Motorola W315
Average Ratings
Maybe I just have terrible luck
I got this phone back in January 07 as part of some Alltel contract renewal promo, I'd had a motorola for 4 years and loved it so I figured what they heck. Long story short, the first phone lasted a total of a week before I had to return it by mail (don't live near a store). It had technical issues like shutting off randomly and resetting to defaults, occasionally deleting my contacts list, which as you could imagine, was a problem. I went through two more of these phones exact same model (both refurbished) between January and October. They would work well for a while then problems began to show, they would shut off, or freeze, there is little worse than looking down at a strangely illuminated black screen where your main screen should be. Other than that I loved the phone and would have kept it, maybe I just have really bad luck, and from my experience Alltel refurbished phones are TERRIBLE!!
Pros
- great reception
- cute ringtones
- good battery life
- good for texting (easy keys, palm sized)
- nice look
- great interface
Cons
- not much media (mp3, camera, and so on)
- the whole...being a piece of junk and having electrical issues
I gave it a 2.5 because were it not for the electrical issues, I really loved everything else about it.
Good luck to all with this, I hope it was just my terrible luck!
Motorola W315 Excellent Basic Phone
This is an excellent phone for fringe areas. The only phone I have found which will not drop calls where I live (a low area in a very hilly part of North Carolina), and it connects reliably out on the back 40.
Audio is clear and solid. While you can get more bells and whistles in a phone, this phone would be my first choice for reliable communications.
Cons: The hinge is a little loose but has not given any problems.
Menus are a little strange but the book helps a lot with setup and it only took a few minutes to figure it out.
Great Sound & Reception
I have been using the Motorola W315 through Alltel for over a month and it is an excellent cell phone. I agree with another reviewer who said not to pay attention to the signal bars, this phone gets great reception. I have not had one dropped call yet. The antenna is extendable, but I have found that I get just as good reception with the antenna down as extended.
The exterior and interior screens show missed calls. And if you don't look, the Motorola W315 will tell you. The phone gives 3 quick beeps in 5 minutes to let you know you have missed calls.
If you need a camera, bluetooth or MP3 player with your cell phone, this is not the phone for you. But if you are like me and want a good basic cell phone with great voice quality and reception, speakerphone, text message ability, along with a few other options, I would recommend this phone.
Pros:
Great sound & reception
Stub/extendable antenna
Nice size keypad for easy use
Charge/USB port
Decent battery life
Good build, stylish design
Easy-to-read external display
Colorful, easy-on-the-eye internal screen
Cons:
The only con for me - this phone is offered in only one color through Alltel (maroon/burgundy). I would prefer silver, black or gray.
solid basic phone
Got several of these for my company. Businesses often don't want or need camera phones or something too quirky or stylish. This is a basic phone.
PROS
Solid feel. Nice touch to the keypad. Good RF. Good sound quality. Good speaker phone. Decent standard battery life.
The external display shows the time in large numerals plus the usual status icons (battery, signal strength, messages) The time changes to caller-id (number or contact name from phone book) on incoming calls.
CONS
No Bluetooth. That's the only additional feature I think a phone like this needs to be a better basic phone. Hands free capability is a safety concern and many folks fond wired headsets inconvenient and won't use them.
Great Phone
This phone i bought for my dad. He had a moto 262 and it was great except for the charger. Then we got an lg4270 complete piece of junk. Then we got this phone the moto w315. I worried in the store when we turned it on and it got 3 bars out of 4, when my alltel razr showed 5. Don't watch the bars this phone works everywhere my razr phone works and even a tad better. The phone is great. Great call quality even with no bars. I would recommend this phone to anyone who wants good service. Had the phone since day one with no problems.
Pros:
Great sound quality
Great reception even though the bars dont show it.
Great vivid screen
Extendable antenna
Mini USB charger
Great Battery Life
Great Build Quality
Cons:
There really arent any but the menu is kind of wierd but the phone is perfect for alltel.
Great phone
Purchased the w315 after loseing my previous Motorola which I used for 8 year's.Made a good choice,menu easy to set up and use,large bright screen,texting is simple to do.Great reception even
in lower area's.Voice is
natural,receiving and delivering.I did purchase a Motorola case for it which not only keep's the phone clean but also is easy to hold on long call's,recomend it.
All in all I am very happy with this purchase.
A camera phone is not a priority for me as I away's have a digital camera with me.
Pro's-Excellant phone.
Con's-None
Good solid entry level phone
Owned this phone for about a month as a company phone on our alltel account.
I've found it to be a nice solid little phone, great battery life, easy to use, and very well featured for a entry level phone.
I've noticed two things about this phone as compared to other reviews.
First off, with the people saying the menus are slow. Turn off animation on the menus, like on other moto's this speeds up the menus alot.
Second, people are saying the antenna isnt very solid. The antenna seems pretty solid to me, as does the entire phone.
This is a very nice looking solid phone, especially for the entry level cost of the unit.
Recommend this phone to anyone using alltel/verizon or other CDMA carriers looking for a nice entry level reliable non camera phone.
Leave the Driving to Us
I get a kick out of the reviews on Phonescoop. Most of them are well-considered and thoughtful, but then there are those that might have been hastily recorded in Krylon on the side of a passing Greyhound. You know the ones I'm talking about; monosyllabic rants against the omission of a camera or Bluetooth.
When it comes to reviewing, personal opinions should take a back seat to objectivity. Does the thing work, or doesn't it? Also, if you use the word "hot" to describe a phone, you should have your birthday suspended for one year.
That said, the W315 is a fine device. While specific phones will work differently in different areas, I've had nothing but good luck with the W315 on Alltel, and I live in a low-RF area.
PROS:
+ Crystal clear voice quality
+ Pulls in a stronger signal than the dish at Arecibo
+ Keypad and buttons are the best I've used on any phone
+ Vibrant, easy-to-read external display
+ Standard 2.5mm headphones jack
+ Not even a little "hot"
CONS:
- Weak hinge, wiggles with the flip closed
- Rubbery coating on the outside of the phone prone to marks and fingerprints
- Slow menus
- Screen not the best in its class
If the above cons are enough to keep you from buying this phone, that's certainly understandable. If you're looking for a simple phone for calls and texting, you'll likely do no better than the W315.
Motorola w315 for Alltel
Pro's------------------------------------------
Bright Screen
Large Clock On External Screen
Nice Soft Feel
Great Keypad
Solid Construction
Can Close The Phone On Speaker Mode In A Call
Con's------------------------------------------
Muffled Speaker Mode
Flimsy Antenna
Computer Cable Cant Charge Phone
Odd Menu System
Review:---------------------------------------
I Bought This Phone For Alltel. This Phone Is Great For Anyone That Wants A Budget Friendly Phone With Basic Features.The PC Sync Feature Works But You Have To Pay $50 For Motorola's Phone Tools.
Overall Rating: 4.5
maybe its just my phone
ive had this phone now for 2 days. i have service with alltel. the phone itself is cool and looks good. however it has software issues like crazy. lets start with the reception. even in direct view of a tower, the phone still refuses to display full bars, instead it gets 1-2 bars. when compared to my lg vx3200 side by side, the lg gets full signal. again, side by side with the lg i attempted several calls. the motorola w315 would turn itself off and never complete the call. i thought with an extendable antenna i would get somewhat better reception in fringe areas where i live but it seems that isnt true after all.
maybe i just got a bad phone and i hope they all aint like this. but im not gonna worry with motorola phones anymore, so im taking it back today and getting the lg ax355.
bottom line, i would not suggest anyone get the w315 for any reason whatsoever. but if you must, be aware there are glitches, so give them time to fix the bugs.
