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Teen-oriented messaging phone disappoints
- Touch screen has limitations
- Long battery life
- Standard headphone jack
- Bad camera
- Mediocre call quality
- Dubious build quality
The Motorola Rival A455, for Verizon Wireless, is a squat little messaging phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It has a 2.2-inch touch screen, but it's limited. You can use touch input for some functions, such as dialing on a virtual keypad, but for most other functions, a D-pad and physical buttons must be used. Reviewers find that both the touch-screen interface and the keyboard are easy to use and accurate, but both are also rather small.
The Rival, as nearly all reviewers point out, is meant to compete with similar feature-rich messaging phones such as the LG enV3 (*Est. free with contract), enV Touch (*Est. $100 with contract) and the Samsung Alias 2 (*Est. free with contract). Few feel that it measures up, though. PCMag.com's Sascha Segan says, "Sometimes your name can be your destiny. The Motorola Rival A455… (ironically) rivals no one." Aside from the fact that the Rival has slightly greater built-in memory than the enV3 (132 to 90 MB of available memory), the Rival falls short in every other way in direct comparison to the competition. A lot of experts and users feel that the Rival will only appeal to teenagers and younger kids.
Call quality on the Rival is variably reported; some critics have no problems, while others find it falls short of their expectations. Most find that the battery life exceeds Motorola's rating of five hours of continuous talk time, though the praise in that regard is not unanimous either. Although the Rival has a standard headphone jack, reviewers conclude that its subpar screen, dated software and dismal camera make it a poor choice as a media hub. Build quality is also a concern; some found that the Rival is too plasticky and doesn't close snugly.
Nevertheless, the Rival A455 gets good coverage from PCMag.com, CNET, MobileBurn.com, and PhoneArena.com. GearDiary.com takes a brief look at the phone. A small number of users contribute reviews to CNET and PhoneScoop.com as well.
Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
Prolific PCMag.com reviewer Sascha Segan has few complimentary things to say about the Motorola Rival A455, citing build problems and other issues. The 2-megapixel camera is one of the worst Segan has tested and the music player is outdated. The slide-out keyboard and capacitive touch screen are praised, though.
Review: Motorola Rival A455 (Verizon Wireless), Sascha Segan, July 1, 2009
2. CNET
CNET's Nicole Lee praises the Rival's call quality and multimedia features, but its poor build quality is a deal-breaker for her. A small number of users chime in, many of which offer positive reviews, though some think it's best for kids.
Review: Motorola Rival (Silver, Verizon Wireless), Nicole Lee, June 24, 2009
While reviewer Marc Lynde acknowledges that the Rival is meant to compete with the LG enV3 and Samsung Alias 2, he feels it appeals more to teenaged texters. Camera and build quality are cited as drawbacks. Two videos of MobileBurn.com editor Michael Oryl going over the Rival's features are also embedded in this review.
Review: Review of the Motorola Rival QWERTY Slider Phone for Verizon, Marc Lynde, Aug. 5, 2009
PhoneArena.com provides a wealth of testing, screenshots, and sample photos taken by the Motorola Rival A455. The editors say its keyboard a bit small for adult hands. Photos from the camera are described as "slightly below average."
Review: Motorola Rival A455 Review, Editors of PhoneArena.com, June 22, 2009
This blog-style review of the Motorola Rival A455 from GearDiary.com is well documented with photos, but is rather superficial. Reviewer Larry Greenberg finds says call quality is clear, and reception good; he also likes the earpiece's volume. Typing messages is "a breeze," and though the Rival's keyboard is small, Greenberg says that he had no trouble using its well-spaced keys.
Review: Review: Motorola Rival A455 -- Messaging Machine, Larry Greenberg, June 23, 2009
Owner reviews are mixed at PhoneScoop.com, with some calling the Rival "junk" and others declaring their love for the phone. There are some complaints about build quality, but many users recommend it as a reliable basic phone.
Review: Motorola Rival A455, Contributors to PhoneScoop.com, As of October 2009
