The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

Motorola Motoluxe

RH Numbers

Out of the box, the Motoluxe looks like a high-end smartphone – it’s almost all screen, has good build quality and an 8Mp camera. The 4in screen is sharp too at 480 x 854 pixels but the ultimate pay-off for all the surface USPs are an average 800MHz processor and around 300MB of internal storage to play with, a MicroSD card upgrade is essential.

The Motoluxe is an attempt to bring big budget items like a large screen and impressive camera to the mid-range Android market but falls short given that, in day-to-day use, despite its good looks, it feels sluggish against its rivals.

Motorola Motoluxe Android smartphone

Reg Rating 70%
Price £190
More info Motorola

Orange Monte Carlo

RH Numbers

The Monte Carlo is an Orange branded version of the ZTE Skate featuring a giant, 4.3in, 400 x 800-pixel screen that immediately impresses. Indeed, the size eclipses other Android smartphones at a similar price point. While responsive and bright, it's not the most detailed display, truth be told.

The embedded Orange apps are annoying bloatware but the battery life is good considering the screen size and its 800MHz processor. Naturally, the price is subsidised by the fact you’ll be topping up with Orange credit on PAYG but that doesn’t change the fact that the Orange Monte Carlo is still a value for money option and certainly accessible for Android virgins.

Orange Monte Carlo Android smartphone

Reg Rating 85%
Price £119
More info Orange

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

Next page: Samsung Galaxy Ace

Battery

In phone reviews I'd like to see the battery life measured for each one. Battery life of portable electronics is so important to me. Having gone from a Sony Ericcson P1i (3G, touchscreen with stylus) which gave me over a week to an HTC Desire which would give me a day and a half even when just sitting idle in my jacket. Changing to CyanogenMod extended that to a long weekend. But it's still not good enough.

Battery tech keeps improving but any advantages are negated by useless UI animation, fancy graphics and pointless cruft.

9
0
Anonymous Coward

System storage???

Not a single mention of how much space any of these handsets has for application storage which I'd argue is the most important bit of info to have when buying any Android phone, esp a cheap one.

9
0
Anonymous Coward

Re: "The Samsung Galaxy Ace looks remarkably like an iPhone 4."

It's a rectangle with rounded corners and single button. Enough to inflame any manufacturer with insecurity problems

8
1

More from The Register

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?