Pantech Matrix C740
Average Ratings
Pantech Matrix slider problem
This is a great phone, however, during manufacturing, there was a certain lot of these phones that went out without bondo adhesive that keeps the phone attached to the peg that keeps the slider on its track. From what I understand, Pantech is trying to rectify this problem. They know it to be a real problem. That is all i know at this time. Overall the phone is great, it is much better than the DUO which didn't have the raised keys on the keyboard. The full QWERTY keyboard makes for great exiting.
Perfect for the texter/talker in the household
Another AT&T phone, and everyone thinks "oooo, another Pantech. I'll pass."
Don't pass this one up too quick. Its a great "all in one" device for those who want a good, reliable text/talk phone without moving up to a PDA.
PROS:
Keys are very nicely laid and spaced out. About 30 mins should give all you need to adjust to the QWERTY keyboard.
Reception is very good. Had no problem on either end from others as well as on my end.
Dual slider for text/calling is a nice twist you don't see everyday.
Internet is not bad for a phone, but you can't expect "PDA" internet, but very nice for the price.
GPS navagation is a steal at only $20 a month for full internet & GPS sub per month.
CONS:
Battery is a little disappointing, so beware if you text religiously. You'll be charging every night, but only a minor annoyance.
Its a little confusing to turn off the speaker phone too, and I inadvertently hung up on someone trying to find how to turn it off.
Overall, a great addition to AT&T's lineup they've badly needed with a majority of carriers turning to QWERTY devices that aren't designed for business users. A great choice for any teen or fan of the text message.
its a good/bad phone
its a pretty easy and simple to use
i hated how the controls on the front face of the phone are squished uncomfortably down at the bottom at first, but after a day or 2 of getting used to the buttons bein tiny, its not half bad
my biggest complaint i have about the phone is that it kept restarting when im in the middle of a text and after doing more research my matrix isnt the only one that keeps restarting
i hate how the charge port is stiff to open, eventualy mine broke off and i found out its much better without it on
its best to invest on a screen protector, the screen gets scratched very easily
its great for texting, its my first full keyboard phone ive used and i was worried it was gonna take me forever to get used to it and it only took me a few hours to get used to texting with it
sadly my matrix got ruined and i was stuck using a pink Razor (a guy cant look tough using a pink phone lol)
ahhhhhhh i cant wait 2 more days for my replacement matrix
just to clarify.
i noticed a review that mentioned a major structural flaw. there was a problem with the matrix when it was first released. that has since been resolved and if your phone happened to have the problem with it coming all the way off the slider all you have to do is take the phone to a store to get it exchanged.
Matrix slider off track
I just bought this phone for my son, a text machine. 10 days and the slider has already broken. Keyboard works well and display is nice. We have a major structural flaw. The slider has broken free from its track and since its a mechanical break, this phone is not returnable to ATT under the 30 return warranty. I am trying to work with ATT but they haven't acknowledged enough breakdowns to classify it as a problem. We have already located other kids with the same problem and I will update this board if I can get it resolved. Hard to be more favorable about the rest of the phone if it falls apart.
hide detailed ratings
Eh, it's alright
My first ever Pantech phone. I had always been reticent to buy a Pantech phone because I heard they were mixed bags, but I found a second-hand Matrix for about $20 so I got it.
Reception is quite spotty. In my computer room the phone has zero bars but doesn't lose connection to the network, and then randomly jumps from 2-4 bars, then zero again. To be fair, in the rest of the city the phone usually maintained a good signal and never dropped a call.
Sound quality was good on both ends, I had no problems hearing or being heard. I had no problem holding a conversation is a loud environment.
The music player takes half a decade to start but when it does, I could listen to music by Bluetooth with no problem... even though the player is slow to switch songs.
The camera captures moments on the go just fine, but quality isn't that great. Pictures looked washed out and muddy.
The full keyboard on my unit just might be showing it's age, but some keys are stiff and I basically have to ram the button with my thumb to get it to respond. I don't know if it's related to my keyboard issues, but sometimes the phone had the nasty habit of rebooting while I am typing a SMS. This quickly gets pissant.
Charging was a bit pissant as well with the bloody proprietary port. To get it to charge, I had to very carefully set it up and then leave it perfectly still.
Battery life was meh. I got about fiveish days out of the battery, and I had purchased a new battery so wear and tear are not a factor.
Bottom line, the Matrix is a decent phone. I keep mine as backup phone but I admit I do sometimes use it as well. If you can get one cheap, check it out.
3 year user, Somewhat happy
I have had this phone for nearly 3 years, and many of the common complaints I did not experience. I am a heavy use texter and I'm surprised I did not overload the poor thing.
PROS:
-Easy to Text (the program itself and the keyboard)
-Some customization
-Nice Design
-Reception was good until 2 weeks ago (I lived in a borderline area where phone companies really made the difference between calls and voicemail)
CONS:
-Only holds 300 texts(this may not be a con, but still should be noted)
-Battery went downhill after the first year to needing to charge by the late evening
-Messages can get "stuck" in the outbox, or the phone claims you still have voice mail waiting for you
-Randomly, ALL of your messages will disappear for a few days, then suddenly they will all come back as new messages that require you to read them again (when you have 300 messages saved..this is a pain)
I never saw the issues of the tracks becoming unhinged or easy scratches, but I used a case from an old phone to protect it.
i LOVE it
Ive had this phone for almost 2 yrs. ive dropped it a billion times, dropped it in a 400gallon tank and it sank to the bottom and its still working great. i almost dont want to get an upgrade.
pros: great texting phone
cool design
durable
cons: doesnt save messages
the plastic over the battery cover broke but i just had to glue it
a little awkward to talk on while charging
over all i think it is an awesome phone i definitely recommend it to anyone who tends to text a lot and to anyone who wants a durable phone!!
My Thoughts
I did not pick out this phone, but that is an issue within itself. I had the Palm Centro and when that was stolen I was sent the Matrix instead. If you are offered this phone do not accept it.
I have only had this phone for two months and have already had to replace it three times and have had the same issues with all three phones.
Cons:
The phone randomly deletes the numbers. This happens to both my SIM card and phone memory. Almost every other day anyone that has a name that starts with a letter after S gets deleted, very annoying.
We call my phone the multi tool bc when I received it the slider was out within one phone call, I can not slide it out in just one direction, I have to have it slid out in both.
Also, there is something wrong with the programming in my phone. I either dont receive a text or receive it three times. I have called tech support and they said its a popular problem with this model. Also, when I send out a text it sometimes takes up to two hours for the other person to receive it. This is for any carrier, even other AT&T customers.
And oh yea, the battery life sucks. Im not sure if Pantech realized that since this was a messaging phone people would be texting on it a lot, but I charge mine all night and by five in the afternoon I have to pop it on the charger I bought to keep at my work desk.
Pros:
T9 will give you a selection list for you to scroll through and will list them in order of how often you use them.
If you type a word into the qwerty keyboard it will automatically save it into the T9 memory.
