Review: Pantech Laser
Screen
The Laser has a 3.1-inch resistive touch display with 480 x 800 pixels (yeah, I was surprised by the high resolution, too). Colors look warm and sharp, but the display comes off a little dull looking. There's no problem using it indoors, but outdoor viewability drops to pretty much zero. Even on a completely overcast day, I was forced to seek out shadows in order to read the display. Still, it's nice to have all those pixels. It made text, web images, and other graphics look really nice.
Signal
The Pantech Laser didn't do quite as well as other phones on AT&T's network in side-by-side tests. Most of the time, it latched onto 3G, but I saw it drop to EDGE fairly often when coverage was spotty. Even so, calls connected regularly, and I didn't miss any calls with the Laser. Data was consistently average. It wasn't hell-yeah! fast, but it wasn't terribly slow, either.
Sound
Call quality on the Laser was good, but not great. Some calls exhibited mild noise and echo, while others were clear. Those who I called often noted that I sounded like I was talking through a computer. Volume was a big problem. Even set all the way up, the Laser was far too quiet. It was acceptable for a calm home environment, but outdoors on a city street or in a noisy coffee shop the Laser failed. The same goes for the speakerphone. It works in a quiet room, but even a TV can overpower the Laser's anemic amplification powers. The vibrate alert was solid, though I'd have preferred a bit more strength to it.
Battery
The Laser easily lasted more than two days on a single charge with basic messaging and light web browsing. With its 3.1-inch display, you might expect it to chew through a charge quickly, but it doesn't. Up the web usage a little or turn on the Bluetooth and you'll probably lose a half day of use.
CTIA Fall 2010
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Pantech Laser
