UPDATE: Sagem has got in touch with us to say that the counter on the Puma Phone only goes up after you’ve sent messages or listened to music, rather than giving you an equivalent of battery charged in an easy to understand format. Yes, it’s a bit counter intuitive, but it means the battery percentage indicator itself is the best measurement of how effective the solar panel is – you can read about that below.
The Puma Phone proudly proclaims that it’s “Not like all those other phones” in Puma’s marketing, and we don’t dispute that. Most noticeably, it’s got a great big solar panel slapped on the back of it. Does it work? We’ve been trying to get it to charge from the rays of the sun all week and keeping a log: see if there’s any point in this eco kit in a British Summer in this part of our Puma Phone review.
Read our Puma Phone review now
Puma Phone review
Puma Phone review: Build and touchscreen
Puma Phone review: Software
Puma Phone review: Solar charge diary
Theoretically at least, the Puma Phone’s solar charger is well integrated into the back of the phone. It doesn’t require a separate accessory like the LG Pop, doesn’t change the smooth texture of the casing or add any apparent bulk to the handset. Place the phone on its back in natural light and you’ll see a little Sun symbol above the panel start blinking as it starts trying to convert all those precious beams into power. You can check how much energy has been converted this way by opening the Solar icon on the Puma Phone’s main menu. It’ll tell you how many messages, minutes of music, and minutes of calls it’s created for you this way. Whether it’ll be any use here in Blighty is another matter entirely.
Monday
We’re still intrigued and charmed by the Puma Phone’s off-kilt sense of humour, and hopeful that during brief patches of clear sky we’ll be able to put its solar panel to use. We nip outside and stick it on the garden table, and step back satisfied as the solar charging indicator begins to blink. Success! Right? Not so fast: after three hours in the sun, the battery has dropped five percent. If it’s working, it’s not going fast enough to combat the power drain of the Puma Phone being idle.
Number of messages powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of music powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of calls powered by the sun: 0000
Tuesday
Things aren’t looking so Summery today. In fact, it’s completely overcast, and pours almost continuously. So, a typical British day in August then. We managed to find brief moments of respite from the rain to nip out and set the Puma Phone to do its thing in the great outdoors – in a Tupperware container, of course. After two hours outside, battery life had actually risen one percent, but the counters weren’t registering any change.
Number of messages powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of music powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of calls powered by the sun: 0000
Wednesday
Things are looking a bit brighter today. While it’s not that hot (a London high of 23 degrees), it’s clear and extremely bright, and we don sunglasses to venture out and stick the Puma Phone on its perch. We get excited when after three hours, the Puma Phone’s battery has risen from 14 to 17 percent, though there’s no change on the counters. However, another hour in bright sunlight causes the battery to drop a huge ten percent (We didn’t get any texts or calls in that time, if you were wondering).
Number of messages powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of music powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of calls powered by the sun: 0000
Thursday
The Puma Phone, which for various other reasons, is driving us mad by this point, gets one last reprieve. It’s cloudy outside and a balmy 19 degrees, and it gets a full four hours underneath the sky, interrupted only by a quick snatch away to stop a squatting pigeon from defecating on it. We’re not expecting much by this point, and sure enough we don’t get it: the Puma Phone has lost two percent of its charge, and gained nothing from the little light that’s getting to it.
Number of messages powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of music powered by the sun: 0000
Minutes of calls powered by the sun: 0000
A week of typical British weather failed to charge the Puma Phone enough to send one text message, according to its own counter. It’s a pity, but on the plus side, at least you still earn eco credentials with the Puma Phone via its biodegradable box – and hey, the Puma Phone official site says it’s being sold in Tunisia, so perhaps there’s a point to that solar panel in some countries.
Read our Puma Phone review now
Puma Phone review
Puma Phone review: Build and touchscreen
Puma Phone review: Software
Puma Phone review: Solar charge diary
