Samsung Galaxy Pro review

Cheap as chips Android with a QWERTY keyboard

Samsung Galaxy Pro
The Samsung Galaxy Pro boasts a great keyboard, but its screen size lets it down.

TechRadar Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Pro is an unfortunate mix of good keyboard and poor screen. In the end, we find it hard to really recommend it. The keyboard, transplanted onto a handset with a larger, higher resolution screen, would have scored much higher in our book.

Pros

  • +

    Great keyboard

  • +

    Good music player and radio

  • +

    Surprisingly good camera

  • +

    Low price

  • +

    Good media streaming

Cons

  • -

    Small, low-resolution screen

  • -

    Only Android 2.2

  • -

    Slightly wide for small hands

  • -

    No headphones in box

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung is like the little engine that could. It just keeps on going. Sometimes it produces high-end, market-leading smartphones such as the stupendous Galaxy S II, sometimes it plays a safer game, attacking the middle of the road as with the likes of the Galaxy Mini.

It's Android's turn again, but with a bit of a twist. Samsung has stuck Android 2.2 into a small-screened handset with a chunky BlackBerry-style keyboard, in the hope, no doubt, of stealing some market share from the fruity company that seems to be losing its way a little at present.

Samsung galaxy pro

The Samsung Galaxy Pro has been equipped with a range of smartphone credentials, including GPS, HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and Wi-Fi. The 3MP camera sounds a bit measly on paper - we'll see how it fared under testing later on.

There's an 800MHz processor, and the mere 512MB of onboard memory is supported by a 2GB microSD card.

The screen is - of course - touch sensitive, but at a size of 2.8 inches and a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, its a worry before we even switch the phone on. Will it be big enough to handle what Android expects of it?

Samsung galaxy pro top edge

In terms of physical design the Samsung Galaxy Pro has its ups and downs. We really like that the micro USB port on the top edge has a sliding cover to protect it from dust and dirt. This port is all too often open to the elements, in our view and can severely disrupt your phone's lifespan if it breaks.

The top edge also houses a 3.5mm headset connector, and this is in just the spot we like to see it. There is precious little else going on by way of ports and connectors, though, with just a volume rocker on the left edge and the on/off switch a tiny button on the right.

Samsung galaxy pro menu buttons

On the front, beneath the screen, there's a long lozenge that looks like a rocker, which houses the Home and Back buttons, and outside this are the Search and Menu buttons. The keyboard occupies the space below, and we'll look at this in more detail a bit later on.

Samsung galaxy pro back

The chassis is plastic through and through, and this helps to keep it fairly light at just 103g. There's a rather nice patterning on the backplate, but otherwise things are pretty nondescript, design-wise.

The Samsung Galaxy Pro is a bit wide for the hand, though, at 66.7mm. Smaller hands will have trouble using either screen or keyboard one-handed.

On the plus side, it's super cheap at £18 per month and only £130 a month on PAYG - surely enough to make up for a large number of faults?

TOPICS
Latest in Samsung Galaxy Phones
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be in line for a Galaxy S25 Ultra-level camera upgrade
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, close up on the dual camera system, against a marbled background
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is being tipped to come with a sweet Google Gemini deal
Samsung Galaxy A56 display
Samsung’s new budget handsets are getting One UI 7 before the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I’m as confused as you are
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
New Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge may have revealed some key details – including its price
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra HANDS ON
‘I don't see a space where the S Pen is not a key part of our portfolio’: Samsung executive defends the S Pen amid cancellation rumors
Latest in Reviews
WWE 2K25
I've spent days in the ring with WWE 2K25, and it's like a five-star match ruined by the Million Dollar Man
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro electric toothbrush
Curaprox Hydrosonic Pro review: A powerful seven-mode, Swiss-made sonic brush
Atelier Yumia
I was already sold on Atelier Yumia as an RPG, but I wasn’t expecting it to have my favorite crafting system in all of gaming
Alienware 27 AW2725Q monitor on desk displaying a scene from Cyberpunk 2077
I played games with Alienware's new 27-inch 4K OLED monitor and now I don't want to see another LCD panel
PLAUD NOTE
I tested this AI voice recorder, and now I'll never take meeting notes manually again
MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open
I've reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) - and it remains the best 15-inch laptop I'd recommend for most people