Hands-on with Pantech's C740 Matrix QWERTY phone for AT&T

Pantech C740 Matrix

Pantech C740 Matrix

Pantech C740 Matrix

Pantech C740 Matrix

AT&T and Pantech were nice enough to send us one of their new C740 Matrix dual-slider cell phones to check out. As you can see from the photos and video, the Matrix is a phone that offers users a traditional alphanumeric keypad as well as a full QWERTY keyboard. In fact, the phone looks very much like the Pantech Duo smartphone that AT&T offers. While the Duo is powered by the Windows Mobile operating system, the Matrix makes due with a far simpler feature phone user interface.

The build quality on the Matrix is pretty good, and the handset is stylish looking, if a bit blockish. We weren't horribly impressed with either the keypad or the keyboard, but having both options available is a very nice thing. The only real issue with the QWERTY keyboard is the layout, since it offers only 3 rows of keys. That messes with the positioning of the keys and prevents it from being laid out exactly like a normal keyboard. But otherwise, it worked pretty well. The 12 key keypad, on the other hand, just didn't offer the best feel.

Using the phone is a pretty simple task, and the menu and apps all switch from portrait mode to landscape mode very quickly. Creating and reading SMS and MMS messages is a piece of cake, and an IM client will let you handle more chatty friends without bursting your SMS quota.

The Matrix is a 3G HSDPA phone that also works on all four GSM frequency bands used in the world, which means that it can travel with you. The 2.2" display can show 262k colors, but only offers 176x220 pixel resolution. That means that it will be fine for mobile formatted websites, but not capable of doing hard core browsing or even photo viewing.

Speaking of photos, the Matrix offers a 1.3 megapixel shooter for those times when you want to save a piece of the fun. it can also record and play back video, which is nice, but the video quality can't compete with higher end, more expensive phones. The Matrix does handle music decently, though, supporting even Bluetooth stereo headphones (not included). Thanks to a microSD memory card slot, you can load up the phone with a fair bit of music.

While we like the similarly spec'd Samsung A767 Propel a bit better than the Matrix, due largely to its keyboard, the Matrix is still a very nice and affordable handset for people who like options when it comes to messaging. The Matrix is available in your choice of blue, red, and green for US$79.99 with a new contract, after a mail-in rebate. You can get it for even less from our own store if you click on the "Buy this Phone" link at the top of the page.

You'll find more live photos of the Pantech C740 Matrix on the following page.