Motorola's MOTOKRZR K1 is the company's first major update to the popular RAZR V3 phone, but doesn't quite match the original's groundbreaking design. Motorola has downsized the phone and added new features but didn't improve on some of the basics, which in the end let down the entire package.
Design
The new MOTOKRZR K1 has the same solid feel and build quality of the old V3 RAZR but comes in a much smaller package, albeit slightly thicker. Measuring just 16 by 42 by 103mm and weighing in at 103 grams, the KRZR sits very comfortably in the hand and is finished in a polished dark blue metallic gloss with a glass inset.
The phone's casing is very resistant to scratches, however the external screen is susceptible to fingerprint smudges. The back is encased in a soft-touch rubberised material that provides good grip, while the sides are home to buttons for voice dialling and recording, as well as a mini-USB port. This port is the only adaptor on the KRZR and is used for headsets, data connectivity and charging.
Other external buttons include volume and camera controls, with the latter situated in a location that always manages to be pressed when trying to open the phone. After opening up the clamshell phone, you're greeted with the bright blue backlit flat-style keypad, as seen in the older RAZR, but on a much smaller scale. Downsides are the lack of tactile feel and crowded buttons, which were slow to respond at times. Motorola does, however, allow users to customise the directional-pad for shortcuts.
The KRZR features a 1.9-inch, 262K colour TFT LCD that is very small and isn't helped by the low 176 x 220-pixel resolution or the unattractive menu interface. Icons looked jagged, blurred and blocky at times, and the display became washed out in direct sunlight. A second 96 x 96-pixel external screen sits on the front cover.
Features
One of the KRZR's major strengths is its connectivity features, which include quad-band GSM, GPRS/EDGE data transfer and Bluetooth v2.0. The standard polyphonic ringtones were bad but the speaker was loud, which did have added benefits for music playback and speakerphone.
The KRZR comes equipped with a 2-megapixel camera that lacks auto-focus or a flash light. However, there's the option to select three quality settings, remove the camera shutter sound, zoom up to 4x digitally, as well as change the exposure settings. When shooting videos you also have the option of three quality settings -- 128 x 96, 176 x 220, or 352 x 288 pixels -- but the highest resolution mode is only available for storage on a microSD card. There's 18MB of onboard memory, which can be expanded with the aforementioned memory card that slots in under the battery cover. It's nice that you needn't remove the battery to slide in the card.
Other features include a calendar, MP3/AAC music player, multiple alarms and calculator, as well as challenging Sudoku and J2ME games. The Java-based digital audio player has the ability to run in the background, allowing you full access to the rest of the phone while listening to music. The KRZR also supports wireless stereo headphones with the A2DP Bluetooth profile.
Performance
Images from both the still camera and video recorder were disappointing, with most of the shots turning out grainy and blurred. Motion was slightly jerky, but sound quality was both loud and clear.
As a phone, there's not much to complain about the KRZR. Conversations were clear and loud with no hint of distortion and had adequate reception at most times. The microphone was also very accurate, with respondents easily hearing us even with significant background noise.
Pairing a Bluetooth headset is a simple affair, and the KRZR supports a limited range of profiles that include Dial-up Networking, Image Push, OBEX Transfer and Handsfree. Unfortunately, PIM Sync and remote SyncML were lacking. The external screen also has a neat feature that sees the Bluetooth symbol disappear when not in use, which was a nice touch.
Sending MMS and SMS text messages is simple, as is email. Motorola's proprietary iTAP predictive text system has greatly improved from previous generations, and is now just as good at T9 in our opinion.
The original RAZR was notorious for its poor battery life, so we're glad to report that the KRZR is a big improvement in this area. The lithium ion cell lasted over three days with excessive use and standby time would easily endure a week.
Ultimately, the KRZR is an average phone whose only standout feature is its stylish design and small size. We expected better from Motorola and have no choice but to recommend you also take a look at Samsung's new range of slim phones when picking your next mobile.
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