Motorola SC-3160

The Motorola SC-3160 is a dual Analogue / CDMA phone. In Australia with the impending demise of the analogue network a couple of years ago, this was one of the few phones available that could take advantage of the superior country wide coverage of the existing analogue network and it's replacement CDMA network. Our existing digital GSM network is fine in urban areas but the analogue and its CDMA replacement cells are more prevalent in country areas.

As for the SC3160, on the positive side, it has been reliable and trouble free.

On the negative side...

* Battery life of a claimed 120 hours standby is only 20-22 hours. Motorola sent me a replacement battery which was exactly the same. A check of the standby current drain and knowing the AH capacity of the battery showed the batteries were not at fault. Persistent efforts to contact technical personnel at Motorola to discuss advertised technical specifications were completely fruitless.

* Also despite advertised claims by our major telco who were marketing this model that it was "SMS capable", the SC3160 is NOT capable of transmitting an SMS, only receiving them.

* The ringer volume is not adequate in many situations.

* Finally, without subjecting the unit to any electrical tests, my feeling is that the receiver sensitivity is not as good as it should/could be.

I haven't had any problems with the Motorola SC-3160 mobile phone and I have had it almost 2 years. I am still using the original battery.

The phone that shuts itself off. Unfortunately, it does so when in use. It freezes up frequently, and the only cure is to remove the battery. The advertised standby and talk times are fantasy. Motorola should be ashamed and embarassed about this phone.

A fine phone and a great leather case. The manual is good, the quality is good. Sometimes the flip will flop down when the phone is carried on a belt with the leather case. We all know how delicate the flip is, but, it hasn't busted yet. As far as I'm concerned, the antenna need never be extended - I've not seen any difference yet. It would be nice if there were some tone to announce that you fired up the phone and got roaming instead of digital. Also, why don't phones allow you to plug in the charger into the (spare) battery rather that the phone too? Oh yeah, money! So you have to buy the stand for the phone/battery. The lighted buttons are the best and the ability to keep the flip up and answer a call is cool. It would be nice to be able to put the flip up without hanging up while speaking. This is the most vulnerable part of the phone and it would be a real pain if the flip broke!

Apart from the odd low battery action the phone is great and I have to dial in lots of kudos to Radio Shack? Motorola? for the excellent case! I paid a penny for the phone with the service buy-in, so the value for money maxes out.

Temperamental Phone with its own personality

This phone has been a nightmare. The phone has turned itself off several times without any warning. There are times when I dial out and am waiting to be connected when I discover that the phone has shut off. Also, the phone also has a tendency to "freeze," meaning that the phone would lock and the only way to turn it off (or do anything else) would require the removal of the battery. Atleast the phone warns you before it drops your calls (Although, I don't think this warning is an intentional feature created by Motorola). There usually is a quick beep/ buzz before the phone drops your call. The advertised standby and talktime are strictly that- advertised. I have yet to see the phone live up to the paperwork. Initially, I thought that these problems were unique to my phone. However, I soon learned that a friend of mine, who had the same model, experienced many of the same problems. When I took the phone into Bell Atlantic/ Verizon, I was informed that the phone had to be sent away for approx 2-3 weeks.

Caveat Emptor!

The phone was bought to replace an analogue Motorola phone when the Analogue system was phased out in Australia.

The phone is a convenient size and has the typical Motorola flip front.

The phone has been disapointing, partially due to network problems but mainly due to problems with the phone.

The stand by time seemed very low. The advertising claimed 120h on standby. I tested the phone when it was about 1 month old. Left on a table, with a strong CDMA signal, the battery lasted a little over 54h, with no incoming or outgoing calls.

The phone also turns its self of 2 or 3 times a month. It gives no indication that it will switch off (no beeps etc) and when turned on again the battery still has plenty of charge.

When I finally took it in to the repair agent I was advised that it had to be sent away and would take at least 2 to 3 weeks. I was advised that there was a backlog of Motorola phones needing repair and that there was some difficulty getting spare parts for CDMA phones. The Motorola customer service people were sympathetic but could not help with speeding up the repair time. I was advised that they were extremely busy, which suggests that I am not alone with problems with the new Motorola phones.