Pantech Impact Comprehensive Guide to Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Design and Build

The Pantech Impact is a distinctive feature phone with a compact clamshell design aimed at users who appreciate the combination of a physical keyboard and a touchscreen interface. Released in November 2009, this device captures the essence of early mobile design trends with its sleek form factor and convenience-oriented features.

Measuring 106 x 52 x 17.8 mm and weighing 125 grams, the Impact is built with a focus on portability and robustness. Its exterior flaunts a glossy finish available in black and pink, making it appealing to a broad audience. The phone's flip-open action reveals a QWERTY keyboard, allowing for comfortable typing, which was one of its main attractions at the time.

Display and User Interface

The Pantech Impact has a 2.6-inch TFT display capable of displaying 256K colors, with a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels. This results in a pixel density of approximately 179 ppi, which provided decent clarity for its time. The screen size is modest but functional, catering to users who required basic multimedia and text functionalities without the complexity of a smartphone.

One of the unique aspects of the Impact is its touchscreen capability, a feature not commonly found in phones of its category during its release. The interface is straightforward, using a combination of touch inputs and the physical keyboard to navigate through the device’s features.

Network and Connectivity

The Pantech Impact supports GSM and HSPA network technologies, covering a wide range of 2G and 3G bands. It operates on GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 bands, offering reasonable network connectivity for voice and basic data services. The device also supports HSPA with speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps, which was sufficient for the limited online browsing capabilities it possessed.

In terms of connectivity, the phone includes Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for wireless audio streaming, a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer, although it lacks Wi-Fi capability, which might be seen as a drawback by today’s standards. However, its integration of A-GPS and AT&T Navigator provided basic location services for navigation.

Camera Capabilities

Photography on the Pantech Impact is facilitated by a 2 MP main camera, which was standard for feature phones at the time. The camera can capture still images and record video at 320p@15fps, enough for basic photography needs but far from the capabilities of modern smartphone cameras.

The lack of a front-facing camera reflects the design priorities of the Impact, which were not focused on selfies or video calls—a feature that has since become crucial in phones.

Storage and Memory

Internally, the Pantech Impact offers 80MB of storage space, which is quite limited by today’s standards but was typical for feature phones of that era. The device includes a microSDHC slot dedicated to expanding storage, allowing it to accommodate more data, which was primarily used for extra multimedia files and applications.

The phonebook capacity of 1000 entries, along with features like photocall, means users could maintain a robust contact list, emphasizing its role as a communication tool.

Battery Life and Performance

The device is powered by a removable Li-Ion 950 mAh battery, offering a standby time of up to 336 hours and talk time of up to 5 hours. While these figures seem limited compared to contemporary smartphones, they were adequate for the functions and network technologies the Impact was designed to support.

The hardware performance, though not explicitly specified in terms of processor and RAM, aligns with its competency as a reliable feature phone, suitable for calls, messaging, and light media activities.

Software and Features

Operating on a proprietary feature phone OS, the Pantech Impact offers basic communication functionalities, including SMS, MMS, Email, and IM. Its browser supports WAP 2.0/xHTML, providing limited internet access primarily for light browsing and checking emails.

Other features include Java MIDP 2.1 support for running compatible applications and games, enhancing its usability beyond core phone functions.

Audio and Multimedia

Multimedia capabilities in the Pantech Impact include a loudspeaker for audio output, although it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, relying instead on Bluetooth for wireless audio.

The absence of an FM radio is notable, reflecting limitations in its multimedia offerings, yet the phone can play basic audio and use its microSDHC storage expansion for additional media files.

Market Position and Legacy

Priced around 170 EUR at the time of release, the Pantech Impact targeted users looking for a mid-range feature phone that provided essential services without the complexities of more advanced smartphones. It captivated customers who prioritized physical keyboards for messaging over touchscreen interfaces that were becoming pervasive.

Today, the Impact would be viewed as a nostalgic artifact of the pre-smartphone era, representing a transitional design that emphasized simplicity and tactile feedback. Its discontinuation reflects the technological advancements that followed, yet it remains a notable model that catered to a specific user demographic during its time.