and use. The keyboard is nice and there is a touch-screen too and this was my main reason for getting this phone. It is very light and in fact probably the lightest smartphone I've ever owned. One thing I've been a bit disappointed about is the battery life. I have to charge the phone every day (otherwise it would go flat after approx 1.5 - 2 days) and it takes about 3 hours to completely charge the device. I do use the phone a lot for texts and emails and browsing so maybe this is the reason why the battery lasts so long. Overall, for a business like person this phone will do the job very well. I feel the phone is suited to more serious individuals rather then the kids market.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by lewis from uk on 16th May 2011
Hmmm! Did think this phone was really good and better than a blackberry. I've had the phone now for a few days and other than having a touchscreen (which at times is unresponsive) I have found that this phone has flaws. I thought that combining qwerty and touchscreen would be a good idea. I have a blackberry curve 3g and prefer it to type on than the galaxy pro as the extra width I find is awkward. The build quality is disappointing and the weight of the device is to light and feels fragile. I also feel that the android os is far to good to be on a mobile phone and needs to be less sophisticated for a mobile phone (smartphone). Android would be better suited for the likes of a tablet or laptop. I think a blackberry and its os if far more suited for a smartphone as it deals with the basics and works. Going back to the galaxy pro. Good phone. Great concept. Its features are to good in my opinion for everyday use. I know how it sound. Just what I think.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Lewis from UK on 14th May 2011
Perfect phone for everything I need a phone to do. I've had iphones, htc and other smartphones. Still like blackberry but the galaxy pro is better due to touchscreen nd qwerty keypad. Get it while you can.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by vince from United Kingdom on 11th May 2011
I would very much recommend this phone to anyone, it works really well easy to use the battery life is amazing, loads of apps very fast response to loading internet pages. although the camera is 3 mp during the day it takes some really good photos. I had a htc tattoo previously and this tops that even my mum had to get one she found it soo easy to use. the screen is a good size for a phone with a qwerty keyboard and the keyboard is a dream to use. This phone has made my life soo much more easier. i havent found any bad points to this phone the price was amazing compared to other handsets in the same price bracket. If your looking for a mid range for low end price this is the phone for you. Only thing i dont understand is why dosent samsung advertise this its an amazing phone for the price :-)
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by Scott from United Kingdom on 1st May 2011
I would hjighly recomend this phone to anyone including the hardcore blackberry user. I have had top of the range blackberries for the last few years and honestly they all get beaten buy this seriously reasonably priced device. And if u get a blackberry cuz of bbm...don't be a fool.. most phones and people have started using what's app it goes accross nearly all makes of phone and I speak to all my blackberry pals on there... since making the switch I am sooo much happier.. adobe flash support... amazing app store compared to the pathetic blackberry options and spotify is andriod friendly a complete step up... let's not forget the microsoft exchange sync ability without paying a penny extra.
Rating: Reply

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