Motorola W385
Average Ratings
Can't beat it for the price!
This is one fantastic little phone. You can take the word little in many different ways. Like a "little price" Only $29.99 as I write this. As in "little size" as it easily fits in your pocket. It is based on the KRAZR platform but boy is it so much better. The first thing I loved about this phone is the fit and feel of it. The rubberized coating is great and it's also on the keypad.
Another thing that sold me on this phone is the software. Finally a Moto phone that does not have the delay/lag! It's responds immediately to your commands. Speaking of commands...this must be a brand new version of voice recognition because it works very very well.
Reception is very very good with my experience. Have not dropped any calls and connects quickly. I have read others posts regarding battery life. In my experience the battery has been more than adequate for normal usage.
The camera is what it is...it's good, not great mind you but it gets the job done.
I gave this phone a score of 5 because I just don't think you can find a more solid phone for the price.
Excellent Basic Phone
I have been a Verizon customer for 5 years now, and this is my third phone with them. Let me start off with saying that I never pay for a phone, I always get one of the free ones. This is the best to date, previous phones were an LG 3300 and a Kyocera that I can't remember the model. Looked a bunch of phones when the Verizon rep came to our company two months ago, nothing he had really was what I wanted which was a good basic phone. Looked at the Razr but felt that it was too flimsy. Then I saw some info on the W385. The local Verizon store didn't have one that I could look at and had to go to Best Buy to check one out. It was just what I needed. I don't text or surf the web.
Pros:
Good feel
Very sturdy hinge
Great voice recognition
Real ringers not ring tones
Good speakerphone
Nice key pad
Great battery life, I charge it every 4-5 days with my normal usage which is 4 - 5 calls per day lasting 3 - 5 min per call.
Last but not least, it makes a great call.
Cons:
The vibration setting is a little weak. I can see this being in a pocket and missing a call if the ringer is turned off.
Compared to my wife's 815 the screen is small but it is larger than on my previous phones and is very clear.
One great phone
I am not sure why some folks are having problems with the battery life. I talk a lot and text a lot and my phone battery last at least 2 days or more without recharging.
Pros: Sturdy, thin, battery life, clarity, antenna all great. Mono outer display
Cons: No video, camera lacking
One of Verizon's best
This new addition to Verizon's lineup is really fantastic! I find it almost strange that Verizon is still releasing phones that do not have EV-DO, but to me, 1xRTT is just fine for the few occasions that I actually use Mobile Web, so I do not mind the strange omission.
It's hard to tell from the pictures online, but the front and back of this phone are coated in the same rubbery coating as the PEBL, which is great both in terms of feel and scratch resistance. The screen is small, but very bright and quite adequate for my needs. The camera is what you would expect, or maybe even a bit better than those on comparable handsets. There's no flash, no resolution options above 640x480, and no video option, but it takes very good stills in the right lighting conditions and pictures appear on the screen the instant that the shutter button is pressed, not after a 1-3 second delay like on other more expensive phones. Calls are consistently loud and clear on both ends of the conversation, and reception is very steady, both welcome changes from formerly being on T-Mobile's network and equipment. As most of Verizon's more recent handsets, this one also has the Verizonized UI, but it's snappy with minimal lag, and the Verizonized implementation of iTAP predictive text input isn't flawed like in past Verizonized Motorola models. One quirky thing about it is that any words you teach the phone in iTAP mode won't be available for use until the next time you write a text, but I don't find this overly inconvenient. As expected, Verizon has pulled many Bluetooth profiles from this phone, but thankfully, they've left image transfers via Bluetooth alone, so I can send custom wallpapers to my phone via BT and vice versa, a welcome change from vCard and handsfree only on past handsets. Battery life has been quite good as well.
Coming from thinner GSM handsets, my only wish is that this handset was a bit thinner and shorter for better pocketability. Otherwise, the W385 is a winner!
Excellent Phone
Have this phone about a week after getting rid of a maxx ve. This phone is excellent in all respects. Good service, simple to operate, perfect size, excellent battery life,etc. Only minor issue could be the clarity of the graphics compared to some of the high end phones and like other phones without an antenna, may be difficult in some areas to get service. I had a trusty E-815 for a long time and it finally went. Moved onto the maxx and it really didn't perform, lot of dropped calls. This phone, however, is excellent and I highly recommend.
Very solid for price
Bought this phone with new service from VZW unaware that it had just come out, this phone is very solid and with the rubber coating feels good in your hand. Yes itâs loaded down with VZW proprietary UI but I can deal with it. Although compared to the flood of multimedia phones the W385 is no powerhouse but as for a phone with a little style and functionality itâs GREAT!
Unlike most Motorola phone you canât adjust ringer volume with the phone closed you must open it then use the volume rockerâ¦no biggie. And the speaker phone function is a little different in that it stays on until you actually turn it offâ¦I like it. But when on speaker phone you can talk with the phone closed there must be another mic on the front flap because when I tested it out (talking with phone closed) I came thorough loud & clear while holding the phone a few inches away from my mouth, very nice feature.
Also I was able to send and apply my own MP3 ring tone via vzwpix.com although it took overnight before my phone received it????
One minor gripe the keypad is unlike the RAZR in that itâs a smooth hard plastic and I prefer the sticky rubber feel of the RAZR although itâs completely usable. Earpiece & speaker have pretty good volume and the ringers are plenty loud vibrate is a little weak. Overall Iâd recommend this phone to anyone who desires functionality and quality.
I am very pleased.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not an overly sophisticated user of wireless technology. I'm a generally old-fashioned, practical sorta gal. Data coverage (vcast, mobile web) isn't even available where I live and I wouldn't be using it anyway, so I'll defer to the other user reviews on those features if those are things you feel you need in your phone. I do know it is not enabled for V-Cast but it is enabled for VZ Navigator.
This was a new-every-two upgrade for me with Verizon. I don't have any problems navigating Verizon's UI and the stuff you access most often can be added to your display shortcut keys as you like.
The pictures of this phone don't even *begin* to do it justice. It is a sleek looking little phone and it feels great in the hand. The exterior and the closing of the clamshell has a whole "soft-touch" feel to it, which is really nice and adds to the feeling of luxury with this phone. Call receptivity is excellent - I get a clear connection even out here in the boonies with only one bar of signal.
The display screen is nice, much nicer than my two-year-old phone. Smaller than a Razr, of course, but then so is the phone. With it being a new phone on the market, I did spring for the extra few bucks a month for the extended warranty (standard, 1 yr extended, 2) and insurance.
So, in a nutshell:
Pros:
- luxurious look and feel, especially for what's being dubbed a "low end phone"
- good call receptivity
- pretty good battery life (but then I only replaced the old phone because it was dying so ANY battery life is good to me)
- Updated UI, nice display
- Exterior backlight button
- Seamless bluetooth pairing
- Voice command function actually understands me
Cons:
- for my purposes, I really don't have any, other than the fact that having a new phone has really highlighted the coverage limitations in my particular (rural)area. No worries, though.
Overall: Very nice for a "basic" phone. I am VERY pleased.
Nice Phone
Overall I really enjoy this phone. The pros are the long battery life, call quality, speakerphone, design of the phone (very sleek) and the internal antenna. The phone also has a rubber coating and rubberized keys. Time will tell how durable the phone is, as I do not plan on dropping it for test purposes.
There are a few cons: The screen is on the smaller side. I had a hard time seeing the main screen (and the small vertical screen on the outside - sun and size) in the sun. To switch the ringtone from either silent or vibration to audible you have to flip open the phone and make the changes. I had the motorola v710 before and could do it without opening the flip. Last, the camera is not that good.
If your needs are the basic phone, design, sound and long battery life this is the phone for you. All in all I am very pleased.
Nice!
Ok lets get the obvious out of the way. If you want a good camera on your phone, want expandable memory, music player, vcast then move on, this phone is not for you. Right now verizon has it priced way to high, this phone should be in the same category as other midrange phones, Motorola 325I or lg 5300. Feature wise it mirrors those devices. My best explanation of this device is a Motorola 325I thrown in a krazr case and rubberized. When the price comes down and your most important things are size, call quality, blue tooth (for headset only) then check it out. I only purchased it because I get them at cost were I work and didn't feel like signing a contract, and just need a decent phone for a secondary line. Judging by cost the price will drop real soon, should be priced $30 or less after rebate when comparing features and cost. I would also like to point out that i hate Motorola with a deep passion, selling Verizon and seeing their quality control has really turned me off of them but the 325I was pretty good and I hope this ends up just as good, but time will tell. here goes the the list!
Pros
Great size
Great feel and build quality
amazing speaker phone
blue tooth very clear
good screen (but kinda of small)
no color on the front(can read it in the sun)
Red verizon bars are gone, menu layout more like the lg's now (thank God!!)
programmable short cut keys on navigation buttons
great reception! picking up better than my Razr ever did
Navigation ready
voice dialing easy to use
rubberized keypad wonderful, much better than the metal ones on other slim phones.
You can send ring tones through mms, and they sound great
All in all this is a nice little phone, my only real complaint is the price right now, little high for what it offers, but as mid range phones go seems like the best choice, and price should come down soon. I would take this over a razr even with the limitations in features, there is no comparison in build quality here!
THIS IS A WONDERFUL PHONE?
this is a wonderful phone! It has wonderful reception. Everytime I go on an elevator it nevers lose signal like the c290 model I had. The only thing that I don't like about the phone is that the liquid indicator is on the back on the phone. Otherwise its the best phone i ever had
