Palm Treo 755p Review

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Hardware Changes Mostly Cosmetic

The Treo 755p is outfitted with an Intel XScale 312MHz processor and 128MB of memory.  The main changes to the Treo 755p are cosmetic in nature. Gone is the external antenna, replaced with an internal antenna. The Treo 755p battery is roughly two thirds the size of the Treo 700p battery. Despite being similar in size to the Treo 680/Treo 750 batteries, it is not compatible. Considering most will not be upgrading from either smartphone, this won’t affect most users.

The new Treo 755p is slightly smaller and loses the external antenna

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Side by side comparison of Treo 755p vs Treo 700p

The form factor is similar to the Treo 750 and Treo 680. The build quality is impressive and similar (if not the same) as the Treo 750. When it comes to build quality, this Treo is more a sibling of the Treo 750, than the Treo 680. As we wrote in our Treo 750 review, the keyboard is the best I’ve seen in any device I have reviewed. Available in two colors (midnight blue and maroon), the Treo 755p also features a rubberized coating. If you’re not the type to carry your Treo in a case, this definitely will help provide a more solid grip on the Treo. In general, it’s also a nicer surface that feels good in your hand. Overall, that’s my general feeling about this new form factor. It’s not as thin as competiting smartphones flooding the market (Moto Q, Blackjack, Dash), but it’s certainly feels smaller than previous generation Treos. Using the Treo 755p felt comfortable and it is lighter than the Treo 700p. While I’d like to see Palm release a smaller form factor, the curved back and internal antenna make a big difference in everyday use. This won’t necessarily show up when looking at photos on the Internet.

Making The Move To miniSD Memory Expansion

To compensate for the changes in size, Palm had to change some things. This latest generation Treo uses miniSD cards. For those upgrading, you’ll have to upgrade your memory card(s). Prices are comparable with a 2GB miniSD priced similarly to a 2GB SD card. The Treo 755p has an enclosure on the right side of the device that will protect your card. This was introduced on the Treo 680 and Treo 750. Quite frankly, the previous design was flawed, but was something that became accepted. Having lost (and luckily retrieving one of my SD cards), this new design is a welcome change.

The Treo 755p uses miniSD

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Using The Treo 755p With Existing Treo Accessories

The Treo 755p uses the same connector allowing those who are upgrading to use their existing cables, car chargers and travel chargers. The IR port has shifted from the top of the device to the right. I’d venture to say most use IR to swap contacts, so the move is not a deal breaker for most. The Treo 755p uses a new battery that is roughly 33% smaller than the battery found in the Treo 700 series. Despite being similar in size to the Treo 750 and Treo 680 battery, the new battery is actually different. The Treo 755p does not share the same battery as either the Treo 750 or Treo 680. Batteries for those phones are not compatible with the Treo 755p.

All existing chargers will work with the Treo 755p

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Bluetooth

Like its predecessor, the Treo 755p supports Bluetooth 1.2. This means no support for A2DP or Bluetooth voice dialing. You can achieve this through third party software Softick Audio Gateway, albeit at an added expense. I’m happy to report the Treo 755p performed well in my tests with both car kits and assorted headsets. Once you set up a Bluetooth device, the Treo 755p did not lose the connection. This is a problem that has plagued some Treo 700p owners. When in range, the Treo 755p immediately picked up the coordinating device. According to Palm, the Treo 755p incorporates some of the fixes in the soon to be released Treo 700p mainentance release.

Sound Quality

I had no issues with sound quality. The phone performed as well or on par with previous Treo smartphones.

Battery Life

My normal usage includes checking emails at 15 minute intervals (when away from my desktop), moderate phone usage and Bluetooth connectivity. I tried an test of what I deem a very active user. I was logged into all 3 IM accounts set SnapperMail to retrieve every 5 minutes. When I started this test, the Treo had rough 75% on the battery meter. I started at 7pm and returned at 9:30am the following morning. Battery life was at 25%. 14 hours of data connections at 5 minute intervals, while logged into IM, only took 50% of the battery life. Considering I had started with only 75% and still had 25% battery life, I'd consider battery life to be more than sufficient, even for power users.

Palm Treo 755p review continued on page 4 of 4