Motorola Z9 cell phone review - At a Glance (by Noah Kravitz)

Motorola Z9 Review

Editor Rating:

4.5

Styling4

Ease of Use4

Display4

Voice Quality5

Battery Life5

Quality/Durability5

What’s Good: Great voice quality; fast 3G data speeds; good GPS system; mobiTV compatibility; sleek, attractive design; clean menus and UI; solid build; easy to hold and use

What’s Not Good: Rather large for a sliderphone; some may not like tiny buttons; heavy

Bottom Line: MOTO’s Z9 is a top-notch featurephone that provides access to nearly all of AT&T’s data and multimedia services in an attractive form factor. The phone is rather large and pretty hefty, which is either kind of nice or really annoying depending on your perspective. If you don’t mind - or even like - the Z9’s size and heft, you’ll be sure to enjoy its big bright display, fast 3G data access, and integrated GPS chip with onboard navigation.

Specs:
Make/Model: Motorola Z9
Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
Data: HSDPA (3G), EDGE
Carrier: AT&T Mobility
Size: 114 x 54 x 14 mm
Weight: 140 g
Form Factor: Slider
Display: 2.4” Color LCD Touchscreen, 240 x 320 (QVGA) resolution, 262,000 Colors
Memory: 51 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: Crystal Talk noise reduction technology; 3G data speeds; AT&T CV Video Service; MobiTV Video Service; AT&T Music Store; XM Radio Compatibility; 2MP Camera with Flash; A-GPS with AT&T Navigator Service

Motorola Z9

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All about

Motorola MOTO Z9 - Hands on @ CTIA "08

Hello MOTO. The new Motorola phone for AT&T is the Z9, a sliderphone with a jewel like finish houses integrated GPS, a music player, video share services, and much more. Check it out behind the scenes at CTIA '08.

Motorola Z9 in-depth review - At a Glance

What’s Good: Great voice quality; fast 3G data speeds; good GPS system; mobiTV compatibility; sleek, attractive design; clean menus and UI; solid build; easy to hold and use What’s Not Good: Rather large for a sliderphone; some may not like tiny buttons; heavy Bottom Line: MOTO’s Z9 is a top-notch featurephone that provides access to nearly all of AT&T’s data and multimedia services in an attractive form factor. The phone is rather large and pretty hefty, which is either kind of nice or...

Motorola Z9 in-depth review - Introduction

Motorola bucked the “Thin is In” trend with their latest handset, the Z9 slider for AT&T. This full featured device is a big, solid phone with features galore, and while some might be put off by it’s (relatively) large size and heft, I kind of like it. The Z9’s comfortable to hold and use and feels solid, with nary a creak or wobble to be found anywhere on its burgundy body. The Z9 is a 3G phone with access to AT&T’s CV video and Music Store options, as well as...

Motorola Z9 in-depth review - Design & Features

Like I said, Z9’s kind of a big phone. Measuring up at 114 x 54 x 14 mm and weighing in at 140g, it’s a heck of a lot larger and heavier than other AT&T slider phones like the Sony Ericsson w850, which weighs just 94g, or just about one-third less than the Z9. But I kind of like Z9’s heft. If you don’t mind it taking up a little more room in your pocket or purse, Z9 rewards you with what I like to call a “luxurious heft.” I never felt like this phone was going to...

Motorola Z9 in-depth review - Usability & Performance

The Z9 is definitely one of the better cell phones I’ve tested when it comes to voice quality. I tested it on AT&T’s network in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, and was really impressed by the clarity of callers’ voices coming through to my end - and got a similar response from the people I was talking to. Chalk it up to MOTO’s Crystal Talk noise reduction technology, which apparently works. Signal strength was above average as compared to other AT&T...

Motorola Z9 in-depth review - Conclusion

Messaging phones are all the rage right now, but some folks would rather have a solid phone without a QWERTY board or all the complexities of a smartphone. Motorola’s Z9 sits atop AT&T’s current range of feature phones, offering just about every service and multimedia option you could want in a handset without delving into slide-out thumbboards and complicated operating systems. The Z9 is literally a solid performer, combining good voice and data performance with a sturdy,...

Unboxing and hands-on: Motorola Z9 slider for AT&T

Just a little over a week after I first saw it at CTIA, Motorola sent a review loaner of their new Z9 slider for AT&T. The Z9 is a 3G slider that takes some styling cues from the RAZR2 series, and features Moto's Synergy OS along with a 2MP camera with flash, AT&T Video Share compatibility, GPS with Navigation services, and access to the carrier's Cellular Video streaming video service (not to be confused with the newly unveiled AT&T live TV service). First thoughts after...

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