Motorola i830 / i833 / i835 / i836
Average Ratings
not bad.....
I am currently using the I830. The battery life with the extended is decent, about 2 too 3 days before recharge. Reception is good in the Toronto, phone doesn't get warm after a lengthy conversation about 40 min.
The buttons are ok, although i suspect winter and cold fingers might make use of key pad a little difficult.
Generally after all the bad press I have heard, this phone has been a overall pleasant experience.
This phone is ok
I own the new i835 from Boost. It is just like the i830, just different colors. I think overall this is a good phone. It is really small and compact. Its got a nice color screen to it which i wish it was a little bit bigger, its got a speakerphone, you can download music ringtones to it, its got an external caller ID, and it gets really good reception. The bad things about it is that the buttons are too small for my fingers, im using my fingertips to punch the buttons. My thumb is at a complete 90 degree angle when you press a button. The battery life on the phone is fair. The battery shows that is is fully charged throughout an entire day, but after you use the wireless web or text message somebody for 15 minutes, the battery life starts to shrink. But overall i think its a good phone.
What can I say?
Overall it's just not the best phone a person can own. Lousy reception with the antenna down, and little to no cosmetic options, camera large screen color caller ID etc etc.
But the flip side is it's very small, but that also has it's faults. Recently i brought this phone in to get it swapped, they said it couldn't be done considering the boards had been smooshed. And on a closer look they were. The rep said that was the biggest problem with this phone, which i had no problem believing. Since it is so small and "Fragile" the housing is thin, and everything is smooshed into the phone.
Overall i give it a 2.5 out of 5. Why? Because it is just not Nextel's best, they can do better...they know they can. But they also know that the Direct connect options is saving them from going down the tubes, which is almost happening at a slow and gradual rate. The phones Nextel produces just cant compete with neighboring carriers.
If you are planning to get Nextel, get either an i730, its some-what solid or an i860. The BlackBerry is more toward's business. And it is bulky.
i830...Great Size....LOUSY RECEPTION!!
I purchased the i830 in February 2005. I've previously owned an i90 & i730. The i830 has been a major disappointment. Even with the current software update which was supposed to remedy the problem, the reception on this phone is more poor than usefull. NEXTEL is aware of this problem...according to the service center I went to, but won't do anything nor care about it. When you pay $200 for a phone, you expect it to work! Not the i830. Several of my co-workers have this phone with the same problems. I'm ready to toss it!
Pros: Compact, Lightweight
Decent clarity when the volume isn't turned up to 7
Cons: Reception is less than mediocre
Battery Life is less than average
NEXTEL is aware of flaws but doesn't back up the product, they just try to mask it with a "Quick Fix"
This Phone is Terrible
I upgraded to this phone after using the i205 for a year. It has had problems from the first day I bought it. When I got it the speakerphone made loud beep's when talking. So I returned it and they gave me a new phone. this phone was ok for about a month then the external display just stopped working. Then the internal speaker just fell off. Then when i would open the flip the screen would just stay blank. I finally threw this phone away and bought a new i275 which has been great for me.
i830 phone piece of junk
This phone is a piece of junk!. Absolutely the worst cell phone I've ever owned. I had to have the flip replaced after the first month and a half - it lost it's outside display. Next it started shutting off in the middle of a phone call. Then one time it cut me off and showed "Insert SIM" on the screen. I turned it off and back on and it worked again. It then started showing "Insert SIM" once or twice a week but I could shut it off and turn it on and it worked again. Now it only shows insert sim and nothing works to change it. I took it to a service center and they said that I have to wait for them to get some replacement innards in the store and they'll call me. They are used as soon as they come in which was a problem that i had when the flip needed replacing. Sound is poor, reception is poor and Nextel does nothing about it. I hate it! The only thing I like about it is the size.
Nothing else left
Well, since switching to nextel from verizon (one of the most horrible decisions I have ever made...don't do it) I have gone through oh i dunno around 20 phones...I have both insurances merely because I was told it would be a good idea, and the sales rep was definitely right. First I had the i860 and had it replaced 8 times...the phone just had too many glitches ranging fizzing noises coming from the phone (not other speakers around me) shutting off randomly, no service, no reception and not recieving calls. Then I bought an i830 from ebay and had it switched out...had 4 different ones of those...the i830 had problems too...(extended battery makes the phone better) the phone didn't receive calls, the vibrate went out on one of the phone and bad reception...then i used the i530 and the little cheapo straight phone and found better reception in those, although they were both replaced...all in all, the i530 had the best reception and reliability, but it was too big for my taste (plus no color screen) so now I am left with the i530 and i830 to switch between when one starts pissing me off...the moral? Don't switch to nextel. Their phones (all motorola) are ridiculously high maitenance...its not worth your time.
i830 Review
If You like small phones this the one for you but my saggestion is getting boost mobile if your a teen or younger because boost gets better service
Very nice, sturdy phone... short battery life
I love the design and form factor. The screen is very crisp and colorful. It is easily viewable in sunlight and from nearly any angle. The stainless steel exterior feels really good in my hands. It adds a touch of class when compared to cheap plastic phones.
I wish this phone supported Bluetooth; oh well... maybe they will get it right next time. The battery life could be better... And, why the extendable antenna? I have never noticed any better reception when I extend the antenna. It seems like more of a fragile, breakable, liability. It should just be a stub.
If you have any questions regarding this review or phone, email me at: jacobrich@yahoo.com
The Penny Strikes Back!
I've finally seen the i830 in both its silver and bronze appearances. This is a really nice phone. Honest opinion time. The "bronze" looks like copper. I would have to liken it to a shiny penny. As bad as it may look to some in the picture, I stress that all should go into your local NexTel or Southern LINC stores and actually look at it. It is quite odd, but cool in the sense that no one else has ever gone that route in relation to a phone's color. My favorite appearance is the silver though.
As far as features go, it is a smaller i730 with one exception, it has MMS. I am not sure about the other provider, but NexTel has yet to launch this feature. There are some cool features to MMS, so this is a great phone to get in preparation for the launch.
There are a couple reasons I gave this phone a 4.5 instead of a 5. First of which is battery life. The battery that it comes with is motorola's current slim battery which makes for a smaller, lighter phone, but less talk time. Second, the speaker on the back is not as loud as the i730. Third, it's not for contractors as it is not very durable. I don't mean it's flimsy (Old Handspring Treos), but it is not the i530 or i305. Finally, one of the banes of a small phone is a small keypad. The keypad on the i830 could be a little bit bigger. I found myself mistyping on it during messaging. Also the keypad doesn't click. I like the click. It's just like a computer keyboard, you want to feel a click as you type.
All in all I feel this is one of the best iDEN's to come out thus far. I am getting it. Still can't decide on which color to get. :-) Till the next review.
