Motorola W385 Cell Phone
Review

By Mark Brezinski
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on December 31, 2007

The Motorola W385 is a basic, entry-level cell phone. The device itself is rather a rather narrow and thin flip phone, though not as thin as a Razr. The device is plastic, but felt sturdy. We do, however, have concerns about its hinge wearing over time. It has two screens. The exterior one will only display the time and connectivity information, while the main, interior screen is a modest 1.8" diagonal screen. The W385 is currently free with a contract from Verizon.

The W385, like most simple phones, is capable of making calls very quickly, but doesn't have very good call management software. In particular, call waiting could have used a visual reminder of who you were currently talking to. Also, we found it odd that you couldn't sort the call log by missed/incoming/outgoing calls. The organizational software is typical of a standard handset. Those looking for a calendar or contact management capable of any sort of complexity should invest in a different handset.

Audio quality was actually surprisingly good considering this is a free phone. Received frequencies (an incoming caller's voice) are slightly overemphasized, but were otherwise nominal. The same was true of sent frequencies (your own voice), although to a lesser degree; the W385 handles your own voice quite well. Side tone, which is the amount of your own voice the phone plays back to you, was slightly louder than it should've been. This means you'll assume you're talking louder than you mean to and subsequently speak more softly than you otherwise would.

In terms of multimedia, the camera wasn't very good. It will suffice in taking photos for your contacts, or pictures you only plan to view on the phone. If you were to export and enlarge them, they would just look messy. The camera can't capture video. Also, the phone doesn't have a media player, so you won't be able to play back music or video files.

The W385 has a responsive BREW interface that isn't very powerful. There aren't many options for additional software, unless you purchase extras from Verizon, and even then the selection isn't very expansive. The phone also doesn't have a built-in email client. Messaging receives relatively good treatment, however. Though incredibly basic, this caliber of software is appropriate for an entry-level device.

Battery life seems to be fairly low, but again, this is to be expected from a free handset. Call time was only 2 hours, 43 minutes. This is half as long as phones we typically review, but then again we don't typically review entry-level phones. It appears to be comparable to phones in the same class, however, such as the Razr V3m. You will have to charge it nearly every day, so remember to bring your wall charger with you on trips.

The W385 seems to be an appropriate entry-level phone. Sure it's basic, but it will make calls and has a camera tacked on as well. The battery life was a bit lower than we would've liked, but again, At this level the absence of a media player isn't a very big deal, since the battery wouldn't be able to sustain long playback. If you're just looking for a basic, free phone, the W385 is a good choice.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Motorola W385 Review at our partner WirelessInfo.com

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Motorola W385 Cell PhoneReview

Motorola W385 Cell Phone
Review