Customer Reviews

Motorola V180 Phone (AT&T)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

My wife and I each bought one of these phones with our new Cingular contract. Though we did not buy through Amazon, I thought a review of the phone would be useful to everyone!

First of all, these phones are very well designed for the user. Because it is a flip phone, it is very compact when "closed" yet when it is "open" it feels more like a real phone than most other cell phones do. The hinge is in no way flimsy and seems like it will hold up well. We love the color screen and various audio/picture options that this phone offers. We were both able to learn how to navigate the phone's menu system with ease.

I am also very pleased with both reception and the battery charge-life. I charge my phone 1-2 times per week and have not had any problems with "low battery" messages during a call. My last phone (a Kyocera) was terrible about losing charge very quickly during calls.

Basically, this phone performs as well as the advertisements say it does, and for a lot less than the high-end phones. We could not be happier with this purchase!

I have now had this phone for half a year. The first few months, it worked ok and I was very pleased. I gave it 5 stars back then. I wish I could take a few of them back.

Now, my v180 is unreliable at best. I can't keep track of how many conversations I've had when all of a sudden they can't hear me. I try to call back and it's just static. I have to wait a few minutes while the phone settles down to call back. What's the point of having a phone if you can only talk on it occasionally, when it feels like letting you stay connected for over 5 minutes?

In case you are thinking of getting this, let's go to the Pros:
1. Ring Tones: This phone has many True Tone as well as Polyphonic rings to choose from.

2. Battery Life: Crazy-long battery life.

3. Buttons: Not tiny, but well-spaced buttons

4. Cheap

5. Small

Here are the downsides:

1. Very few games to choose from: I don't understand why some pretty basic games are not available on this phone. If games are important to you, STAY AWAY from this phone.

2. Small screen.

3. Unreliable

4. Fairly quiet, easy-to-miss ring

5. Other party has hard time hearing me when I use speakerphone.

I'm not sure why anyone would want this. We got my wife's free Nokia 3120 at the same time, and she's had absolutely no problems with it. I think I paid $50 for this piece of junk...and now they are being given away. I'm looking to get a replacement soon.

I liked Cingular service (as an AT&T transplant) but once they started squeezing down TDMA I knew I'd have to go GSM. I researched a number of review sites, including Amazon, and settled on a MV180 despite reports of persistent problems: cracking LCD panels, short battery life, and easily scuffed front panels were often reported.

Now, after 6 weeks, I haven't encountered any of those issues. I carry the phone in my pocket along with other items, and (while it's obviously not brand new anymore) it isn't more scratched than it deserves to be. Anyway, that panel is replaceable (with original black or other colors) so I'm not too concerned. I was careful to give the battery three full charge-discharge cycles at the outset (I do this with all lithium ion batteries) and now I get 4-5 days of standby and at least three hours of talk; maybe I'm easy, but I'm satisfied with that -- it compares well with the Nokia I had before. And, I'm embarassed to say, I dropped it twice onto asphalt road surface (I was trying to kluge a phone holder for my car) and no cracked LCDs -- in fact no damage of any kind, not even scratches.

For my address book, I chose to save all entries to SIM card memory rather than to the phone. I know that gave me less flexibility (multiple numbers per name) and less available memory, but neither of those were problems for me. The built-in ringtones weren't very exciting, so I downloaded one ("I'm a Believer") that's geeky enough so no one else is likely to use it, and I'm not going to change it anytime soon. The speakerphone works adequately, in fact the speaker sounds pretty good, as does the earpiece. It will do a bunch of games and other Internet access stuff, but I'm not much interested in that.

So, bottom line, I'm happy with my choice. Thanks to Amazon and all the previous reviewers who helped me.

Like a previous reviewer, although I didn't purchase the phone through Amazon, I still wanted to write a review in the hopes that I can help someone choose a new phone.

With my T-Mobile contract coming up for renewal and my desire to replace my Samsung X-105, I headed to my local T-Mobile store. I already knew that I wasn't particularly looking for a camera phone or anything extravagant. I just wanted a solid phone that worked. Initially, I'd intended on getting a Samsung E-105, which was identical to my current phone, aside from being a flip. I discovered that none of the T-Mobile stores in my area had one in stock, and that it was on the verge of being replaced by a newer model. Not wanting to spend the extra money on the E-315 (nice, but I don't want to pay for a camera I don't need), I took a look at some of their other flip phones, and settled on the Motorola V180 (for $49 as a service renewal discount.)

So far, I'm very happy with the phone. The reception is actually better (and clearer) than my beloved X-105. I was afraid that I'd have to learn a whole different button layout, but it's surprisingly very similar to the Samsung and it took me only a few minutes to figure everything out. Contrary to many of the reviews that I've read, the plastic does not feel cheap or "plasticky" (I think this has to do with the fact that the plastic on the inside is a matte finish, whereas the outside is fairly glossy. Some people may mistake that for being "cheaper.") The phone feels just as sturdy and solid as most any other flip phone that I've looked at (aside from a few phones that are obviously geared towards heavy "construction contractor" use.) It's not as heavy as my X-105, yet has much better battery life, and I have no problems navigating the keys.

I've only found very minor complaints with the phone. Mainly, the screen isn't quite as nice as the Samsung's, with small details being slighly less well-defined and the overall size being a bit smaller. Considering the amount of real estate on the earpiece, Moto probably could've fit a slightly larger screen in. However, overall the screen is still nice and bright and a side-by-side comparison with my old Samsung doesn't leave me feeling disappointed. Also, even though the V180 only has a Contrast control, I've found the range of brightness very acceptable and comparable to the X/E-105 phones' Brightness controls.

The only other minor niggle I have is that the phone didn't come with a case or holster. Most other flips that I've looked at came with at least a holster. However, this is one of those instances where it "would've been nice, but it's really not that big of a deal." Plastic holsters are only a couple dollars and cases aren't that much more. I did like the fact that it came with an earbud, although I've yet to test that (or the speakerphone function) out.

Overall, I've found this to be a great phone and I'm thus far very happy with my purchase. As a side-note, T-Mobile has been very good to me and I've always gotten great customer service from them. Maybe I'm just lucky in that sense, but they've always worked with me when I had a question or had to extend a payment.

So unless you're looking for a camera phone or something with a high "everything" factor (ie, the Sidekick), this is a great, solid phone with just the right amount of bells and whistles for normal, everyday users.

I was looking for my first cell phone, and I wanted something that wasn't too expensive, but worked. The Motorola V180 is great. However, if you are looking for the latest and best features, DO NOT buy this phone.
Pros:
-large address book
-GREAT RECEPTION
-vibrate feature
-external caller id
-easy to navigate menu
-many ringtones

Cons:
-no camera
-speakerphone is not the greatest, but works
-NO GAMES
-few wallpapers
-feels kinda like plastic

Overall this is a great phone that is definetly worth the money. The only thing that really upset me was that there was no games.

Competing with Samsung's successful E105 GSM phone, here comes the Motorola V180. It's a quad-band GSM world phone that should be a nice upgrade for anyone who is still using a V60 series phone. It is also a refreshing step-down from the battery-guzzling smart phones out there. I had a Blackberry 6850, and despite the rich features, it didn't have what I wanted most - a loud ring. When Motorola rolled-out this basic flip phone, I immediately went for it, and I like it!

Battery life is impressive, with a standby time of over 4 days. The ringer is loud, and includes the "continental" ring heard on Motorola candybar and iden (Nextel) phones of the late 1990's. I found that refreshing...a ring that sounds like a classic corporate ring. The buttons are not as cheesy as many of the reviewers have said. I would say the buttons are the same quality in the V400 series. There is no camera, but that's a plus in my opinion. And you can still get your weather and sports scores thanks to Cingular's MEdia service. It also has USB connectivity, so you can manage the address book and calendar using your PC. The screen is tiny by today's standards, at 180x180 pixels, but the layout is bright and clean. My advice - if you need a ultralight flip phone with long battery life, downloadable extras, and a solid design that would go with your suit, take a good look at the Motorola V180 and the Samsung E105. You don't need bells and whistles. You just need a very good phone. This is it.

I got my V180 via a free upgrade through Cingular. This is my 3rd cell phone, first "flip up" model. Prior phones were from Nokia and Siemens. I've had it for 3 months now. I'm not into cameras, games, dowloading ringtones, etc. etc. I just want a cheap and reliable phone.

Pros -

- Great reception (Milwaukee, WI)
- Speakerphone works well.
- Average battery life. I have to charge every 4-5 days.
- Buttons are on the small side, but they work well. If you have long fingernails, maybe this isn't the phone for you.
- It was FREE FREE FREE.

Cons -

- If the phone is in my pants pocket it's difficult to hear the ring.
- Vibrations are on the weak side. If it's set to vibrate and you have it in your pants pocket, you may not be able to feel it.
- Address book sorts via first name, not last. Also, it allows only one phone number per name, so if someone has three phone numbers (home, work, and cell) you have to make three entries. There's a little symbol that tells if it's a home, work or mobile number.
- Have to crack it open to adjust ring volume.
- Manual is sketchy on the details sometimes.

Overall a good free phone. This is my first Motorola product and I am pleased.

Update: May 2006 - I've had the phone for over a year and some wear and tear is starting to show. The phone will not vibrate anymore, and the exterior LCD screen is a blank. If I want to screen calls, I have to have the phone already cracked open BEFORE the call comes in. Overall, the phone was free and it's still a good phone in my book.

My wife and I purchased a pair of these phones about 3 months ago. At first we thought they were great, then calls started dropping left and right. We had switched from TDMA to GSM, and I figured it might be caused from a bad signal in our area...then I noticed that as soon as the calls dropped, the signal went to full. I called AT&T to report the problem, they told me that they were aware of a software problem that would drop calls when the phone switched towers. Their resolution...reboot my phone before you place a call...I tried to humor them for awhile since they claimed the problem was being worked on. 1 month later I still have the problem. I call up to AT&T "customer service" and was told that there was a known issue with the software in the phone and that they would replace the phone for $15 each. Not willing to pay $30 to have our phones replaced I requested a service credit to cover the $30 expense (since the problem was their's, not mine) They refused, telling me "There was no physical way they could bill back the $30, becuase it was a manufacturer fee" I would ditch their service, except that I just re-upped for 2 years when I purchased this phone, and would have to pay $175 per line for early termination, and since I got a rebate from the retailer, I would also face a $150 per line fee if I cancelled the service within 180 days. What a joke!

My overall suggestion: skip this phone and don't sign a 2 year contract...even if you get a free phone.

This phone was fairly reliable for about 6 months and then everything started going wrong. The the cover LCD screen went out and then the main screen went about a month later. I did a little surgery on it to discover the wires running from the main body of the cellphone to the flip cover were frayed from just normal usage. I blame this to faulty design on motorola's part.

I was excited awhile back when my 2 year contract with Cingular ended even though my V60g still works very well. I have been happy with three V60s I got for my family 2.5 years ago. And my wife has a Moto V300, which is a good phone. I figured I would research the new Moto phones and get something with better reception, more features, and possibly better battery life.

Unfortunately, I am very displeased in the V180. Here's why:

1 - Battery life.
The advertised battery life for the V180 is up to 430 minutes talk time and up to 340 hours standby time. I assumed a full charge on the V180 would last longer than my V60 with its 2.5 year-old battery. NOT EVEN CLOSE. I can charge the phone all the way (which takes 4 hours with the phone powered off), and even with minimal talk time, the phone is dead in less than 48 hours (so dead that it cuts off). Battery life for my V180 is ~ 30% of my old V60. I figured something must be wrong with the phone, battery, or charger after the first week of poor battery life. I returned it to my local Cingular store, and they gave me another new V180 phone, battery, and charger. This second one does exactly the same thing. Less than 48 hours after a full charge, the phone is dead (cuts off). I can still charge my V60 on a Sunday night, and with minimal usage, expect that I can still place calls on Thursday.

2 - Reception.
I have no major complaints in the V180, other than call quality is exactly the same as my old V60. I was happy with the V60 but figured a new phone may get better reception. I cannot keep a signal at work with either of my Moto phones. Three people I know at work with the same Cingular service as me have Nokia stick phones and can talk on them in our building.

3 - Blank screen.
The first V180 never did this that I noticed, but the display on the second V180 I'm trying sometimes goes blank for no reason. The phone does not power off, and the display "comes back to life" within a matter of seconds. This is annoying, nonetheless.

Although I've grown accustomed to flip phones, I plan to return the V180 once again and go with a Nokia stick phone, primarily for better reception in lower signal areas and longer battery life.

I was a diehard Motorola fan up to this point; I had Moto analog phones in the 90's and seven Moto digital phones within my family, but the V180 has put a bad taste in my mouth.