Pantech Breeze III August 23, 2011

Reviewer:  Brett Patrick  (North Brunswick, NJ United States) -

Pros-

-Excellent call quality and volume.
-The microphone is good.
-The phone is customizable, but it is easy to keep the advanced stuff out of the way when you don't need it.
-You can get information without even opening the phone via the little screen on the front, and the notification LEDs.
-The notification system is nice. (this is from a webOS and Android user)
-Battery life is good.

Neutral-

-There's a lot of AT&T logos on this thing. One above the outside screen, one below the inside screen, one on the 'OK' button, and when the phone is open, the outside screen has the AT&T logo on it.
-There is some AT&T bloatware on this, but it generally keeps out of your way.
-Shortcut buttons under the inside screen. These will be useful to some, but it can give the feeling that there are too many buttons on the thing.
-A control phone with voice button. Useful to some, but a dedicated button is overkill.

Cons-

-The outside has a bit of cheapy plastic that creaks sometimes.
-The camera is placed precisely where your fingers are going to be.

Bottom line-

This is a very nice phone if you just want it for the basics (calling, and the occasional SMS). It's probably one of the best phones on AT&T if you just want to call people. I originally had a HTC Aria (Android). This beats it in call quality in and out. This is also quite good for technologically illiterate people. It's very easy to use.

This one deserves five stars.

Very Good Basic Phone for Older Folks September 29, 2011

Reviewer:  Old-Lumens "O-L"  (USA) -

This has been a great phone for me & my wife. We don't need a fancy phone. We just use a phone for "what it is intended to do". To make Phone Calls! Anyone remember making phone calls?? Ha.
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It has enough features to keep us satisfied like the calendar for keeping track of appointments, the pill reminder alarms, the tip calculator, regular calculator and voice commands.
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It has a lot of stuff we don't need like, internet, email, messaging, ect.
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Signal strength is great all the time, but we have a great cell tower structure here. The battery lasts a good long time and the voices sound just fine, clear and sharp. I think too many people want to get a FREE phone and then expect it to wipe their butts for them. It is a really good basic phone and with the ability to have large keys and large fonts, it's a good phone for old folks.

Easy to use. August 9, 2011

Reviewer:  Lane  (Marine City, MI, United States) -

The Breeze mode is great. I have all the features that I use handy and do not have a lot of features that I do not use in the way. I have had Nokia's for many years. This phone feels a bit sturdier, definitely heavier. The menu navigation is easier.

Great Basic Phone October 31, 2011

Reviewer:  Sundog  (West Berkshire, VT) -

My goal for a phone is a good quality basic phone, that gets good reception, makes clear calls at an affordable price. To be clear, I am looking for a phone that functions well as a phone and I am not reviewing other functions that are so popular to use phones for these days.

I can say, this phone fills these requirements fine! I do not have full bars at my home, but calls have been crisp clear, both using the ear piece and with the speaker phone. I have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer that says that her calls are garbled. Perhaps there is a flaw in that particular phone since I am not experiencing this at all. At worst, the calls are slightly tinny, but still clear, understandable, loud enough and I have used many phones much worse than this. I live in an area with poor cell coverage, and was worried that I would miss the strong reception that my Motorola Tundra was able to pull in. Well, it has done fine with reception. I have to say that I have had bars in some very difficult locations and am very pleased. I'm not having a problem with battery life, but again, I'm not doing a bunch of fancy stuff with my phone; just using it as a phone.

While this phone seems to be marketed to the "elderly", I am not yet a senior. I just want a simple phone that does one thing well; make phone calls. This does have some of the extras, and as usual, they feel very extra and not needed, such as the 3 buttons on top for shortcuts. After programing these to my frequently called numbers, I realized they require two steps (push the short cut key, then the send key). It is easier just to use the regular speed dial buttons. I do like having the Breeze Mode that gives you a simple menu. I used the advanced mode to adjust my settings the way I want them, then switch it to Breeze Mode for every day use. I can easily switch to advanced mode if I want to, but the short menu is handy for day to day use. As far as quality, this phone seems good. Now, understand, my last phone was a Tundra, big tough thing! This seemed thin, and light in comparison, but it does not feel cheap. It has a solid feel to it, buttons work well although I would prefer them raised more rather than flush. They are roomy enough and responsive, so I think I will get used to the different feel. I am adding a silicone case to help protect this phone. While it doesn't seem really delicate, I'm also not delicate, and like to not worry about drops, scratches and such! The only reason I am giving the phone a 4 star instead of a 5 star review, is although it works well, its just not that exciting either. I still will say its a good choice for a basic phone, and not sorry I got it.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a good functioning phone as a PHONE (has anyone noticed most CNet reviews don't even address how a cell phone works as a PHONE anymore???!! your choices are getting slimmer every day. I say snatch this one up while you can. I believe this is the highest quality simple phone att offers now. Ok, its perhaps the ONLY simple phone they offer, but thank goodness the quality is there! We are a forgotten breed in the cell phone market. Hey, and big kudos to att for dropping the long list of att contacts that you can't delete. They are now compiled under one contact, and near the bottom. So, here's a toast to the last simple phone! If you still want simple, basic phones, best speak up or they will all be gone soon!

Simple, easy, convenient October 7, 2011

Reviewer:  Mars Laurus "... eine LeseRatte :)"  (Texas) -

In "Breeze Mode" (my preferred mode, as opposed to "Advanced "Mode", which has a more complex menu system) this phone is simple and fast to use. I use my phone only for short, infrequent local calls and some lengthier long-distance calls. Phone is slim, and fits comfortably in my hand -- not too small, not too large. Connectivity and voice quality is good-to-very-good, so no complaints with that. Display screen is large and, if used in combination with medium-sized fonts, makes for easy readings on my eyes (I wear reading glasses). Yes, the camera is in a poor location, but I rarely-to-never use my camera, so who cares? Battery is seems average-to-good. Overall, I'm very pleased with this phone. Good purchase. Recommended.

Good phone for Seniors August 24, 2011

Reviewer:  John Frederick Hill "american consumer"  (Huntington Beach, Ca USA) -

For seniors that have a lot of hearing loss you can buy a duel earbud with a microphone on ebay for the Pantech Breeze 3 and stick one bud in each ear. They sterio head set is made to listen to music but they really work good for phone calls for the hearing impared.

Got one of these flip phones from AT&T a week ago. Good sound without the earbud and the basic functions are easy to understand and use. Good choice for seniors that want to push one of three big buttons that gets there son or sister on the phone.

Its good for about three hours of talk time. Not bad but a 2nd battery is always a good idea. Very easy to swap out the battery. Note that the Breeze 3 is so new (as of 8-24-11) that there are no inexpensive batteries for sale yet on Amazon or E-Bay. Some sellers are not aware yet that Pantech came out with a Breeze 3 and they are getting it mixed-up with the Breeze 2 version thinking they both use the same battery. Not so. The Breeze 3 uses a different battery then the Breeze 2 and... the Breeze 3 head set connector is also different the the Breeze 2. The 3 uses a mini USB connector that is also used for a laptop connector to down load Breeze 3 photo's.

run over by a car and still works!! July 16, 2012

Reviewer:  shoofly 

Being an idiot and loving the phone so much I took it everywhere, 6 days of use and I left it on the roof of my car....forgot it was there, and drove away. At the turn from my driveway it must have scittered across the roof, and hit the pavement. Driving home 3 hours later I flashed on where my phone had been and carefully walked up my driveway looking for it. I eventually found it in the road. Battery and phone, with tread marks, separated by 6 feet across the yellow line and the back cover 20 ft down the road where I'm guessing a tire flipped it. Gloria halleluja - I pressed the ON button and it worked and told me I had received 3 calls!! Who needs military specs? This is a great phone!

Like the phone, but unable to use Bluetooth or USB transfer to Windows 7 December 5, 2011

Reviewer:  Meg  (Twin Cities, MN) -

I use this phone mostly for phone calls. I did not get a data plan, so no texting, web surfing, etc. Compared to my last phone, I have very few dropped calls or inability to make calls (network not available). The interface is fairly easy to navigate and locate different settings. Occasionally I take photos with the phone and the quality is decent.

My big complaint is transferring files (photos) from the phone to a PC or other device. I never got Bluetooth to work (with or without PC Suite). It pairs with a laptop, iTouch, and iPad, but says "Connection failed" or "not supported" when you try to Send files. The At&t rep thought the Bluetooth might be only for a headset, but the manual clearly states that you can Send files.

Mixed results using the USB cable included with the phone. First of all you need to obtain PC Suite specifically for the Breeze III from the pantechusa.com web site [...]. Apparently PC Suite doesn't work with Windows 7 (or maybe 64-bit Windows 7?). I can see my files in the File Manager, but when I try to transfer to my PC, I get an error and it won't copy the files. Seems to work fine on Windows XP, but that's our "old" machine in the house. If it stops working, I won't have any way to transfer files from the phone, unless I purchase a data plan.

A Terrific "Non"-Smartphone January 18, 2012

Reviewer:  AnnieWP  (Winter Park, FL USA) -

Wanted a basic phone, with good battery life, for travel to Europe. Have to recharge battery every 2-3 days. Accessories for this phone are readliy available online at good prices.

Useful features, easy to learn, comes with a printed manual to take with me when I travel. Has 3 "EZ Quick Call Keys," plus 9 "Speed Dial" numbers.

Can backup the address book to ATT's online storage at no charge. Decent call quality, speakerphone, and voice command. Able to use web-based services, too. Overall a great buy - got it FREE when I renewed my ATT contract.

One drawback: the Navigation Keys are not programmable - too bad Pantech overlooked this. Otherwise 5 stars because this phone does what it claims to do!

every bit worth the penny I paid April 17, 2012

Reviewer:  ahwahneeliz 

Just needed a basic phone and this certainly fits the bill.
What I do like:
I carry my phone in my pocket, so I prefer the flip phone style. This is the right size, buttons don't get bumped, and has a decent amount of weight without being clunky.

The inside screen is of decent size for this type of phone.

Display text size is adjustable (for those of us with aging eyes).

Takes decent enough photos (it is after all, still a phone)

lighted notification icons on outside of phone... easy to see if you have a call or text. don't have to pic up or open phone.

Call quality is good.

What I don't like: Most have to do with texting
The contact list isn't alpha. How stupid is that?! I've looked all over the phone, and had younger persons look all over the phone... no alpha. Even if you press the first letter or two of a contact's name, it may or may not come up. First name, last name, the phone just kind of picks and chooses. VERY Annoying.

Switching from T9 to numeric etc requires pushing several buttons, and then pressing again to switch back. So if I have to note a meeting time or whatever, it is very cumbersome.

I haven't found a way to intentionally add words to dictionary. For one example of many instances, my daughter's name is Elise. I cannot enter that name. I have to enter, letter by letter and the letter "i" is entered as a capital so it always looks like elIse, which looks weird on text.

Even though I have selected a larger text for viewing, most of the texting displays are small... a little too small.

Bottom line, good basic phone, but if you ever text, or have a list of more than 5 contacts, can be a bit annoying. Considering I paid a penny, I can't complain.

Just a well thought out phone September 7, 2011

Reviewer:  Jerry  (United States) -

It is just a phone, it is pretty smart for being just a phone, but since I have an iPod Touch version 4, why would I want a smartphone?

I have had it a couple of weeks now and I have no complaints, I use it in the Breeze mode which covers everything you would want a phone to do. It works well with a Bluetooth headset. If you would like a case, right now the selection is very limited.

I bought the phone outright and use it on AT&Ts Go Phone network, which sure beats the other phones you can get for the price. I live out in the woods so direct connections through the phone is hit and miss unless you know where you need to go. I checked the Breeze with other phones and it seems to have as good or better range compared to the others I tested.

I use the Breeze in a [[ASIN:B003FGWGPS Wilson Electronics 815226 Sleek Cell Phone Signal Cradle Booster for All Cell Phones with Mini Magnet Mount Antenna - For Single User]] booster and [[ASIN:B003NQ5EWC Wilson Electronics Home/Office Accessory Kit for Wilson Sleek, C-Boost]] coupled with a external Wilson Trucker antenna mounted outside on a pole (I would not fool with other antennas), I now have 4 bars where before I had no service.

Like a lot of the electronic stuff all access comes through a micro-usb port, so at this time you need adaptors or special units to use a lot of the features, such as playing music. In the Wilson cradle a Bluetooth headset is a must.

Good -- if you don't need a headset May 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Robert A. Saunders 

I got a PanTech Breeze 2030 about a month ago, and it works fine. The major headache is that finding a headset that is compatible with the thing has turned out to be a nightmare: it uses a micro-USB connector (which is also used for the charger), and although the micro-USB is supposed to be the coming thing, as far as accessories go, it apparently hasn't come yet. The AT&T store where I got it has nothing except Bluetooth (which it works with), but which I don't really want.

Saves numbers to my words -- making it too stupid to text September 14, 2012

Reviewer:  Hobbyist "Chemistry for fun, Computers for money."  (Glendale AZ) -

It's an OK phone. I found that when I change the volume or silence the phone, I have a very short time to hit OK or the change is not saved and I get an embarrassing ring during a meeting or at church. The texting supports T9 predictive, which I like to use since there's no keyboard. But the really annoying thing is that it begins to save the words you "added" including any numbers you ever typed (by holding down the keys longer), so that eventually you cannot text anything at all except numbers. All your keys are numbers first and will match the numbers saved in the "my words" list. What is that about? I had to spend over an hour deleting all the numbers from the "my words" list. It is now possible to send text using T9 again. But I'll have to keep cleaning out the list because I often type dates, times, street numbers, phone numbers, etc. when I text. Also, it saves punctuation into the "my words" so that if your child is named Gerty and you ever text'd "Gerty's" then next time you'll default to the possessive form. Further nuisance is that in T9, when you get to the spelling you want, if you type another character it will revert the word you selected to the default (textonym). An example is type 87825 for "truck" and the default is "usual". So you use the up/down arrows to select "truck", then add a period or anything without spacing or using the right arrow to advance the cursor, and you revert back to "usual." with the period or other typing added. It is sooooo annoying.

Call quality varies a lot depending on circumstance and AT&T connection. July 23, 2012

Reviewer:  Mrs "Reviewer with Dogs"  (United States) -

My husband and I both have this phone. We're 31/32. It's a decent basic easy to use phone. When I called him the other day and he was on a military island 3000 miles away on a land line, the call was crystal clear and I hadn't been able to hear someone that well over the phone in a very long time - it was very surprising in a good way. When I talk to him and we're both on this phone, the call quality is pretty bad. He has a really hard time talking to his mom on this phone and having her hear him well and understand what he's saying and it frustrates them both a lot so he calls her a lot less often than he used to (she's on a cell phone as well during these calls). When I talk to my mom on this phone, it's decent but not great; I really have to make an effort to speak clearly (this is her cell phone to mine). The speaker phone quality is not good and is hardly usable. The only thing I cared about when I was phone shopping was call quality (and SAR value, and this phone is great in terms of low radiation), and it's frustrating that it's so hard to find a good basic cheap phone with good call quality. It really shouldn't be this hard. Basic cell phones were better 10 years ago than they are now, probably by design.

If you don't go to AT&T and tell them to turn off the data plan and text messaging plan, you will get all kinds of extra charges from accidentally hitting something that will charge you. It's very expensive. At least they allow you to opt-out of that and will refund the money if you complain.

I don't like that AT&T won't let you pay your cell phone bill by credit card. I had to link it to my bank account. I'd prefer to earn the points and then pay my credit card bill off right away. Not a huge thing but I could pay my T-Mobile bill by credit card and I preferred that.

Disappointed January 19, 2013

Reviewer:  Pen Name 

The one thing I asked about at the AT&T store was "does it have good battery life?" I was told yes, but now I know the truth. I charge this thing every 2 or maybe 3 days, it seems, even though I don't use it very much (as an alarm, and I've talked for a total of 108 minutes, with 6 texts).

Other than the battery, it does the things that any basic phone should do--my only other major complaint is that the call quality isn't always the best.

Don't pay money for this phone.

A PERFECT cell phone if you do not want/need a "smart" phone November 30, 2012

Reviewer:  Arthur K. Yellin "dinosaurus13"  (Olney, MD United States) -

My first foray into "smart phones" was a first generation iPhone. I bought it shortly after experiencing a heart attack. Until that cardiac event, I never thought to carry a cell phone with me all the time. AFTER the event, I NEEDED the psychological comfort of knowing I could call for help from anywhere. At that time, the iPhone was in its second iteration, but I bought the first generation to save some money. It is a SPECTACULAR device that does all sorts of awesome things. Sadly, it does not function well as a telephone! What was worse, for me, was that making an emergency call took too many steps. While my cardiac experience was not like this, friends have told me about theirs: one was barely able to rip open an aspirin container to gulp down a dose! Going through the necessary steps to make a call on the iPhone may have been impossible for him!

1 - wake the iPhone
2 - unlock the iPhone
3 - open the cell phone app
4 - dial 911
5 - send

I decided I did not want or need a "smart" phone at this time. I do not like "texting" and do not need to search the web while I am on the go. I forwent the iPhone for a standard "dumb" flip phone. The Pantech Breeze III that I bought even has three programmable buttons. To make an emergency call takes me only TWO button pushes!

I have now had the Pantech Breeze tied to my AT&T service for more than a year. It is SOLIDLY built, has excellent sound quality, takes decent photos and videos for a phone and was customizable - although some of the options were difficult to access for my self-designed "profile." There is a second setting that provides for a greatly simplified pair of menus. VERY suited for those who are not technologically adept! The ONLY issue I have had is that some buttons that access the web in various ways are in places too easy to hit unintended. I got tired of being charged $2/month by AT&T when I had NOT downloaded ANYTHING ... when I had hit the wrong button by mistake and turned the service off immediately. This problem was remedied with a call to AT&T who simply turned my data service OFF.

I like the "flip phone" idea. If you have ever had your open phone make a call by itself, you NEED a flip phone!

IF you want, you can also use this phone as a personal mp3 player, although you will need to buy a special headset since the phone does not provide a standard earphone jack. The phone does accept a micro SD card!

I highly recommend this model.

AVOID-Extreamly poor microphone/frequency range September 5, 2011

Reviewer:  Janet Freedman "Reflog27" 

Stay away! Microphone sound quality is abysmal. It cuts off treble (high frequencies) and leaves a muffled garbled sound that constantly gets a "what did you say" or "I didn't understand a word you said" response. AT&T obviously wants to sell smart phones so they can make money on a Data-plan and I don't think that it is too paranoid to think that they purposefully do not sell a decent flip phone. We chose to replace it with a RAZR from the internet. There must be a reason that you can still buy RAZR's. At least Toyota supports the RAZR's Bluetooth but unfortunately GM recently stopped supporting RAZR's.

Horrible audio quality August 17, 2012

Reviewer:  garbled and featureless 

There exists a market of people who buy a phone to be a phone, not a tiny portable computer with silly applications. This phone is intended to meet that market. It does not come with fancy applications, and its feature set is about as basic as they come. Nevermind that pressing almost any button at any time will cause a sorry excuse for a web browser to launch, almost certainly incurring fees on any phone plan that does not include data. Nevermind that its menu system is incredibly brain-damaged and fails to live up to the standard of barebones phones of even a few years ago. OK, so the phone is intended to generate data revenue and has a shoddy feature set; that's *FINE* for those of us who just want a basic phone.

The problem is that even as a basic phone this product fails miserably! The audio quality can be so poor that conversation becomes almost impossible. I'd love to use a nice wired handset to make up the difference, but in the unceasing war on standardized phone plugs, purchasing one that actually fits this phone is nearly impossible.

Seriously. If you're looking at this phone, go with something like a Go phone instead. That way you'll at least feel better about not wasting your money on a loveless 2-year contract with a phone whose only redeeming quality will be the satisfying crunch it makes when it finally meets its end.

OK Phone but there is no software August 25, 2011

Reviewer:  Satomi Mackay "Gratitude"  (California) -

Just bought the phone. It appears to bo ok. The big problem is that Pantech released the phone before the interface software was finished. There is no way to interface this phone with a computer. Older Pantech software doesn't work and generic Windows dirvers can't recognize the phone. Support doesn't know when it is ever going to be available. I would put a hold on purchasing this model until they have the product complete.

Breeze III Not So Breezy For Me ! May 31, 2012

Reviewer:  Stevon Medler "The Von"  (DALLAS, TX. USA) -

I've had several cell phones from AT&T through the years some better than others but was Ok with them all until now. I do not like this phone very much. I knew it was geared towards older customers which I am but didn't think that meant alarms,ring tones etc. were all so quiet and almost impossible to hear no matter which I chose or how loud I set them including having them set on vibrate & ring.
I'm sorry but I do not think that lullabyes are the right choices to wake up by. The ring tone not being very loud is not quite the right fit for the older set.
The Sony Erikson was my favorite and most recent but I dropped it one to many times and had to replace after 2 years and they don't make it any more except in an smart phone no more flip.
I've had it a week and dread using it. I wish there would have been a way to know my ring and alarm setting choices before hand as I would not have chose this phone. The call volume is good I hear the person on the other end just fine. The reception is also very good, so no problems there. The problems for me are very important features I look for in a phone so they might not be as important to you.
I do understand this is just my opinion and there are some enthusiastic reviews on this phone so you might like it but for me it just isn't so breezy.