Pantech Burst - an android phone at a nice price

    What more or less sane smartphone today can be purchased for a little more than $ 100? So I recently asked this question and began the search.

    I did not want to buy a Chinese friend at all, I decided to study the markets of Europe and the USA for such a device, because often “they” can find outstanding devices for almost a penny. Two years ago, the hit was the Orange San Francisco (ZTE Blade) at a cost of £ 99, but for today it is of course decently outdated. What can it be replaced with?

    I want to bring to your attention a worthy replacement for the place of the old man - Pantech Burst at a cost of about $ 120!

    Pantech Burst is available for the American operator AT&T and is sold only in the US market. The model is presented in two colors - black and red. In the US, with a contract, it costs $ 50, but ebay is littered with new phones for about $ 120. You can also buy a locked device - decoupling from the operator does not cause problems, a decoupling code generator is available . Let's take a look at the technical specifications that are available to us for the money.

Specifications:

Operating system: Android 2.3, an official update to Android 4.0 is available
Display: 4 "Super AMOLED (480 x 800)
Processor: dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 APQ8060 - 1.5 GHz
Graphics: Adreno 220
RAM: 1 GB
Data storage: 16 GB + MicroSDHC
Wireless data transfer: Wi-Fi 802.11b, g, n, Bluetooth 3.0, LTE (does not work in the Russian Federation), GPS
Camera: 0.3 MP front camera, 5 MP rear camera
Battery: 1650 mAh (Talk time up to 4.5 hours, in standby time - up to 10 days)
Dimensions: 65.2 x 126.5 x 11.4 mm
Weight: 122 g

    As you can see from the table of technical specifications, the device is equipped with a decent enough, many will especially appreciate the Super AMOLED screen. In general, Burst was a balanced creation for the creators, while ZTE Blade was often blamed for a weak processor and a useless battery, then in the case of this device there are no such gross flaws.

    The processor and battery are quite at the level, the RAM is installed as much as last year's flagships. And 16 GB of internal memory is absolutely expanse, many do not need an additional memory card at all, by the way for which there is a MicroSDHC slot, if you do not have enough internal memory, you can always insert a memory card. Please note that the phone uses a MicroSIM card.

    A few words about the assembly - it’s just excellent, it doesn’t play anything anywhere, the phone feels nice to the touch, and it looks pretty nice (although it certainly tastes and color ...), it’s not a shame to get it from your pocket, but the device’s brand Pantech often attracts attention because Previously, this brand in the Russian market occupied quite prominent positions, but is currently not represented at all.

Equipment:

    There is nothing unusual in the kit - instructions, charging, synchronization cable, 1650 mAh battery, rear compartment lid and the device itself. Surprisingly, the manufacturer did not even put a penny memory card at least 2 GB in the box, in general, given the amount of on-board memory of 16 GB, an additional flash drive is not particularly required.

    By the way, people write on forums that finding a spare battery for the device is very, very problematic, neither ebay, nor the Chinese, practically sell spare batteries. If it happens that the battery dies, the search for its replacement may be delayed ...

    Complete charging is universal and suitable for our electric networks, so when buying Pantech Burst, take care of purchasing the appropriate adapter to our outlet, although of course you can also charge from USB. There are no free gifts in the form of a film or a cover, but what did you want for the money?

Interface, Android and Russification:

    Pantech Burst came to me with the version of Android 2.3, after connecting WiFi, an update via OTA to version 4.0 arrived. On w3bsit3-dns.com there is a Russified firmware Android 4.0 for our today's hero. If you have ever installed firmware on android backgrounds and are familiar with clockworkmod, you should not have any problems.

    I would like to pay special attention to the lock screen, because of its conciseness, I almost immediately fell in love with it. Firstly, you immediately see if you have missed calls or SMS, and secondly, if you pull the corresponding icon, you will immediately get to the right application, whether it is a dialer, mail or Internet browser.

    A few words about performance - since the device does not have a screen with very high resolution (yes yes, 480 x 800 already seems a little to someone), but there are simply no problems with the superior Qualcomm dual-core processor, the interface works very smoothly. I think if the craftsmen release the firmware with Android 4.1 and the working Project Butter, you can’t even find any interface brakes under the microscope.

    As I mentioned above - LTE unfortunately does not work for us, but HSDPA + works fine. There is no problem with the speed of the Internet. With 3G enabled and moderate use, Burst lives without incident for about a day away from the outlet, the result is certainly not so hot, but this is not ZTE Blade, which always wanted recharge by the end of the day.

Total, the pros and cons of the smartphone:

The price is by far the biggest plus.
Nice appearance and a wonderful Super AMOLED screen.
Good technical characteristics.
Excellent build quality. (Made in Korea).
Uniqueness of the phone, it is impossible to buy it in Russia.
Not the best battery, as well as its scarcity.
You can buy Burst only in the USA.
After the purchase, a flashing is required if you want to be able to install the Russian language.
Lack of warranty in Russia.

Buying Pantech Burst

    As I mentioned, the device is sold only in the United States. You can buy it on the site ebay.com . The price of a new Burst without delivery starts at $ 120, and a slightly used device in Mint condition can be bought for less than $ 100.

    Unfortunately, not all sellers are ready to send goods to Russia, there are two ways out, either to look for a seller who is ready to send your desired Burst outside the United States, or to use the services of intermediaries who will send the phone to you after having received it in the USA. The price in both cases with the delivery will be about $ 150, i.e. in the region of 4,500 Russian rubles, for this amount in the nearest communication salon you can be offered an Android-based smartphone with such technical characteristics that you won’t even dream about in a nightmare ...

    If the reputable habrasociety has any questions about the device or its purchase - please do not hesitate - ask.