HP Pre 3

  • Released 2011, August
    156g, 16mm thickness
    HP webOS 2.2
    8GB storage, no card slot
  • N/A 454,091 hits
  • 23 Become a fan
  • 3.58"
    480x800 pixels
  • 5MP
    720p
  • 512MB RAM
    Snapdragon S2
  • 1230mAh
    Li-Ion

HP Pre 3 - Specs

Network Technology GSM / HSPA
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
Speed HSPA 7.2/5.76 Mbps
Launch Announced 2011, February. Released 2011, August
Status Discontinued
Body Dimensions 111 x 64 x 16 mm (4.37 x 2.52 x 0.63 in)
Weight 156 g (5.50 oz)
Keyboard QWERTY
SIM Mini-SIM
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 3.58 inches, 36.5 cm2 (~51.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~261 ppi density)
Platform OS HP webOS 2.2
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2
CPU 1.4 GHz Scorpion
GPU Adreno 205
Memory Card slot No
Internal 8GB 512MB RAM
Main Camera Single 5 MP, AF
Features LED flash
Video 720p
Selfie camera Single VGA
Video
Sound Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
 Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Comms WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth 2.1, A2DP, EDR
GPS Yes, with A-GPS
Radio No
USB microUSB 2.0
Features Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass
Browser HTML, Adobe Flash
 MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
MP4/H.264 player
Organizer
Document viewer
Voice memo/dial
Predictive text input
Battery   Removable Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery
Stand-by Up to 300 h
Talk time Up to 5 h
Misc Colors Black
Price About 350 EUR

HP Pre 3 - User Reviews

  • the best of the world

  • Bravooo...

  • One of the best mobile and OS I found before 4 years, WEB OS really great. It doesn't matter smart phone supports and running 50 apps in background nowadays. The same 50 apps have run before 4 years in Palm WEB OS, so still we are convinced that recent smart phones does great job {yes, but not soo great}. The utter truth is WEB OS have done that before 4 years jus compare there is no change in technology {hypothetically}. The bigger companies have eye washed so many features that have been invented and improved, Nope that's not the real fair game here. Jus for example Moto have introduced Water & Dust proof, Gorilla glass phone called Moto Defy about 5 years back. But quite recently Sony have used the same sort of stuff and made a name for Water & Dust proof phones. Hmm funny huh. More info have been updated and released as new technology really bad. But really hats off for the new technologies..... :)

  • webOS Nation is a good place for advice. Here is an article on bypassing the activation now the HP servers are gone.

  • the reason why you can't connect or update is because HP (the owner of webOS) has shut down the webOS cloud services.

  • Plz i have a an HP pre3, 1) I cant connect to the "App Catalog" or to the WebOs Site .. thats why i cant update or download any aplications !! 2) How can i renisalise my phone ? and is their a default code to do it ?

  • Plz i have a an HP pre3, 1) I cant connect to the "App Catalog" or to the WebOs Site .. thats why i cant update or download any aplications !! 2) How can i renisalise my phone ? and is their a default code to do it ?

  • I also recently saw just the front panel (bezel, screen, glass) on eBay.

  • due to it's relative rarity, parts themselves are also in short supply. your best bet is probably webOSnation's marketplace - because sometimes a Pre3 for parts appears and you can ask about it there as well

  • due to it's relative rarity, parts themselves are also in short supply. your best bet is probably webOSnation's marketplace - because sometimes a Pre3 for parts appears and you can ask about it there as well

  • where do i get another screen for my HP Pre 3,the touch effect is not there at all!!

  • Copy them to your sim, and then you could copy them onto the Pre3 or you could just keep them on the sim? Hope that's useful.

  • yes,you can

  • MojoWhatsApp can be downloaded from webOSnation forums. It works.

  • Does anyone know how I can transfer contacts from my Blackberry Bold to the Pre 3?

  • Can I print messages via wifi to a HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 5525 printer?

  • download apps from PREWARE

  • You can't, whatsapp only for android, WP, iOS or some nokia phones

  • can you tell me how to set up MMS. I entered the values as instructed by Straight Talk but it will not work

  • can someone tell me how to download whatsapp for this ph or other msging app

  • I got this phone off ebay some 3 months ago. I sold it, and felt that ill have problem with the keyboard flex in the future so i went back to using Android - HTC Incredible - then i sold it again, and tried WP Lumia 800. It felt short of all important tasks such as multi tasking, simplicity, etc. I traded off with my friend whom i sold the HP Pre 3! haahah. I got it again, he got the Lumia. It feels so good again to be back with WebOS. Its incomparable. Hope there will be WebOS phone in the future. IT is definitely the BEST OS. Teody (Globe-philippines)

  • you bought the wrong version...d'oh !!

  • Best Phone EVER! Went from my iphone4 to the pre3, LOVE it!! WebOS is cool, install preware on this baby, crank up govnah and off you fly!! Fast and smooth. The only thing thats not all that wonderful is the camera software. It doesnt have good exposure and color correction or white balance. It works, but others are better. Video quality though is very good. Not as much compression noise as my iphone. Of course not as many apps for webOS as ios, but if you don't need a ton of apps, just the basics, you'll be happy with the pre3. GREAT phone!!

  • Got it from Berlin last year in October for 200 euro new. Currently using it in Greece. Some problems: A.Loosing GSM signal periodically so people call me on my other phone to ask me why I am off the air... B.) The ringer-off button on top of the phone is accidentally pushed to off position when putting the phone in its holster. Had to hold it with a tape to avoid accidents. This button could have been placed on the side rather than on the top of the phone. C.) Camera functions and possibilites not the best on the market.... For what I want and what I paid, it is ok...

  • I was lucky enough to buy my HP Pre 3 from eBay and I couldn't be happier. After Sprint abandoned Palm handsets after the original Palm Pre and Palm Pixi, I had to start considering finding another carrier. After much research, I decided on Straight Talk, bought the SIM online from their website, ported my existing Sprint phone number (only took 10 minutes after I talked to Straight Talk rep on the phone for 20 minutes to give all my information), popped it in my Pre 3, and I've been happily swimming in the warm, soothing waters of webOS 2.2.4, ever since. I have an iPhone 4 as my backup line, in case I can no longer carry on my devotion to the elegant and intuitive webOS. The iPhone and iOS are great, but the webOS uses 'cards' allowing you to actively switch between Contacts and say, an active Phone call, quickly and easily, without having to navigate to the main home screen and selecting the Phone app, like I do with the iPhone. I hope HP gets it financial house in order, so they come closer to realizing the potential of the webOS, if they just stop being fickle and commit to the platform 100%. Come on HP, wake up!

  • please review this mobile!!!

  • I have the 16 GB AT&T version which includes the 850 MHz band. Great phone.

  • Had this phone for 10 months now. I really like both WebOS and the form factor, great for text and emails. A crying shame that HP ditched it, but there is a very active group of developers out there - who get my sincere thanks. Not many apps lacking from the store, in fact none that I feel an urgent need for. Battery life is marginal for a full day, but the bigger (2800)Mugen battery solved that one. Now thinking about a replacement in the next six months but will be sorry to part with this super handset.

  • No 850MhZ UMTS/HSPA?!? Who are they trying to kid, North America runs on 850. They throw in 1900MhZ which is useless, I think there is like one rouge 1900 tower in Ontario, c'mon!

  • Yes man very good phone,no update since september tho qaulity catologue,theres some good news and there some bad news HP stop making phone good news phone can be bought for $49,yeah upgrade man

  • thinking about buying this phone when my contract ends. a good idea or shall I find another option?

  • Try contacting HP or use webOS Doctor.

  • You need to download the WebOS Doctor on to your PC and use that to flash your phone's OS.

  • Dear Friends, My Pre3 crashed and reboots again n again, can some body tell me how to restore it, or its troubleshooting software, its IOS backup????

  • No matter what you do, the sliding keyboard will alwasys be there! It is part of this phone and its concept.

  • if they want a virtual keyboard, its doable with some tweaking. (webOS actually has a virtual keyboard hidden in the code)

  • Actually no offense but your wrong. you can get an app without needing to buy another phone.

  • A few answers to some readers Yes it supports video calls on skype For those in need of a touchscreen (letters) instead of the sliding keyboard, I am afraid they have to buy another phone!!!

  • Hp why o why, this is by far the best OS. when my brother asked me to buy a palm pre in 2009 I blew him off & stuck to my iphone. He bought on for me and now theres no going back. the interface is just out of this world, the multimail simplicity, beauty of the OS. What the hell is wrong with HP? they´ve had the best OS for the past 3 years and have done nothing. The users are actually doing the selling for them. They better not shut this down.

  • Its the Qualcomm MSM8655T (which also supports CDMA bands on the same chip) not the older MSM8255 (GSM only). Wrong info.

  • Can we do Vedio chat on Skype with pre 3

  • I need this phone....it just needs the keyboard on the screen and this will be by far the best phone

  • amazing phone. top go and going cheap!

  • well hp pre 3 is now available in europe and some guys there are shipping it worldwide... im actually in the philippines now and they are selling it for 22k i think in my currency which is peso! im planning to buy this one bt im really concern about the warranty... i mean there is no support anymore if the phone is defective.. so it just a waste of money...

  • why don't they sell it in VietNam >,

  • Because they need larger display with Onscreen Potrait Qwerty like other phones instead of physical keys taking lot of space well i like webOS and hardware is Good too

  • you can order from e2save

  • its finished ,gone,palm 3 cancelled in usa and only 99euros sim free..

  • GSMArena please review this amazing smart phone

  • why do they say that WebOS is really amazing and has alot of potential and they say that the hardware is the problem? whats wrong with the hardware? what can you improve?

  • They bought you from Palm just to "kill" you. Can WebOS be an opensource? Just like Android? So other manufacturers can dig in too.

  • I was getting this but now getting a BB 9900 instead,shame.

  • How they can start selling this and at the same moment sayng they will discounted Webos

  • really really nice phone sadly hp discontinued WebOs it was a really nice OS

  • It's a shame HP pulled the plug on webOS. WebOS had such great potential but it's too bad that it was limited by it's sub par hardware. With HP's announcement comes even less developer commitment to the platform in what was webOS's weakest link - app portfolio.

  • If I were you, I would return it :)

  • I actually wanted to buy this phone... But now that HP killed the WebOS devices, I have to buy BB9900. This is really bad, no developer would touch WebOS from now on...

  • well , i recieved my pre3 this morning and yeah its big BUT its a great phone!!!! ok not many apps but there are the apps that you use on a daily basis instead of having a phone full of app rubbish!!!! the screen is clear, crisp and bright - but not too bright you go blind keyboard- very good accurate and well designed the dreaded sliding mechanism- so far so good, its seems to have been redesigned by HP as it isn't curved like the pre/2 it will last a heck of a lot longer ok no sd card slot but who really cares?????? honestly ????? i hope webOS makes it to more touch screens either laptop/tablets its so easy to use and everything is where you expect it to be , a bit like ios - designed with a user in mind its quick, responsive, slim, not too heavy/light you know you are holding a phone and not a tablet- sgs2, htc sensation etc couldn't be happier WELL DONE HP/PALM 5/5

  • I read in the news that HP updated its processor to 1.4GHz.

  • I've just check www.clove.co.uk and they start selling this phone August 17th But the site sells 1.4 GHz model.... Why does HP sell this phone in two model? Really confusing....

  • not much interest. I'm surprised as i think this is a top handset

  • true true!

  • this would be my phone if it had whatsapp...

  • thx !

  • August 22rd 2011

  • it doesnt have a dual core for the UK check HPs website

  • is this upgredable to webos 3.0?

  • This is an excellent master piece from HP. Looking at its design one cant hold their breath. Its an hybrid smart phone altogether.

  • A micro sd card slot really should be included.

  • soooo..... the dual core version is only for uk?

  • beautiful and very handy design in a totally wrong OS...

  • Here comes a danger for BlackBerry.

  • They changed the processor from 1.4Ghz Single Core to Dual Core 1.2Ghz Processor.

  • the design is absolutely awesome... it's like a qwerty version of beautiful Siemens SL75 or BQ SL91... I hope someday HP will release numeric keyboard version of this fone... Keep up the good work, HP!

  • I want more WebOS apps.

  • I hope this phone will be available in Indonesia...... Because the design is very good looking and. great specification

  • I hope Sprint wakes up and carries the Pre 3. They'll lose at least 1,000 customers (including me, 10 years now). Check it out

  • WebOS is the OS with biggest potential. Pre 3 with dual core processor and card slot or bigger capacity of internal memory could become the best smartphone. Too bad for that there is a small number of apps for WebOS.

  • ...we want both 3.6"-3.9" slider (as specified), AND 4+" slab, to be precise, I for one preffer 3.6" slider over 4" slab, it is unique and ergonomic enough form factor, but I agree that public seems to like 4" more!

  • it's time to release already, and I don't understand why we cant get just a simple yes or no whether Sprint will carry or not?

  • maybe they are improving it at the moment .....

  • Waiting, waiting, waiting... I want this phone, I need this phone, Hurry up!!!

  • hey hp what are you doing ? come on release it , it is too late :( . and please change your style , we want screen 4 inch :-) . webos will look good in 4 , 4,3 inch :-)

  • No support for 4G Network?

  • I hope HP will remove the app catalog country restriction so that I could have proper updates in my apps in RP.

  • HP is taking too long to release the phone. By the time it will release the specs will be outdated. They are doing the same mistake as Palm did. Poor webos again it will not get the success it deserves.

  • Looks good. I owned a Palm Pre. Web OS was great, just hope they sorted the battery problem out with this one, that was the only down side to the Pre.

  • Cool design! I guess the webOS is such a rockstar! I just worry about the QWERTY. Look so mini to me and the other bigthumbs. I hope this thing comes to Indonesia soon :D...

  • how about for a version with radio and micro sd card slot

  • The fact that its a CDMA phone it won't work in RP. Hope HP would create a GSM version and distribute it in RP.

  • I like the old pre curved-sliding design more

  • one word for the design, AWESOME. the neatest looking phone I've ever seen. Also webOS looks great. But, it lacks apps and probably won't make it to the Philippines. But, please HP, make this go to RP and add tons of apps (in the smartphone world, you can't win without apps in store) PLEASE HP! APPS! APPS! APPS!! grrr, also, please make it go to the Philippines. Also, the 1.4 Ghz processor looks promising. Just add tons of apps and a definite release date and imma buy this thing!

  • Unless you have used, or demonstrated live product,sold or fixed a mobile device running BBOS, IOS, WebOS or Android then you really don't know. Palm with WebOS was developed and launched after IOS but 9 months before Android. I have sold all of them as a rep. and had all of them for demonstration purposes. WebOS is amazing and beats them all.... hands down, but, unless you have used all of these operating systems, you don't really know what they can and can't do. WebOS does everything... I mean everything.

  • I have an iphone 4 but i liked this phone's design!Is the OS easy and simple to use?

  • Does the PRE3 can only be used in the US? If this thing can be used anywhere around the globe...then why HP's taking soooooo long to release it???

  • The design of the phone is excellent and is exactly what I'm after. The screen is the same size of an iPhone, and a full qwerty board which can be used with one hand. I hope they release this soon in Australia as I need to update from my iPhone 3GS!

  • I really want this phone! WebOS looks great. It's going to be too expensive for me though...

  • Standard battery,only Li-Ion 1230 mAh (-__-)!

  • looks great. For Palm fans, no convincing. For others palm pre 3 or hp pre 3 is way ahead of all other smart phones becos it is very usaer friendly and multitasking is just great. Can'nt wait for hp touch.ipad 2 or three are all behind in fucntionality and ease of use. A bit like going to apple computers , u never go back. pauliG

  • No one OS available in market beat this phone if anyone use once WebOS forget all android&IOS &also onething appreciating price is xheap of all OS very good phone I have used all IS highend latest phone of the world ,but still no one phone can beat my old PalmPrePlus&PixiPlus ,eagrly waiting Pre3 in India ,can arena team tell approx date availability in India ,because want to upgrade.

  • I have used all market high end available phone really tell all of you no OS beat WebOS ,eagrly waiting this phone in India can anyone tekl when available in India Or any one can tell where unlockes gsmversion PalmPre2 is available

  • lol bbos is better than android and ios??? have you taken drugs man??? you should wake up!!! i would rather choose symbian than bbos lol XD..bbos is like windows me 2000, symbian is windows xp, android and ios is windows7..understand??HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! well if thats really your opinion, you have low standard of taste..!!!blackberry os is a no no!!!

  • GSMArena: please do a review of this great piece of technology!!

  • very good phone ,no one can beat this I have Palm Pre&Plus both very good for multitasking as well as Web OS is awesome &customer care support is no con give ,waiting eagrly in India ,pls pls if anyone knowlefge when it available in India

  • Can you tell me why you think so?

  • android is so sluggish that even with dual core it wont even pinch to zoom correctly so what are you talking about? webos looks amazing and its the only high level os that has true multi tasking and a user interface which is way better that boring ios so dont bullshit us. the only downside is lack of apps but i hope it will get better

  • if the OS is anything compared to BBOS, this is going to be great!! iOS, Android and Windows has nothing on BBOS.

  • webos is without doubt the best smartphone software on the market, it makes android feel like a dogs breakfast.

  • I have used desire, iPhone 3gs and palm pixi plus.... so have an idea about all the oses.. and as far as I know webOS rocks. ;-)

  • You got to be kidding me. WebOS is NOWHERE near to iOS and Android. You really need to get your facts straight before making false claims based on non existing facts. WebOS is light years behind iOS and Android and still behind even the Blackberry platform.

  • iphone need removable battery and flash pre need tomton and cabdybar form factore

  • WebOS is right up there if not better then ios and android but palm wasn't able showcase to the masses, I think HP is going to be able to take it to the next level

  • i like is [hone because it suppot adobe flash 10 that means i can use it like computer iphone does not suppot adobe flash there are alot of websites that needs adobe flash and iphone does not suppot it

  • :)

  • spent past few days learning webos, homebrew and patches. what i like its pre design like ui, phone body, icons flash, true multitasking, touch stone, much easier to put the phone into developer mode by just keying a secret code:) removable battery, lower price than iphone what i dislike, why not try a candybar model? hp are you listening?

  • I don't really like it. The Phone feels not coming from the origin (Palm). HP should find another "Concept" for the phone, i mean like the shape, model, etc. WebOS is the greatest thing in this phone. I love this mobile OS rather than Android, iOS etc, because it has TRUE MULTITASKING. But after all, this phone will be great.

  • Waiting for webos in india since the first phone, hope so this releases in india soon. HP has a good presence in india. Had Hp gone with 1gb ram, a better screen and 1900 mah battery then this phone would had been a killer. Still waiting for it, would bye and compare it with iPhone 4.

  • I'd like to see the price of this beauty here in Portugal, when it hits the stores and the GSM operators... Looking forward a nice and deep review from gsmarena. Bye

  • Because Adreno is Qualcomm GPU, and HP use Qualcomm CPUs in their phones.

  • 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8655 chipset YEAH!!! Plus bigger screen

  • love it!where is hp pad?

  • Hi, it's a cool smartphone. I like it :-)

  • touchstone is cool option

  • GreaT work by hp i love hp ,,,,, in my opinion hp pro 3 is best phone ,,, and i saw videos On youtube webos is greater hp bring something new ,,, i hope hp phone will successfull like iphone ,,, the best phone at MWC ... hp all the best ,,,, webos is better then android os ,, now Android os is boring ,,,,,,

  • SGS' cpu is better since sr540 gpu rocks the adreno 205... I really couldn't understand why rhey chose adreno 205 :S boring...

  • Great but I expect from HP some model like HP 614c, I love compact models, don't like slider.

  • 8.8 for design? Really? This thing looks like a toy.

  • I just cant stop loving palm for what they have created, well done

  • Web OS is superb and certainly has the potential to be comfortably the best on the market. It's a pity this isn't coupled with the hardware it deserves.

  • Are you sure Pre3 is GSM+CDMA? May be two versions, as Pre2? First - GSM only, second - CDMA only.

  • all that features and finaly the battery is 1230

  • it's sweet and saxy and also powerful... I love this so much and i will buy it as soon as it comes...

  • why would they release phone with halfoutdated specs? my ancient (in phone years) SGS have all better specs but CPU...

  • Who cares it's not dual-core? Current mobile OSses don't make good use of them yet. High speed CPU is more effective right now.

  • Surprise, surprise from Palm, looks so sweet & sexy :)

  • cool

  • No doubt.. WebOS is more powerful and innovative.. Somebody have any idea what will be the equipment price in Asia?

  • it's NOT dual-core...

  • "palm" back to life

  • Love the specs. Finally a potent hardware for a good OS.

  • Is it that hard to make it Pentaband UMTS?, Mediocre phones from Nokia N8, E7 have it. yea CDMA is nice but I live in Canada (HSPDA+)and travel to Europe, and Latin-America. Why not a 4" screen?

  • Beautiful :)

  • Finally a reason to return to PALM... and looks like the iPhone killer!!

  • this is the phone from pre lineup i've been wating for.. makes perfect sens and got a big screen + supercool web os!!!

  • it is dual core :)

  • U r wrong... Web OS is one of the most power efficient OS. That's why the new HP tab offers the best battery life out of all the tabs present in the market. It's not power sucking android, it's web OS.

  • SOUNDS A GREAT PHONE BUT the part of WebOs dont sounds good i wish see this phone with androiod gingerbread or windows 7 phone

  • 1.4ghz processor but ONLY 1230mah battery, really!?? it will drain that battery in a matter of hours, i dont expect this phone to last anything over 12hours

  • i dont get palm handsets, anyone tell me why they are good?

  • Holy fu....when i saw the 1.4 Ghz i was like O_O?! but it's sad that it's not dual-core...

  • Pretty cool phone. Wonder if people really want or need a physical keyboard, tho.

  • very nice phone...

  • #First hahaha. What a great device! If Nokia don't release anything interesting in the next days, I will buy this one. And the TouchPad knocked me down, I'm in love with it. Anyway let's wait and see what Esppoo has to offer, otherwise, welcome to game HP! I need a replacement for my aging N82!!!