Pantech may not be a well know cell phone brand here in the US, but still it has its own fans due to their inexpensive devices that have lots of features. It is an inexpensive device and is also the 1st smart phone on AT&T's 4G LTE network to be sold with a sub-$100 price tag. For me, this cell phone is an example of a great balance between price tag and performance. AT&T is currently selling the Pantech Burst and the Pantech Element if you are looking for a tablet. But if you are just looking for a bang for the buck phone, then this could be it! It is a solid smartphone for those who want to take advantage of AT&T's 4G LTE network. AT&T really knows how to provide great service to their users. Why? They have offered a handful of affordable phones and this time, it is 4G LTE compliant and runs an Android OS. By the way, the Pantech Burst costs $50 on a two year contract over at AT&T!

Carriers: AT&T Wireless	Retail Price: $449.99
Manufactured by: Pantech	Contact Price: $

Pros: The Pantech Burst is a 4G LTE compliant device that features a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. It comes with a mediocre 5-megapixel camera, and is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz processor.

Cons: The Pantech Burst's call quality is said to be disappointing. Its speakerphone seems to be not good as well and its battery is not easy to access. You actually need a tool to remove the back cover.

AT&T has done it again! The carrier is known for making or offering affordable phones to the masses and what’s more is that their new one is a 4G LTE device called the Pantech Burst. The Pantech Burst is a $50 LTE smart phone that comes with a surprising number of goodies. It features a 5-megapixel camera which for sure is not the absolute sharpest, but its 4 inch Super AMOLED screen that hits the spot. It also comes with a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video conferencing and is powered by a 1.5MHz dual core processor. It is presented in an eye-catching design which is kind of refreshing compared to a handful of Android 2.3 Gingerbread smart phones out there. The Pantech Burst’s call quality is not good, however, I am sad to say that if you are planning to use it for your day to day communication activities, you might want to test it out first in your neighborhood before actually buying the Pantech Burst, even if it is wallet-friendly. Let us talk about its design. When I first laid my eyes on the device, I liked what I saw. It is an awesome medium smartphone with an interesting style. It is presented in a titanium finish with rounded shoulders, a glossy face, & shiny black accents on its side, that creates that tuxedo effect. It also has these two strong ridges on its back, where the phone curves into the spines. This new Pantech smart phone sports a vivid 4-inch Super AMOLED display. It is pocket friendly and easy to hold on to. Not to mention its comfortable feel. It has dimensions of 5 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide by 0.45 inch thick. Its size is just enough where I can see what I want on its screen. It is not so large and can be easily squeezed using one hand into a front jeans pocket. It weighs only 4.3 ounces, which for me is neither too light nor too heavy. Its 4 inch Super AMOLED display, is bright with vibrancy, high contrast, and clarity. The Pantech's UI comes with an interface on top. Its lock motif features 6 icons that you can drag into a circle and for you to unlock or access the the call log, the browser, home screen, the music player, e-mail, or the messaging inbox. This is somewhat like the HTC's Sense UI, though there’s no option to open the camera. Like most Android devices in general, it has 7 customizable home screens, that can be seen at a glance whenever you pinch the screen. It also has drop-down notifications menu which include settings for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Here you can disable or enable the features with a finger tap. Its specifications and hardware features are pretty straightforward. Just above its screen, you will see its 2-megapixel camera lens, while on the back there you will find the 5-megapixel lens with flash. On the right spine, you will find the Micro-USB charging port. On the left spine you will find the volume rocker in black. On top, there is the standard 3.5mm headset jack and the power button that has this intriguing “tic-tac” form. To reveal its microSD card slot, you will need to pry off the stubborn back cover though. The Pantech Burst comes with the usual features like GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It can also act as modem and share WiFi connection to seven other devices. For me, its custom interface is easy to use, especially when adding accounts for Google and corporate e-mail. It is also easy to integrate with your social networking accounts like Facebook and Twitter. It also features video chat app Qik Lite, Social Network widget. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor that makes the device complete. Other Google apps and services include Maps, Places, Search, Talk, Books, Latitude, and YouTube. Essentials include an clock/alarm clock, a calendar, browser, music player, and voice search. AT&T placed its own set of apps which include a family map, your account info, AT&T Navigator, a code scanner, and U-verse live TV. Other pre-installed apps include Adobe Reader and Amazon Kindle along with compass,a converter, document viewer, a memo pad, and a movie app. Other apps and games include the Qik Lite app mentioned above, NFL Mobile, a PC Suite Connector app, an RSS reader, and Stocks. There is also a video player, and Yellow Pages Mobile. I am quite surprised to find out that the Pantech Burst's 5-megapixel camera took excellent photos. It is easy to use which can take photos in a various resolutions from 5 megapixels down to VGA. It comes with flash as well, 3 focus modes, and a handful of filters, white-balance presets, and shot modes. There's also this fun setting called Instant that works like a Polaroid that you can annotate. Its Super AMOLED screen is bright and accurate. Photos look pretty good and crisper and more vibrant. I also like the fact that its front-facing camera takes decent pictures as well,. Video quality is impressive also. Playback and volume capture was strong and was very detailed. When I tested the quad-band Pantech in our area using AT&T's network I experienced good call quality on my end though I could hear soft white noise. Same as with its speakerphone, it is just OK, with distortions specially when on high volume. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor which made navigation fast and smooth. It has a reliable battery that is rated to provide 4.5 hours of talk time, 10 days standby. Byw the way, it is an 1,680mAh variant. For me, the Pantech Burst is impressive. It’s almost perfect if not only for its poor call quality. It is indeed a great buy since it’s inexpensive with high end features and specifications!