Palm Pixi Review Round-up 20

We at PreCentral weren’t the only ones that got our hands on the Palm Pixi for review. All across the intertubes various tech news outlets got to review the Pixi and the general consensus was this: the Pixi is tiny and, at $100, not that bad. With its super slim design, excellent keyboard, and solid build the Pixi won many fans, but its various drawbacks (lack of WiFi, screen size, slowness) led to many comparisons to the big brother Pre. Check it all out after the break...

BusinessWeek: The small size of the Pixi doesn’t come without its compromises. You get a small 2.6-inch screen, which is tiny in comparison to the 3.7-inch screen on the Motorola Droid. While the Pixi’s keyboard is more narrow than the Pre and sports a straight-row design, it is easier to user than the Pre’s. Money quote: “The bottom line is that Pixi is an attractive addition to the new Palm line. But in the end you give up too much to get a smaller package and a $50 savings. If you want to go Palm and webOS, the Pre offers much better value.”

CNET: The Pixi is clearly aimed at younger audiences and Centro owners, but doing so sacrifices some features like WiFi and megapixels and speed. And while the name is less than manly, the hardware is physically solid (and of course skinny). The keyboard is smaller than the Pre’s, but even still it’s a better keyboard due to its raised and clicky design. CNET rated the Pre at 7.0 (on a 10 point scale), the Pre was rated at 7.7. Money quote: “The Palm Pixi offers first-time smartphone buyers a decent set of features in a sleek little package.”

Engadget: The Pixi is super thin and very attractive, but at only $50 less than the Pre it’s not a hard choice (unless you only have the $100). For $30 from Walmart it’s a different proposition, but most people don’t go to Walmart to shop for phones. The slower processor means that overall the Pixi is at times notably slower than the Pre, and the lesser camera takes noticeably worse pictures than the Pre. Money quote: “In all, it's a fine little package, but the slower processor, no memory expansion options, and lack of WiFi certainly are an issue if you're going to go hardcore with this thing.”

PC Magazine: The Pixi isn’t meant to go head-to-head with the Droid or iPhone, instead it is aimed at the young messaging phone crowd. At the tiny size, it’s perfect for the texting market. Even though webOS is made of awesome, it is somewhat crippled by the slower processor and smaller RAM. PC Magazine rated the Pixi at 3.5 stars (out of 5), they rated the Pre at 4 stars. Money quote: “The Pixi raises the bar the same way the Centro and Pearl did when they first came out, saying that you don't need to be a "smartphone buyer" to use a little bit of smarts in your phone.”

PC World: The Pixi is both attractive and super slim, but hobbled by its limited memory and slower processor. Still, it does multi-task with aplomb. The hardware is also significantly more sturdy than the slider-design of the Pre, though the keyboard isn’t as great as it could be. PC World rated the Pixi at 83 (on a 100 point scale), the Pre was rated at 87. Money quote: “If you plan on using your phone mostly for messaging and social networking, the Pixi is definitely for you.”

Phone Arena: The Pixi is smaller than nearly every other smartphone on the market, and certainly the smallest CDMA smartphone available, but that small size sacrifices some important elements like screen size. The screen is also of lesser quality, though it is hardly noticeable. While the Pre had a decent camera, the Pixi’s is simply less than adequate. Money quote: “Its size and feel is just wonderful and we think that many people would pick the Palm Pixi over the Pre because of this, even at the same price.”

And of course, there’s our own extensive review here at PreCentral. That’s what the rest of the internet had to say about the Pixi, and by and large they like the new phone just about as much as they liked the Pre. Despite its shortcomings, the Pixi is poised to break webOS into a new market of users much like the Centro and BlackBerry Pearl did in years past.