Motorola Triumph
Average Ratings
Forget the negativity
I only had the phone a day, but check back with me in a month and I'll tell you what's really up.... (Written 11/11/11)
Now a lot of folks say they have trouble with the GPS locking in and many other issues like white screen and the such. I've had quite a bit of smart phones in my day, and and the negative reviews had me a skeptical about the phone. I switched from the Optimus V. Reason for my switch after four months, the home button stopped working and it wouldn't lock.
But I don't have any problems with my GPS, and it locks in inside my house and in the basement. I always have at least three bars, sometimes four which is max.
But the white screen folks say they see, I haven't but it's normal to have some screen issues on a phone of the size witch is a mini computer. Other phones do that, but folks just don't say anything when it does, or it happens so fast where you don't recognize it
Now it's a month later (12/10/11)
I've only had one issue with this phone where I see the screen flickering or fading out. But because it's a new product, you should expect that. Just like anything you buy, always wait a year the bugs are out and it's been tweaked. My original review got 5 stars, but because of the flickering it lost half a star. It only happened once, so there's no need to run and get it replaced just yet...
As far as folks complaining of poor battery, just go and stop your background data, you will see major improvements in battery life. (That's any smart phone not just this one)
That's coming from someone who's had just about every smart phone out.
Pros: The processor, and main camera, Screen Protector (Included from factory, no need to buy another one)
Cons: The front facing camera is blurry, they could have done better, Battery (But that's the case with all smart phones)
Good deal for my first Android device
I traded my 32GB iPhone 3GS in at Best Buy for $149 and put that towards this new phone and am mostly happy I did. (Hard to beat $25/month vs. $75+/mo. with Virgin Mobile.)
The only thing I've seen so far that I miss is being able to set separate focus and exposure points on the camera. But images are better, video is far better, the screen is better, and most of the apps I used before are just as good here.
Really my biggest issues would be with the coverage of the carrier, and differences in iOS vs. Android apps, neither of which are the fault of this device.
All in all, with no contract and saving myself more than $50/mo for an equal or better plan, this is a great deal.
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Still Impressed!
Update: 5/4/13.
After having this phone about 18 months, it's still going strong and totally reliable, and Virgin Mobile service remains adequate. It's been dropped twice without any mishap, the gorilla glass has taken a few scratches, but I am pleased with the screen quality and size.
It does exhibit some particular Triumph quirks, such as daily reboots (no problem), usually caused when going in and out of wifi zones. GPS does take a long time to connect at times, but stays strong once done. Overall, great value for the money.
Disappointed
Potentially great phone based on specs, but comes up short due to:
1) Poor quality control. Like many other purchaser, my first one was defective (spontaneous re-starts and inability to maintain a wifi connection.
2) The second one is fine, except for very poor signal strength compared to my Optimus V.
3g speeds are consistently less than half those of the Optimus from the same locations at the same times. Poor slingplayer video streaming performance.
Unsatisfactory
Pros: Screen size, processor, on board memory, camera, camera flash.
Cons: GPS, touchscreen response, software bugs, signal strength.
Note, I was coming from the LG Optimus V (OV) to the Motorola Triumph (MT) both for Virgin Mobile. I used the MT for 4 days quite heavily before returning it and had used the GPS on a multi-state trip.
The GPS takes between 2-10 minutes to lock on every time, which is unacceptable in real world use. The Optimus V locks on within 5 seconds. The MT would be non responsive for 10-15 seconds at a time, multiple times a day. The android email app response was 1-2 seconds slower per command then on the OV. When listening to music on the MT and the email notification chimes in, the music volume decreases drastically despite the volume control being unchanged. Only solution is to unplug headphones and re-insert. The signal strength on the MT is less then on the OV. The smaller battery obviously performs worse with a larger screen when compared to the OV. There are other hardware/software issues being widely reported which I did not experience.
Beware this phone, at least with the initial production run. Perhaps VM, Motorola, and the phone manufacturer can work out the hardware and software issues. Until then, don't drop $250-$300 on this, you'll be disappointed. It's back to the OV for me and I'm enjoying having a phone back that works properly.
nice phone
first i would say that customer service with virgin mobile suck its hard to find anybody that speak english that is comprehendable.
ok the phone is a great phone offers everything all android offers nothing out of this world and for the 300 price tag it should offer way more than it does being you can buy a lap top for the same price
Best Virgin Mobile Phone Yet !
This is by far and no doubt the BEST phone Virgin Mobile has EVER offered.
Fast response ( no lags here )
NIce large screen, looks gorgeous.
Android without a lot of bloat and the Android Market with 1000's of apps.
Works like a dream.
If you have any other VM phone put it for sale or recycle it and buy this monster excellent phone.
Definitely the BEST !
Excellent phone... read to find out why.
Forget what you have heard about this phone. Virgin Mobile's android ROM is the problem.
I had this phone for two days and found the website motorolatruimphhacks(dot)com. Here, I learned how to flash a custom ROM and this phone has been awesome ever since. I am using MIUI, based on Gingerbread 2.3.7. Google MIUI for more info. Basically, it changes the look and feel, as well as the operating system and dependability of the phone. The phone looks more like an iPhone now. There are several different ROM's available there too.
Anyway, Battery life has improved by around 30%. No whitescreens or fading out. I get at least three bars 90% of the time. I have wifi tethering (I can use the phone as a modem for my computer for wireless broadband). The phone is faster because it can be overclocked almost twice the stock speed without problems. The autodim feature works better among many other things. MIUI has hundreds of themes and styles, so you can make the phone your own style. It can look like Windows Mobile, Android, or the iPhone just to name a few.
Get the phone, flash a new ROM and enjoy it. I'm keeping this one!
Too bad Virgin Mobile couldn't have worked a little harder on developing their ROM for this phone. It's their ROM that gave the phone a bad rep.
Decent deal, minor flaws
The phone delivers very well for the price point, and overall works out as a decent buy, despite the minor inconveniences in the CONS. Note that the battery is consumed fast, as a result of the phone struggling for connectivity [whether a software, firmware or hardware issue, I have not diagnosed].
For daily use as a professional with regular access to USB ports, the power consumption is a minor annoyance, and a different league to the Samsung Intercept, which used its very limited get up and go thrashing applications in and out of memory to consume the battery instead!
PROS
- Virgin non contract: unlimited data, text for $25 a month
- Powerful processor
- Respectable memory
- Vibrant screen
- Comfortable in hand
- Froyo [Android v2.2.2] installed
- relatively little bloatware preinstalled
- 802.11n wireless, far superior to b or g
CONS
- limited accessories [though this will change in time I am sure]
- limited battery life ... phone spends more than half its energy in "Cell Standby", code for "struggling to maintain a good signal"
- always dropping & reconnecting data connections [probably related to battery life issue]
- Back camera only in Skype [android 2.2 limitation]
Great for prepaid, Mediocre in general
I picked one of these up for a friend who has Virgin Mobile. As we all know, Virgin's selection of phones is lacking, so this phone is the best among them right now.
PROS:
+Feels solidly built
+Sound quality is excellent
+Speaker for music/video is loud and clear
+4.1 inch screen
+Usually runs pretty smoothly
+3G speeds are pretty good
CONS:
-Still running Android 2.2; No word on official updates, limited support
-Camera quality is lacking
-Outgoing sound is muffled at times
-Screen isn't as responsive as other Motorolas.
-Touch sensitive buttons lag at times
-Random lag in UI
Overall, it's definitely the top choice for Virgin Mobile right now. However, this is not a high end device by any means. If you're shopping for a prepaid carrier and device quality is of high importance, go with T-Mobile or GSM carrier that lets you use your own device.
