Check out AT&T's FREE camera phones
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 283 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
Full user review
-
14 out of 18 people found this review helpful
1.0 stars
"Severely disappointed"
Pros: GSM, Cingular roll-over, Yahoo IM
Cons: Lousy build, bad call quality, terrible battery life
Summary: I picked the V180 relying on CNet's review, and "satisfied" comments from my cousin and boss, both have V180s, the former with AT&T and the latter with Cingular. I picked it even though this was not a free phone then. I have had the phone for four months now.
Anyway, the phone:
1. The battery life is terrible, I usually charge it when it drops to 1-2 bars (out of 3), but that happens usually by the third day - and I am not constantly on the phone, either (an hour a day max). CNet reported 9 hours of talk time and ten days of standby. Ha!
2. Flimsy build quality. Plastic, very bad. I also have a prepaid Tracfone Motorola v60, that is SOLID (though again, bad battery life). V180: I never know when it will break (hasn't in four months, though). Lousy buttons on the v180, great buttons on the v60.
3. Have to open the phone to set to vibrate, also have to lower the volume all the way to "vibrate" and then "silent". Darn thing beeps all the way through - embarassing in meetings etc. My v60 has a special button on the outside, that can be used to change the ring style without opening the phone - and with just one beep (loud/vibrate/silent/etc.)
4. Have had the call drop ever so often (I live in Champaign, IL). A one-hour conversation with my advisor took four calls. The fourth call, my advisor says "you should get a new phone". This was (then) just one month old. Similar results when I chat with the afore-mentioned cousin.
5. Bad call quality (volume). Have to keep adjusting the earpiece to listen to conversations. Have had reports my listeners can't hear anything, or my volume is too low. That often happens when I use a calling card (for international calls), so maybe that's the reason; then again, I have had problems otherwise as well. CNet: "good call quality". Ha! That was the reason for choosing the v180 over the then-Motorola "free" phone (I think it was the v551) - I preferred the clamshell Motorola over the candybar Sony Ericsson.
6. The AC adapter supplied is rated only for 110 V/60 Hz. I am writing this from Thailand, which has 230 V/50 Hz, but some outlets have 115 V (not sure how the 50 Hz - 60 Hz difference works - have no wish to fry my phone). My laptop, iPod, digital camera (Panasonic DMC-F1) all work with the included adapters and 230 V/50 Hz. But my Motorola can't be charged (at least, not without an additional transformer). Anyway, I don't use the phone here - roaming is $1.99/minute (though when I get back to the US, I plan to unlock my phone so I can use cheaper local SIM cards - calls to the US from Thailand are just 7 Baht/minute!)
7. Not very loud ringtones, I have missed calls just being in another room of my apartment (no other noises/sounds). I have also missed calls keeping it in my jeans' pockets. Though I must admit the alarm function works (but then the phone's just a couple feet from my ears!)
Hmmm.... as I write this, I wonder WHY I keep the damn thing. Could it be the two-year contract, two-year wait to upgrade, and $$$ for new phones without service? Maybe. But the calling plan from Cingular is good/convenient - my chats with at least two cousins, two good friends, and my boss are free minutes, and those are the most common calls. And I have over 450 "rolled-over" minutes in four months (though I might have over-estimated my calling needs). And the Yahoo! e-mail and IM services built-in (partly Cingular, partly Motorola) are good - I don't have Internet access at home, but check e-mail on my phone instead (Gmail rocks - free forwarding to Yahoo, and 1 GB).
Hmmm.... I have to check on my mail-in rebate, which I haven't received almost two months after I mailed it in; check if I can exhange this phone (perhaps it is just this instrument). I almost feared AT&T's service culture had crept into Cingular, when they charged my $4/minute for an international call after I had signed up for their international calling plan - took me an hour's talk to get them to remove the charge, but now I don't have an international calling plan on my phone.
UGH.... if it hadn't been for my cousins and friends also being on Cingular, and their roll-over minutes, I would be tempted to switch to Verizon (my experience there being only the landline service, I must admit). Verizon's CDMA technology was another factor for choosing Cingular (GSM works in India and Thailand).
So... hopefully this review is somewhat useful, now that I see Cingular is again offering the v180 as a free phone. UGH^2Updated
I put up with the phone for one year, but just two weeks after the warranty, the microphone stopped working.
Now I use a Sierra Voq, bought unlocked off Amazon for $150. Solid build, decent battery life for a PDA/phone, flip-out keypad. Life is much better now.
Peace.
- 7 replies to this review
-
...dude.... you're ******** because you have to charge the battery every 3 days??! I charge my phone every NIGHT before I go to sleep so I don't want to hear it... also.. you charge when it gets to two bars? You're a complete moron. You're supposed to let a battery COMPLETELY deplete itself before you recharge to prevent memory buildup.
-
I'm not sure when I got this phone. I think it's been almost a year and I love it! I saw the video review that said it looks like I can't be dropped...I dropped this baby plenty of times and it's tuff!
I wanted a new phone for college so I upgraded to a Razr. I honestally didn't like it too much, too thin for me. So I exchanged it for a simple Nokia 6030 and I don't know how I feel about it. I'm looking into other phones currently.
I loved the Motorola v180 and may just end up keeping it. I think it works VERY well. -
I read the review by CNET and agree with it. The only thing that was not mentioned in the review is the phone will occasionally turn itself off, which requires you to open up the back of the phone and lift the battery to reset itself.
I am guessing that subra is using this phone to make international calls, which this phone I hear is not designed for that purpose. -
I read the review by CNET and agree with it. The only thing that was not mentioned in the review is the phone will occasionally turn itself off, which requires you to open up the back of the phone and lift the battery to reset itself.
I am guessing that subra is using this phone to make international calls, which this phone I hear is not designed for that purpose. -
u do know that if you let it die or tell you it's low before charging, you may actually get some battery life out of it? as with any electronics batteries. any sort of regargable battery these days has a "memory" of sorts. it will only last as long as you let it
-
When you need to change the ring volume w/o beeping through the volume menu, then you can push it once (bringing up the ring volume menu) and then press the number of the volume you want (with 0 equaling vibrate). A lot easier and more discreet.
-
I've had my v180 mobilephone now 14 months talk time is very good 3.5 to 5hrs stand by time is usually 240min. I may only charge the phone once in three days. Alot of the other issues I've read about I haven't expeirenced, other then the droped calls.I haven't abused this phone at all, but it has taken some really big falls 3-5 ft and the screens in & out work fine, all the other functions as well. I find the v180 user friendly, and the screen small but ok. Memory is alittle small for me or I may have out grown this phone. My daughter has one and she loves it as well.
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/motorola-v180-unlocked/4864-6454_7-31126659-1.html){kind=small}