MOTO Q by Motorola (Sprint)

CNET Editors' Rating 6.0/10 Good Editorial policies >>
Average user rating from 95 users 5.4/10 Average Read user opinions >>

Product Summary

The good: The Motorola Q for Sprint features a revamped design with an attractive charcoal gray casing and rubberized cover. It also continues to offer a sharp display, a full QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO support, push e-mail, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. You can also use the device as a wireless modem.

The bad: Sprint's version of the Moto Q doesn't support some of the carrier's 3G content like Sprint TV and Sprint Music. It also lacks Wi-Fi.

The bottom line: The Motorola Q for Sprint sports a revamped design and some carrier specific content, but there are no revolutionary upgrades here. Still, the sleek design and Sprint's reasonably priced data plan make it an attractive option.

Specs: OS provided: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition; Installed RAM: 64 MB; Band / mode: CDMA 850/1900 See full specs >>

Price range: $0.00

See all products in the Motorola Q series

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
Edited by: Nicole Lee
Reviewed on: 02/06/2007
Updated on:08/21/2007

Photo gallery:
Motorola Q (Sprint)

Editor's note: We have adjusted the ratings for this review to reflect changes in the market for this product.

The Samsung BlackJack and T-Mobile Dash have pretty much stolen the spotlight from the Motorola Q, but to be fair, the Q was the original slim, QWERTY keyboard device that influenced the likes of the two aforementioned smart phones. Though Verizon Wireless long had an exclusive on the Q, Sprint now has a version on its own (no official word yet on a GSM model, although there are rumblings of its imminent release). Though the core applications remain the same between the Verizon and Sprint versions, there are changes in the design as well as software enhancements and different carrier content.

We will highlight those differences in this review, but in short, there are no revolutionary upgrades here. It's a decent smart phone for Sprint customers looking for a sleek device to help them be more productive on the go. Plus, Sprint offers the best-priced data plan at around $15 a month for unlimited data, compared to Verizon's $49.99, Cingular's $39.99, and T-Mobile's $29.99. All that said, if you need more a workhorse smart phone, check out the Palm Treo 700wx or Sprint PPC-6700, or if mobile e-mail is your thing, the RIM BlackBerry 8703e is a good fit. The Motorola Q for Sprint is available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts.

Design
Verizon offers a silver Q and a sleek black version, while Sprint combines the two colors to offer an attractive charcoal gray casing. To complement the darker hue, Motorola has switched the colors on the QWERTY keyboard--where the silver Q had the number keys highlighted in dark gray and the rest of the buttons in silver; this is reversed with the Sprint Moto Q. Disappointingly, we still found the backlighting on the keyboard to be a bit dim.

Another new feature is the rubberized texture of the phone. We much prefer it over the original Q as it makes the smart phone easier to grip and hold, and the soft finish also makes it less prone to scratches. It keeps the same compact dimensions (4.5x2.5x0.4 inches; 4.1 ounces), and as we noted in our earlier review, if you haven't used this type of convergence device before, there may be a period of adjustment to get used to the extra width, as well as holding it up to your ear as a phone. For comparison, the Samsung BlackJack measures 4.4x2.3x0.6 inches and weighs 3.5 ounces.

Aside from the color and material changes, the rest of the design elements remain the same. Please check our review of the Verizon Motorola Q for a full rundown of these features. Now, as we mentioned earlier, since the Q's launch, there have been several comparable smart phones to come out, including the Samsung BlackJack and the T-Mobile Dash, and they do have some advantages over the Q in the design department. For example, we like the curved edges and overall shape of the Dash better, while we appreciate the dedicated volume controls on the BlackJack. Yet, none of these devices are perfect, and we still favor the Q's spacious QWERTY keyboard over the other two.

Sprint is very stingy with accessories as it packages the Motorola Q with an AC charger, a mini USB cable, and reference material. At least Verizon included a holster.

Features
The Motorola Q for Sprint has all the same core features as the Verizon version, including Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition, 128MB of flash memory and 64MB of RAM, a 312MHz processor, push e-mail capabilities, EV-DO support, a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recording, and so forth (see the Features section of the Verizon Moto Q for more). However, the benefit of the Sprint version is it ships with the latest software update from Motorola that is supposed to resolve some of the sluggish performance and battery issues that users experienced with the original model.

Of course, there also are differences with the carrier's content offerings. The Sprint Q comes with OnDemand content, which pulls all the current headlines, sports scores, and weather for the user's region (based on zip code), as well as stock quotes, maps, movie times, and more, and puts it into the palm of your hand. For sports nuts, you also can check out Sprint's NFL Mobile service, where you can get real-time scores and stats. Both services are offered as part of the Sprint Power Vision pack, which ranges in price from $15 to $25 per month. We are, however, disappointed that the Q does not support Sprint's other 3G content, such as Sprint TV and Sprint Music. To be fair, Verizon's Q doesn't support the carrier's comparable V cast service either.

There are a couple of other carrier nuances. First, in Internet Explorer Mobile, Sprint has added an item on the Favorites list called Sprint Powerdeck, which allows you to quickly scan for software updates, search FAQs, contact Sprint, and check out other useful links. There also is a shortcut from the Start menu to the Sprint software store where you can buy and download more applications, games, ringtones, and screensavers.

One final note: the Sprint Motorola Q does support dial-up networking via Bluetooth and USB, but you will have to subscribe to the phone as a modem service plan. Pricing for this starts at $39.99 for 40MB per month, or if you sign a two-year service agreement, you can get an unlimited data plan for $49.99.

Performance
We tested the dual-band Motorola Q (CDMA 850/1900; EV-DO) in San Francisco using Sprint's network and call quality was OK. We could hear our callers just fine but noticed a slight hiss in the background; nothing that prevented us from having a conversation though. On the other end, friends said our voice sounded a bit digitized, and they could tell we were using a cell phone, but overall, still clear and loud. Activating the speakerphone yielded similar results. We also were able to pair the Motorola Q with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset without a hitch.

General performance was a bit sluggish. Though we had no problems transferring and viewing Word and Excel documents and various PDFs, there was a noticeable lag when opening said files. Web browsing on the Q was good for the most part. Sites such as CNET.com and ESPN.com took about 10 to 15 seconds to come up, while less graphic-intensive pages took less time. Multimedia was a mixed bag. Listening to music through the Q's speakers was pretty much atrocious. The sound was hollow and faint, and like most cell phones, the Moto Q has a 2.5mm headset jack, so you can't plug in a good pair of headphones. The Q does, however, support Bluetooth stereo headsets. Video performance was much better. We watched a WMV clip, and enjoyed smooth playback with some slight pixelation. The Motorola Q's battery is rated for 4 hours of talk time and up to 8 days of standby time. In our tests, we were able to get 4 hours and 51 minutes of continuous talk time from a single charge.