In a land where Nokia is almost a synonym for a cell phone and where people look down to every other brand as ’just another brand’ , it doesn’t matter whether the brand we are about to review gives Nokia a run for its money in the western markets. It doesnt matter whether the first commercial wireless communication device (the grandpa of mobile phones) was developed by company they call ’Motorola’. Though, to a point, I do agree that Motorola didn’t market itself the way Nokia did in this part of the world. And that is the reason they are somehow left behind in this ’Dog eats dog’ chase. But, that is not to say that their products are inferior to Nokia’s. And today, i’m gonna review just such a product which has the potential to beat all Nokias available in its price range. We are talking about the Moto E398. This review is a latecomer, the phone has been in the market for a while and we have seen prices dip from a 15k tag to a comfortable 8.5-9k.
I’ve been waiting for this to happen and consider this as the right time to buy the phone.
As from here on, the price dip will only be marginal.
Looks : Good !!
The E398 is a typical youth product but at the same time it has the looks a 35-something CEO won’t mind carrying in his pockets. No garish fitments in the name of young colors here and it looks classy for the same. The form factor is typical candy bar style. Good. It is more practical than the clamshell and without the usual wear and tear. The exterior plastic is similar to soft rubber by tactile impression and feels good to touch. It wont slip even if your hands are wet. The key pad is in silver finish and the buttons a big and easy to use.
A large part of the phone’s front real estate is covered by the display screen which is 176 x 220 pixel TFT. The colors are vivid and saturated. I have no doubts, this display is much better than Nokia 6600’s display. I compare it with 6600 because these two phones are now available at the same price range. Incidentally, they even started at the same price point ie. around 15-16k. Now the prices of both the phones have come down to 8.5-9k. And I consider the 6600 to be the biggest competitor of E398.
But, looks wise, i’ll still go for the E398. Though opinions can be divided on this front.
Features :
Mp3s never sounded better on any phone !!
As you might have made out, the biggest attraction of this phone is that it can officially play MP3 songs in tru-surround sound speakers which is again an industry first. It has two 16mm speakers on both sides of the phone and together they produce surround effect. I confess, no phone comes close to it (in the price range) in the way it plays your MP3s. IT SIMPLY ROCKS !! Compared to E398, the Nokia 6600 doesnt officially support MP3. You have to install mp3 player software and should I say, that it sounds crappy to say the least. Firstly, because it has a MONO sound output as against the stereo surround of the Moto e398. Secondly, it plays sound through its single speaker which sounds like a chinese made FM radio. No offense, but you need to listen to the E398 to believe what I say..and then try going back to the 6600’s sound!! It comes with a 64mb transflash removable memory card which should be good for beginners.
If you want more, you can buy a bigger size card for your mp3 and data needs.
Whether you are using a headphone or the cellphone speaker, it always sounds amazing.
Dancing lights:
The phone comes equipped with dancing lights which sit inside the speaker area on both sides and change color with the theme you choose for screen display. And they play brilliant lights when there is an incoming event. Also one great feature of the dancing lights is that you can set up the microphone on the cell in such a way that the dancing lights play with an incoming sound. It can be a voice, or the beats in a disco. Just hang it around your neck and show ’em that you are here to kick some serious butts !!
Cam :
The phone comes with the usual 640x480 still cam and the photo quality is good. There is also a flash light option for bad lighting conditions. You can transfer the photos through USB or bluetooth to your PC. The phone doesnt have a vdo cam. Anyways, i’m not missing it. Video shot on cellphones are simply not good enough. No qualms on that front either.
Rest of the features :
The phone has everything that you expect from a usual smartphone. The themes are peasant to look at. The phone comes with a PC sync software bundle for downloading and customizing just any sound from your PC and making your own ringtone. The software CD has enough stuff to keep you hooked for a long time.
Games:
I don’t like to play games on mobile phones but for those who do, there is an attractive set of java games loaded in the E398 and you can download more as and when required. It’s upto you.
In short, you can customize your E398 in any way you want and make it stand out.
Usability:
The phone software is easy to use and customize a hell lot of features according to your needs. The smart button at the side of the phone is one good feature. You can simply bind any feature of the phone to it and use it at a click of a button.
Sending SMS, MMS is a breeze. Though I have to admit that the software is sometimes a bit slow. But it is still better off than the 6600 which is much more slower and gets screwed up when you fill up all the available memory with your what nots.
Network & battery
The network coverage is very good and I hardly every had problems on that front.
The battery last for about 2-3 days with 2-2.5 hours of music listening and normal usage which is good and in keeping with the smartphone trend which seem to drain out battery faster because of all the time we keep fiddling with the features.
The GPRS connectivity is reliable and easy to set up.
Verdict:
The Motorola E398 is the phone of choice if you want the added advantage of MP3 and stereo surround sound in your smart communication device and at the current price point(9k), its a steal. It clearly stands out and I recommend it over the Nokia 6600 with out any hesitation.
Get the E398...its a wicked product and worth every penny.
Caayotee out.