Motorola XPRT Review

Introduction:

While the Motorola XPRT isn’t exactly a new device (it debuted on Verizon as the DROID Pro back in November of last year,) it should be a welcome addition to Sprint business users. The XPRT is an Android 2.2 world phone with a portrait keyboard that aims squarely for BlackBerry users. Motorola touts a host of enterprise-level security features for the XPRT, and other features include a 5 megapixel camera, 1GHz processor and 1GB of built-in memory.  Included with the Motorola XPRT is a 2GB microSD card, microUSB data cable and an AC adapter.

Design:

For the most part the Motorola XPRT retains the same design as the DROID Pro, but there are a few subtle differences. For starters, and actually not so subtle, the XPRT has a different color scheme. It’s still dark and business-like, but the chrome trim has moved to the front bezel and the hard plastic back is now soft touch. Staying on the back, the hump found atop the DROID Pro has been shaved off so the surface is now level. The key positioning is the same around the XPRT: volume rocker and microUSB port on the left, mic on the bottom, multifunction key on the right and power button and 3.5mm headphone jack along the top.



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

The BlackBerry-like keyboard is ever so subtly different as well. On the DROID Pro the bottom row of keys was bracketed with a full ALT and voice command key, but those two have been shaved down for whatever on the XPRT. There is also a slight bezel between the keyboard and the display on the DROID Pro which has been eliminated on the XPRT. An area of concern we brought discussed with the Pro was that the keys didn’t extend quite to the edge of the phone and they do indeed extend out further on the XPRT. Probably because of that, the keyboard feels a tad better than the one on the DROID Pro.


The soft touch battery door gives the Motorola XPRT a slightly more reassuring feel in the hand, but other than that the feel is pretty much identical to the DROID Pro, which is a good thing. The XPRT is a solidly built phone for a demanding user base, and while it is no i1 in terms of durability we expect it’ll take a few bumps without issue.

Interface, Software and Connectivity:

The Motorola XPRT runs Android 2.2 with the MOTOBLUR interface atop. There aren’t any new features, but this is the first time BLUR has made its way to Sprint. As a brief overview, BLUR has 7 homescreens and several custom Motorola widgets, toggle switches and expanded support for contact, mail and social networking integration from the likes of Facebook, Yahoo!, Photobucket, Exchange and others. The widgets are less cartoony than Samsung’s TouchWiz but less professional looking than those of HTC Sense. They do offer some quality functionality, and one feature we like is the ability to resize widgets which sometimes changes their overall appearance.


BLUR focuses more on social media aggregation and doesn’t go as deep as Sense, or even TouchWiz for that matter, so for the most part the user is left with pretty standard Android experience. Businesses will appreciate the extra security features, like 256-bit AES data encryption and remote handle functions including enabling a PIN or password lock, password recovery and data wipe including SD card. While the familiar style will draw some casual BlackBerry users away, these serious business tools like multi-headed VPN and EAS security policy support are what Motorola hopes will draw corporate BlackBerry users to the XPRT.

The Motorola XPRT is pretty devoid of third party apps. Sure, it has the Sprint software (including the newly-launched Sprint Mobile Wallet and Music Plus services) but with 1GB of onboard memory they don’t get in the way too much. Two of the more useful items are QuickOffice Pro, which allows full editing of Office documents, and Motorola Phone Portal which allows you to manage your device contents via the USB cord or over Wi-Fi. We prefer the latter (no wires is always better) and it is very cool to be able to control many aspects of your device from your web browser. The downside is that only IE is fully supported for all features.

The XPRT is a world phone, meaning it has a CDMA radio for here in the States and a quad band GSM radio for international travel.  It has 3G on Sprint’s EVDO Rev. A network and uses UMTS for 3G while globe-trotting, and of course Wi-Fi b/g/n will let you connect anywhere a hotspot is available. The XPRT has its own Mobile Hotspot feature ($29.99/month) which allows you to connect up to 5 devices to Sprint 3G service. Bluetooth 2.1+EDR supports the A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HID, HSP, OPP and PBAP profiles and aGPS will let you use location-based apps such as Google Maps or Telenav.

The Motorola XPRT can utilize Adobe Flash Player for more realistic web-browsing. It has the stock Android browser as a default, but many alternatives exist in the Market. The Android browser is one of the better performing browsers on the market with quick page loads, accurate rendering and the 1GHz TI OMAP processor helps speed this along on the XPRT.



Camera and Multimedia:

The camera is not a strong point of the Motorola XPRT. Both colors and details appear washed out, while the LED flash doesn't really do a great job at illuminating dark rooms. Controls are limited; the exposure can be manually adjusted, and there are several scenes and effects, but that is it.  The camcorder can shoot at DVD quality (720x480) and only offers an auto and night scene. In our testing the video was quite smooth, and transitioned well from light to dark to light again, but the colors weren’t natural.

On the multimedia side the Motorola XPRT is a stock Android experience, but can be augmented with a variety of apps from the market. Out of the box we were able to play DivX, XviD and H.264 videos up to 800x480, but could not handle test files at 1280x720, and like the DROID Pro It was incapable of playing any of our MPEG-4 test files.

Performance and Conclusion:

The Motorola XPRT was a solid all-around performer with good call quality and battery life. Users complained of a slight nasal quality but praised its background noise cancellation, rating us an 8/10 overall. To us the callers sounded natural and clear, and the speakerphone is particularly high quality. There was none of the “echo chamber” effect we experienced on the DROID Pro. The battery specs have been bumped as well, from 7 to 8 hours of continuous talk time. In our mixed usage we had no problem getting through a day of above average usage.

The XPRT is the first Motorola CDMA device Sprint has carried in quite some time and marks the beginning of a renewed relationship between the two companies. While it may be an older device on the market, it is a good one and is needed in Sprint’s lineup. Many power users will no doubt choose the HTC EVO 3D or hold out for the upcoming Motorola Photon 4G, but the XPRT gives Sprint a solid phone for enterprise users who want to get away from RIM but still keep the security features a BES offered them. We’d imagine the keyboard, familiar design and good battery life will also land the XPRT in the pocket of many casual BlackBerry owners or first time smartphone buyers.

Software version of the reviewed unit:
Android: 2.2.2, build KRNS-X4-1.1.5

Motorola XPRT Video Review: