== The volume control rocker on the outside worked as advertised exactly twice, then failed forever.

== In some circumstances the letter “v” doesn’t work. All the other characters are OK, just “v.”

== The sound quality of the speakerphone is just awful. In fact, it’s a deal-killer for me. Also, even the lowest volume setting is too loud for a household where everyone else is asleep.

== The non-speakerphone sound quality is better, of course, but still a lot worse than what I’d gotten used to for the last two years using an ancient Samsung t309.

== The two-way hinge is loose, i.e., there’s play in it, which I assume would only get worse with repeated use.

== A few operations can be performed in one orientation — portrait or landscape — but not the other. You get halfway through some procedure only to be told you have to start over because you rashly opened the phone the wrong way.

== I nearly dropped it several times trying to open it with two hands (although I imagine that with a little practice you’d get better). However, opening it correctly with only one hand is a feat of true prestidigitation.

== The camera trigger button is inside, which means you have to open the phone to take a picture. Normally this isn’t a problem, but if you want to take photos clandestinely or on a moment’s notice, it’s better if the shutter release is on the outside.

== There is no headphone jack. The only way to listen to music through wired headphones is to attach a 4-inch long dongle.

On the plus side, I guess, I did figure out a method for creating a ringtone by recording a picture message (mine said, in my voice, “Hey, dummy, answer the phone!”) and then mailing it back to the phone. This despite Verizon’s assurance in one of their FAQs that you can’t do that.

Summary: The two outright defects I listed first make me wonder what else is pre-broken for me, so this exact unit would have gone back to the store no matter what. But with all the design problems, particularly the atrocious speakerphone sound quality, no example of this model would satisfy me.


Rating: 1 / 5