Motorola W385 Cell Phone Review - Hardware
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Mark Brezinski Published on December 28, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (7.60)
We were able to type out our test paragraph in 25.28 seconds, which is about 38 words per minute. This is pretty fast for a keypad, though far slower than a QWERTY keyboard. We liked the keypad in general, as the buttons were a good size. If buttons are too small, typing with two hands is nearly impossible and it increases mistakes; if they're too big, the time it takes to bounce from one to the other will slow you down.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 38 | 7.60 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 28.5 | 5.70 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 29.4 | 5.88 |
| Samsung Juke | 36.7 | 7.34 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 38.49 | 7.70 |
| Samsung Blast | 37.54 | 7.51 |
T9 and Auto-complete (10.0)
The W385 features both T9 and auto-complete. You'll need to turn on T9 once you're in a text field, since there's no option to make it the default text entry mode. Also, auto-complete is turned off by default, but this can be changed in the settings menu.
One Hand Usability (7.11)
We got through the same test paragraph in 27 seconds using only one hand. This is roughly 35.56 words per minute, which is just two words and a couple letters shy of our score on the two-handed test. One-handed usability is where keypads generally beat QWERTY keyboards. QWERTYs are usually huge, sprawling rows of keys, meaning you almost need to shift your grip in between key-presses.
| Cell Phone | Words Per Minute | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 35.56 | 7.11 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 30 | 6.00 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 26.1 | 5.22 |
| Samsung Juke | 31.25 | 6.25 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 29.8 | 5.96 |
| Samsung Blast | 29.23 | 5.85 |
Keypad Backlighting (5.0)
The keypad backlight can be set independent of the display backlight. There are five presets that govern its behavior: always on, always off, or turn off after 7, 15, or 30 seconds. The keypad itself is fairly evenly lit, though the left and right sides aren't lit as well. Even so, you shouldn't have any problem seeing the numbers. The letter are harder to see, but that's more of a fault of the tiny font than the backlight.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (5.0)
Though nothing special, the d-pad is a solid device. It has bumps over each of the four directions which will help users avoid hitting two at once. It's also textured differently than the surrounding keypad. There isn't much differentiation between the d-pad and the select key, however, but sticking to the outside of the d-pad should help users avoid misclicks.
Touch Screen (0.0)
The W385 doesn't have a touch screen.
Jog Dial (0.0)
There is no jog dial; not even the volume keys will help navigate menus.
Soft Buttons (7.0)
The soft buttons are conveniently located in the top corners of the d-pad array. This makes them easy to find by touch since the entire keypad is recessed into the case a bit, providing a ridge around its edges. The keys themselves also have a good snap to them, but it could've been a bit more stiff.
Volume Control (5.0)
The volume keys are located on the left side of the phone, towards the top. You can hit both at the same time, so it isn't really a rocker even though it looks like one. Both buttons have a small, raised arrow on them, so finding the keys blind is easy. The keys don't provide much tactil feedback when pressed, but they do audibly click.
Power and Standby (3.0)
Power is handled by a long press on the End key. As was mentioned in the Making/Receiving Calls section of this review, the End key provides good tactile feedback when pressed, but doesn't have much in the way of texture to aid in touch navigation. There is a bit of a lip above it, and a slight recess below it, but neither are particularly noticeable. There is no button for standby mode.
Other Buttons (4.0)
There are a few other buttons not discussed already in the review. The first two are the camera shortcut and CLR button in the d-pad array. These two keys are essentially the same great buttons the Send/End keys are, except they're nestled between two raised lines which helps in touch navigation. There is a dedicated speakerphone button on the left side, but it's awkward to use. First of all, it needs to be held to activate, and secondly it won't turn off until you manually do so. The right side of the phone features a dedicated Voice Command key.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (2.0)
This is a bit of an embarrassing score for the W385. The screen has a very low resolution, even lower than the Samsung Juke's, and the Juke's screen was smaller. This is a very poor resolution.
| Cell Phone | Resolution | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 128 x 160 | 2.0 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 176 x 220 | 4.0 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 176 x 220 | 4.0 |
| Samsung Juke | 220 x 128 | 3.0 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 320 x 240 | 8.0 |
| Samsung Blast | 176 x 200 | 4.0 |
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (5.69)
The W385 contains 113.83 pixels in every inch, which is again worse than the Samsung Juke. This means pictures will look a bit pixellated, colors will seem a bit washed out, and lines won't be very crisp.
| Cell Phone | Pixels Per Inch | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 113.83 | 5.69 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 146.7 | 7.34 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 125 | 6.25 |
| Samsung Juke | 115.73 | 5.79 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 200 | 10.00 |
| Samsung Blast | 127 | 6.35 |
Screen Physical Size (4.50)
The screen on the W385 is a modest 1.8 inches. This isn't very big, but it also isn't very far off from the norm, which is between 2 and 2.5 inches in diameter. If you don't have good eyesight, however, the W385 is probably not for you.
| Cell Phone | Size Diagonal (inches) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 1.8 | 4.50 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 1.9 | 4.75 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 2.1 | 5.25 |
| Samsung Juke | 1.45 | 3.63 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Samsung Blast | 2.1 | 5.25 |
Screen Brightness (5.25)
With our trusty light sensor, we've determined the W385 is capable of outputting about 55 lux at its maximum brightness setting. This isn't the brightest phone we've reviewed, but it's about average for a phone of its class. There are six different brightness levels to choose from. You can also set it to always on/off, or turn it off after 5, 15, or 30 seconds.
| Cell Phone | Brightness (lux) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 55 | 5.25 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 58 | 2.90 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 46 | 2.30 |
| Samsung Juke | 43 | 3.65 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 55 | 3.15 |
| Samsung Blast | 92 | 5.85 |
Screen Bright Light Performance (3.0)
For this test, we shined about 3000 lux of light -- about what you'd expect from a sunny day -- at the W385 and tried to read the screen. We actually did have a bit of trouble reading the phone at certain angles, although we were able to navigate around fairly well regardless, thanks to our awesome eyes. Those with poor eyesight probably won't be able to read the phone at all.
Color Depth (6.0)
A total of 65,000 colors can be displayed on the W385's screen, which is more or less average. We wouldn't expect more from a basic handset. More advanced phones might put out 262 colors, while really high-end displays are capable of over 16 million colors.
| Cell Phone | Colors (thousands) | Score |
| Motorola W385 | 65 | 6.0 |
| Motorola Krzr K1m | 65 | 6.0 |
| Motorola Razr V3m | 65 | 6.0 |
| Samsung Juke | 262 | 8.0 |
| LG Chocolate VX8550 | 262 | 8.0 |
| Samsung Blast | 262 | 8.0 |
Secondary Screen (3.44)
Though tiny and basic, the W385 does feature an external display. It's about 0.95 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 96 x 32. This means it has about 106.52 pixels per inch, even if, at its widest point, it doesn't even measure an inch. The display is only black and white. It displays connectivity info and battery life as well as the time.
96x32 external B & W display
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (5.0)
The power and data port are one in the same, and have a Mini USB port. Unless you're planning on hacking the phone, connecting it to a PC won't do too much since you can't get files on or off of it without doing so.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (4.0)
There isn't a headphone jack, which makes sense because the phone doesn't play music. You can connect a Bluetooth headset for calls, however.
Internal Storage (1.0)
There's only 32.21 MB of internal memory available. This should be good for relatively small picture albums and your PIM information, but beyond that you're out of luck.
Expansion Slot & Format (0.0)
You're stuck with the 32 MB and change of internal storage, because there's no expansion slot.
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