Dan's CLIQ review (and brief notes on DROID)

[Danation]

So I went to a couple of stores to check out the new Android Motorola phones.

First look at the CLIQ: I initially dropped by the T-Mobile store to see the CLIQ, thinking I wouldn't be impressed.

While I noticed it was fairly bulky, it was immediately apparent that it was far superior to the MyTouch (not much thicker, either.)

I loved the keyboard. I couldn't try it out much, so I thought I would go check out the DROID, which gets better reviews. Little did I know I would be back in about 20 minutes...

The DROID: I dropped by the Verizon store and took a look at the DROID. I noticed that the screen is bigger, and the phone is thinner, which are bonuses. Best of all, it has Android 2.0, which appears to be a lot more polished than previous Android versions.

Yet.... I was extremely disappointed.

The keyboard was horrible. The reviewers I've been reading have stated that the CLIQ's keyboard was good, but that the DROID's was fantastic. I could not agree less. There are two blank squares that COULD have keys, but for some odd reason, they didn't use them. It's incredibly unresponsive. I felt like I was using one of those old credit card calculators.

The slide mechanism was not to my liking. There is no spring. You have to do it all yourself. Some like that... I did not. Personal preference.

One of the advantages of the DROID is Android 2.0. But it does not utilize multitouch, which is extremely frustrating.

I was looking forward to the camera flash, but when I tried it out, it was shockingly weak. I could barely tell it was being used.

It didn't seem particularly faster than the CLIQ.

I guess it just comes down to what matters to you. I personally prefer the interface hardware of the CLIQ much much more (keyboard, slide, side buttons, etc.) So much so that the faster processor and better touchscreen of the DROID didn't make up for its other shortcomings.


The CLIQ itself: After my surprising encounter with the DROID, I decided on the CLIQ. I went to the T-Mobile store and got it.

Things I don't like:

The screen is indeed smaller, and when browsing... I wish it was bigger. Multitouch will help here a lot with the pinch-zoom (upgrade soon, please, Moto!)

No Flash.

Relatively low battery life.

Neutral:

There have been some errors with the touchscreen, but it's been pretty reliable. No major complaints there.

The camera is 5MP, and it's good, but it's not as good as an actual 5MP digital camera.

Things I like:

Pretty much no lag. This was a very pleasant surprise. I was led to believe that the CLIQ was quite laggy. People have mentioned that there were "a few seconds pause" when opening and closing apps. Well.... not on my phone. It is way snappy. The only slow part I've noticed is startup, but I hardly ever turn off my phone... so I don't even care. This fact alone increased my interest, big time.

The keyboard is heaven. Better feel than the G1. Far less cramped than a blackberry. Nice and responsive, with a good D-pad on the left. When you're in the dark, and you hit the "alt" button, the alternate keys light up (so cool.) Truly, the keyboard was the deciding factor for me. I'm loving it.

The sliding mechanism is surprisingly solid and in portrait mode, it doesn't "give" or "wiggle" much.

The battery could be better, but this is actually one thing I was very pleasantly surprised with. It's not wonderful (hence why I listed it as a negative as well,) but I was led to believe it was awful. I have used the wifi for several hours today, as well as a lot of calls, sms, and general setup of the phone. I started out using the phone at 7 AM today with a full charge, and it's about hall full now (7 PM.)

The Wifi is awesome.

Finally, I'm starting to really like Android. I got the Google Voice app, which is really good.



Conclusion: I have found many things about the CLIQ to my liking, plenty of which were supposedly liabilities. I certainly recommend this phone to anybody looking for a good mid-range smartphone.

EDIT: I found out that it is uncertain whether Motorola will update the CLIQ to Android 2.0. If they don't, that would be really bad. If they do, then I still recommend this phone. My new advice would be to wait and see if they update or not.

[sublime1184]

Thank you Dan, very helpful

[vampyros_wrath]

Holy crap man, Thanks so much, i bought one online, havent gotten it, and all the reviws hate on the keyboard, and all the things you say are good, that iknew would be, but now i have irrefutable prooffrom a truth telling man, Thank you dan

[bomber21]

Thank you Dan for the review!

[Skrilax_CZ]

So basically on Droid you didn't like:
- keyboard and its slide
- camera

Ok I expect that the Milestone will have worse camera than the ZN5. However can you describe the typing into more detail? I know a lot can be changed by getting adapting to it (I thought many times that I throw the ZN5 against the wall when typing for the first 14 days until I got adapted from the V9 keypad).

[Semseddin]

Thanks for the mini review Dan, i think even if the cliq feels bulky its build quality must be great. ( in fact from my experience between v3x and v8. In 3 years time a bulky v3x can replace 4 solid feeling v8) How is the video player capabilities and sound quality ?

[Danation]

Yeah, time will tell for sure, but it feels like this phone will be durable.

Haha, I forgot to mention sound quality, didn't I? In-call quality is very good. I think this is where Moto beats every other manufacturer. Very clear, loud calls without clipping.

The speakerphone/ring speaker is very good, too. It's hard to get one where the volume is loud without distorting, and so far I've liked it.

I haven't yet tried out the 3.5mm jack, but I'd be surprised if it has problems.

I haven't tried the video player yet, but I'll let you know.

So basically on Droid you didn't like:
- keyboard and its slide
- camera

Yeah, doesn't seem much, right? But they were SO bad (in my opinion) that I was completely turned off.

Ok I expect that the Milestone will have worse camera than the ZN5. However can you describe the typing into more detail? I know a lot can be changed by getting adapting to it (I thought many times that I throw the ZN5 on the wall when typing for the first 14 days until I got adapted from the V9 keypad).

Here's the thing that drove me nuts about the DROID keyboard. Like all phones, the keyboard ends up fairly cramped. It's not a computer, lol.

So... with it cramped, you have to make up for it somehow. On the CLIQ, the keys are domed nicely, which helps you from hitting other keys. Also, when you press, you get a distinct click. You know which key you have hit.

But the DROID's keys are extremely flat. When I tried to type, I kept hitting the keys next to where I was attempting. And when I pressed them, I could barely tell I was pressing a key.

The layout leaves something to be desired, as well. I do not understand how they can have two unused keys. And when I say unused... you can't even press them. They are useless space. Also, the CLIQ has this awesome double key for "enter." Not the DROID. Finally, to get to extra characters, you have to press "alt" then "sym" (the space bar,) then select your symbol. Seems like pretty unnecessary to need so many steps.

Having the D-pad on the right is apparently bad for gamers, but it's going to be bad for "texters" as well. Yeah, it's oblong and ugly. And with the keyboard, it's also unresponsive. But even worse, it's shifts the keypad over even more than it already is (due to the bottom slider's extra 1/4".) Which means your right hand has to be in a fairly awkward position.

All in all, I suppose it's not as bad as I'm making it sound. It's just that after trying the CLIQ, I was spoiled

[f4tron]

Ok I expect that the Milestone will have worse camera than the ZN5.

ZN5 = camera phone, Carl Zeiss lens, Xenon Flash, Kodak thenology
Droid\ MILESTONE = "classic" camera, normal lens, LED Flash
Obviously, ZN5 camera is superior to Droid camera.

[L7iharsha]

In Camera No other Moto will not Beat ZN5 ZN5 Is the Best Camera In Mobiles ZN5 ROCKS

[Skrilax_CZ]

That doesn't really sound too bad about the keypad. (except the alternate characters, coz in Czech the extra characters are there and they are quite frequent)

Thanks. Hopefully it will be in Czech Republic around December.

[sublime1184]

I just picked up this phone and it is very nice. I'd say the only things it's missing is a flash, the dedicated numbers row and the newest OS version. I'd love there to be a flash on the CLIQ because I was spoiled with my Z3 as the flash is really bright on it. The alternate keys instead of having it as dedicated number line is a bit annoying when I'm writing numbers or passwords. Haven't figured out the alt lock, if there is one, yet. It would also be nice if it was running 2.0 but its running 1.5 instead. The speed is nice, everything opens fine and the battery life is good for a droid phone, so far. All and all, very satisfied and glad I picked this up.

[pearl008]

@Danation

Thanx for the review, and congrats for your new phone!!!

Taking into account how slim the DROID is, the keys are made flat.
And no matter what cellphone u use(with keyboard), i guess it will require some learning curve.

I wont BET, but i guess if you had bought the DROID, you would had adapt to the keyboard!!!

Initially i didnt really like the Z6 keypad to be honest, but then i use my nails to type!

and its all well now !!

[Twilight_Moto]

When i first looked at the CLIQ's keyboard, i can barely see that the keyboard was quite soft. Because the buttons were a bit higher than the DROID. In my opinion, the design of the DROID's keyboard is puposely to make it thinner, and impress the customers to buy it. The CLIQ's keyboard is quite useful but that wasn't enough attractive like the DROID's keyboard design.
I like the CLIQ, because it has 5 home screens instead of 3 home screens like the DROID. But i don't like its screen and camera. No flash along with the camera is terrible. The screen is too small to use by hands ( my fingers are a bit big ) so i cannot use its screen to type anything, but the keyboard help me out.
But the DROID is quite useful with the screen, i love its screen alot.
And the design was doing so well too.
Next year, i will buy the DROID.

[Danation]

I'd love there to be a flash on the CLIQ because I was spoiled with my Z3 as the flash is really bright on it.

Yeah, I'm spoiled with the Z3 flash, too. That's why I was so disappointed in the DROID flash.

Haven't figured out the alt lock, if there is one, yet.

Hit "alt" twice.

It would also be nice if it was running 2.0 but its running 1.5 instead.

Yeah.... I really hope Motorola updates it soon.

I wont BET, but i guess if you had bought the DROID, you would had adapt to the keyboard!!!

Well, yeah, I would adapt. But why should I adapt... if I can just buy one I like?

[huatz84]

I will definitely buy CLIQ instead of Droid. I love the MotoBlur UI. Thanx for the useful review,Dan..