Motorola Atrix - Review

“Leading a new generation of smartphones, featuring a dual-core processor and a lapdock to turn your Atrix into a PC”

Motorola gets its mojo going

The Atrix really is a powerful phone

Motorola says its Atrix is the “world’s most powerful smartphone” and with a 1GHz dual-core processor, slick 4in qHD screen and accessories that let you turn your phone into a media hub or a laptop, Motorola might just have a case.

Only a handful of other handsets currently offer the dual-core processors powering the next generation of smartphones so that they run fast and smooth - just like your computer - but none offer the added extras that come with the Motorola Atrix.

The Atrix really is a powerful phone, packed with great features including a 5Mp camera, 16GB of internal memory and space for a 32GB micro SD card, HD video and an impressive battery. And unlike many other handsets that promise advanced entertainment features, the Atrix can connect to your HD TV using HDMI for a real big screen experience.

ATRIX(black) £0.00

600 min Unlimited texts

£36.00

It weighs in at 135g, which is slightly lighter than the iPhone 4’s 137g, and if you're used to a smartphone you'll find the Atrix a sturdy yet portable phone. It can be a little slippery though, so it might be a good idea to invest in a case.

The Atrix also comes with a powerful battery, with up to nine hours talk time and 250 hours standby. And the Motoblur Battery Manager widget lets you customise your phone’s power consumption to keep you going even longer.

However, all this power and the hefty battery does make the Atrix get pretty hot.

Motoblur

you get access to more than 200,000 apps

The Atrix runs on the Android operating system (OS), though one of its few disappointing features is that it uses the Froyo 2.2 version rather than the latest Gingerbread OS.

Although Motorola says it will be upgrading the Atrix to Gingerbread 2.3, it has not revealed any time scale for this yet.

It’s difficult to understand Motorola’s decision to ship its super smartphone with an old operating system when Gingerbread has been out for some time and the new Ice Cream Sandwich OS set for release later this year.

The Motoblur overlay, which is preloaded onto the phone, which pulls together all your feeds from emails to social networks, even using friend’s Facebook or Twitter photos for your contacts. It does take a while to set up, but once you've done so it lets you update your status, send emails or tweet without having to use the browser or separate apps.

Outside of Motoblur, the Atrix is easy to navigate, and you can add or move widgets around or even expand their size to completely customise the layout of your phone.

Obviously, as an Android phone, you get access to more than 200,000 apps from the Android Market letting you choose all the games, guides or even portable fitness trainers you want.

Firefox, Flash and 3G video calling

Unlike certain other smartphones, the Motorola Atrix boasts full Flash capabilities and a built-in Firefox web browser to let you “get on the web. The real, full web”.

And being superfast, the Atrix makes full use of its advanced web capabilities, with access to cloud computing through Motorola’s webtop application. This lets you access, store and edit files without being tied to your computer, and certain applications even let you work remotely via your phone.

Being an Android phone, the Atrix also offers some other neat ways to connect. Its video chat service, which uses the front-facing camera but can easily flip to video share on the 5Mp back camera, is available over 3G - unlike FaceTime on the iPhone which needs a Wi-Fi signal to get you connected.

You can also easily turn your Atrix into a handy mobile hotspot that allows up to five different devices to connect at once - perfect if you've got a Wi-Fi tablet.

Sound and vision

The 4in qHD screen on the Atrix offers sharp, bright colours, though not as shiny as the Super AMOLED Plus boasted by the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Its 5Mp rear camera is a little disappointing at times, taking a bit too long to adjust to light changes for example, though it does shoot video in 720p high-definition (HD) - which you can play back on your HD TV at 1080p, with sound also being routed via your television set.

Sound quality is good, but not mind-blowing. The speaker grill is located at the bottom of the phone, with a slight indent to prevent sound from becoming muffled.

Security

The Atrix boasts loads of impressive features - but the one you might want to show off the most is the fingerprint scanner. This surprisingly accurate feature lets you ditch your pin code and take your security state of the art by simply scanning either one of your index fingers across the lock/unlock button to get into your phone.

And if you do happen to lose it, you'll also be able to use the preloaded GPS tracker tool offered by Motoblur to locate it.

Accessories

Connect the Atrix to your HDTV easily with the Dock

The Atrix stands out as a superfast smartphone with a huge range of great features, but the what really takes it that step further are the accessories you can buy to turn your phone into a HD media hub or a laptop. Each dock remembers your personal settings and responds intuitively to do exactly what you need.

Unfortunately, these added extras aren’t included and they don’t come cheap. They do give you the tools to further enhance your phone, but it’s a phone that already comes at a pretty high cost.

The Atrix isn’t available as a sim-only handset at present, but expect to pay around £500 when it is, and you'll have to sign a 24-month contract costing at least £35 a month to get one for free from Orange, which had exclusive rights when the phone launched.

• HD Dock and infrared remote (RRP £75.99) - this allows you to connect your phone to your HD TV to watch all your videos and stored files on the big screen. It has a HDMI port and three USB ports which you can also use to transfer files.
  You can also use your telly as a computer once your Atrix is connected - though you should buy the wireless keyboard and mouse if you want to do this
• Atrix Work and Play Kit (RRP £129) - this includes the HD Dock and remote as well the wireless mouse and keyboard, which works well even in large rooms and at awkward angles
• Wireless Keyboard (RRP £74.99) - you can buy the keyboard and mouse without the HD Dock, though it makes more sense to buy them as a kit since you'll save around £20
• Lapdock (RRP £299.99) - turn your Atrix into a laptop by plugging your phone into the back of the Lapdock for Firefox and Flash capabilities. You can use it as a computer or access your phone via the Mobile View option. You can also make and receive calls through the lapdock, with a decent sound quality.
  However, the Lapdock is expensive and, although it might be useful on long journeys, this accessory will probably appeal more to business users
• Vehicle Dock (RRP £39.99) - take full advantage of the Atrix’s GPS capabilities and built-in Google Maps GPS navigation and voice-activated calls with the Vehicle Dock. The integrated software automatically starts when you plug the phone in and you can charge it via your in-car charger
• Standard Dock (RRP £32.99) - this allows you to watch movies at a comfortable angle without having to keep hold of your phone and charges your handset at the same time. It is pretty pricey for a standard docking station, which should come as standard with a phone like the Atrix.

Find your perfect Motorola Atrix

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