In our battle of 3G multimedia clamshells, will the Cingular SYNC best the newest RAZR V3xx? Or will the Chocolate flip-phone beat Samsung's thin M610?
Review summary of the Motorola RAZR V3xx:
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Full Motorola RAZR V3xx Review:
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Design
Recently, the SYNC has been updated with a couple new colors, first red and then blue. We find the SYNC an appealing phone, especially in the new blue shell, but it doesn't quite top the VX8600, a flip-phone reminiscent of the LG Chocolate. The new V3xx has an improved screen over previous RAZR phones, a 262,000-color, QVGA display that looks better than the screen on either the SYNC or the VX8600. However, it is still the same RAZR we've been carrying around for three years, and we'd like to see an update to the shell, and especially to the flat, etched keys. Our favorite phone design of the four is the Samsung SPH-M610, which is the thinnest flip phone on the market, until Samsung releases something thinner. While we'd prefer a color external screen, the OLED on the face is bright and easy to read, and the internal display, also a 262,000-color QVGA screen, rivals the RAZRs.
Winner: Samsung SPH-M610
Audio
All of the phones disappointed us with their lack of accessories, including the microSD cards and headphone adapters necessary to enjoy their musical options. Of the four phones, only the Motorola RAZR V3xx can stream audio to stereo Bluetooth headphones while you are watching a video on the AT&T Video service, though all three have A2DP support for their respective music players. The LG VX8600, on Verizon's V Cast service, and the Samsung SPH-M610, on Sprint's music store, use over-the-air downloads for music, while both the Samsung SGH-A707 and the Motorola RAZR V3xx use AT&T Music for subscribers on Napster or Yahoo. Originally, we called this a draw, but now we feel differently. We think that Napster and Yahoo are not only more convenient for picking an entire library's worth of tracks, we also think the subscription model is a better value than over-the-air options like Verizon Wireless' V Cast music store, which offers songs for $2 each. For that reason, and for the RAZR's better handling of A2DP support, we prefer the V3xx for audio.
Winner: Motorola RAZR V3xx
Multimedia
In our original comparison between the SYNC and the LG phone, we griped about the Cingular SYNC's inability to display full-screen videos. Both the Samsung M610 and the Motorola RAZR V3xx can display videos in a full-screen landscape mode, and the RAZR has some of the fastest streaming times we've seen, as one of the first 3.6Mbps HSDPA phones. The RAZR's mobile TV experience, using MobiTV's excellent guide for channel surfing, is the best we're likely to see in the U.S. until Verizon Wireless launches its V Cast Mobile TV service. Of course, the Samsung SPH-M610 is the only phone with access to Sprint's movie store, which gives you a small selection of feature length movies, both classics and newer films. Loading The New York Times homepage was a problem for all four phones; the RAZR loaded the page quickly, but suffered from layout problems, while the LG phone had a poor-quality font that made reading unpleasant. Also, none of the phones were capable of smoothly scrolling through a Web page, instead requiring numerous clicks. Though the M610 does come with GPS for E911 emergency location, the LG VX8600 is the only phone of the four with built-in GPS-navigation, which was disappointing, especially considering the RAZR V3c has built-in navigation. Though it was a difficult choice between the Motorola RAZR V3xx and the Samsung SPH-M610, with faster networking and A2DP support in its video functions, we preferred the RAZR.
Winner: Motorola RAZR V3xx
Calling
The Motorola RAZR and the Samsung SPH-M610 have every calling feature we like on a phone, including Bluetooth, 3-way calling, speaker-independent voice dialing and address books that use live, while-you-type searching. The SYNC lacks any voice dialing feature, and the VX8600 lacks 3-way calling. The SYNC was our favorite in our original multimedia flip duel, with its better reception and sound quality, but we think the RAZR sounds just as good, and the Samsung SPH-M610 sounds even better. We had no problems with reception on either of those phones, though we did experience a few dropped calls with the RAZR. For its better sound quality, as well as its fun dialing screen, we preferred the Samsung SPH-M610 for making calls.
Winner: Samsung SPH-M610
Messaging
The Samsung SGH-A707 has the best keypad for messaging of the four, with the most comfortable, raised keys. Though the keypad on the M610 is similar, it is much flatter than the SYNC's number pad. All the phones included pre-loaded support for AIM, MSN and Yahoo instant messaging. Both the SYNC and the RAZR have Java apps to handle e-mail from AOL, MSN and Yahoo, among others, but neither phone has a dedicated e-mail inbox. For dedicated e-mail onboard, you'll need the Samsung SPH-M610, which comes pre-loaded for the three popular services. Also, the M610 is the only phone of the bunch that allows you to resize text to fit an entire SMS message on screen. We also liked the M610's built-in dictionary, which partners with the T9 predictive input to quickly guess words you commonly use.
Winner: Samsung SPH-M610
Value
The most expensive phone of the bunch is the Samsung SPH-M610, which costs $180 with a contract on Sprint's network. A $40 calling plan and unlimited Sprint Power Vision, for $65 total, gives you streaming video from Sprint TV, but movies are still a la carte. Sprint does give you four songs per month from the music store, though. The LG VX8600, on Verizon Wireless' network, costs $120 with a contract. With a $40 calling plan, unlimited access to the V Cast network will run you only $15, but songs are still $2 each with no monthly allowance. The two AT&T phones are the best value, at $50 for the SYNC and the Motorola V3xx. The V3xx is only $20 more than the standard RAZR, and surprisingly less expensive than the V3i, with iTunes support, or the V3r. Media plans on AT&T are also reasonable, at $20 for unlimited media, and AT&T includes 200 text messages with this plan, which we think is a nice touch. Though AT&T has no music store, since Verizon and Sprint charge extra for individual tracks, we think the Cingular Music option still makes these phones the better choice. AT&T charges more for the new RAZR V3xx gold, but not for the blue or red SYNC. Because it is the best-priced RAZR, with the fastest network speeds of any phone in this comparison, the RAZR V3xx is our choice for best value.
Winner: Motorola RAZR V3xx
And the winner is . . .
Two phones took every category in this four-way battle royale, the Samsung SPH-M610, and the Motorola RAZR V3xx. Besides its modern design, the M610 had better calling, always an important feature, and better messaging as well. In multimedia, the phones were almost even, though we preferred the subscription side-loading capabilities of the RAZR to the over-the-air downloads of the Samsung phone. Also, the movie store was nice, but the lack of A2DP support in its video applications holds back the M610. Though it would be easy to criticize the RAZR for its dated look, it is by far the best RAZR to date, and in any other shell would be an advanced multimedia phone. Its networking speeds are superlative, and its audio features, especially its across-the-board support for A2DP, are what we'd like to see in every multimedia phone. Also, with contract subsidies, discounts and rebates, the RAZR V3xx is a great value right now. They are both appealing phones, but our favorite, by a nose, is the Motorola RAZR V3xx.
Champion: Motorola RAZR V3xx
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Samsung SPH-M610
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Score: 82% When: November 2006 Worth: $130 - $330 Carrier: Sprint
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This wafer-thin clamshell features stereo Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera and access to Sprint's Music Store and TV services. Does the M610 belong in your pocket?
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LG VX8600
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Score: 58% When: November 2006 Worth: $130 Carrier: Verizon Wireless
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Boasting a sleek black finish and bearing a striking resemblance to the popular LG VX8500 Chocolate, does this music-focused 3G clamshell taste sweet or leave a bitter aftertaste?
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