[section_title title=Hardware]
Biggest problem
First of all, the biggest issue that I have encountered with the Pre is its battery life. So far my usage has required almost a daily recharge. This gets even worse when I use the GPS functionality, I pretty much have to have a charger. This isn’t the device for you if you are used to phones with batteries that last two to three days.
I would have liked to use the Pre as a music player, but given the already bad battery life and the affect of playing music on the battery life, I have decided that I would rather have a phone that will make calls when I need to 🙂
Build quality – OK
Many people have complained about the build quality. It does seem weak, but after the first month I am not as worried about having many issues. The Oreo effect issue is still a concern, but I am always very careful with my devices anyways and so far it hasn’t been an issue.
Speaker phone – Could be better
The speaker phone on the device is a little weaker than I would have liked, especially in car with all the background noise. I recently discovered that I can easily route the sound through my car speakers using the auxiliary input so I am not too concerned about the speaker phone in that specific setting.
General impression of the signal strength – Comparable
So far I haven’t been in a place where my brother’s Sprint Blackberry Pearl had a signal and my Pre didn’t (or had a better signal). Given this experience I am concluding that the radio on the Pre is very comparable to other phones. As always, your mileage may vary.