The Propel Pro is a slider smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard for making messaging tasks simple. Based heavily on the i620 and i640 Windows Mobile smartphones sold outside of the U.S., the Propel Pro is something a bit different for the American market. When closed it has a very block-like form factor, but it is still compact enough to fit in a pocket. We’re no fans of the mirrored finish of the body, including the glare problems it causes on the 320×320 pixel display, but in terms of mechanics, it’s a good design.
The scrolling d-pad of the BlackJack II was very handy to have, but I think that people will be equally pleased with the Propel Pro’s spring loaded joystick. It offers very good control without having to move your thumb all over the place. The placement of the softkeys and other controls nearby make the device even faster to use - everything you need is nearby.
People that like the keys on a BlackBerry Bold will probably love the keyboard on the Propel Pro. It is a different experience from the spaced out keys on the Propel and BlackJack devices, but it is easy to use none the less. The downside of the Propel Pro’s blocky slider design is a bit of bulk. The Propel Pro measures up at 100mm x 61mm x 17.5mm (3.9in x 2.4in x .7in), and weighs a somewhat hefty 139.7g (4.9oz). But overall, we feel the benefits of the design are worth it.
Reception on the Samsung Propel Pro seems to be quite good, at least as far as 3G connections go. Call audio quality was pretty solid, but the speakerphone, while fine for the remote caller, was a bit too harsh for the Propel Pro user. The massive 1440mAh battery is rated as being good for up to 6.5 hours of talk time or 12 days of standby time, and those figures seem to be pretty reasonable based on our testing. Speed dials can be set for contacts and apps alike, and the Propel Pro comes with speaker-independent voice dialing capabilities right out of the box.
The contacts system in the Propel Pro is top notch, thanks to the Windows Mobile OS. Searching for contacts requires nothing more than typing a few keystrokes from the home screen. Users can even search on first and last name at the same time by typing a space, so that “Mi Or” would quickly find Michael Oryl. Profile support is functional, but not as flexible as what is offered by some other smartphone operating systems.
Like all Windows Mobile smartphones, the Propel Pro handles messaging tasks very well. Threaded SMS/MMS is at the user’s disposal, and it is easy to configure multiple email accounts on the device using POP, IMAP, or Exchange. The Exchange support allows for push email as well as over the air synching of contacts, appointments, and tasks. An IM client handles connections to AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo! messaging services. Data speeds on the Propel Pro averaged around 675kbps in our area, which is pretty speedy. Bluetooth headset and stereo A2DP(INFO) headphone support is included in the device, as is WiFi connectivity.
Multimedia / Applications
Unlike many of the Windows Mobile Standard Edition smartphones that Samsung has built for AT&T in the past, the Propel Pro comes equipped with an autofocus camera. The 3.2 megapixel camera on the phone takes very nice, usable photos. There is no flash built-in, and the camera shutter button doesn’t allow for repositioning the camera after focus is achieved, but we were quite happy with it none the less.
vibrant media
The Windows Media Player support in the Samsung i627 Propel Pro is quite good. The device synchronizes easily with a desktop PC or other MTP(INFO) compatible application, such as WinAmp. The Samsung designed skin is a nice change from the standard look of the player, as well. AT&T also includes support for XM Radio and the mSpot remote music sync application.
The Propel Pro makes use of the old and tired Pocket IE web browser, so nobody is going to be wowed when it comes to web browsing. The 320×320 pixel display helps a bit, but the phone would benefit from a new browser, such as Opera. Since it has built-in GPS capabilities, the Propel Pro is compatible with AT&T’s Navigator navigation system, which is built by Telenav.
Samsung is usually pretty good about loading up its phones with a ton of useful apps, and the Propel Pro is no exception. This smartphone comes with all of the typical personal organizer apps, as well as a slew of converters, timers, clocks and alarms, and a search application. The included DioOCR application does a great job of creating contacts by scanning business cards, too.
User Interface
As a Windows Mobile phone, the user interface on the Samsung i627 Propel Pro is not the phone’s strongest point. The WinMo interface is very long in the tooth at this point, and is in dire need of a massive overhaul. It just isn’t pretty enough to compete in today’s market, in spite of the fact that it is entirely usable.
The UI is consistent, which is always a plus, and the dedicated home and back keys are quite useful. We mentioned the nice joystick earlier, and the combination of those keys, the joystick, and the two softkeys mean that all of the necessary controls are easy to find.
The Sliding Panels home screen that Windows Mobile offers is a prettier alternative to some of the (many) other included home screen layouts, but doesn’t give you the “at a glance” access to information that the older layouts do. Samsung tried to mix things up a bit by offering the TouchWiz’ish “WizPro” layout, but the phone seems to lack the computing horsepower required to run it effectively, even though it otherwise operates quite well.
Related Articles From Handspreca Mobile
Writing by: Rubbi T. WidiantoroFiled in: Samsung