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Pantech Burst photos and camera test

AT&T's Pantech Burst offers great value for a price tag that's easy to swallow.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Great value

AT&T and Pantech hit all the right chords with the Pantech Burst, a $50 Android Gingerbread phone equipped with some high-end features that may surprise you, starting with the 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.
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2 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Android inside

Android 2.3 Gingerbread lays the base, but Pantech has added its own customary interface on top. It flavors, among other things, this six-directional lock screen.
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3 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Personality to spare

One of my favorite features of the Burst is its design. The back (your choice of a rich red or titanium) has striations suggestive of lacquered wood grain veneer, and sharp ridges that stand out from the crowd.
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That's not all

The contouring also includes black portions of the spine that are reminiscent of a tuxedo.
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Top view

The power button and 3.5 millimeter headset jack are up top.
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Cameras

The 5-megapixel camera took excellent shots for its image size, as did the 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
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7 of 12 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Bouquet

The Burst was able to keep a wide field of focus and pick up a good amount of detail for its 5 megapixels. Colors were bright without being overly saturated. Note that all photos were taken in automatic mode and have been resized. They are otherwise untouched.
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8 of 12 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Fearless copy editor

If you find a typo, blame this girl and her team. While the picture could be a little sharper, but considering that she's illuminated from above with artificial lights and from behind with the cold glow of her monitor, I'm pretty pleased with the color reproduction.
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9 of 12 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Transformers

Rich colors are key here, and the field of focus isn't half bad.
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10 of 12 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

CNET living room

The modular scene of a skylit CNET lounge looks great when taken from above.
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11 of 12 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Downtown

Taken through the window looking out, a downtown SF vista.
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12 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET

Studio city

There's a bit of an unattractive brown cast to this indoor studio shot, which isn't so nice.

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