Motorola know that consumers love the sleek, thin designs of the RAZR and KRZR phones. The RIZR Z3 is a natural addition to Motorola's range, bringing the same famous design queues from its previous handsets to a slider-style device. The RIZR Z3 is a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz) phone with support for EDGE and GPRS data, and is armed with a 2 megapixel fixed focus camera with an LED flash. It also has Bluetooth, but the design will surely be the feature to win many hearts. After a long wait to get our hands on a review unit, we can finally put the Motorola's rising slider to the test.


Physical Aspects

Frequent readers will know that we love the soft touch rubber compound that was first made famous on the Motorola E398. I am glad to report that instead of the glossy fingerprint and scratch magnet surface of the KRZR, Motorola Mobile Phones has opted for this rubber compound to wrap the Z3. This makes it nice to the touch, provides extra grip, and makes the phone less susceptible to scratches. However, our review unit has received abuse from previous testers, and some parts of the rubber compound have actually been scratched off. I apologize for the less than perfect unit in the photographs, but these things are out of our control.

The Z3 is built fantastically. Every millimeter of it is perfect and it feels very solid. The slider mechanism feels robust and smooth as it clicks into place every time you slide the Z3 open or closed. There were no squeaks or creaks found even though our unit has been heavily abused. This speaks volumes about the solid build of the Motorola Z3.


On the front, just next to the Motorola emblem, is a hidden Bluetooth indicator LED. This will flash blue whenever a Bluetooth connection is in progress. You will find a small thumb grip just below the display to provide grip when sliding the phone open and closed. Below that, the large 5-way navigational d-pad is flanked by the left and right soft keys, web, clear, call, and end keys. The d-pad is adequately raised and is comfortable to use. The web and clear keys, however, are a bit too small and cramped for easy usage.

To the right of the phone, the voice dial key is located towards the top and the dedicated camera key is located alongside the miniUSB port towards the bottom. On the left of the Z3 are the volume keys and smart key. The 2 megapixel camera lens is located on the back. There is no self-portrait mirror on the Z3, so users will have to rely on trial and error to shoot proper pictures of themselves. The loudspeaker is located on the lower portion of the back of the Z3.

Sliding open the Z3, the familiar looking flush keypad as seen on the RAZR and KRZR is present, and has a nice blue backlight. The keypad is comfortable to use, providing good feedback, and each key is sized just right. Rubber inserts between the keys also do a good job at separating the buttons.


The Z3 measures 45.5mm x 105.5mm x 16mm (1.8" x 4.2" x 0.6") and weighs approximately 115g (4.0oz). It slips nicely into my pocket and should pose no problem at all if it were to be tossed in a handbag. I simply love the design of the Z3 and its solid feel just cements it as one of the best-made phones I have seen in a long time.

Source:http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=3345&source=HOMETOP