Motorola Rapture VU30 Review

Introduction:

Since the RAZR2 V9m was discontinued by Verizon this summer, Motorola has been filling the gap in its product line with new devices.  First was the W755, which does not live up to the quality of the V9m, and then the Krave ZN4 touchscreen phone.  Now comes the Rapture VU30, as it is positioned above the W755 and offers more features while at a reasonable price-point.  Its main competition is the Samsung Gleam and LG Chocolate 3, as all are designed and priced for the consumer who is looking for a mid-level device with some extra features.

The retail package includes the Motorola Rapture phone, 950mAh battery with cover, wall charger and user manual.

Design:

The Rapture is a flip phone and is slightly thicker than the V9m, but is easier to hold, due to the more rounded edges.  It is constructed out of plastic, with dark blue used on flip and keypad.  Unfortunately, the build quality is lacking, as it feels cheap and plasticy, not even coming close the quality metal used on the V9m.



You can compare the Motorola Rapture VU30 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The front features a 1.6” diagonal 120x160 pixel display, with the corners being touch-sensitive (for use with the music player and camera).  Located on the left side are the volume rocker, speakerphone button, and microUSB port, with the camera, voice command, and sliding lock button on the right.  The 2MP camera and external speaker are located on the back, and the battery cover has to be removed to access the microSDHC memory card.  One feature users might overlook is the 2.5mm headset jack, as it is poorly located on the bottom edge.



The flip opens and closes smoothly, but does produce noticeable creaking sounds, which are not present on the Chocolate 3, W755, or V9m.  The internal display is a reasonable size 2.2” diagonal QVGA TFT, similar to the one used on the V9m.  Both have sharp contrast and are easy to view, but will become more difficult to see while in direct sunlight, which is a common problem on most Verizon phones of this class.  The bottom flip features a newly designed keypad, with small metal pads used below the numbers, providing greater feel with your thumb.  The circular d-pad is also metal, and has a blue coating on it, but is slightly smaller than the one used on the V9m.