Motorola W385 Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons
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Mark Brezinski Published on December 28, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (7.0)
Given it costs $0.00 with a contract, how could you say the W385 is a bad deal? Sure, it isn't very sophisticated, and a bit limited in terms of features, but it also behaves as a phone and has no initial investment. The only problem is that it does have some competition. The original Razr only costs $10 with contract, has a camera, and it can play back music. Though this isn't free, it does offer more features. It also means you'd have to use a Razr, however, and we know we're sick of even looking at them.
Comparisons
Motorola Krzr K1m - The Krzr K1m is also available from Verizon, but it requires $20 out of pocket. Even so, it does provide additional functionality along with some external media controls. If the phone had a better battery life, these media controls might mean something. As it is, they're a constant reminder that the phone really wants to be an Mp3 player but just doesn't have the stamina. If this were a free phone it'd give the W385 a run for its money. If you desperately want music, despite the toll it takes on your calling time, then perhaps you should spring for the Krzr.
Motorola Razr V3m - The Razr V3m costs $10 with contract, and not long ago saturated the cell phone market, almost to the point of being obnoxious. The additional cost will get you music playback, but the battery life really doesn't make it a viable media player. We think we'd recommend the W385 over the Razr V3m, even if you don't have any qualms about owning a Razr. 
Samsung Juke - The Juke's price has dropped to $50, which we think is still too much. We'd wait to see if the price comes down more before picking one up. While we liked the Juke, it suffered from the same problem as the Razr: its battery life means you can't rely on it as a media player. As this is the only trick the Juke has up its sleeve other than being quirky and cute, we think we'd opt for the W385 here. 
LG Chocolate VX8550 - If you're sick of entry-level phones, want something that's a little nicer, and can play music back for a ridiculous 15 hours, we'd recommend the Chocolate VX8550 hands down. This is a great little phone that, unlike the two previous phones, actually has the battery life to back up its music playback. It is a bit expensive, however, at $80, but even at that cost, with a memory card, it's still cheaper than most equivalent Mp3 players. 
Samsung Blast - The Blast has a bunch of neat features, but that doesn't stop the phone from being pretty bad. We'd consider the Blast a baby step up from an entry-level device, but not worth the $40 T-Mobile is currently asking for it. We vote W385 the whole way. | Previous Next | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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