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Basic budget phone with good call quality
- Very good call quality
- Attractive design
- Customizable interface
- Bluetooth
- GPS Navigator
- Small display screens
- Poorly designed jack and battery covers
- Low resolution camera
- No music player
As is typical in the entry-level cell phone market, there are few expert reviews on the Motorola Moto VU204. Comparisons with competing models are nonexistent, with the exception of one user review on Amazon.com that recommends the Palm Centro, a smartphone that costs five times as much as the VU204 and operates on Sprint's network rather than Verizon's. The only true expert review we found on the VU204 comes from CNET; searching CNET's database of low-cost camera phones failed to uncover any model more highly rated than Motorola's VU204. The Verizon Wireless Blitz is also $20 and hailed as a great messaging phone. It does marginally better than the VU204 in user reviews.
The main advantage the Motorola Moto VU204 has in the $20-and-under market is that it's a solid, consistent performer when it comes to call quality, according to expert and user reviews. It also offers features that aren't often available on budget phones, such as VZ Navigator GPS, Bluetooth, voice dialing and instant messaging. At 3.5 inches by 2 inches by 0.8 inches and 3.4 ounces, the VU204 is a compact clamshell with an appealing, muted back exterior and gently curving lines. CNET's Kent German calls the design "minimalist," with "sturdy construction." The internal 1.88-inch display's specifications don't impress anyone with a low 220-by-176-pixel resolution, but German says text and graphics are bright and sharp. However, he also says the phone could accommodate a larger display. Navigation is praised, with "spacious" controls and a comfortable keypad that makes for easy dialing and texting. The camera is a mere 0.3 megapixels (VGA resolution) and doesn't include a flash, but the summaries on CNET and TechFAQ both say it takes adequate photos.
Kent German tests the Moto VU204's call quality and finds a good signal, crisp audio and sufficient volume. Speakerphone and Bluetooth headset calls deliver similarly strong performances. German notes that the VU204's battery cover is difficult to remove, a complaint that is echoed and expanded upon by users at both CNET and Amazon. In CNET's tests, the VU204's battery lasts five hours and 23 minutes of continuous call time, but owners dispute this respectable finding, with poor battery life being one of the top criticisms on user review pages. Other complaints include the lack of music player and expanded features, but for every grumble, there's another owner eager to point out that, for the price, the VU204 packs a lot of features and delivers great call quality.
CNET is the only source for a comprehensive expert review of the Motorola MOTO VU204. Kent German puts this budget model through the same series of tests he applies to every cell phone he reviews. Photo illustrations and a short video clip supplement his article. A much shorter and less detailed review page can be found at Tech-FAQ.com, but there's no indication of actual testing. User reviews help fill in the blanks left by a dearth of expert evaluations; CNET and Amazon.com have the most user comments, and both sites show the same praises and criticisms.
Our Sources
1. CNET
Kent German analyzes the design and performance of the Motorola VU204 in this review for CNET, with mostly favorable findings. He writes that larger display screens would be nice and that the battery cover is annoyingly difficult to remove, but that otherwise the VU204 is a nice, simple and reliable cell phone with pleasing styling and a surprising number of features.
Review: Motorola MOTO VU204 (Verizon Wireless), Kent German, Oct. 28, 2008
2. Tech-FAQ.com
Tech-FAQ.com promotes itself as a website that answers technical questions in a way that average non-techie users can understand. The site's review of the Motorola VU204 fits this description: It's short, direct and in plain English (although we would argue that non-techie types are unlikely to know what CDMA or VGA stand for). However, with no references to personal experience or testing techniques, this article reads like a reiteration of other reviews (CNET's, specifically).
Review: Motorola VU204, Editors of Tech-FAQ.com
3. CNET
Nearly 20 MOTO VU204 users have written in to CNET's user reviews page, giving the phone an overall rating of three out of five. The recurring theme in these comments is that the VU204 is a good, basic cell phone. The most common complaints are of poor battery life and that the headphone jack and charger plug covers are difficult to remove and, once removed, don't go back into place.
Review: Motorola MOTO VU204 (Verizon Wireless), Contributors to CNET
4. Amazon.com
The approximately 10 people who have written comments on Amazon's user reviews page are nearly evenly split on whether or not the VU204 is a good phone. The favorable comments revolve around the phone's simplistic design and low cost: Contributors say it has good call quality and looks nice for a basic entry-level cell phone. The other half point to hardware shortfalls, such as poor battery life and stubborn headset jack and charger plug covers.
Review: Motorola VU204 Phone, Black (Verizon Wireless), Contributors to Amazon.com
