Palm Pixi review
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Nov 12th 2009 9:00AM
posted Nov 12th 2009 9:00AM
Hardware
Like the Pre, the Pixi is an incredibly sexy piece of hardware. Whether your prefer larger devices or not, you'd be hard pressed to deny the sheer attractiveness of this phone. The general size and shape certainly calls forth memories of the Centro, but while the previous version was chunky and playful, the Pixi comes off more like its distant cousin... from the year 3000. The plastic device is light, but doesn't feel cheap at all, and Palm has smartly chosen the materials; the front is done in a piano black, high-gloss coat, while the standard back is soft-touch material. The candybar phone has rounded edges much like the Pre, though the width of the Pixi tapers slightly towards the bottom, giving it a sculpted, continuous feel. Unlike the Pre, the Pixi ditches the physical center button for a thin, LED slit which works just as the button does, though sometimes it's a bit odd not having a physical target. Speaking of thin, did we mention what a sliver this thing is? It measures just 0.43-inches thick -- that's thinner than the iPhone (for those keeping count).
As you probably know, you can also pick up Palm's "artist series" of interchangable backs, three of which will be available for pre-order (but not purchase -- they'll be available early December) on the day the Pixi launches. The $49.99, limited edition, Touchstone compatible backs are being released in small batches, and will be replaced with new designs once the initial pieces sell out. A nice touch if you're psyched on customizing your phone, though the first offerings aren't incredibly varied.
The front of the phone is outfitted with a 2.63-inch capacitive touchscreen, and a tiny, full QWERTY keyboard with four neatly arranged rows of Tic-Tac keys. Up top you'll find the power / sleep button (which we found a bit awkward and difficult to push in) and 3.5mm headphone jack, along the right side is a volume rocker and elegantly concealed MicroUSB port, while on the backside you've got the camera lens, small flash, and two speaker vents (though there's only one speaker here). Overall, it's major step up from the Centro, and we'd argue that the Pixi is actually more attractive than the Pre -- certainly the plastic doesn't feel quite as hollow, and decisions about button placement and how to get at the MicroUSB have been noticeably improved. We tip our hats to Palm's industrial design team: they're now two for two.
Internals
The Pixi differs somewhat from the Pre on the inside. Instead of that speedy, OMAP3 CPU the Pre uses, Palm cut down on size and battery drain by using the Qualcomm MSM7627 processor clocked to 600Mhz. We think there are some noticeable differences between the two phones when it comes to performance; the Pixi certainly seemed to struggle at times when pushing pixels around (more on that in the software section). Also onboard is 8GB of ROM / user storage, and an alleged 256MB of RAM. The phone sports EV-DO Rev. A for voice and data, and -- as famously noted -- no WiFi. You'll also find a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash here (a step down from the Pre), as well as an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. 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.
Display
As we said, the Pixi has a miniature, 2.63-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 320 x 400 (80 less than its big brother). One of the huge advantages of webOS is that the UI can physically scale itself to fit screens of varying resolutions, so while the display is tiny on the Pixi, the OS does an admirable job of squeezing into place. Still, that tight screen real estate is definitely noticeable, and though we felt it's certainly usable, this is one of the rare cases where we actually found ourselves squinting at some of the onscreen text. In particular, when you're zoomed out on cards, seeing your content is a bit of a challenge. In terms of color and clarity, the performance was more than passable, though overall we did feel the brightness was slightly lacking on the model we tested. There is a bit-depth difference between the Pixi and the Pre (18 bit versus 24), and while we don't really see anything amiss, there supposedly can be issues with apps hard-coded for the higher depth.
Keyboard
Look, we're just going to say it: the Pixi's keyboard is totally awesome. Admittedly, we weren't expecting fireworks when we first laid eyes on this tiny QWERTY, but the experience of using it day to day has been nothing short of a revelation. You would think that the tight spacing and tiny keys would make typing a difficult task, but Palm has cleverly given the Pixi keyboard snappy tactile feedback and a substantial height boost, making tapping away a serious pleasure. Weirdly, typing on the Pixi keyboard is kind of like using the iPhone keyboard -- they have a similar size, shape, and spacing -- but of course, you've got the advantage of physical keys with the Pixi. While we still wish Palm would step up its autocorrection in the software, we did find ourselves making less mistakes with the Pixi than we do with the Pre, which is saying something. Palm has always had knack for making quality keyboards, and the Pixi's micro size doesn't seem to have held the company back from doing it again. Thanks to this keyboard, we're more convinced than ever that a portrait QWERTY is the most efficient and natural arrangement for physical input.
Speaker / earpiece
The earpiece on the Pixi seemed to be about on par with the Pre -- we don't have many complaints in that department -- but the speaker is a slightly different story. Generally, we found the external speaker on the Pixi to be a bit quiet for daily use on conference calls and the like. It seemed like our audio quality was coming through fine, but the volume on the speaker output just wasn't that loud (we regularly found ourselves reaching for the volume rocker only to realize we'd hit our limit). The same is true for system notifications; thanks to the quieter speaker, we nearly missed a few messages. It's not a deal breaker, but we definitely could have dealt with a bit more volume on our hands-free calls.
Camera
We'll be honest in saying we're disappointed that Palm dropped the camera resolution down to 2 megapixels for the Pixi. Look, we know you want to separate the Pre and this device, but killing image quality isn't a great place to start. In general, the camera takes fine photos, though the flash can be incredibly harsh on some subjects (like white dogs, for instance). As with the Pre, the Pixi has almost no delay between snapping photos, so it's great if you're a busybody when it comes to capturing memories. Of course, also like the Pre you get almost no options for your images (save for flash on or off), and there's no video recording option here. Our verdict is that it's a decent camera for a $99 phone, but we like our gadgets to be a little aspirational.
Software
The first thing you should know about the Pixi and its accompanying operating system -- webOS 1.3.1 (also due on the Pre, though not when the Pixi launches) -- is that it's not terribly different from anything you've seen on the Pre. If you own a Pre (or have recently checked one out... or have read our lengthy review), the experience is largely the same, though there are some new additions that Palm is touting with the Pixi.
Most notable is the availability of Yahoo! accounts for the phone's Synergy profiles. As with Gmail, Yahoo! integration means you pull in the mail, calendar, and messaging content from your account (not fun if you've had a pile of spam messages waiting, like we did). Overall the process is painless, but one note: if you're pulling down a lot of data, the sync process over EV-DO is less than snappy... and you should probably get used to that with the Pixi. We're still not happy that Palm doesn't give you the ability to gatekeep those accounts and weed out the contacts you don't want or need, but Synergy seems to be doing a much better job with keeping everything in one place. Of note in the newer versions of webOS is the ability for Synergy to connect AIM accounts with Gmail or Yahoo! contacts -- functionality that wasn't originally part of the OS.
Palm has also added a Facebook app for the phone, though in terms of functionality, this one ranks fairly low. It's essentially your feed of friend's status updates -- a kind of alternate Twitter really -- where you can also post your status along with links or photos. In our experience it worked well, but we would have loved some deeper interaction beyond updates, like full profile views, for instance. We imagine that Palm will build on what they have here, but if you're walking into this expecting the full experience you get on Android or the iPhone, you'll be disappointed.
Obviously tweaks have been made to get webOS working on a totally different chip than the Pre's, and for the most part Palm seems to have gotten it right. We did, however, run into some frustrating performance issues that made using the phone not just tough, but downright annoying.
It does seem that some of the OS speed has been a causality in the transition to the less powerful CPU, and on a fairly regular basis we experienced freezes, extreme lag, and an unresponsive screen. We didn't have the phone crash out on us, but when transitioning between cards, loading content in web pages, and other basic tasks, the phone had plenty of hiccups. We get the sneaking suspicion that the EV-DO-only connection could be a culprit as well; when you combine a slower processor with a slower data connection, something has to give. We also noticed that email updates and other connected services seemed to be intimately linked with the phone's sleep states -- it didn't seem to be updating as frequently when sleeping, and the EV-DO connection was slow to reconnect for us when waking the device up.
We also saw problems with sleeping the phone and waking it up, with the device not really snapping to life the way you would expect, which then caused us to re-tap the button, which of course meant we put the phone back to sleep. It was an annoying process that felt -- again -- like the phone was being asked to more than it could really handle.
While these problems were fairly regular, moving through cards and apps seemed really speedy on the Pixi -- faster than our Pre in some instances -- and the screen also felt ultra responsive. In fact, scrolling through email and webpages felt more accurate to us on the Pixi, like the screen sensitivity has been cranked up while the kinetic bounces and scrolling have been toned way down.
We walked away from the experience of using the phone day to day somewhat bummed out by the lack of horsepower. While Palm wasn't breaking any world records with the speed of the Pre, it was a consistent, enjoyable experience. The same can't be said about the Pixi -- and we're hoping they can work through this with a software update.
Battery life
In our real-world tests, the battery life on the Pixi was good, but not great. We can't knock the phone too much, as it did seem to perform better than the Pre. Our feeling is that battery life on devices like the Pixi and CLIQ -- always-on, always connected -- is a nut that hasn't been fully cracked. We were able to eke out a day's use on the Pixi, but it was tight, and if we really went for it, a dinner time recharge was in order. We assume -- as with the Pre -- that we'll see some bigger aftermarket batteries for the Pixi, but for now, you'll want to keep your charger on hand and hope that a wall socket is nearby.
Wrap-up
Going into this review, we knew that the Pixi had some cards (no pun intended) already stacked against it. For starters, it's a Sprint device, which would be all well and good if Palm didn't have an extremely similar device on the same carrier for nearly the same price-point. Secondly... Palm has an extremely similar device on the same carrier for nearly the same price-point. We say "extremely similar," but what we really mean is "much faster and better equipped." You can't ignore the fact that not only does the Pre exist, but it has a larger screen with a higher resolution, WiFi capability, a larger keyboard (though not necessarily better in our opinion), a better camera, and a price tag which is dangerously close to the Pixi's. We mean a difference of $50. Now, we don't know about you, but if we were to compare these two side-by-side, the real deciding point wouldn't be that small amount of money (hell, if you're moving up to a data plan, $50 up front should be the least of your concerns). And that's not even taking into account the outside forces at work on potential buyers. A $99 smartphone might have seemed like a steal two years ago, but these days you can have one of the best Android devices on a larger network (the Droid Eris on Verizon), or an iPhone 3G on AT&T for the same price -- so 100 bucks doesn't seem like the crazy value it once was.
No, the real question you'd have to ask yourself when thinking about the Pixi would really be purely about design -- namely, which form factor you preferred. Now -- assuming you're dead set on Sprint as a carrier -- that would be a valid point if one of these phones was, say, a full touchscreen device with no physical keyboard. Then you'd have something. But the fact is that these phones are closely matched in both features and design -- save for those items we just mentioned -- and the Pre doesn't lose out in a single category (unless you consider "smallest" to be a major factor, and even then you don't have a lot ground to stand on). So, why buy the Pixi? Well we're not really sure. Is it for Centro upgraders? Perhaps, but again, the Pre does exist. Palm offers a better device on the same network for nearly the same price... and that's a fact we can't ignore. We think there's a lot of room for evolution in the world of webOS, both on Sprint and (hopefully) with other carriers, and we eagerly await a less lateral move.
Update: As some commenters have pointed out, the Pixi is showing up for $29.99 (after an instant discount) at Walmart online right now. Let's be very clear here -- one of our major issues with this phone was that it doesn't offer enough differentiation from the Pre, a point which is particularly important when there is only a $50 difference between the two. Without question, this phone for $30 is an incredible value and without compare in the world of smartphones. If that kind of price becomes the norm with this device, it would be hard not to recommend it to buyers.
The think you put your face in while browsing Engadget.
It's a kind of plant.
If you need to ask, the answer is no.
Not unless you buy the inflatable accessories.
Try a Hummer.
It's hard to believe that Palm is already pushing its second device, the Pixi, out the door.
I thought they made other phones before that.
It's second Web OS phone...
It's their second WebOS device..not Palm OS.
Either you edited out the most important word in that sentence, or Engadget have sneakily updated it to make you look silly.
I would have a word if I were you!
Ahh, quick revision. :) All kidding aside, once a GSM unlocked version of this I might buy it like I did with the treo pro. If the keyboard is better than the treo pro, and doesnt have the lag when texting like windows mobile 6.1 is giving me, I'm sold.
Don't go crazy -- I accidentally left out the word webOS originally. Good catch!
looks pretty slick, but you're right... at that price point on Sprint, I'd probably end up with a Pre. Although, IRL I ended up with the HTC Hero for a little extra. They'll probably cut the price dramatically soon to keep it competitive.
That's a nice looking phone, a very clean minimalist look. I wonder how that keyboard feels.
I kinda miss my physical keyboard, but I'm doing just fine with the virtual one.
Not other webOS devices.
No Wifi, without simple wifi how can you call this a smartphone?
Get Sprint's EPRP (new SERO) plan for $59. It offers the same exact things as the $69 450 Everything DATA plan but it's $10 cheaper. It's not widely known because it was mostly created as a ploy to get old SERO plan holders to upgrade from their dying $30 plan.
With Anytime Any Mobile these plans essentially give you unlimited minutes for what most people use their phones for.
Here's the info you need.
Russ McGuire, Vice President of strategy for Sprint, was kind enough to revealed his email and CID# on his Blog just for us.
http://www.sprint.com/everythingplus
E-Mail: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com
Last 3 of CID: 383
@Joshua Topolsky
I want to downrank you for messing up. Where are your buttons!?
Anybody else feel like this is NOT what Palm needed to compete properly with the upcoming Android 2.0 onslaught?
was thinking something similiar. if palm isn't coming up with a killer device which can compete with mobiles like droid, hd2, x10 (ok last two have no hardware keyboard,) etc. they might fail pretty quick
@Parias - I think that's a great question. But it seems to me that Palm has "sleekness" going for them right now, in hardware and software. Android (software, of course) still seems a little clunky to me.
I think the Pixi will fit in well to Sprint customers. It the Pre/Pixi were on Verizon, I think they'd really fly off the shelf....
Yeh its kinda lacking in all areas.
I really think ANY phone without high speed data is simply unnaceptable in 2009.
You can get away with it on feature phones but not on smartphones.
I just think Palm cut the wrong corners with this one.
They should of cut out the 8gb and added a microsd slot. They should of added high speed data and they should of developed a lighter version of webOS specificaly for the weaker CPUs. HTC have both Manila 3D and Manila 2D...why cant Palm do the same.
Palm needs to be carrier secular if their going to survive.
This is a nice phone. At $99 seems like a deal, but rumblings of a $99 iPhone 3G S is bad news for Palm.
The "smartphone" market is getting very crowded....these phones will get cheaper...carriers will have to drop prices or add services like tethering or the such for free, to entice potential customers.
@Adderz
Who said anything about the Pixi lacking high speed data? L2Read, IMO.
You guys are wrong. The HD2's, X10's and Droid's of the world may be very sexy but they still make up the minority of phone sales. A cheap device like this can bridge the gap between the featurephone market and the smartphone market, and bridging that gap is good business, plain and simple.
@Adderz
It's should "have", for crying out loud.
@xcrunk
It's "they're", not "their"
Damn, people, is it so hard to get 3rd grade grammar correct? What an embarrassment. America is turning into a nation of idiots and no one even cares.
How does this device not have high speed data?
Are you guys talking about wifi? I had a Mogul with wifi for 2 years, never used the wifi. Now I've got a Hero. No plans to use the wifi. It's just not important to some people. I'll go out on a limb and say it's not functionally important to most people.
It looks sooo good, and I'm diggin' the form factor. Thing is, the storage capacity, as well as the small screen are deal breakers.
Give it 32GB of onboard, and trim that bezel to make way for a higher-resolution 3.5" screen, and I'd be all over it.
The search for my next phone continues... Droid's hardware keyboard sucks, this phone and the Pre have the issues I mentioned above, BBs have an unusable web browser and ancient OS, the iPhone still has obvious lackings, anything Symbian is completely out of the question, and the only way I'd buy anything WinMo is if I could be assured that it'll be upgradable to WM7. BLAH!
When I buy a phone, and commit to a multi-thousand dollar contract, I want something that I actually don't hate using, 1-2 yrs from now.
Out of all the cell phone sales, how many are Smart Phones like Winmo, Adroid, WebOS, or even the iPhone? Surely the market still supports traditional cell phones at a larger number. This Pixie seems like another Pseudo Smart Phone. If the LG Dare could sell, this will too.
I would have rathered a physical Treo Pro clone with WebOS attached.
BRETT
Every phone released with PDA functionality should have WiFi - PERIOD.
Not only because downloading is snappy with WiFi over home and office networks, but, because some phones allow you to play multiplayer games over WiFi but, not over cellular because its simply too slow and less reliable.
Xcrunk
I do agree that PALM needs to make their phones without contracts. Its ultimately going to hurt them with all the new Android devices and the aggressive marketing from AT&T and Verizon.
I always tell people that the best phone they can get on Sprint is the Pre and that the Droid is probably the best phone they can get on Verizon - but, of course, many of them would love to get the iPhone on those other networks.
@Tonicboy:
So the Pixi is to the smartphone market as the crossover SUV is to the automotive market?
The OS is amazing, but they REALLY need some serious optimization. Once they turn on the GPU, get some more quality developers, and get things going smooth for both phones, there is really nothing that would make webOS a bad platform to invest in.
Yes, absolutely. This phone appeals to no one. It seems to make more sense to release a BETTER version of the Pre, rather than a dumbed down version. This is like Apple releasing the original iPhone NOW, when the 3GS is 10x better. Why anyone in the world would buy the Pixi is beyond me. I like the keyboard better, the Pre one is way too cramped and untactile, but that's it. If I was in the market for either of these phones, I'd have to be a moron to get the pixi. Even if it was free instead of the $150 of the Pre, when you take into account that you're going to be spending minimum $70 per month for the plan anyways, the difference in upfront price would only make a difference to you if you're a complete moron.
Still wondering that the Pixi review is up even before the promised HD2 review from one week ago :(
Josh actually promised it will be up "soon". Whatever that means ;)
Josh trashed the HD2 in the latest podcast. Maybe HTC sent him a new ROM ?
Pixi: out Saturday
HD2: out in a couple months
Which review do you think he should prioritize?
Just read it here instead :
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/20/review_phone_htc_hd2/
Hey word, before you even start, do us a favor and STFU.
Thanks from the engadget reader base.
It's nice to see bad people telling themselves off... it makes our lives so much easier
Im not sure how it is for you other Engadget users, but my fingers wont be able to push those miniscule buttons.
Remove the pixi and bring in a Pal Beast.
I thought the same thing about the pre and it worked out i the end.
I really think Palm needs to expand WebOS onto other carriers and devices. It seems pretty awesome and I'd love to try it out, but I'm not on Sprint. I also don't really dig the keyboard on the Pre or the Pixi, kinda tiny and bubbly keys. I'd love to see a newer form factor (horizontal slide-out qwerty) on another carrier.
I know it's coming to Verizon, but by the time it does I'll probably have an Android 2.0, so they're kinda missing the boat a bit :/
@glazerorama:
"but by the time it does I'll probably have an Android 2.0, so they're kinda missing the boat a bit :/"
Seems to me they'll just miss out your purchase. So, are you saying you are the boat?
I have to agree with you. If the Pre had been out on Verizon on launch day I probably would have bought it. Instead I bought a Droid last week and I'm loving it. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who was waiting for a good, non-Blackberry smartphone on Verizon and would have picked up a Pre were it available.
Guys, what the hell has happened to your HTC HD2 review? It's very unlike Engadget to let just about every other review site on the planet to beat them to the punch. It was 'coming soon' almost 2 weeks ago! We need your opinion!
The HD2 review is coming. We're working as fast as we can to get these out to you guys, believe me!
You should see it next week. We'll keep further delays to a minimum!
NEXT week? we are already dead then! joshua what is your sinister plan? aaaaargh
yeah its like waiting for phone arena's HTC HD2 video review.
thanks josh! talk about commitment... still have yet to regret choosing engadget, ya digg :)
Well I'll give you a world-breaking preview of Engadget's HD2 Review impressions :
"The HD2 is the most impressive WinMo phone out there, the battery life is better than what we though it would, the Sense interface is impressive, the screen is wild and so unique, it's a web browsing dream machine, it really has no real issue... but it's WinMo you know, and even if HTC has all this OS mistakes fixed we can't give it a good review it would hurt our heart !" - Gizmodo style ;-)
You cover the Pixie instead of the HD2 ? doh !