Motorola Motoluxe XT615 review

Hot on the heels of the RAZR comes the mid-range Motorola Motoluxe, which still packs a few surprising features considering the price. Julian Prokaza finds out if it’s as cheerful as it is cheap.

IT Pro Verdict

Although certainly one of the better mid-range Android smartphones currently available, the Motorola Motoluxe’s relatively slow processor, limited app storage and mediocre camera take the edge of its appeal. Unless an upgrade to mid-range Android smartphone is urgently needed, we’d be inclined to wait and see what other manufacturers release in the next few months.

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Camera

On paper, the Motoluxe's 8-megapixel digital camera with autofocus and LED flash sounds like a good deal at this price, but it doesn't quite work out that way in practice. Images taken in less than perfect lighting conditions aren't particularly sharp and the flash swamps the frame with so much light as to make its use impractical.

Motorola Motoluxe test shot

Motorola Motoluxe test shot

The 8-megapixel camera is a tad disappointing

The lack of a tap-to-focus feature also makes it tricky to tell if the subject will be in focus until the photo has been taken, and the shutter button must be pressed for a good second while the auto-focus kicks in.

Overall

The Motorola Motoluxe is otherwise well equipped with the usual array of smartphone features, including a digital compass and GPS. Battery life is respectable too, at 9h 40m in our video playback test with flight mode enabled and the screen at 50 per cent brightness. Call quality is also more than adequate, although the loudspeaker used for speakerphone calls is rather tinny.

Verdict

Although certainly one of the better mid-range Android smartphones currently available, the Motorola Motoluxe’s relatively slow processor, limited app storage and mediocre camera take the edge of its appeal. Unless an upgrade to mid-range Android smartphone is urgently needed, we’d be inclined to wait and see what other manufacturers release in the next few months.

Operating system: Android 2.3 Gingerbread Processor: Qualcomm MSM7227A-0 single-core (800MHz) Storage: 512MB RAM; 300MB user plus microSDHC slot Screen: 4in (480 x 854) capacitive multi-touch Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA, microUSB; 3.5mm headphone socket Other: Accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, digital compass, AGPS, FM tuner Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900Mhz; UMTS 900/2100MHz Camera: 8MP rear with autofocus and LED flash; 0.3MP front Battery: 1400mAh (6.5hr talk time; 450hr standby) Size: 117.7 x 60.5 x 9.8mm Weight: 122g

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