Samsung Galaxy Pro Review by

Feature set summary for Samsung Galaxy Pro review

You have the choice of 400,000 apps on Android Market, plus connectivity is excellent - offering A-GPS, HSDPA and Wi-Fi

Style and handling summary for Samsung Galaxy Pro review

The keyboard is cool, but overall the Galaxy Pro looks like a cut-price BlackBerry clone - it has an odd back cover and feels rather plasticky

Battery power summary for Samsung Galaxy Pro review

You'll get about a day out of the Pro, which is pretty much what you expect from a smartphone running sat nav and Wi-Fi

Performance summary for Samsung Galaxy Pro review

The display lets the handset down, with both its size and resolution, so that viewing movies and game playing is very average

User friendliness summary for Samsung Galaxy Pro review

The operating system is not the latest version of Android but is good enough to do the job. And while the QWERTY keyboard is easy to use, the small display lets it down

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It's no surprise that, as nearly every other handset maker has produced a BlackBerry clone, Samsung has also jumped on the bandwagon. Samsung has gone for the budget market with its Galaxy Pro, which features QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.2 Froyo.

On the button

You won't find many buttons on the handset - there's a microSD port on the top of the handset (which sits behind a nifty little sliding dust gate), along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right side of the handset is a tiny power on/off button, while on the left is a volume control. Turn it over and you'll see the back cover has an odd sort of stippled texture on it, which feels rough; so much so that you might even be able to grate cheese on it - not something we've seen other smartphones do!

It feels rather cheap to hold, with a plastic chassis that feels far from sturdy. It's very light at 103g and measures 108.6x66.7x10.7mm - it can feel broad in the hand to start with, but you'll forget that once you begin typing. The phone has been designed for email rather than surfing the net, featuring as it does a capacitive 2.8-inch touch-display and QWERTY keyboard.

On the small screen

The most noticeable thing about the display is its small stature, plus its resolution is just 320x240, which makes everything pixelated. Playing games, surfing the net and watching movies are not that enjoyable. We're also not sure that the small screen can really show off Android's media capabilities to its best. Although you can pick up the Galaxy Pro for just £130 on prepay, we suspect you'll be longing for a better media-centric device long before your contract ends.

Like the far more expensive BlackBerry Bold, which also doesn't manage to make the most of the OS, the main thing about the Galaxy Pro is the keyboard - which is excellent. It's slightly odd that there is a narrow line of the usual Android keys (Back, Home, Search, Settings) between the display and the keyboard. We often found our thumbs slipped onto the top row of the keys  Rather annoying.

The handset features a three-megapixel snapper that has no flash, but still manages to do okay in low light, although don't expect it to replace a ‘proper' camera. It also shoots video - but at 320x240 the results are not great.

Key points

So that may be rather disappointing, but the QWERTY keyboard is close to BlackBerry quality. The keys are a good size, domed and well spaced - it's a great keyboard for bashing out emails (or even something longer if you had the urge).

Connectivity is also impressive - you're treated to A-GPS, Wi-Fi and 7.2mbps HSDPA. Sat nav locked on really quickly, while web pages loaded fast.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY PRO DEALS HERE 

Our conclusion

If you want a handset primarily for calls and email, without paying out for a BlackBerry, the Pro will be for you. However, if you want more from the media aspects of Android, the screen is ultimately going to be too low-res and small to offer a decent experience.

By Miles J Thomas on 29th August, 2011

Tags: Samsung, Google Android OS, Android