Motorola MILESTONE XT720 review: Android sidearm

Introduction

The original MILESTONE was the lifeline by which Motorola pulled themselves out of their deathbed. And now the once ailing giant breathes again – but is in no mood to rest or make peace. Instead, it’s breathing fire on the enemies.

Motorola had itself a true droid army in almost no time – and the best thing is it’s not an army of clones. Creative designs and rich equipment helped the company make an emphatic comeback, and the XT720 is focused on keeping up that momentum.

It’s not as simple as calling it a sequel – a QWERTY-less alternative of the original MILESTONE. 8 megapixels and a Xenon flash for a physical keyboard is a trade-off many users would be delighted to accept. But the Motorola XT720 is keen to offer more. It packs its punch with character and personality.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720

The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 will certainly be up against some tough competition. There are bigger screens out there and devices with better specs. And it’s not a Snapdragon either, something that’s become almost standard at the high end. But the next MILESTONE for Motorola doesn’t come unarmed. Let’s take a look at the highlights of its spec sheet.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 3.7" 16M-color capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 854 pixel) resolution
• Android OS v2.1 Eclair
• ARM Cortex A8 720MHz CPU, PowerVR SGX graphics accelerator; 256 MB of RAM
• 8 MP autofocus camera with xenon flash, AF assist light and geotagging
• 720p video recording @ 24fps
• Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
• 150MB storage, microSD slot, bundled 8GB card
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Ambient light sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Great build quality
• microHDMI port with 720p output (bundled HDMI cable)
• Excellent audio reproduction quality
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantages

• No DivX or XviD video support
• No smart and voice dialing
• Somewhat clumsy camera interface
• GPS navigation app only offers a 60 day trial
• No Flash support for the web browser

Judging by the list above this Droid is putting all the eggs in the camera basket. 8 MP stills and 720p videos are the best Android has to offer and this is the first time they come together on a single handset. And Xenon is a first for the platform. HDMI out is still novel enough to be a key selling point on its own.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720 at ours

And even though the MILESTONE XT720 is not currently running the latest version of Android, Motorola promise to deliver the Froyo update in due course so there’s no reason to get upset.

We are now about to check out if the performance is there to match the specs. We start with the styling and hardware right after the break.