Digital Trends

Motorola MPx200

March 2nd, 2004 | by Ian Bell

Head Case

The MPx200 was not without its flaws and there are a few issues we think Motorola needs to address. First of all, while using any sort of 3^rd party headset with this phone and occasionally with the included headsets, the MPx200 would drop our calls in the middle of a conversation; as if the phone turned off completely. This happened with the phone both closed and open during use.

When the headset was working, we had to really speak up so the other person could hear us, and it was hard hearing them the other end as well. A quick call to tech support ended up lasting more than 45 minutes as our tech support representative in India had no idea how to address the issue.

We were able to find some other people over at http://www.howardforums.com/ who were experiencing the same issues with this phone, so we know ours was not an isolated case and hope Motorola can fix the headset problems in a future firmware or software update. We'd also like to see Motorola add volume controls and a call accept button to the headset cable; in our opinion, these are necessities for talking while on the go.

Reception and Battery Life

Reception and clarity on the MPx200 is above average when compared to other GSM phones, at least in the Portland, Oregon area where this phone was tested. Since the antenna is integrated into the phone and does not protrude, that this is a very good thing. In normal operation (without the headset) we did not experience any dropped calls and very few break-ups during our conversations.

Motorola claims the MPx200 has 112 hours of standby time, but with normal settings on we experienced around 90 hours, not bad considering this phones features. There is a power saving mode which should help you squeeze more battery juice out of the phone. If you experience reception or battery performance different than what we have, please post your own mini-review in the user review section of the Motorola MPx200 review.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a phone with complete PDA capabilities, the MPx200 would not be your first choice. Microsoft's Smartphone OS is a compromise that appeals to those that do not care for full blown PDA features. If you just want to stay connected to your friends and co-workers and manage your contacts and meetings, the MPx200 may be perfect for you.

The Motorola MPx200 is a fantastic phone for business users. It is very stylish, powerful and offers the basic functions business users' desire. We love that you can upgrade the memory on the MPx200 using the memory slot as well as the fact that you get a basic MP3 player and PDA functionality.

In the case of the MPx200, the physical design saves it from dropping down to a 7 rating since the headset problems we encountered could be serious to some users. Overall, although the MPx200 does not offer Bluetooth or a integrated camera, considering its $99 price tag it could quite possibly be the best Smartphone value currently on the market.