Looks Aren't Everything! (Motorola RAZR V3i)

Member Name: cazkins

Product:	Motorola RAZR V3i
Date:	05/12/08 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sleek design

Disadvantages: Awful battery life, poor camera & features, too pricey for what you get

The Motorola V3 was extremely popular when it came out and is still recognisable as of the best looking mobiles around. The V3i came out shortly after to offer an upgraded camera without detracting from its classic style, though I can't say I've been impressed.

Having never owned the V3 I can't really compare the two, but I bought this for two reasons really (and stupid ones!). I wanted to see what the fuss was about & I wanted a pretty-looking phone as I wasn't too fussed by the features because I don't seem to use it much anymore. So I bought myself a V3i in a lovely deep shiny red off ebay for £45. They're available in blue, black & grey too and although they're harder to come by they're still available on the internet for around £80 and there's plenty on Ebay.

The Razr V3i has most of the standard features you'd expect on a descent phone, plus a 1.2 megapixel camera, 12Mbyte memory, music player, expandable SD memory and aluminium casing. These are what set it apart from the original Razr.

... The Good ...

To be honest I'm struggling to find much in the way of good points to say about this phone. It looks great. It's slimline yet feels fairly sturdy, the casing is shiny and hasn't scratched yet and there's a USB port for easy file transfer from your PC. Mine comes with 2 standard Java games and like most other Motorolas has the standard menu layout which I find is clear and easy to use. The outer screen will display the date and show any incoming calls/messages even though it's actually very small in size. When your flip it open (easy to do, not clunky or too big in your hands like the V3x which is huge in comparison) you get a nice decent sized 176 x 220 pixel display. The keypad is well laid out and lights up blue lines between the buttons which comes in handy for dark nights. The keys are flat but easy to use, so it's all quite neat both on the outside and when you flip it open. It's only 98 x 53 x 14 mm, making it very slim though slightly wider than most other phones currently on the shelves, but I found it okay for my tiny hands and was still able to text without any problems.

... The Bad ...

The graphics are average as is the camera. Even though it's 1.3 which is still better than a VGA, it's rather slow and the quality isn't as good as I think it should be for the price, especially when considering what you could currently get in the sales for a 2, 3 or even 5 megapixel camera. I've noticed it freezes, although only for a few seconds, when trying to go through options, select the camera etc. None of that really matters though if the phone doesn't stay alive for long enough to use the stupid thing! For example in the last 2 days I haven't touched my phone except the side key to check if I'd had any messages once or twice. But as no one had (yep, I'm billy no mates!) it hadn't been used. None the less, the battery ran out within 24 hours. Charging it daily when it hasn't been used is annoying; I can't rely on it enough to take it out anywhere and I think that's the main bugbear I have with the V3i.

Overall, I have to admit I'm very disappointed with this mobile. I'll give it credit for looking pretty but that's about it. I wouldn't recommend it, especially when considering you could pay £80 for what are now outdated features, such as the poor camera. In my opinion, I would save your money for a phone that stays awake long enough to use it! Very disappointing :(

Summary: Being thin really isn't everything, especially when it comes to the V3i!

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