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Super-tough AT&T phone with excellent call quality
- Extremely durable
- Effective noise cancelation
- Excellent call quality and reception
- Push-to-talk capability
- Nonstandard headphone jack
- Small external screen
- Mediocre battery life
- Bulky
The Motorola Tundra VA76r is a push-to-talk (PTT) cell phone from AT&T, meaning it can be used like an old fashioned walkie-talkie between similarly equipped phones. As befits a PTT phone, the Tundra is designed for heavy-duty use. The durable flip phone is reinforced with rubber, and its stubby external antenna provides very good reception. The Tundra is designed to meet military specifications, and it is resistant to shock, dust, water and extreme temperatures. PhoneScoop.com's Eric M. Zeman says the Tundra "survived everything we threw at it" in tests and that it's "solid as all heck," while PCMag.com's Jamie Lendino calls it "virtually impervious." It's big for a cell phone, measuring 3.9 inches by 2.1 inches by 1 inch when closed, and it weighs 4.9 ounces. Reviewers routinely call it bulky and unattractive, though all agree that's a worthwhile compromise for the Tundra's durability.
Reviewers agree that the Tundra is an excellent voice phone. Lendino says the Tundra's call quality is "the star of the show." Not only does it get good reception, Motorola's CrystalTalk 2 noise-canceling technology makes outgoing calls easy to hear even in very loud environments. Some feel that the audio sounds somewhat processed, while others find it vastly outperforms other PTT phones such as the now-discontinued Casio G'zOne Boulder. Tested battery life is between four and five hours of continuous talk time, which reviewers say is about average.
Critics are note that the Tundra, despite a size and shape more in keeping with a cell phone from the early 2000s, has a robust feature set. AT&T packs it with messaging and GPS functions, web browsing, Bluetooth, high-speed 3G network capability and other amenities. Although the Tundra can also play music and take pictures with its 2-megapixel camera, reviewers feel that the lack of a flash or standard headphone jack keep it from being a good choice as a media phone. Its internal LCD screen looks good, but is relatively small at 2.2 inches -- and the external one is only 1 inch across. The Tundra's keys are spacious and tactile, and navigation array is said to be excellent. Lendino says the numeric keypad is "one of the best I've used, with just the right amount of resistance and positive key engagement."
The Tundra gets a good mix of critical evaluations. CNET, PCMag.com and PhoneScoop.com all provide lengthy reviews of the Tundra that cover design and performance. DigitalTrends.com and Geek.com also provide enlightening reviews, though they don't cover all aspects of the phone. UnwiredView.com's review is cursory, but makes some valid points, too.
Our Sources
1. CNET
Kent German gives the Motorola Tundra phone high marks, saying call quality is very good and reception is reliable. The keypad and navigation are "excellent," and the phone on the whole feels "sturdy" and "comfortable," despite its bulky dimensions. However, the external display is small, and the camera takes poor photos, he says.
Review: Motorola Tundra VA76r (AT&T), Kent German, Jan. 26, 2009
2. PCMag.com
Jamie Lendino gives the Motorola Tundra VA76r high praise in this PCMag.com review. Lendino reports that running the Tundra over with a car did not stop the phone from functioning (though the LCD screen cracked, and the phone could no longer close properly). Lendino says the camera isn't very good, however.
Review: Motorola Tundra VA76r (AT&T), Jamie Lendino, Feb. 20, 2009
Eric Zeman's look at the Motorola Tundra VA76r is generally enthusiastic, though not without criticism. The interior screen is great, Zeman says, but on a rugged phone the exterior display should be easier to see outdoors. The keypad is very good, but other buttons are harder to press, especially while wearing gloves.
Review: Review: Motorola VA76r Tundra, Eric M. Zeman, Jan. 28, 2009
DigitalTrends.com provides a complimentary review of the Motorola Tundra VA76r. Reviewer Stewart Wolpin says call and audio quality are very good, but notes that if the earpiece isn't lined up precisely, hearing calls clearly becomes difficult. Web browsing is described as slower than on other AT&T phones, and text can be hard to read.
Review: Motorola Tundra VA76r Review, Stewart Wolpin, Feb. 16, 2009
5. Geek.com
Joel Evans puts the Motorola Tundra VA76r through a number of stress tests. Videos document Evans dropping and throwing the phone onto various surfaces, with no appreciable damage. Evans even provides an MP3 recording of talking on the phone while driving with a window down, to demonstrate the phone's noise-cancelation technology.
Review: Review: Stress Testing the Motorola Tundra VA76r, Joel Evans, April 29, 2009
Brad Molen's review of the Motorola Tundra VA76r is mostly based on superficial design features. He isn't impressed with the external antenna or the large push-to-talk button. However, Molen says the phone feels "great" in the hand, and he is satisfied overall. Molen says he doesn't find much improvement in call quality from CrystalTalk 2, "but that may have been due to placing calls in a quieter environment."
Review: AT&T Motorola Tundra VA76r Review, Brad Molen, Jan. 27, 2009
