Slow mover
The Motorola Pro+ runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, which theoretically supports video calling, but there’s no front-facing camera to take advantage of this. The single-core Snapdragon MSM7230 CPU is clocked at 1GHz and backed by 512MB RAM, but it doesn’t really feel as fast as it should, and there were definite signs of lag when switching between apps. Despite a respectable AnTutu benchmark score of 3304, in practise it seemed to struggle, possibly due to the demands of the Motoblur UI.
Desktop integration
Speaking of which, Motoblur’s unique interface looked quite exciting when it first appeared last year but it’s now starting to look a bit tired compared to the snazzy new looks from Android and Blackberry.
The blocky alert boxes look a bit samey but they’re functional though, with options to show your latest messages and updates from key friends, plus there’s the clever option to resize them how you like, so you can give each the prominence it deserves. There are seven home pages with a programmable bar of four shortcuts which remains constant at the bottom of each.
5Mp stills, but no HD video on this shooter
The 5Mp camera includes autofocus and an LED flash, plus a few scene settings, including macro and panorama. There are quick upload and share options for the social networking medium of your choice plus some pretty good photo editing facilities, with options to crop, colour, flip, resize, rotate and add effects. Picture quality is satisfactory on detail, though colours can look a bit washed out and it doesn’t respond well to lower light conditions.
Sample Shots
Click for a full-resolution image
Click for a full-resolution image
Next page: Plus points
COMMENTS
Only Android phone with non-sliding qwerty?
Perhaps you missed the HTC ChaCha?
http://www.reghardware.com/2011/07/08/htc_cha_cha_smartphone/
Theres also the Samsung Galaxy Pro and the LG Optimus Pro.
Agreed, this does seem a rather jaundiced take
You can't compare it to the Razr, that costs well over £100 more.
Also the numbers are ranged across the top of the keyboard because you use the screen to dial.
I'm also not quite sure how a 258dpi screen can be called lackluster. OK Motorola has set the default brightness a bit low but on an enterprise handset that's not a wholly stupid idea with an eye on battery life and seems to pay dividends.
Couple of things I like to have seen covered - how much of the 4GB is free for apps and how do alternate launchers like Go Launcher EX work on a screen that shape? I'm guessing that with a better launcher this handset is a bit of a cracker.
ps..."you'd no doubt become familiar with it over time"....you mean just like every other keyboard under the sun?
This deserves at least 80% given the price!
I found this review a bit harsh.
Granted, 512MB of memory, a single 1GHz processor and 5MP camera is on the weak side given the latest crop of smartphones. The latter point is of lesser importance to me because no phone camera could rival my 12MP dedicated camera (a Panasonic).
But, for God's sake, this is the only Android smartphone with a non-slide QWERTY keyboard like the Blackberry. And given the price - a mere C$350 + taxes (total: C$400 without a contract)! - this is a great deal. Add $25 to unlock, and you are ready to enjoy this unique form factor worldwide! By comparison, the latest crop of smartphones I was referring to earlier cost nearly double (e.g. Samsung Galaxy S II at C$600 + taxes).
The review says one thing right: the battery life is great. One day and a half of intensive use, maybe. But in my normal (less intensive?) routine, it lasts 3-4 days easy.
So, coming back to the above title, if you judge this smartphone on its qualities (e.g. VGA screen, battery life, serious apps and admittedly nothing more than decent performance) relative to its dirty cheap price, I would say it deserves at least a 80%.
UGLY THING
may be they should buy Rim and get a prettier design.
To me almost all these smartphones miss the main point of their existence. I hate greasy, scratchable, un-tactile touchscreens for dialling, and I don't want a miniscule QWERTY keyboard.
I want a PHONE with a PHONE keypad, you know, with numbers on it. As far as I can see the Blackberry Pearl3G is the only smartphone out there that answers this description... not a problem for me just now as I've only had mine a year and hope it lasts a good bit longer yet, but surely I'm not the only one who wants this?
Predictive text has worked well for over a decade now - it's fine for firing off the odd email when out and about, and I'd far rather 12 buttons I can actually find to press individually than fight with the needle-in-a-haystack struggle you end up with when trying to cram a full QWERTY keyboard into a tiny phone.
