Review: Motorola Atrix 4G
As with most modern Android devices, the Atrix 4G has a large display that dictates the other dimensions of the phone. It is light weight and thin, but the length and width are a force to be reckoned with. The materials of the Atrix 4G are top notch. The plastic, metal and glass all feel high quality. The build of the Atrix 4G is as good as you can ask for in a handset. The finely rounded bottom edges of the Atrix make it comfortable to hold and it fits well in the hand. It is easy to place into and retrieve from pockets.
There are four buttons — the standard Android Menu, Home, Back, and Search keys — below the screen on the front face of the Atrix. They are capacitive, and not physical, buttons. I prefer the ease of use of physical buttons, but you may like the smoother feel of the capacitive buttons.
There are no buttons on the left side of the Atrix 4G. The microUSB and HDMI ports are paired together close to the bottom edge of the phone. The volume toggle is tucked on the right side of the phone, near the very top. It is a little bit on the small side, but travel and feedback were good. The Atrix 4G lacks a physical camera key, and I miss it.
The power/lock key is placed on the top of the Atrix 4G and it takes some getting used to. Rather than use a normal button that needs to be depressed, the Atrix 4G opts for an angled button that's recessed into the top edge of the Atrix. This means it is easy to find, but takes extra work to use. The button doubles as a fingerprint scanner for security purposes. The settings for it are buried pretty deep down, and it takes a few minutes to set up. Once it learns your fingerprints, it can be used to unlock the phone. The positioning on the back edge of the phone makes it awkward to use for those purpose, however. A 3.5mm headset jack is next to the power button.
The battery cover needs to be removed to access the microSD port, but thankfully the battery itself may remain in place.
Motorola Atrix 4G
