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Introduced at CES 2009, the Pre is a new long-awaited smartphone from Palm. Featuring a 3.1" multitouch display along with a full QWERTY keyboard, it is one of the first smartphones to feature both types of user interaction. It also has a 3MP camera, complete with LED flash and 8GB of built-in storage. Palm aims to make the Pre the #1 competitor to the Apple iPhone by making it more fully featured than Apple's solution. The Pre will be exclusively with Sprint for the first half of 2009, although a launch date or MSRP have not been announced. A UMTS 3G model will be made available in the future. The release date for the Pre is set for June 6th 2009, from $199.99 after a $100 MIR.
MSRP $199.99
Release date June, 2009
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Pros & Cons39
Reviews24
Details
Buy It1
Competitors30
Related2
Gallery13
Pros & Cons
17 positive
2 mixed
4 negative
![[i]](/images/info.png)
How is the ProSCORE calculated?
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
approved reviewers from the ProductWiki community.
ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 155
Con votes = 53
Total votes = 208
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Details
Features
- Texas Instruments OMAP CPU
- 3.1" 320 x 480px multitouch display
- full QWERTY keyboard
- rollerball
- EVDO Rev A, WiFi & Bluetooth
- GPS capable
- 3MP camera with LED flash
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 8GB of built in flash memory
- Wireless charger
- 59.57 x 100.53 x 16.95mm, 4.76 ounces (135g)
Sprint Plans
Anyone buying a Pre will be allowed to pick from any of Sprint's "Everything" line of plans. This includes data and voice together. Sprint claims they do not want users going for voice-only plans because of extra charges they may incur without knowing while using the phone's various capabilities.
Individuals can choose from:
- 450 minute ($69.99)
- 900 minute ($89.99)
- unlimited plans ($99.99)
Families can choose from:
- 1500 minutes ($129.99)
- 3000 minutes ($169.99)
- unlimited plans ($189.99)
Business plans will follow a similar family model with 5 specific plan options, however no pricing structure is available.
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This report was started
January 8, 2009 at 5:43 pm by
Yale
with the last edit occurring
Yesterday, 1:54 PM by
Yale
This page has been viewed
3768 times,
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full report history »
Buy It
Palm Pre
• Palm Pre Cell Phone for Sprint, 3G EVDO Rev A, 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display, QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Wifi, 3.1 Camera
Competitors
Palm Pre is ranked 4th among it's competitors.
See the
top picks in
Smart Phones »
MSRP --
Released October, 2009
Pros
- 3.5mm Headphone Jack.
- Expandable memory (Up to 16GB) via microSD slot.
- Support for (even fullscreen) Flash.
Cons
- need a better processor
- The "Chin"
- Uses an older generation ARM 11 CPU, considerably slower than that used by Pre and iPhone
Palm Pre
0%
vs.
HTC Hero
100%
MSRP $649.00
Released October, 2009
Pros
- slide out QWERTY keyboard
- 5MP camera with dual LED flash, Carl Zeiss lens, lens protector
- WiFi
Cons
- unconfirmed battery life
- relatively unknown operating system means there won't be that many applications / might not take off
- currently there is no portrait mode support in Maemo 5 except for phone call functions (will be in Maemo 6, but uncertain if the N900 will see that update in late 2010)
Palm Pre
0%
vs.
Nokia N900
100%
MSRP $299.00
Released November, 2009
Pros
- open Android 2.0 OS
- WiFi
- large 3.7" touchscreen with high resolution (854 x 480px)
Cons
- annoying $100 mail in rebate to get to $199 price point
- camera is slow to take photos, properly focusing is hit or miss
- no multi-touch as in the GSM version for Europe (and though Android 2.0 would support it)
Palm Pre
25%
vs.
Motorola Droid (Sholes)
75%
MSRP $199.00
Released July, 2008
Pros
- GPS Support
- High speed 3G
- Good selection of free apps available
Cons
- Can't replace the battery yourself, can't replace with a "spare"
- Crippled Bluetooth (only hands-free devices supported)
- Battery life is disappointing
when using 3G
Palm Pre
38%
vs.
Apple iPhone 3G
62%
MSRP $199.00
Released June, 2009
Pros
- much faster processing
- video recording
- larger storage
capacities
Cons
- no background running apps
- not a revolutionary upgrade
- AT&T is not supporting many of the new updates quite yet - 7.2Mbps HSDPA in 2011, no tethering information/pricing, no MMS until later this summer
Palm Pre
40%
vs.
Apple iPhone 3GS
60%
MSRP $199.99
Released April, 2009
Pros
- built in
WiFi
- runs Android
-
GPS functionality
Cons
- no 3.5mm headphone jack
- no hard keyboard
- custom modified firmware for Rogers; disables many of the goodies of the US Android phones
Palm Pre
60%
vs.
HTC Magic
40%
MSRP $800.00
Released October, 2008
Pros
- Expandable storage
- Integrated GPS
- QWERTY keyboard
Cons
- Expensive
- Battery Life not so great when using Data; even in the background
- Removal of Tilt features compared to HTC TyTN II
Palm Pre
60%
vs.
HTC Touch Pro
40%
MSRP $179.00
Released October, 2008
Pros
- Large touch-screen
- Integrated GPS including Google StreetView
- Dedicated full QWERTY keyboard
Cons
- No headphone jack
- weak battery life with use of 3G
- No camera flash
Palm Pre
62%
vs.
HTC Dream
38%
MSRP $799.00
Released October, 2008
Pros
- Optic joystick (is getting used to)
- Opera Browser 9.5
- Li-Po 1500 mAh battery
Cons
- Initial price can be too much for some
- Change of panels can be slow for some
- Speaker sounds is not loud enough
Palm Pre
67%
vs.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
33%
MSRP --
Released January, 2001
Pros
- 480 x 800 WVGA screen
- Bright Clear High Resolution Screen
- 3.5 mm audio jack
Cons
- no camera flash
- no physical keys
- accessing SD needs to open the battery cover
Palm Pre
71%
vs.
HTC Touch HD
29%
MSRP $693.00
Released June, 2009
Pros
- 32GB of internal storage
- QWERTY keyboard
- microSD expansion slot
Cons
- very expensive
- no open source or lossless music format support
- only 3 rows of characters on the keyboard - space button is not in its proper place
Palm Pre
75%
vs.
Nokia N97
25%
MSRP $350.00
Released August, 2008
Pros
- 3G network connectivity
- Built-in GPS
- Tactile keyboard is faster typing than iPhone touchscreen
Cons
- Immature app-store
- Browser isn't as good as the iPhone's
- locking the phone does not disable volume/track control button on side
Palm Pre
80%
vs.
RIM BlackBerry Bold
20%
MSRP --
Released June, 2009
Pros
- large 4.1" touchscreen
- 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU
- GPS
Cons
- unattractive 3D user interface
- no internal storage
- Windows Mobile 6.1
Palm Pre
80%
vs.
Toshiba TG01
20%
MSRP $299.00
Released December, 2008
Pros
- features Android
- $299AU without contract
- best of both worlds - keypad with tactile response and touchscreen
Cons
- not a well known manufacturer
- cannot be serviced or replaced very easily in NA
- no camera, GPS or WiFi connection
Palm Pre
83%
vs.
Kogan Agora
17%
MSRP $689.50
Released November, 2009
Pros
- WiFi
- open Android 2.0 OS
- large 3.7" touchscreen with high resolution (854 x 480px)
Cons
- no Google Maps Navigation
- flash memory isn't integrated into the device, the only option is microSDHC (not as fast)
- all plastic enclosure
Palm Pre
vs.
Motorola MILESTONE
MSRP $439.99
Released July, 2008
Pros
- 8 or 16gb of internal storage
- microSD slot for storage expansion
- Touch screen
Cons
- Onscreen keyboard somewhat cramped
- Confined to preloaded widgets
- Stylus either hangs buy a string on the phone or is not attached (although works well without it)
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Samsung i900 Omnia
0%
MSRP $699.00
Released August, 2009
Pros
- full QWERTY keyboard
- WiFi
- 5MP camera with auto-focus
Cons
- software is still buggy - can lead to freezeups
- enhanced BLUR widgets (eg/ "Happenings") cannot be resized, relocated or removed altogether
- no internal storage
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Motorola Cliq
0%
MSRP $600.00
Released November, 2008
Pros
- has the ability to cut & paste
- First touchscreen Blackberry
- built in GPS
Cons
- interface can be slow
- no WiFi connectability
- tactile touchscreen can take some getting used to
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
RIM BlackBerry Storm
0%
MSRP --
Released February, 2009
Pros
- QWERTY keyboard
- GPS
- WiFi 802.11 b/g
Cons
- runs Windows Mobile 6.1
- no internal storage
- fingerprint magnet
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Acer M900
0%
MSRP $700.00
Released October, 2008
Pros
- Opera-mini browser rivals mobile safari
- Slick touch screen interface
- Auto-senses rotation to switch from portrait to landscape modes
Cons
- Non-Expandable memory - Limited to 4GB internal memory
- Gets hot under regular use
- Runs Windows Mobile which can be quite slow/bloated
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
HTC Touch Diamond
0%
MSRP $129.99
Released June, 2008
Pros
- Standard headphone jack - no need for adapter
- Visual voicemail lets you choose the messages you want to listen to
- Comes with 2 batteries
Cons
- Slow web browser
- GPS maps don't go into landscape mode
- short talk time
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Samsung Instinct
0%
MSRP $399.99
Released March, 2009
Pros
- 2.8" AMOLED touch screen
- 8MP camera with dual LED flash
- 30FPS VGA video recording
- thin and compact
Cons
- no WiFi
- not a real operating system
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Samsung UltraTOUCH S8300
0%
MSRP $700.00
Released September, 2009
Pros
- 3.2" touchscreen display
- full QWERTY keyboard
- 8GB of internal storage
Cons
- not much smaller than the N97
- no lens cover
- keyboard is worse than that on the original
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Nokia N97 Mini
0%
MSRP $539.99
Released February, 2009
Pros
- interchangeable/expandable memory with memory stick micro card slot
- 8.1MP digital camera
- WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G connections
Cons
- uses proprietary memory card
- memory stick micro has a capacity limit of 32GB, currently very expensive (8GB is ~$50)
- very limited internal memory
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Sony Ericsson W995
0%
MSRP $649.99
Released September, 2009
Pros
- now includes WiFi
- 3.2MP camera
- 3.5mm headphone jack
Cons
- no QWERTY keyboard
- heavy
- limited internal storage compared to other consumer targeted offerings
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
RIM BlackBerry Storm 2
0%
MSRP --
Released September, 2009
Pros
- high quality, high resolution 8.1MP camera
- large 3.2" WVGA touchscreen (480 x 800px)
- microSD/microSDHC card reader for external storage
Cons
- lacks internal storage
- runs Windows Mobile 6.5
- heavy and large
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2
0%
MSRP $200.00
Released July, 2009
Pros
- standard (solid) BlackBerry build quality
- standardized battery - same that can be found on the Storm or Curve 8900
- 256MB of RAM
Cons
- no WiFi
- operating system has not been updated
- annoying black border around the display
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
BlackBerry Tour 9630
0%
MSRP $90.00
Released July, 2004
The Motorola V3 RAZR cell phone is easily identifiable by its smooth, metal finish and sleek design. Featuring bluetooth wireless technology, the phone is capable of sending sound, images and video without the hassle of wires, making media-based communication simple for its users. The design of the V3 is characteristic of the RAZR's super-slim...
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Motorola V3 RAZR
0%
MSRP $240.00
Released January, 2005
The Motorola RAZR V3 is an ultra-thin flip mobile phone with the rich functionality and performance excellence of a $500+ phone, but the affordability required for the average consumer. It features a metal finish that reflects light, along with a blue electro-luminescence panel that renders each key visible to the eye. In addition, the...
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Motorola RAZR V3
0%
MSRP --
Released July, 2007
Pros
- Beautiful screens; extremely large outside screen
- High-quality finish
- Built more solidly than the first Razr (higher quality materials)
Cons
- Every touch leaves fingerprints and smudges (due to high-shine paint)
- Easy to hit wrong button (e.g. press 1, when trying to press 4)
- Keypad is too reflective, making it hard to read in bright light.
Palm Pre
100%
vs.
Motorola RAZR2
0%
Reviews
May 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- wireless charger
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- 8GB of internal storage
- compact size
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- light and proximity sensors
- one of the, if not the most fully featured phone to date
- huge 3MP camera with flash
- 2-year contract for base $199.99 cost (as opposed to a 3-year)
- Bluetooth/USB tethering
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- will be very expensive or highly subsidized by long contracts
- large and quite annoying $100 MIR
- hard to protect with a case
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
June 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- Synergy system aggregates all your online identities and contacts into one place
- great display that is clear and vibrant
- small form-factor is great to hold and fit in your pocket
- one of the, if not the most fully featured phone to date
- huge 3MP camera with flash
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- large and quite annoying $100 MIR
- The screen is much smaller than iPhone screen
- hardware has a lighter and lower quality feel
- the keys on the keyboard are extremely small
- webapps only at launch
Comments
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
April 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- 8GB of internal storage
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- no expandable memory
- will be very expensive or highly subsidized by long contracts
- may have to purchase Touchstone separately
- hard to protect with a case
- The screen is much smaller than iPhone screen
- no youtube?
- no music/app purchasing from the phone
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
January 13, 2009
approved
reviewer
want it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- powerful processor
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- runs Palm's webOS platform
Cons
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- will be very expensive or highly subsidized by long contracts
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
June 16, 2009
approved
reviewer
love it
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- wireless charger
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- 8GB of internal storage
- compact size
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- light and proximity sensors
- Synergy system aggregates all your online identities and contacts into one place
- great display that is clear and vibrant
- small form-factor is great to hold and fit in your pocket
- one of the, if not the most fully featured phone to date
- huge 3MP camera with flash
- 2-year contract for base $199.99 cost (as opposed to a 3-year)
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- no expandable memory
- may have to purchase Touchstone separately
- no tethering capabilities out of the box
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
Monday, 4:25 AM
approved
reviewer
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- wireless charger
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- 8GB of internal storage
- compact size
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- light and proximity sensors
- Synergy system aggregates all your online identities and contacts into one place
- great display that is clear and vibrant
- small form-factor is great to hold and fit in your pocket
- one of the, if not the most fully featured phone to date
- huge 3MP camera with flash
- Not Apple
- 2-year contract for base $199.99 cost (as opposed to a 3-year)
- good brand
- better than the apple iphone!
- Bluetooth/USB tethering
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Competitors
Adam Smith prefers
Palm Pre over
Motorola Droid (Sholes),
Apple iPhone 3GS,
Apple iPhone 3G,
HTC Magic,
HTC Touch Pro,
HTC Dream,
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1,
HTC Touch HD,
Nokia N97,
RIM BlackBerry Bold,
Toshiba TG01,
Kogan Agora,
Samsung i900 Omnia,
Motorola Cliq,
Acer M900,
HTC Touch Diamond,
RIM BlackBerry Storm,
Samsung UltraTOUCH S8300,
Sony Ericsson W995,
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2,
Nokia N97 Mini,
BlackBerry Tour 9630,
RIM BlackBerry Storm 2,
Motorola V3 RAZR,
Motorola RAZR V3,
Samsung Omnia HD i8910
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
June 15, 2009
approved
reviewer
want it
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- wireless charger
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- compact size
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- light and proximity sensors
- Synergy system aggregates all your online identities and contacts into one place
- great display that is clear and vibrant
- small form-factor is great to hold and fit in your pocket
- one of the, if not the most fully featured phone to date
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- no expandable memory
- may have to purchase Touchstone separately
- large and quite annoying $100 MIR
- hardware has a lighter and lower quality feel
- no youtube?
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
January 15, 2009
approved
reviewer
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- powerful processor
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- wireless charger
- great wireless connectivity - EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, 802.11, Bluetooth
- compact size
- Synergy system aggregates all your online identities and contacts into one place
- huge 3MP camera with flash
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- will be very expensive or highly subsidized by long contracts
Competitors
fractalhorizon prefers
Palm Pre over
Nokia N97,
HTC Touch HD,
RIM BlackBerry Bold,
HTC Magic,
HTC Touch Pro,
Toshiba TG01,
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1,
Acer M900,
RIM BlackBerry Storm,
HTC Touch Diamond,
Samsung Instinct,
Motorola V3 RAZR,
Motorola RAZR V3,
Motorola RAZR2,
Samsung Omnia HD i8910,
Sony Ericsson W995,
Samsung UltraTOUCH S8300,
HTC Dream
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
February 20, 2009
approved
reviewer
love it
want it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- can have multiple applications running at the same time
- beautiful iPhone-esque interface
- 8GB of internal storage
- large multitouch screen
- light and proximity sensors
Cons
- no higher capacity models
- exclusive to Sprint for the first half of 2009
- no expandable memory
- will be very expensive or highly subsidized by long contracts
- hard to protect with a case
Competitors
pocadotz prefers
Palm Pre over
HTC Dream,
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1,
RIM BlackBerry Storm,
HTC Touch Diamond,
Samsung Instinct,
HTC Touch HD,
Samsung Omnia HD i8910,
HTC Magic,
Sony Ericsson W995,
Samsung UltraTOUCH S8300,
Kogan Agora
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
January 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- full 3.5mm headphone jack
- removable battery
- backlit QWERTY keyboard
- wireless charger
- 8GB of internal storage
- compact size
- large multitouch screen
- runs Palm's webOS platform
- huge 3MP camera with flash
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
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