With a 688.38 million subscriber base as of July 2010, the Indian market seems to be a budding ground for major handset manufacturers. Rural India has now become an important consumer segment for them, which is a major reason why a plethora of entry level phones are being launched in the country. With the MotoYuva series, Motorola too intends to tap this very audience. It recently expanded this range by introducing five new handsets namely, MotoYuva WX260, WX265, WX290, WX295, and the WX181. With the company creating the right hype for its MotoYuva entrants, we decided to review one among these entry level phones, the WX181.
The Motorola MotoYuva WX181 appears to be one of those usual handsets ideally made for calling and messaging functionalities. Surprisingly this phone is very lightweight tipping the scale at 83 grams and measures around 46 x 108 x 14.8 mm. The phone has a decent candy bar appearance with its front panel fashioning the signatory ‘M’, standing for Motorola on the top left hand side corner. It sports a 1.5 inch 65k CSTN display which offers a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The screen barely takes up any space on the device, while a lot of area has been wasted around it that could have been used for a larger one.
The 5-way navigational pad is quite comfortable to use especially the centre button. Even the four soft keys around this pad are easy to use. The left and right keys offer shortcuts to the FM radio and the contacts directory for quick and easy access. On the other hand, the up, down, right and left buttons feature shortcuts that are customizable for profiles, contacts, call log and alarm, respectively. Moreover, users can also create shortcuts for the number keys from 2 to 9, barring 5. The back panel is crafted with a black matte finish plastic and is equipped with the torch located on the top right hand side corner.
The battery flap bears the phone’s model number WX181. On turning the phone to the right, you will find the charging port while the left, top and bottom are left untouched. On pressing the circular center button, the Menu popped up enlisting the basic functions such as games, radio, tools, profiles, messages, contacts, call register, services and settings. Interestingly, we noticed that the Menu could be altered by going to options and selecting Simple. On activating the Simple Menu, only directory, messages, call register and settings are displayed. This functionality has been thoughtfully added in order to make the phone’s working uncomplicated.
For travelers, Motorola WX181 handset proffers an amusing way of passing time. On playing the two games that came integrated with the device namely, F1 Race and Copter, we realized that they may seem basic but on the contrary offer an immersive way of spending time. The F1 Race is an interesting car racing game, as many of you might have guessed. It features appealing game graphics coupled with good background music to entice users. Copter is like its PC version wherein you need to click continuously fueling the helicopter for keeping it in the air.
Moving onto the next function, we noticed that the Tools icon loads up on all the normal functions. It houses often required features like torch, organizer cum calendar, stopwatch, alarm, calculator, converter and My Shortcuts. We realized that if you are relying on the phone’s torch then you need to think twice as it barely sheds any light, failing to actually serve its purpose. The handset comes with the normal profiles like general, meeting and silent among others. All of these can be customized according to the user’s requirements.
Now coming to messages, typing is a bit taxing as the keys are very difficult to operate. They need to be pressed really hard, at least in the piece we received. Thus, typing out a single message might just result in an aching thumb. However, the device needs to be given credit for the number of Templates it features. These have been divided into five categories namely, call/appointment, notice, greetings, appreciation and expression. Each one of these is loaded with almost 10 messages amounting to 50 message templates, which is really good.
In the Menu, messages are followed by contacts which is just the same old phone directory. Subsequently, we stumbled upon the call register which enlists call memory, my numbers, billing and call settings. The phone memory supports around 100 contacts. The call reception was good and so was the voice clarity. On checking the handsfree option, we noticed that the volume was a bit too low, even after adjusting its controls. The handset operates on GSM 900/1800 communication band.
We gave services amiss as it only included the basic functions and headed straight to the settings. Display, clock, keys, dictionary and more settings can be accessed through the settings icon. The WX181 phone comes with several preloaded ringtones, screensavers and wallpapers. The ringtones are played in an MIDI format. This device is powered by a 750 mAh Lithium battery. The battery life seemed sufficient as Motorola touts to offers a talktime of up to 9-15 hours, while the standby time is 7.5 – 22 hours.
Pros:
The phone has a long lasting battery life which ranks as the number one benefit.
The numerous messaging templates that have been preloaded save up on time.
The ability to simplify the Menu is very well thought of, optimizing the phone for all kinds of users.
Lastly, the games that have been included are simple yet fun.
Cons:
The screen size is too small. The handset has a broad bezel which could be used by the company to accommodate a larger display.
The keypad is very stiff and needs to be pressed hard in order to use it.
Being a key function, the torch could surely have been improved.
We would appreciate it if the handsfree had been better as it offered really poor audio levels.
In sum total, the Motorola MotoYuva WX181 features all the basic functionalities of a handset with a few drawbacks. We would recommend this phone for those who simply require it to make calls considering messaging can be a little problematic. As an entry level device, it seems to be well equipped, although some tweaks here and there would augment its standing in the market. Priced at Rs. 1490, the WX181 phone receives a decent 7 out of 10 on our scorecard.