Review of GSM/UMTS-handset Motorola ZN5

Mobile-review have posted their review of the 5 mega pixel Motorola ZN5. Here is their final impresion.

The reception quality of the ZN5 was never an issue during our quality time with it, for it is a typical Motorola branded phone. The loudspeaker’s volume is higher than average, so you’ll have no problems hearing call alerts even on a noisy street. The vibro alert performed just as well.

Banking on the imaging department Motorola has come up with an interesting and well-rounded product. As far as image quality is concerned it’s one of the best solutions you can find out there, and it’s definitely ahead all other mass-market phones. For now, let’s leave the Sony Ericsson C905 and Samsung 8150 out of the picture, since they both employ the same Samsung-branded 8 Mpix CMOS module and certainly do surpass the ZN5 on some fronts, but are nothing out of this world after all. What’s more interesting is that Motorola has kept mum on a lot of things about this phone.

While the ZN5 is not positioned as a music-centric handset, it ships with a pretty decent player, FM-radio, and 3.5mm headset jack. But more importantly, its sound quality is nearly unrivalled these days, being on a par with the ROKR E8 and some dedicated music players (by the way it trumps the Apple iPod on this front hands down). In other words, the average user will be more than content with what the ZN5 brings to the table, plus it’s quite loud and has very few settings to worry about.

Add another update of LJ platform to the mix, which brings along rich phonebook functionality and a well-founded feature pack, upgraded Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. What makes it even more of a winner are the huge display and decent materials – now I can’t stop praising the ZN5, can I? Upon its release (slotted for September) the ZN5 will retail for around 500 USD (320 Euro), which isn’t wallet-bashing at all. What is more, after a few price cuts this handset will have all it takes to become a mainstream product. But eventually it will run into some problems with its audience, since it will be popular only with consumers who have a good idea what buy and how they are going to use it. The ZN5 will enjoy a better take-up than the RORK E2 and in time will outshine the sales of the ROKR E8, make no mistake about that. However it’s not the saving grace that will revitalize Motorola's sales throughout the world, for it’s no RAZR of our time. It’s just a decent, well-rounded phone. What Motorola really needs to do is bring about a couple of handsets like this, and things will start looking much better. As far as the segment of imaging-savvy devices is concerned, the Motorola ZN5 is a better pick than the Nokia 6220 Classic, Nokia N82, the Sony Ericsson K850i and it’s not even close (in case you don’t need the power of S60 and have no idea what it is).