Motorola MPx220 review

Flashes and says nothing

Let's have a look at the elements that we can find in a closed position of the phone. The older Motorola MPx200 has a front monochrome display, at the Motorola MPx220 we find passive color display. It is good enough for indoor use, but not well seen when exposed to sunlight. With the display, you can select from two styles, depending whether you are more interested in operator's name or the actual time. You can put wallpaper on the small display. When shooting it can also be used as a viewfinder for the camera.

Small display and shiny front label

Small display traditionally shows caller's number or name, a picture can also be displayed. By an incoming SMS, the display just flashes and switches off in a few seconds. This is really unpleasant feature and I missed an important message due to that. The same stands for missed calls - you will not notice them if the display is switched off.

Various states of the small display

On the front part of the phone, we can also find a lens of the integrated camera and a lighting diode. On the left side we can see a slot for handsfree or headphones connection: a rubber plug protects it. Regrettably, it is a miniature jack and hence without a reduction it is not possible to connect normal headphones to the phone. On the side, there is also a rock switch button for volume control. Holding it up-way activates a voice control, holding it down-way turns on a voice recorder. At the bottom on the left, there is a main switch button.

Camera and lighting diode • main switch • volume control button

Non-standard USB connector

On the right side, we find an individual button for handling the integrated camera. By pressing it, the phone starts the photo application; it also works as a release. Below the button, there is an infrared port and a memory card slot above it. It is possible to exchange the cards without switching off the phone. Regrettably, Motorola uses less prevalent miniSD format. I don't have an original package available so I don't know if you will possibly get a memory card straight with the phone.

Infrared port and the camera button • memory card slot

On the back, there is an interesting plug, protecting a connector for external antenna connection, as well as an eyelet for a wrist strap. Motorola MPx220 is short of a standard USB connector and it is no more possible to use common cable, which also could be used for charging the phone. It is a Motorola type connector and if you would like to connect the mobile to a PC via cable, you have to pay to Motorola. However, it is possible that the cable will be included right in the package.

Motorola logo and a plug above the external antenna connector • now without a standard USB port

Under a plastic cover, you will find a Li-Ion battery with capacity 1000 mAh. Regarding duration of the battery, I can write only official data: up to 260 hours on standby or up to 440 minutes of call.

Look under the battery cover

Sensor on the keypad

The main display of the Motorola MPx220 is surprisingly smaller than the one at Motorola MPx200. It's size is 32 x 40 mm - compare this to 34 x 44 mm at the older model. Resolution remains the same - 176 x 220 pixels and that makes the display being very sharp. It displays 65K colors and it is TFT, of course. Nevertheless, it is useless on direct sun, you will see nothing; I was taking some of the sample pictures without much help from the display.

Display is of high quality, but the color representation changes by looking from different angles.

Keypad is divided into two parts. In the lower part the numeric keys are sorted to a right-angled matrix; very simple from a design point of view. Keys are big enough and I enjoyed typing with them. If you don't feel comfortable with the keypad, try to go to the settings and change the time the mobile waits until it skips to the next character on the same key. It sometimes distinctly improves the feeling during typing.

Numeric keys are really well done

Upper half is reserved for function keys. Main control element, a four-way button with a blue confirm push button in the middle, is perhaps unnecessarily big. There are two keys above the main button; you can see their functions on the bottom row of the display. Below the four-way button, there are keys for return a step back and return to a standby display.

Functional part of the keypad takes too much space

The pair of keys with red and green headphone is a bit lower. Their symbols are not clearly visible and sometimes I'm not sure which key to press. White legends on the numeric part of the keypad are more clear. Keys are blue illuminated and Motorola can save power thanks to a sensor in left bottom corner of the keypad. It illuminates the keypad only in case when it is dusk or dark (in the worst case it's always possible to block the sensor with a finger).

Keys illumination (keys with headphones are almost invisible •
light sensor is in the corner, quite in the bottom part of the picture