Pantech Link Review
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Mostly finding its niche predominantly in the text messaging class of phones, Pantech is easily becoming more relevant and well-known with each handset they push out. We've seen them experiment in various form factors such as the multi-sliding Pantech Matrix all the way to the side-opening clam-shell Pantech Impact. In their latest offering with the Pantech Link P7040, they've reverted back to the QWERTY slate form factor that was last seen on the Pantech Slate – a device that was humble to its roots, but offered plenty of functionality. Naturally there is a pattern we see with this handset as it attempts to link the gap between those basic users who are hesitant on jumping up to a full featured smartphone.
The package contains:
• Pantech Link
• Charger
• User Guide
• Quick Start Guide
Design:
So here we are again seeing another portrait QWERTY handset in the Pantech Link – but surprisingly enough, it manages to improve in almost every aspect when comparing it to the Pantech Slate. Exuding a design that looks eerily most similar to the Nokia E71, the Link is extremely sleek (0.39” thick) and radiates a high level of quality in its design. Clearly it's constructed out of plastic, but the unique metallic paint job used on the bezel and patterned rubberized back cover adds to its overall appeal. Thanks to the choice of materials, the Pantech Link is extremely light weight (3.21 oz) and doesn't feel noticeable in the pockets. Pantech's evolution is evident as we've seen them progress greatly from the cheap feeling Pantech Slate to the current Link which shines brightly with a construction and design that rivals closely to some smartphones.
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The Pantech Link is extremely sleek and radiates a high level of quality in its design | ||
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You can compare the Pantech Link with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.
Continuing in its overhaul, the Pantech Link's 2.4” QVGA LCD display with support for 262k colors does well in most conditions – but we found that it had some poor viewing angles. Despite that, the bump in resolution does help in meticulously reading out text while colors still looked a bit on the dull side. Navigating wasn't a chore thanks to the tactile circular directional pad that was supplemented by the usual set of large sized dedicated buttons. The left edge of the phone houses the microSD slot and decently sized volume rocker while the right side accommodates the proprietary charging port and dedicated camera button. Finally, you can find the 1.3-megapixel camera with self-portrait mirror and speaker phone on the back while removing the rear cover gives you access to the battery and SIM card slot.
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The sides of the Pantech Link | |
Just taking a quick glance at the Pantech Link's QWERTY keyboard instantly reminded us of the one found on the Nokia E71 – it has a strikingly similar look with its tiny keys that don't offer any spacing in between them. However, they are slightly raised towards the middle which provides a rather distinct feel between each key. Additionally, the weak back-lighting made it even more difficult to make out keys in the dark – it's something that should pose no problem on any device. Nonetheless, we liked the solid feel when pressing down a button which made typing a decent experience despite its cramped nature.
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The QWERTY keyboard reminds us of the one found on the Nokia E71 | |
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9 Comments
1. networkdood posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:55 0 1
ok, again, we have plenty of these types of model phones on AT&T's network....where are the phones that can rival IPHONE?? oh, nevermind, STEVE JOBS forbids it.....I wonder with all of that extra cash if he will buy AT&T.
2. oni_brandon (unregistered) posted on 12 Nov 2010, 07:48 0 1
This is absolutly the WORST phone I have ever owned! DO NOT BUY!! It freezes constantly. It has a low text memory. you have to empty your Inbox almost everyday or it freezes up. And even in the process of emptying it may still freeze and you have to removed the battery. The internet rarely ever works. I'm sitting at home with all my bars and 3G and still won't connect to the internet. Save your money for a phone that works like it should.
3. Mongo posted on 15 Nov 2010, 00:31 0 0
How weird that oni_brandon posts the exact same comment on all the Internet reviews for the Pantech Link. Word-for-word. It's like he cut-and-pasted this comment, as if he's got some sort of interest in spreading negative rumors... Almost like he's getting paid to do it or something.
It's really odd considering that most pro reviews give the Pantech Link good marks, and say nothing about the issues oni_brandon mentions in his copypaste comment.
4. washPA (unregistered) posted on 15 May 2011, 19:43 0 0
I picked this phone for two reasons: 1) I liked that the keyboard had raised keys (vs. the sliding phones that had flat keys) and 2) I liked that the messaging showed up conversation style. Unfortunately, I will be returning this phone two days after getting it because it is no good for texting, my primary purpose for having a phone. It held very few texts (less than 100 for me) and the messaging feature froze when the inbox was full. Definitely not ideal if you're someone who texts a lot.
7. Kate (unregistered) posted on 24 Sep 2011, 20:26 0 0
ONI_Brian is right. We have this phone and it does exactly what he says. I can't even find this phone on the Pantech site. Terrible waste of money. Wish I could return it
8. Real User (unregistered) posted on 05 Oct 2011, 17:52 0 0
I have this phone, and love it. I researched a LOT of phones as I wanted a capable feature phone that could work like a smartphone, but without the smartphone charges. This is it - it is an improvement over my Blackberry.
9. Josh (unregistered) posted on 12 Oct 2011, 16:16 0 0
Is true... it fils ups with text messages quick and it freezes constantly. Don't buy this phone
10. david-webb posted on 15 May 2012, 09:21 0 0
i agree, this is an okay phone, except for the freezing part. It drives me crazy, for me it has a capacity of 30 text messages, and whenever i use the "auto-delete" function, all it does is freezing. Constantly having a frozen phone, actually everything works fine, except acessing the text messages, is really frustrating. Only solution i found so far was taking out the battery, restarting the phone or deleting the text messages by hand (which isnt possible until you use one of the two methods for restarting the phone).
maybe using an SD card for increasing the storage capacity for text messages could fix the problem, but that would just be a temporary fix until the storage is full. Postponing the problem, but not fixing it.
i am not sure if i can return it, but i considered it more than once
