Motorola V975 Review

Overall Rating

Flip plus phone lock so you don't accidentally make calls, access to 3's services

Poor battery life, fiddly buttons, camera/video camera not great quality

I joined the latest up and coming mobile phone network, 3, about 18 months ago, and I was provided with an LG U1180 mobile phone as part of the package. After about 9 months the phone began playing up no end (crackly line, phone freezing, games crashing), so I couldn't wait for my yearly upgrade.

There were not very many phones on offer I have to say, when I popped down to my local Carphone Warehouse; about 4 different phones I think.

I hadn't had a Motorola phone since the Flare was out many moons ago, but I remembered them fondly, so I thought I would give the V975 a go.

The phone itself is a flip, which is essential for me as I had a nasty habit of accidentally dialling numbers when the phone was in my pocket (the phone lock not appearing to work for me). It is coloured in multi-tones of silver, with a camera lens in the top left hand corner and the screen central to the phone.

When you open the flip, the top half is the screen (with the camera lens now on the bottom right side). The keypad is on the bottom half of the phone.

You get all the usual features with this phone (phone book, adjustable ring tones and volume, calendar, call barring, predictive text messaging) and a few additional ones.

As this is a 3G phone, you have a still pictures camera, a video camera (which can also be used to make and receive video calls) and access to the internet, email and online gaming.

As with all newer phones, the screen is colour and you can either select one of the phone's preset backgrounds and screen savers, or set one up of your own by either downloading a picture or taking one on your camera phone!
OK that's enough rambling, let's get down to the nitty gritty!

Phone Features:

External Colour screen

VGA Camera and LED Light for capturing and sending video and picture messages to phones or emails

Predictive text messaging and email facility

Speakerphone

Upload MP3 and other files using expandable memory slot up to 256MB

Can be synchronised with a PC or other device by means of a cable (provided)

Tri-Band

Supports all of 3's mobile services such as video calling, video messaging and downloading Video Clips

Specifications:

Weight 137g

Screen - Size 37 x 30mm
65,000 colours
Resolution 176 x 220 pixels

Battery Life (approx)
Standby - 145 hours
Talk Time - 130 minutes
Video Call - 70 minutes

16MB Internal Memory

VGA external facing Camera featuring 4 x zoom and light, which can also be switched to internal facing.


Using the Phone:

Figuring out how to use some of the features was actually quite tricky, as the keypad features navigation keys as well as the standard number keys, and for a while I didn't realise right at the top of the navi keys, there was a smaller button to select some options, which you have to press by kind of tilting your finger so you only use the tip. Otherwise, you end up pressing the top navi key which moves the selection up and down instead of selecting the options screen. The main Selection key is in the centre of the navi pad, but this provides different options to the smaller button.

Confused yet?

There are also some 'shortcut buttons', which save you having to go into the main menu and make your selection.

These enable you to get into your text messages, video calling, 3 browser and 'quick menu', which enables you to get into the online services instantly without having to go into the browser and then make a further selection.

As with most phones you can use this as an alarm clock and to set yourself reminders, though on several occasions the alarm has failed to go off in the morning, so beware!

In the menus there are so many options you may find yourself getting lost. After 6 months I still can't remember how to get into some functions, and I spend ages frantically pressing buttons to find the option I want.

The handbook isn't very clear, so I would advise taking some time to familiarise yourself with the phone rather than relying on the book.

The camera and video camera are accessed through the multimedia option on the main screen. The camera can be switched from back to front view at the press of a button, and the camera options (zoom, brightness etc.) can be accessed by that awkward little button at the top of the navi pad.

The video camera has very limited time for filming (about 30 seconds), which I find a little pointless. That is even after increasing the filming time, which was originally about 10 seconds.

The quality is not great, and definitely not as good as my previous LG, but it's a phone, so I suppose it is good enough!

I have tried video calling once or twice, which is pretty good! I was a bit confused at first though, as I didn't realise I was receiving a video call and was trying to talk as normal. You can set a different ringtone for video calls to stop confusion. The only problem with it is that you obviously need to be on a call to someone with a compatible handset, and video calls are outrageously expensive!

3 Services:

3 have their very own online services which can be accessed through the browser.

These include being able to download video clips, games, ringtones, wallpaper and many more.

Please be aware that most services come with a price tag attached, ranging from about 50p upwards. You can purchase 'add-ons' which enable you to download clips or video calling minutes in addition to whatever your contract provides (in my case 500 cross network minutes and 100 texts per month).

3 Services also allows you to check your monthly usage, which comes in handy for keeping track of how many free minutes you have left, and giving you some idea of what your bill may be. Once your bill has been prepared the total amount will be available for you to view on your phone.

My Opinion:

All in all I guess the phone is OK. It is nothing special to look at, and the features are good, but not the best quality they could be.

I have noticed a few problems with the handset similar to the LG, such as the handset freezing and errors appearing while playing a game so the game crashes. Network Coverage has improved dramatically since I first joined 3, though in the North it is still a bit iffy. When using 3 services the browser often crashes, though now I have discovered the Quick Menu, it now only takes 1 step to get to a particular section, whereas before I always had to go through a lengthy process involving 5 or 6 steps, and now it fails much less often.

The battery life is nowhere near as long as Motorola claim. Standby of 145 hours? I don't think so! More like 72 hours standby, though 130 minutes of talktime is a little more realistic, it is still wrong. I would say you get about 90 minutes talk time, but I have not yet checked out the video calling time as video calls are so expensive!

3 do offer some great packages on contract though, so if you can find the phone you want I would definitely go with 3. As for this phone though, it is a little hit and miss.

One part I do find quite funny is that the screen has little indicators at the top telling you if you have your phone on loud, silent etc, if you have a game open and the fact it is 3G. When you are leaving the service area (by being in a tunnel etc.) the phone then changes to 2G or even 1.5G! I found this hilarious, though it seems I am the only one.

On the plus side, the sound quality of the phone is very good (you will probably find the highest volume setting way too loud), and being Triband means you can use the phone pretty much anywhere, including the USA. You do however, need to set up international calling with 3 if you are on contract, which may require a security deposit.

As I got this phone as a free upgrade I am fairly happy with it's value. The Carphone Warehouse does not appear to provide this handset on 3 pay as you go, so I cannot tell you how much it would cost. They did however try and make me pay £30 to upgrade to this phone, which I told them was ridiculous, and if I was that bothered about getting the phone I would cancel my contract and get a new one, with a better phone for free, which made them have second thoughts. Even at first glance this phone did not look worth the additional £30, considering I was saddling myself with a further 18 month contract.