subject: Smartphone Lite: A Review of the Motorola Citrus [print this page] Smartphone Lite: A Review of the Motorola Citrus
The Motorola Citrus is an entry-level smartphone with an entry-level price. It represents the next step for market penetration of the smartphone concept. With a basic touch-screen, a file manager, a camera, web access, the ability to install games and other applications, as well as high-quality phone service, it provides everything that smartphone users need. Of course, it does so without a lot of the bells and whistles and at slightly lower speeds than most enthusiasts are used to. For people who want to upgrade their phones to the next level but who don't see using them for much more than making calls, sending texts and the occasional extra thing, the Motorola Citrus is the perfect purchase.
Citrus: Green Cred Meets Cute Factor
First off: the name. The Citrus is made of 25% recycled plastic and the packaging is made from 80% recycled materials. Even the manual is made from 100% recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink, which is a nice gesture. Its green cred is encapsulated in the green-friendly name for the phone. At slightly smaller than your average smartphone, with rounded edges and a cute little screen, it is good for both the style-conscious and money-conscious consumer.
Performance: Could Be Faster
The main complaint that consumers have about the Motorola Citrus is that it's not fast enough to browse the Internet. We found that yes, you definitely can't replace your laptop with this machine. However, if you're just trying to check bus schedules or the weather, the Citrus' speeds are perfectly acceptable. You should just keep this in mind if you plan on downloading applications or would like to use your phone as a miniature computer. While "smart," the Citrus is still, alas, just a phone.
The upside to this is that unlike other phones we won't name, the call quality itself is superb. It works like you'd expect a mobile phone to work - which is to say, perfectly. We didn't experience any dropped calls and the connection was always excellent. At this price, comparable to the average "dumb" phone with the extra features the Citrus provides, it's a great entry-level smartphone for users who want to get their feet wet with the new technology.
Motorola Citrus Features
First and foremost is the camera. Like many parts of this phone, non-smartphone users will be impressed, but smartphone enthusiasts will pooh-pooh it. As a 3-MP camera, you can take remarkably crisp photos and videos in decent lighting, though in low light or at far distance its quality fades. Again, it's useful for sending that fun cameo of the kids or of yourself at a party, but it won't replace your digital camera when it comes to taking extremely high quality pictures.
One place where the Motorola Citrus really shines is as a personal rolodex. In addition to saving information about your contacts' phone numbers, this smartphone makes it easy to input information about email, street address, company name, birthday, nickname, website and other notes. Each contact can be associated with several photos and a ringtone so you'll know who's calling before you even look at your phone. You can flip through your contacts with the touchscreen or with the backtrack touch panel on the back of the phone, depending on what strikes your fancy.
The Citrus uses the Android 2.1 platform, which for the lay person means that it's basic, but serviceable when it comes to browsing through the phone's features and online connectivity.
Final Conclusion
It's not the fastest Android phone out there, it's not the flashiest and it's more of a cute little sister than anything else, but the Motorola Citrus does what it needs to do. It makes phone calls and provides a little bit more. At the price it's being offered at, from free with a 2yr contract to $50 directly from some providers, you can't ask for much more than that.
