Pantech Discover Review

Interface and Functionality:

On the surface, it might appear as though the Pantech Discover is running the same cartoony customized Android UI (on top of Android 4.0.4 ICS) we’ve seen on many recent devices from their stable, but there are some surprising additions. Specifically, they’ve upped the ante with the multi-tasking implementation, as there are “mini players” for the video and music players, which are overlaid on top of everything – so yeah, it’s neat feature to find. Additionally, it carries over the “easy experience” as well, which is a more unified and streamlined version of the UI that takes out some of the complexities of Android. And it wouldn’t be complete without its own personal digital assistant service with the “Smart Voice” app! All in all, it’s a valiant effort, but it doesn’t make any new strides.


Packing the usual assortment of organizer apps, the only thing that’s different from the usual bunch is the Notepad app, which also features a mini option for multi-tasking. Considering that the app has a mini option, it’s rather strange that Pantech doesn’t offer one to many of the other organizer apps – like the calculator, calendar, or contacts.


With its gargantuan display in tow, the on-screen keyboard is naturally spacious with its layout – and responsive too! Even with the ample layout, it would’ve been nice to see some numbers and punctuations being integrated into the main layout. Rummaging through the standard email and Gmail apps, there’s nothing out of the ordinary with them from other Android smartphones.



Processor and Memory:

Much like its contemporaries, the Pantech Discover is outfitted with a modern processor in the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus processor – coupled with a strangely lower-than-expect 1GB of RAM. Now, we’ve seen this chipset running exceptionally well with other devices, but with this, it breaks down under the pressure with more processor intensive tasks. Using a graphically intensive live wallpaper, a ton of lag and choppy movements become prevalent – though, with basic tasks, it handles them in an efficient manner. Considering that its benchmark scores are pretty good, the sluggish performance is more than likely due to the custom UI than anything else.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
Pantech Discover	5163	9853	57,1
HTC One X+	7244	13439	56,7
LG Optimus G AT&T	7669	11245	60,1
Samsung Galaxy S III US	4520	6111	59,4

At such a low price point, it’s quite comforting to know that the Discover is packing a modest 12.24GB of free internal storage out of the box, which can obviously be supplemented by its microSD slot.


Internet and Connectivity:

Even though it might exhibit some sluggish tendencies when navigating around the home screen with a live wallpaper of some sort, it rarely rears its head in the web browser. Instead, the overall experience is undoubtedly a rich one thanks to its speedy page loads (faster with 4G LTE connectivity of course), instant page rendering on the fly, and smooth navigational controls. Also, it helps that the high resolution of the display is able to definitively draw out even the tiniest of details.


Being a GSM/UMTS device, it’s enabled for global usage, which means it’ll be compatible to work with the majority of networks around the world – albeit, LTE connectivity domestically is achieved through AT&T’s network. Along for the ride, it also features aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot, DLNA, and NFC.