When shopping for a phone there are times that it’s fairly hard to just find a basic phone, they’ve all got several features and for the non-tech savvy person they can be intimidating. Even the most basic phones out there today seem to be trying to cram as many features into them as possible, a few things have become a standard on even the most basic phone, a camera, web browsing of some kind, Bluetooth and some sort of GPS navigation. It truly is hard to find just a very basic phone for someone who wants to just make phone calls, yes believe it or not there are people out there who don’t care for all of the extras and just want a phone to makes phone calls with.

Pantech has recently introduced a very affordable basic phone, it retails for only $130 without contract or no commitment pricing, and $40 with a two year contract with AT&T, it seems it would be cheaper in the long run to buy the phone without contract right? Anyway the Pantech C630 is a basic phone that does have some great features, but it doesn’t really focus on them, it’s primary focus is to be a phone, not a mini-computer, or a text messaging device, but just a phone to make and receive calls. The C630 does have Bluetooth, MP3 player, camera, GPS Navigation and more, but it’s a phone first and foremost, and a very good one at that. It’s form factor is the candy bar style, it’s slim, lightweight and overall very well made, it feels solid and sturdy in your hands and it’s easy to use.

In my time with the C630 I’ve grown quite attached to it, I like it very much, it’s basic, and it gets the job done. My main phone is an AT&T Tilt, which is like having a small computer in the palm of your hands, at times that’s just a bit much and I don’t need all of those features at all times, I’m happy with making and receiving calls and having Bluetooth for my hands free headset, a lot of times that’s all I need really. The Pantech c630 is a great basic phone that does offer some great features if you need them, but what it does best is make calls, and that’s what I think phones should be focused on, after all that’s their primary function. If you’re looking for a nice basic phone, that’s inexpensive and works great then look no further than the Pantech C630, so continue on to learn more about a great little phone…

First up is the video unboxing, so check that out and move on:

Specifications:

Pantech C630 – Gray

Overview
AT&T Exclusive! Get all the latest features with the Pantech C630 to stay connected on the go. Snap photos using the 1.3M camera, shoot video clips, and listen to new artists on the music player. Find hot spots with GPS and go wireless with stereo Bluetooth capabilities. Stay in touch with friends via Video Share calling capabilities or text, multimedia, and instant messaging.

Specifications:

Battery
Capacity: 930 mAh lithium ion
Talk time: Up to 5 hours
Standby time: Up to 16 days

Dimensions
Weight: 2.77 ounces
Size (inches): 4.1 x 1.7 x .46 inches

Memory
Expandable memory storage: 16 GB
Memory format: microSD

Wireless Technology
GSM/GPRS
850/900/1800/900 MHz
3G
UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900 MHz
EDGE high speed data network

Bluetooth technology: Stereo

AT&T Pricing at time of review:
No Commitment Pricing      $129.99
2-yr Contract Price     $79.99
Online Discount     – $40.00
Total Due Today     $39.99

Here’s the video of using the interface for you, it’s a Pantech phone so the interface is very similar to all other Pantech phones, but it works, and after a while you get accustomed to it.

Of course we’ve got the AT&T Bloat junk in there right in your face, but that’s not going to change until enough people complain about it. My fantasy is to someday be able to have the option of getting the bloat or not on your phone, I think people should have the choice of all that junk on their phone if they don’t want it. overall though the interface works fine, and I like the customizable shortcut menu so you can easily get to things that you use most often.

The phone itself is very well made, in my time with it I’ve grown quite fond of it for it’s basic, yet stylish looks and for it’s simplicity. It’s easy to use, it’s lightweight and it looks good and call quality is very good, what more could you ask for?

Yes call quality for me was very good, no matter where I went I had full bars and clear calls, I was talking to someone who believed Pantech phones were not that good, and he was very surprised that I was talking to him on one as he said the call quality was very good and very clear.

I used the C630 with both my Jawbone2 and Callpod Dragon V2 Bluetooth headsets, I had no problems at all connecting them, and it’s actually easier than with my ATT Tilt. Range was fine as well with Bluetooth, no problems to report there either.

The built in MP3 player is a nice added features that works well, yes it’ a basic media player, but for listening to music it works fine. You can also use MP3 files for ringtones, but not whole songs, you need to trim them down to like 15 seconds or so.

Battery life seems fine, in the 11 days I’ve had and used the phone I’ve charged it only three times, and that includes the initial charging on the first day, and I usually just leave Bluetooth on all of the time as well, so the C630 easily got the rated time from the battery.

Here’s a sample video taken with the C630 video camera:

The video camera is pretty bad with the C630, at least indoors as you can see, the sample pictures below were taken minutes before the video with the same lighting, fairly bright, and it seems the video camera needs more light for a good quality video. Then again if you look at the price of this phone without contract, it’s only $130 so really I didn’t expect top quality video from it, and neither should anyone else really.

Here are a few sample pictures taken with the 1.3MP camera on the C630:

 

Overall the pictures are not bad, but you’ve got to really hold the phone steady. The last picture is the clearest of the bunch, and as you can see close up isn’t the greatest either. Colors are very good though as is time to take the picture and you can choose to store them on your memory card or in the cameras memory.

Conclusion:
The Pantech C630, in my opinion, is a great basic phone, it exceeds at being a phone, it’s hard to believe I’m actually writing that about a phone, but with all of these phones out there that do so much stuff, it’s just nice to see a phone that is basically a phone. The C630 is well made, it works well, it’s easy to use and it even looks good, the cost is very inexpensive even if you buy it out of contract.

If you’re looking for a great basic phone that has some good extra features then be sure to check this one out, as I mentioned I like this phone quite a bit and I can easily recommend it to anyone looking for a quality, inexpensive phone that works well.

Pros:
Great call quality
Well made, small and portable
Good battery life
Very inexpensive
Basic, easy to use

Cons:
Video camera is not that good

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance