Motorola V551 / V330 / V547 / V555 / V557
Average Ratings
Good features / Voice cuts out
I've owned the v551 for over a year now. I'm in San Antonio, TX with Cingular.
PROs
* Edge
* SyncML
** allows free over-the-air contact backup
** Syncs with google calendar (really try this - scheduleworld.com)
CONs
* Few Spots where the phone beeps indicating no service
* About have of my calls include a multiple split seconds of no sound. I wind up saying "what?" a lot. I can't answer yes or no questions because a short reply usually doesn't get transmitted.
* Slow menuing
Final note about the syncing: If I put in "first last" for the name in my phone, it sends it over SyncML with the names swapped. I know that it's just one field and it has to choose, but I'd have preferred first last instead of last first.
Excellent long-lasting phone but outdating fast
This phone is an extremely well-built workhorse. It has lasted me 1.5 yrs and that's the longest any phone has lasted me. Others I either got so fed up with them a threw (Sony Ericsson white screen of death) or they broke after a few drops. This Moto has survived many practice and accidental drops with just surface scratches!!!
PROS:
- Extremely well-built phone. Perfect weight and size for a flip-phone. Withstood 1.5 yrs of abuse and still ticking :)
- Nice bright OEL blue outer display w/ giant digits for time
- Camera images, although subpar quality, always looks the best they can regardless of how grimy the lens gets
- Inner display is large and bright
- Lots of software available to customize phone (all through bluetooth or USB)
- Buttons are well-placed and easy to use (see cons section for outer buttons though)
- Speakerphone was able to be software-modded to make it louder. Now it's perfect
- Easy to use desktop stand charger
- Menu navigation is the best I've come across in a cellphone
- Great appointment calendar with reminder alarm. Calendar can be assigned to a function button (a big plus)
- Speakerphone works with phone closed!
- Decent battery life (even after 1.5 yrs)
- Too many more to list
- Signal strength is perfect for me
CONS:
- Outer buttons are easily pressed and may change the 'style' of ringer accidentally
- Menu speed is a bit slow
- Quickly becoming outdated in technology
- no animated desktop wallpaper
- external antenna (but gets great signal)
- rubberized chassis will quickly rub off
- For some reason it will not make calls if connected to my car charger. Maybe the car charger's fault
Overall, this is a wonderful phone. After 1.5 yrs, I have switched carriers and unlocked the phone so I can keep using it. I got a free Ericsson W300i with the new service, but I'm keeping this V330 because it's just more reliable and user-friendly. If you want a phone to last a long time, this is the one to get
Junk
This phone is Junk. The reception is so poor you have to find a spot and stand still. I really have nothing good to say about this phone.
Motorolas need to be better quality
I've had this since early 2005 and about a year after, it has been nothing but problems.
This is a little fyi about me. I always pay my cell phone bill on time and have never dropped the phone in water, dropped it to cause a major shock, or made any alterations whatsover. Also, i purchased it at 3rd party retailer and i'm not deaf or need a hearing aid.
I switched from Verizon to Cingular on the hopes it would not be much of a difference (except the phone plan was less expensive and offered more than Verizon...that was one mistake). Anyways, this phone has just been the most dismal investment i've ever made and will be the LAST Motorola i purchase, I guess i was unlucky to buy a p.o.s phone).
The Pros about the phone:
1. Good Display and sharp colors.
2. Nice outer material and fancy outer display
3. The camera (for the technology back in 2005) was great.
Cons outweigh the pros big time:
1. The most annoying part, is the ear piece speaker is sooo quiet. I leave the volume level on 7 (the highest) and end up having to use the speaker phone to hear the other party adequately.
2. Following on this, the battery has been drained more than necessary, causing increase charging intervals and most likely wearing it down prematurely. Battery life was poor.
3. Now, this may be related to Cingular towers in Tampa, but the reception has been completely unacceptable. Verizon slams the door on Cingular over reception in my opinion.
I argued with Cingular and tried to get a new phone, but their customer service is flat out ignorant. Maybe the phone was defective, reception is poor due to Cingular, or I screwed up not saying anything during the warranty, whatever. I was with Verzion for 4 years and NEVER had a problem with the T720 (cheap) and the VX-6000, period. They cost more, less selection, but quality is big on my list. Motorola needs to overhaul its quality control before releasing its phones. Once this is up, Verizon, i'm back with the VX-8300!
Not very reliable, but looks good
I got my first V551 in May of 2005 and it worked fine for the first 6 months. After the 6 months, the person on the other end could hear me but I could not hear them except on speaker phone. So, I called up Cingular and they replaced it under warranty for a refurbished 551. This worked ok except for the dropped calls and awful battery life. Until the screen just stopped working! Someone sent me a text and I opened the phone and just like that the external and internal display never worked again. Called Cingular up and they sent me a refurbished V557, so far no complaints except on the external display where it should say "am" or "pm" after the time it will just be distorted! So far the V557 holds a better charge than the V551 and it actually will start charging when you stick the connector in. The Bluetooth is awesome and the camera is pretty good to be VGA. The V557 only comes with 2 wallpapers whereas the V551 came with about 8. I guess that's a reason for them to get you to spend money on downloads.
The call quality is better on the V557, but nothing compared to a Nokia. I'm waiting on the 6126 to be released for Cingular and I'm getting it. In my experience you can never go wrong with a Nokia and they are making their phones better looking. This is my 4th Moto, first was the T720 then V220, V551 and now the V557. I think I'm done with Motorola for a while. They are not all they are talked up to be.
Pros:
Good camera
Bluetooth
Good looking
Not too heavy
Cons:
Stub antenna
Dropped calls
Only 2 preinstalled wallpapers
Must go through every ring setting to turn the ringer to silent.
Overall it is a pretty good phone, just not very reliable when it comes to doing the job is was made to do...making and receiving calls.
Ok phone
Ive owned this phone for about a year and half and it has some pros and cons
Pros
small size
takes ok pictures
does videos
shutter sounds
cons
-video sucks its blocky
-you have to hold phone still to take a pic
-lags
-you have to watch dialog to send picture messages
-Buttons push on side easily
-browser is slow
i would not suggest a different pone like the pebl or the Htc Mda its more money but its well worth it
v551
This is my second v551 in a year and again the display screen has disappeared. This is very inconvenient and aggravating. Iâm unable to look at any thing I canât see who is calling and worst of all I canât access my phone book. So the new and approved as they say v557 is in route to my home. We shale see. Ill keep you all posted.
Awesome Phone--Even in two pieces!!
I recently snapped my v551 into two pieces. (temper tantrum) Even then it was still able to make and receive calls! Although without the luxury of a screen:-(
It was a great phone and I would have one again if it were up to me (since it is co. phone I don't get to choose what it will be replaced with-the upgrade I am guessing)
Pro
-Sturdy phone
-Great battery life
-AWESOME coverage
-NO dropped calls
-Good camera
-Fun ring tones (and plenty to download)
-Good speaker/ear piece
Cons
-.......cant think of any other than I don't have mine right now!
Fun Phone, but not Great
Had this phone for 1 year through T-Mob in Orange county/Los Angeles Area.
Pros: Good, lightweight durable flip phone.
Great screen clarity
Camera is adequate
Video is less than adequate
Cons: call quality is very less than adequate. Volume is too low. Original hands free headset sound clarity is awful, better to use the speaker phone, which is a little better, but not much.
I never tried a bluetooth headset.
Reception and sound quality in my apartment was not very good, so I switched to sprint and nokia 6016i with MUCH Improvement.
Overall, a good phone with lots of fun features, but if sound quality is important to you, I do NOT recommend this phone.
After calling my friends/family with my new Nokia, they were amazed at the call quality difference, so I'm not sure if it is T-mob service or the phone that resulted in the poor quality.
Finally, the reception usually less than 4 bars. Most of my friends got reception in the classroom and I was getting no service.
But I played pac-man on this phone for about 15 hours--great screen clarity!
No signal and a dead bettery
I got the Motorola 551 about two months ago. It worked great for the first week then all of a sudden I would completely loose my signal (Cingular lowering the bar)until I ended the call. Then a full signal would pop back up, when i would redial my call and as soon as it connected the phone would loose signal!!!
The phone also doesn't hold a very good charge there were days when I would charge it for a few hours and by the end of the day it was going dead again.
The battery indicator was also a problem if you charged the battery for 10 mins and took it off charge the indicator would show a full battery. Then it would go dead in 15 mins!
PROs
Very sturdy
Bluetooth
voice dialing
nice camera
CONs
dropped calls
