Motorola MOTOLUXE Preview - Computers|Gadgets|Games N ...

Motorola have been pushing the high-lead to Android phones for some time now, coaxing early-adopters out in their shells with LTE marvels just like the DROID RAZR and the DROID 4, however the MOTOLUXE shows it hasn?t forgotten the entry-level market. Solid and middle-of-the-road is typically the route for reasonable devices; still, Motorola hasn?t been ready to resist slapping a good big lamp at the front, only for some eye-candy. Is that this the greatest budget Android phone around, or simply a wannabe RAZR with a nasty case of bloat? Take a look at our preview after the cut.

Hardware

For a ?budget? minded device, the MOTOLUXE actually has probably the most most successful industrial design we have seen from Motorola for your time now. There?s not one of the clamorous title-chasing of the look-how-thin-I-am DROID RAZR, only a soft-touch monoblock which feels sturdy and creak-free. It is a nice compromise on scale, too ? the 4-inch display makes for a phone good for web-browsing and multimedia playback, but not so large as to monopolize your hand, pocket or purse. You must note that this can be a pre-final device ? hence the preview, in preference to an entire review.

Motorola MOTOLUXE hands-on:

Motorola?s budget has some obvious consequences, though; the screen is 854 x 480 resolution, in place of qHD or 720p, and the processor is an 800MHz?Qualcomm MSM7227A paired with just 512MB of RAM and 1GB of ROM. Still, you get an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, though just a VGA resolution front camera, while the HSDPA radio is restricted to 7.2Mbps download rates (network depending) instead of faster HSPA+ speeds.

There?s also WiFi b/g/n, FM radio, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS, though no NFC; a three.5mm headphone socket and microUSB 2.0 port, through no MHL HDMI output. Essentially the mostsome of the most striking component to the?117.7 x 60.5 x 9.85 mm handset is the broad LED indicator strip within the lower left corner of the fascia ? with a cutaway strip underneath ? that lights up in step with charging status, new alerts and when the battery is running low. It looks great, though it could be distracting in case you are such a person that charges their phone overnight with it at the nightstand.

Software

Motorola loads the MOTOLUXE with Android 2.3.7 complete with some Moto Switch 2.0 customizations, though since this can be a non-final device we can?t be benchmarking it or passing any lasting judgements. We?d obviously choose to see Ice Cream Sandwich?in play, and Motorola?s tweaked iconography is somewhat underwhelming. Perhaps we?re just reluctant to switch, however the graphics aren?t as instantly obvious as Android?s native icon set, resulting in hunting when you are chasing down a particular app.

Stand-out elements in Moto Switch 2.0 are the lockscreen shortcuts, which takes a leaf out of HTC Sense?s book and gives easy accessibility to apps from the lockscreen itself. Motorola outplays HTC by offering six shortcuts instead of its rival?s four, though. Meanwhile there are favorite-apps and favorite-contacts cluster widgets at the seven-pane homescreen, which may either display your most ?frequently run/contacted software and other people automatically, or show those you manually pin to the gang. Unfortunately there is no method to have a halfway house of both, pinning some shortcuts while allowing the others to dynamically change.

Camera

8-megapixels is healthy for an extremely low-cost device, though there?s obviously more to good photography than raw pixel count. The MOTOLUXE does an affordable job, though it?s totally much depending on getting sufficient natural light. Colors have a tendency to be muted and there is noticeable noise around indoor shots.?Remember, though, that this can change with final software.

Phone and Battery

In-call audio was solid and the MOTOLUXE?s size made it comfortable to carry for extended conversations. Motorola rates the battery lifetime of the smartphone at as much as 6.5 hours of 2G talktime (4.5hrs 3G) and 400 hours of 2G standby (450 hours 3G); we found the MOTOLUXE was easily ready to last an afternoon of average use.

Wrap-Up

Motorola has a fairly wide remit for the MOTOLUXE, targeting it at developing markets as well as low-cost contract and pre-pay customers elsewhere. If you are buying a phone with an agreement ? and thus a subsidy ? there is a solid argument to be made that upfront cost is comparatively insignificant: we?d always recommend going for the only device around, despite the fact that it?s costlier, because the difference in what you pay on day one is marginal within the context of the common two-year agreement.

Still, for pre-pay customers or those wanting a reasonable SIM-free device, there is a lot to love concerning the MOTOLUXE. The screen offers an outstanding compromise over size and usefulness, and the build construction ? though not a real ?rugged? phone ? is high enough to make the smartphone feel surprisingly premium. The camera is solely passable and Moto Switch 2.0 is underwhelming, however the sticker price reflects that. In comparison with other budget options in the marketplace, the MOTOLUXE has plenty in its favor.

Thanks to Clove?for the loan of the MOTOLUXE unit. The handset is offered to reserve now, priced at ?215 plus tax.

Check out the original source here.

Source: http://www.tywigs.org/gadgets-reviews/motorola-motoluxe-preview

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