Palm Pre review

Palm's great hope finally makes its debut on UK shores

Palm Pre
The Palm Pre was the most hotly-anticipated phones of 2009 - it is coming to the UK very soon

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The 3 megapixel camera is not the strongest selling point here, mirroring the limitations of the iPhone and G1.

We prefer the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition or Pixon 12, which provide all the typical digital camera features you would expect, such as white balance controls and multi-level zoom. Interestingly, while the camera is limited, the photos we took were not half-bad.

flash

FLASH: With the flash, the image is crisp and well balanced

NO flash

NO FLASH: Without the flash, the performance was not so good indoors

There are a few options for controlling the flash, but overall the photos looked crisp and colourful without the usual dull colour treatment found on other cameraphones – including the iPhone.

low light

LOW LIGHT: In these conditions the camera does well although it lacks sharpness and detail

We tested the camera in two primary conditions: outdoor shots and indoor shots. It's possible to take a photo with the Pre that looks indiscernible from a regular pocket digital camera in an outdoor setting.

lit

INDOORS: The performance is not great, with washed out colours and minimal detail

Indoors, though, the flash and ISO correction are too limited - it is not a phone you will want to rely on for birthday parties or graduation ceremonies, except in a pinch.

One interesting feature that trumps the iPhone though – you can enable GPS geotagging so that images you take on the Pre have their location stored in the metadata.

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John Brandon
Contributor

John Brandon has covered gadgets and cars for the past 12 years having published over 12,000 articles and tested nearly 8,000 products. He's nothing if not prolific. Before starting his writing career, he led an Information Design practice at a large consumer electronics retailer in the US. His hobbies include deep sea exploration, complaining about the weather, and engineering a vast multiverse conspiracy.