Pantech is famous for its budget Android
smartphone, and Flex is not an exception. Available on AT&T for $50 with a
2-year contract, it offers dual-core Snapdragon chipset – similar to that in
Galaxy S III and One X – along with qHD screen and LTE connectivity. Of course,
the phone is suitable for deal hunters but there’s something distinguish Flex
from other smartphones on the market: it has two faces.
Guys, recall the memories about At Ease,
Microsoft Bob and Packard Bell Navigator. Pantech Flex has a unique launcher
called Easy Experience, serving those looking up to ICS too much. Fortunately, there’s
another standard launcher for professionals. From that aspect, Flex deserves
its fame. Unlike most phones in the market, it aims at low-budget students and
tech lovers. Of course, we are here to answer a bigger question: Does Pantech
deserve being your next smartphone? Let’s find out.
AT&T
Pantech Flex
Hardware
We talked a bit about Pantech’s interior
but now’s time to discover everything. The smartphone has Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
SoC MSM8960 which incorporates dual-core Krait CPU 1.5GHz, Adreno 225 GPU and
many connection options. It includes LTE support through bands: 700, 850,
1700/AWS and 1900MHz, along with HSPA+ for 850, 1900 and 2100MHz. When visiting
countryside, you have access to 4 bands. However, remember to unlock Flex to get
out of AT&T’s coverage, and due to that, the phone will be considered by
T-Mobile subscribers in the US in where the provider uses 1900MHz for 3G
access. As you may expect, the phone offers 802.11a/b/g/n and Wi-Fi Direct,
Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONASS. Sadly, Flex lacks NF, meaning there’s no
support for Android Beam or NFC-based payment system like Google Wallet or
Isis.
Hardware
While Pantech is clearly a cheap smartphone,
the 4.3in qHD (960x540) display is among the best of its segment. It offers
excellent touch-sensitivity, great viewing angle and medium-high resolution. Though
separate pixel are more tightly packed than WVGA (800x480) options, the Super
AMOLED screen has PenTile matrix, making texts a little blurred. Rationally,
Super AMOLED’s advantages include deep black, increased saturation and better
vividness. Unfortunately, the screen is not ideal for use under direct
sunlight. Note that if you not a fan of AMOLED, LG Escape (AT&T, $50)
offers a similar 4.3in qHD display though with IPS panel for better sharpness.
Pantech Flex appears at AT&T as a
natural successor for Burst. While its big brother had succeeded in bringing
dual-core processing and LTE speed to the crowd, the thick plastic layer makes
it hard to avoid the cheap status. From the view, it’s easy to understand what
Pantech is hoping this time. With Flex, Pantech gets rid of the completely
plastic layer to make room for a more industrial design having the mix of metal
and plastic details. It is also bigger and slimmer than before, with the size
of 130x66x8 mm.
Flex’s design is best described as messy –
imagine if Samsung Focus and Droid Incredible 2 arranged a regretful night date.
Above all, its design is uneven and lacks of unity. Both volume rocker and
power button have rough details, helping you to identify buttons with feeling
easier. Unfortunately, this smart moves are turned down by the power button’s
low-appreciated position: in the middle on the right. Right-handed people will
see their thumbs cover the bare USB port naturally, where the power button
should be. It not only makes it hard to wake up or put the device into sleep
but also means that micro-USB port will collect your hand’s sweat. This may
lead to hardware issue. It may not be a problem for the left-handed but the
majority will hate the layout. As there’s no status light, pitifully, yet it is
a small sacrifice.
The
device’s side view
One of our complaints about Pantech is that
the capacitive buttons are not so sensitive. This time, that’s not a problem as
Flex’s navigation buttons are totally software-based – like of Galaxy Nexus. The
final result is more compact body than before. However, if Flex win this game
it loses another one. In this case, that is the prominent edge around the
screen. No word needed, it creates an anxious feeling every time when the thumb
touches over the rough edge, and your only hope is that you will finally smoothen
the plastic to make its level the same as the screen’s one – however, until
then you may find a new smartphone.
Removing Flex’s back is quite easy, which
is a good thing, according to that the phone will partly sold to the elder. Below,
you will see 1830mAh battery, beside micro-SIM and micro-SD slot. The phone
includes 1GB of RAM, along with 8GB storage (5.5GB available).
Environment-concerned customers should bear in mind that Flex stays at a pretty
low level on AT&T sturdiness benchmark: 2/5.
