Updated 13 Feb, 2012, 6:30 pm IST

REVIEWS / MOBILE PHONES / MOTOROLA MOBILITY INDIA PVT LTD

Motorola MOTOFONE F3

08 Dec, 2006, 5:42 pm IST | Aalaap Ghag | Mobile phones

Network performance of the F3 is aided by two separate antennas incorporated in the phone. The idea behind two antennas is to ensure that at least one of them is free of obstruction, for eg. your hand covering it. The way people tend to hold the phone, an internal antenna almost always gets covered. Having an external antenna doesn’t fit into the sleekness of the series, so having dual antennas is a good approach. Two antennas cost more than one, but seeing the final price of the product, I don’t see that as a problem. We noticed that the network indicator was 100% at almost all the times, except in our sound proof room where no mobile phone has ever received any signal! The phone is a dual-band handset, by the way.

The other main feature of the MOTOFONE F3 is its extended battery life. The F3 is expected to offer up to 8 hours of talk time or 12 days of stand-by time. Now, I don’t really use the phone much – probably not even half an hour worth of talking per day, but the phone didn’t seem to work for more than 5 days. If I don’t use the camera or MP3 player in my Samsung E880, I get at least 4 days, so I honestly don’t see the big deal out here. I’m going to give it another go and let you know about the actual talk time that this thing can pull off.

In the end, I have mixed feelings about the SCPL-based MOTOFONE F3. I like the way it looks, the display technology, the audio quality, network performance and of course, the price of the phone. However, I’m not sure about the way the display has been utilised and the battery performance doesn’t seem to be as impressive as it should be – considering all the cutting edge, power-efficient E-Ink technology that they’ve used.

Rs. 1,649 is a great price for a phone this slim, but it’s not something that hasn’t been achieved before. Motorola’s own C118 ultra low-end phone costs Rs. 1,500, has iTap and a 96x64-pixel LCD display. The C118 doesn’t speak to you and it’s not very slim, but it does tout 11 hours of talk time. The SCPL platform should make way for better phones in the higher segments for urban areas (replacing the RAZR), but as of now, the MOTOFONE F3 isn’t enough of a phone.

Having said that, I’d still go out and buy the phone just for the heck of it!

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Tags: Motorola , MOTOFONE F3 , SCPL , Mobile Phones

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