There is a continuing uproar in smartphone market of today that 4G LTE based devices are too pricey for the budget minded cellphone buyers. If we analyze the facts and figures, it is an unavoidable truth that 4G devices are in fact costlier than their 3G counterparts. Although there is an attached baggage for any new technologies until it become similarly popular or outgrows the previous generation of technology in popularity and that is true for 4G too.
But Pantech is here in collaboration with Verizon to provide the 4G LTE smartphone that costs only $99 with a contract. Let’s take a look at the device.
What is it?
Verizon Pantech Breakout is a 4G LTE based device available for $99 after a $50 mail in rebate and definitely a phone for the budget minded and also fits for the buyers who just want a rather affordable smartphone which uses the latest technology to try out Android for the first time. There are lots of comparatively higher priced 4G LTE based phones available on the market like Droid Bionic, LG Revolution, Samsung Droid Charge and HTC Thunderbolt. We are also going to review where Pantech Breakout stands in comparison. Read on.
Key Features
Pantech Breakout has a complete plastic made body which is pretty obvious keeping its price in mind but feels pretty sturdy in hand. The device has a thickness of 0.472” which is not too high for being a deal breaker but it is not as thin as Droid Bionic from Motorola. At 138gm, the phone is not too heavy either, gaining a suit spot between heavy bricks and feather lights, a trait for this value for money device.
The display on Breakout is TFT LCD of 4” with a resolution of 480*800 (WVGA) and it provides a pretty vibrant picture quality for a standard LCD screen. Viewing angles on this screen are not very good but pretty usable for users who will be seeing it head on most of the times. Unfortunately, the screen pretty much washes out outdoors in sunlight. As Pantech didn’t use any oleophobic coating on the screen as found on higher end devices, the screen is a fingerprint magnet at its best and at times it is really hard to wipe it off.
Spec wise, Breakout has a 1GHz single core processor which is a break from dual core processors we usually see in all of those 4G LTE devices. Counting 512 MB of RAM onboard, the device is a not exactly a performance monster. Camera wise, the device has dual cameras as usual – a 5MP one at the back and a VGA based front facing camera for video calling. The device also has a GB of onboard flash memory for storing applications and supports up to 32GB of removable memory in terms of microSD cards. Breakout runs on a Pantech customized build of Android 2.3 or Gingerbread.
What’s Innovative
The inclusion of physical buttons on the front of the device sets it apart from the usual crop of Android devices in the market which opt for capacitive buttons. For the users who like tactile feedback from their devices, this addition of physical buttons is a nice touch. Another innovative point is the use of a dedicated camera button for starting the camera and taking pictures which is again absent in a lot of current generation Android smartphones.
Price and Availability
Pantech Breakout is available form Verizon on contract basis for a price of $99.
The up side
4G LTE mobile in affordable price.
Vibrant colours on LCD Screen.
Though equipped with single core processor, gives commendable performances in benchmarks.
Feels sturdy in hand.
The down side
Gaming performance lacking.
Display attracts fingerprints.
Camera does not have touch to focus.
Our take
As I mentioned before, Pantech Breakout runs on a 1GHz single core processor with paltry 512MB on board and but that doesn’t leave any bad marks in benchmarks. Using standard benchmarking software for Android like Qudrant, an average score of 1400 is received while other single core processor based phones like Motorola Droid X, Samsung Galaxy S and Nexus One scored around 1200. The phone also does not feel sluggish in general day to day usage scenarios barring a few incidents which might be caused by Pantech’s customization of Android. Lack of a dedicated graphics processor becomes obvious when one runs graphics intensive applications on the phone like games. Breakout plays the games without breaking a sweat or sluggish performances but the graphics and texture looks pretty horrible in comparison with other 4G devices.
Network speed wise, Pantech Breakout delivers download speeds of 7 to 9 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps on Verizon’s 4G network. Unfortunately, the mobile hotspot function of this device does not function with optimum quality and hangs from time to time even where network signal is strongly available.
Pantech Breakout’s rear camera is a 5MP one and has some good points. The camera focuses pretty fast but does not support touch to focus function yet. Another usability glitch remains as the camera does not just revert back to viewfinder as you snap a pic but the shot photo will remain on screen as long as you do not dismiss it for a new photo. Most likely a software update in the future can solve this pretty easily.
Call quality is not great on this phone and can only be described as okay if not anything else. The sound quality of received calls is again okay and not too good for a prolonged call if you are not using a pair of headphones.
Battery life wise, the Pantech Breakout contains a 1500 mAh battery and coupled with its efficient single core processor, gives a quite commendable day long battery life under standard usage of making few calls and surfing the web which other fancy and bigger 4G LTE devices can’t even dream of having.
So, for the concluding notes, Pantech Breakout is a good day to day usage phone which is perfectly fit for the casual users. Power users won’t like the constraints of this phone at all and should look at other 4G offerings like Samsung Droid Charge or HTC Thunderbolt.
