Simple phone includes some bells and whistles September 22, 2012

Reviewer:  M. Etling  (IL, USA) -

Got this phone because it didn't require a data plan. Definitely knew this wasn't a smartphone, unlike one reviewer, and for sure knew this didn't have Wi-Fi, unlike another. This phone has camera, video camera, voice recording & MP3 playback functionality. It has alarms, a calendar, calculator & unit conversion, speed dial, pictures for contacts and more. It's pretty close to being a smartphone without requiring a data plan from AT&T.

Good Phone December 31, 2012

Reviewer:  Joseph A Griffin 

I was a little concerned about buying this phone, since it seemed to have an equal amount of negative and positive reviews. But after having it for a couple of weeks, I'm pretty happy with my decision to buy it.

Good alternative if you don't want a smartphone. After all, basic phones seem to be going the way of the dinosaur...extinct. So, the Renue is a good phone for handling the basics, talking and texting. It is possible to get on the internet and surf the mobile sites in 3G fairly well. For the random internet user, to maybe look up movie times or the weather, this phone is just fine. It's easy to use and has the versatility of a touchscreen and a slider. Plus, phone cases are dirt cheap and yes, you can buy one that still allows it to slide open.

Negatively, it is easy to miss calls by touching the touchscreen while removing phone from your pocket. For me, this was easy to remedy by just turning the phone screen inward while in my pocket. That way, I always grab the backside of the phone while removing it.

Miss 8 out of 10 incoming calls trying to retrieve the phone from the pocket. October 20, 2012

Reviewer:  Tony 

We picked up this Pantech Renue as an upgraded phone through an AT&T corporate store with a 2 year contract. We were aware this is not a smart phone and require no data plan. The phone was returned after one week and we were charge $35.00 for restocking fee. Following is reasons for the return:

1. The biggest issue we have with this phone is its TOUCH end/reject key, I want to point out about the difference between TOUCH and PRESS: with a TOUCH key, you activate it by just slightly touch it with your finger or any part of your hand, while with the PRESS key, you have to press it with your finger and feel a slight click to activate it. With the TOUCH end/reject key of the Pantech Renue, my wife would accidentally touch the sensitive end/reject key trying to retrieve if from the pocket or handbag to answer the call. She would missed 8 out of 10 incoming calls doing that. Of course, she had to check the recent call and call back. Other phones equipped with the PRESS end/reject key would not cause this problem.
2. Its sound quality for voice conversation is not that clear comparing to the my wife's old Motorola Raz2 V9X.
3. We initially charged the phone for 8 hours before the first use. Battery ran low every night with very little use during the day.

The shape, screen size and display of this phone is very good.
We think Pantech should look into the design of the sensitive TOUCH end/reject key of this phone. We did call Pantech support inquiring about how to bypass the sensitive TOUCH end/reject key, its agent could not give the answer and quietly transferred our call to AT&T Tech Support without notifying us that he would transfer the call. Nice service!

Buyers who consider buying this phone should pay attention to the restocking fee if it is purchased through AT&T.

Best non-smartphone out there January 6, 2013

Reviewer:  hjgkgy 

This phone is amazing! I love it! I wanted a smartphone, but I didn't want to pay for a data plan. This is the closest thing to a smartphone though. It has nice features, and you can even lock it with a passcode just like the iPhone. The messaging display is great, although I wish it was a bit more customizable. But overall, I'm amazed. Great quick messaging phone. Definately for the kind of buyer that wants a smartphone but not a data plan.

Better than most here say November 8, 2012

Reviewer:  lighthouselover 

I traded a smart phone to go back to this type phone. I like it's size,manuvering,and the not bulky-big feel of the load in my hand or purse. Clear tone and works well for me.

Very happy with this phone January 5, 2013

Reviewer:  Tuppergal "Victoria"  (California) -

I was a little worried because of some of the reviews but I have to say that in the 2 weeks that I have had it I am very pleased. Nice size, easy to understand and easy to text with. I am not a heavy text/talker so the battery last at least 2 to 3 days. I haven't disconnected a call yet, I keep it top side up in my purse and pull it out using the top half. I could see any missed calls or text very quickly on the home screen. Got a cover and extra charger for a really good price. All and all I am very happy with this phone.

Pantech renue review December 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Donna 

I have had this phone for about a month now.I think it is a pretty good non smart phone.
Great for texting and good for talking only problem I found with the Pantech renue is
the battery has to be charged at least once a day if your a heavy talker twice a day.
It has some smart phone features like it has 4 screens a wonderful touch screen and a data plan for this phone
is only around 10 dollars monthly, over all Iam very pleased cause charging is not a big to me.

Don't Buy This Phone, even for a Penny February 26, 2013

Reviewer:  Jim Bybee 

If you put your phone in your pocket, if you put your phone in your purse, if you plan to put your phone on a table or counter, don't buy this phone. When you receive a phone call and touch the screen in any way, you will either hang up on the calling party or reject the call. I carry my phone in my shirt pocket. Just the motion of taking the phone out of my pocket will cause the "slider" that allows you to accept or reject the call to move. If the slider moves to accept the call, the call will disconnect before you get the phone all the way out of your pocket. If the slider moves to reject the call, you will have to call the person back. I'm not talking about pressing down on the screen and moving the slider. I'm talking about the screen touching any part of your clothing or hand and the slider moving on it's own. It does not require you to even touch the slider bar, just touch the phone and the phone thinks you are touching the slider. If the phone is on the table and you pick it up, the slider will move on it's own. I have talked to AT&T and even taken the phone to the local AT&T store and they are unable to resolve the problem. My recommendation, avoid this phone at all costs unless you actually want to either hang up on the caller or reject all calls. Next is the web access. You have to use the Pantech version of ATT.net. Items that were available on my old Samsung are not available on this phone. You must use Yahoo which in itself is fine. But you can't use Yahoo to access your homepage. I had a Yahoo account. I used the user name and password I already had but it would not work on this devise. I had to sign on using my Google Gmail account. When you use the web icon, you get a menu instead of your home page. Then, when you select home, every third or fourth time you sign on, your home page is gone and you have to add all your favorites again. You can't sort your bookmarks. The default AT&T sites are always listed first. You have to scroll through them before you can get to your personal bookmarks. That even includes a search screen like Yahoo or Google. So if you have the $15 unlimited data plan, don't buy this phone to use it. You will only get frustrated the more you try to use it.

very nice i like it May 14, 2013

Reviewer:  James LaFollette 

the phone is very nice but a little complicated for my personal taste . but very mice size and the speaker is excelent for those a little hard of hearing

You get what you pay for April 16, 2013

Reviewer:  Suebee "Cs a Deal, Knows value"  (Providence, RI, USA) -

I got this phone because it didn't have a data plan. I didn't want one. I was trying to keep cell phone costs down. I got what I paid for! The phone is lousy. I am constantly losing calls just by reaching into my pocket or purse. The phone automatically hangs up on the caller. Others reviewing this phone have alluded to the "sensitivity" of the touchscreen. Even when I call for my messages, enter my PIN, and simply raise the phone to my cheek, it says I have dialed the wrong PIN because the touchscreen has picked up additional numbers simply by coming in contact with my cheek!! I have had more calls go into "on hold" mode for the same reason. It seems crazy to me that my cheek can do the dialing!! Simple message: this phone is not good for anything, don't buy it.

pantech renue April 22, 2013

Reviewer:  Alexandria I Hwang 

So far i like this phone. it works well and the sound quality is pretty good. I like the fact that when i put the phone to my ear the screen turns off and when i take it off it turns on. I just wish i could adjust the screen touch sensitivity.

Good non-smart phone. April 6, 2013

Reviewer:  T. Sloan "Mixer/Sound Editor"  (So. Cal.) -

I've had this phone for 4 months now, and I'm still pretty happy with it. I haven't had many issues with the touch-screen. I can check my email, traffic conditions, and Facebook. My only real gripe is the limited memory for text messages, and Youtube video is shown at it's lowest possible resolution.

Great phone, considering its not a smart phone. March 13, 2013

Reviewer:  Eaglekingdom 

Probably the best or pretty close to the best non-smart phone out there! I love it. I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't want to pay for a smart phone.

great fone on problem for my daughter November 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Robert A Laudeman  (Alexandria, VA United States) -

this is a great phone!!! my daughter is a fluent texter and likes it. there is only one problem. it does not send pics even though it says it does. we haven`t got it checked yet so we don`t know if it is just the one we got or all of them. otherwise its a great phone!

Good Phone April 5, 2013

Reviewer:  Sonia Marie Colavita 

This phone is good but the screen is the only problem even if you have a case this phone's screen crack but all the other features are great.

Not for the "Active Lifestyle" January 14, 2013

Reviewer:  mark 

My son had this phone for 6 weeks when the screen cracked for no apparent reason. One morning he woke up, picked it up from his nightstand and there was a crack in the screen. A week later the phone would power down each time the keyboard would slide out. And to make it worse, AT&T wants to replace it with a Go Phone (non-smart). They should replace the phone free of charge regardless of warranty solely because they market the phone as being "resistant to dust and sand, temperature and humidity, shock, vibration, and radiation." It is not the hardy phone AT&T represents it to be.

While the phone was working, however, it was perfect for my son who texts a lot. The touch screen added a flare that made it feel like a smart phone without the costs.

The worst cell phone I have ever had! I hate it! February 1, 2013

Reviewer:  be a healthy puppy 

This phone is hard to use. It is hard to hold and keep slipping off my hand, and even it easy to slid off from my pocket. Hard to type as well! I just don't like this phone!!!!

Does not indicate missed calls September 8, 2012

Reviewer:  rereksnake 

Requested this phone, without data plan, to be used for simple text and telephone usage.

The phone will NOT indicate missed calls, if you should receive one. You can navigate to the "call log" and find out there if you have a missed call - very very bad. I called Pantech, and their solution is also to navigate to the call log and see your missed calls.

This single reason alone is why I am returning the phone.

Should you still want to purchase this phone, the screen resolution is pretty weak. I often accidentally "hang up" the phone when I retrieve it from my pocket.

As a smart phone, this is the bottom of the barrel.

The only plus I can think of is the slide out keyboard.

No WiFi! September 15, 2012

Reviewer:  Shamik Mehta "Shamique"  (Saratoga, CA, USA) -

I was shocked to learn just now that this phone does not have WiFi! Be warned. When I ordered it via AT&T, they didn't inform me about this. I found out after 3 weeks of trying to connect my son's phone to my home AP, to no avail. I hope they'll let me exchange it.