Review of GSM-communicator HTC P3470 (Pharos)

Mobile-review have posted their review of the HTC P3470. Here is the final conclusion.

Conclusion
The reception quality was never an issue with the P3470 – our calls were pretty loud, although we could use some more volume for call-unfriendly environments. The loudspeaker is slightly above average volume-wise, meaning that it is likely to get to you while on a busy street. The vibro alert is moderate in terms of strength.

The communicator is set to arrive in early/mid May at a price point of 550-600 USD, which is what the still-on-the-market HTC P3300 costs. While a lot of things about these two communicators are similar, they still different in a couple of major ways:

New OS version – Windows Mobile 6
128 MB RAM (64 Mb in the P3300)
Revamped design
Better materials
Black color (the P3300 is available only in grey)
Pressable navigation wheel on the front fascia
Conventional button instead of the trackball
Macromode-enabled camera
Software enhancements (calling features, HTC Home)
Finger-based navigations (TouchFLO)
The list of what they have omitted is pretty short, though:

No Wi-Fi
No FM-radio
No car-kit and car charger in the sales package
Is the P3470 a worthy replacement for your HTC P3300, or it’d be better to wait for the Touch Cruise and take it instead? If you really crave for Wi-Fi, then it is pretty much your only option as far as HTC’s portfolio goes. In all other cases, however, the P3470 is the best communicator you can get to finally make your P3300 retire. The P3470 improves a ton on almost all fronts, plus it is easier to use and speedier in standard applications, navigation and menus.

The launch of the P3470 may spark an argument on whether this sort of update is okay, when it is nothing but a revamp of the previous solution. But HTC is on the right way – they are enhancing the features that the mass market covets, which will allow the P3470 to sell almost as well as the P3300, plus it will have one of the longest life spans in HTC’s range. At first it will be positioned as a replacement for the P3300, and then will get pushed down to the niche with entry-level GPS-enabled communicators.

Specifications:
Type: communicator
Form-factor: candybar
Competition: Mio A502, Glofiish X600, Gigabyte MW700, Asus P526
Position in the line-up: above the P3300
Materials used: plastic, soft-touch, metal
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6 Professional
CPU: TI’s OMAP 850 200 MHz
RAM: 128 Mb (~106 Mb available)
ROM: 256 Mb (~140 Mb available
Connectivity: microSD (SDHC), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (A2DP), USB 1.1 for charging/synch/headset
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900, GPRS/EDGE
GPS: SiRF Start III
Display: TFT 2.8” with a resolution of 320x240 pixels, shows up to 65 K colors
Camera: 2 Mpix, macro mode, self-portrait mirror, 176x144-pixel video recording
Battery: detachable 1100 mAh Li-Ion
Dimensions: 108 x 58.3 x 15.7 mm
Weight: 122 g (with battery)