MOTORIZR Z3 gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Dec 20th 2006 at 8:16PM

The MOTORIZR Z3 isn't exactly awe-inspiring in terms of features, but being that its Moto's "first attempt at the slider design trend," it gets somewhat of a pass in the value department. CNET was able to get its paws on the predictably thin new mobile, and while the list of niceties wasn't exactly suited to the (admittedly) high $300 pricetag, they couldn't help but fall for its snazzy good looks. Aside from the design, the phone offered a pleasantly crisp LCD, user-friendly navigation array, call quality similar to the GSM KRZR (read: satisfactory), "respectable" battery life of 6.5 hours, and a highly improved volume level. All wasn't peachy, however, as reviewers found the built-in camera to be fairly awful, the button layout to be a bit cramped / slick, and the speakerphone to be less than impressive. All in all, this rendition of Motorola's (almost) vowel-less lineup did the slider motif "quite well," and while CNET suggested holding out until prices drop just a bit, it was deemed a solid performer nonetheless.

[Thanks, Justin]

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM, EDGE

Tags: moto, motorizr, review, reviewed, rizr, z3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Adnan @ Dec 20th 2006 8:28PM

Slick phone, however I've had many MOTOS before and sincerely wish that MOTO would update their ancient UI. Sony Ericsson could teach them a lesson or two about UI, hardware wise, though, the phone's a "KILR"

Neutral

CLShortFuse @ Dec 20th 2006 8:36PM

i love how cnet can say 6.5 hours of battery life is "respectable" but when verizon phones have 3.5hrs it's "great" (chocolate, k1m)

i started realizing cnet has been getting a bit biased lately

Neutral

a_n @ Dec 20th 2006 9:44PM

Finally, some more RIZR news. The price on wirelessimports is taking a nosedive; a month or two ago it was around $450, but now it's $299. The mobileburn page says "Motorola expects the MOTORIZR Z3 to start shipping in this half of 2006"; well, there's only eleven days left in "this half of 2006", so maybe we'll see something in the next month. Perhaps a subsidized price of $150 with 2-yr contract?

Neutral

keiri @ Dec 20th 2006 11:47PM

This phone has been out for some time (around November); I've had mine since November 20th or so. Paid $384 at release though they're much cheaper now - about $300 shipped.

It's a GREAT phone with a few marks against it but overall a wonderful alternative to the KRZR.

Neutral

Donald @ Dec 21st 2006 4:08PM

"i love how cnet can say 6.5 hours of battery life is "respectable" but when verizon phones have 3.5hrs it's "great" (chocolate, k1m)"

My experience has been that CDMA phones, because of the very nature of the technology, have shorter battery life than GSM devices. For example, Nokia packed the 6265 (CDMA) with a battery rated at about 1100 mAh, but the 6270 (GSM) with a 850mAh battery. So they're comparing it to other phones of that technology.

Neutral