Samsung Propel Pro smartphone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard coming for AT&T

Samsung SGH-i627 Propel Pro

Samsung SGH-i627 Propel Pro

Samsung SGH-i627 Propel Pro

Today Samsung and AT&T announced the new Samsung SGH-i627 Propel Pro, a Windows Mobile 6.1 powered smartphone that uses the same basic form factor as the original Propel (a non-smartphone). But while the Propel and Propel Pro feature the same basic slider, QWERTY keyboard form factor, the new Pro model has many upgraded hardware features.

To start with, the Propel Pro gets a 3.0 megapixel camera with autofocus for shooting still photos and movies. The Propel Pro also comes equipped with a microSDHC^(INFO) memory card slot that can support cards as large as 32GB in size, for plenty of expansion room. Other features of note include a new joystick for navigation, aGPS navigation support, and the ability to work with Bluetooth headsets and stereo headphones. WiFi connectivity has also been tossed into the mix, for good measure.

The Propel Pro also has the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 feature set, like threaded messaging and the Pocket IE web browser, as well as push email and over-the-air synchronization with Microsoft Exchange servers. Samsung has included voice dialing into the package, to keep everybody happy.

The Samsung Propel Pro is slated to be available to consumers in April of this year for US$149.99 with a new two-year agreement.