The Motorola Photon 4G is one of US Cellular’s best mobile phone offerings to date, offering many great hardware and software features. But when compared to other phones from the competition, just how good is the Photon 4G in terms of overall usage and user experience?
Well, imagine your first time using a smartphone with a screen that’s larger than your palm. Oh, you’ve never been able to experience that before? Then that’s the perfect excuse to get your hands on this one. It features a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display, an 8MP camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and support for 4G wireless networks. There’s a 1GHz processor and 1GB RAM onboard, which should make navigating menus and using apps mostly trouble-free. And speaking of apps, it supports all kinds of software products that are designed to work with Android version 2.3.
Back to the hardware side of things, this Motorola also comes with microUSB and HDMI-out ports, which makes it useful for applications that involve the use of stand-alone computers or computer peripherals. And when not connected to any such things, it lends itself to a variety of mobile Internet related uses, including mobile Web browsing thanks to its support for EV-DO Rev. A, HSDPA, and LTE.
Battery life is one of its weak points, as it only comes with a 1700 mAh capacity unit, possibly the best thing they could fit in its 12mm thin casing. It certainly has a lot of features that could be put to good use, only don’t expect more than one full day’s worth of usage without interruptions for charging.
Need to Know: Motorola Photon 4G
1. Support for a wide range of mobile networks ensures fast and reliably mobile data connections wherever there is network coverage. (The Good)
2. Inclusion of kickstand allows for comfortable usage on the go. (The Good)
3. Default operating system is seriously outdated and limiting considering the kind of specs it is packing. (The Bad)
4. Relatively low-capacity battery unit gives disappointing battery life, especially for users who constantly use 4G. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Brian Bennett, CnetJust like its Verizon relative the Droid 4, the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE provides one of the best Android smartphone typing experiences available. Other benefits are its modern Snapdragon S4 processing, bright and colorful screen, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software. Unless you're committed...
- Good Housekeeping team, Good HousekeepingThe Motorola Photon 4G was simple to navigate and type on, and very comfortable and easy to hold. The phone boasts great call quality, and you can sit back and enjoy movies on the brilliant 4.3-inch qHD display with a convenient kickstand built in. It has webtop capabilities, meaning you can enhance...
- Top Ten Reviews Team, Top Ten ReviewsIf you're looking for a phone with a large amount of talk time, a good camera and access to the 4G network, the Motorola Photon 4G will give you what you're looking for. It has a kickstand so you can lean back while you're watching movies or video chatting. It runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread and...
- Chris Burns, Android CommunityThis is a no-brainer for those that have some loyalty to the U.S. Cellular brand and want the nicest Android device they carry right this moment. If given the choice between this device and the PHOTON 4G, I’d take this one any day of the week. The WiMAX network the PHOTON is working with does...
- Jeffrey Van Camp, Digital TrendsThe Motorola Photon 4G offers dual-core power and 4G speed, but still suffers from Motorola’s notoriously bad display technology.
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Motorola Photon 4G user manual here.
Motorola backs up the Photon 4G with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Photon 4G has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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