I have had to take it back once when I first got it, because someone would call me and the display would light up, but the contact would not show. I have been told by the mechanics at Verizon (my carrier) that this is a very common problem. Also, when I reset the timers, the total timer will not change, but this does not matter to me.
I love my V325i generally, but it needs a better battery life. I can make a three-minute call from fully charged and go down to two bars.
I despise the camera; it could have zoom while you are taking the picture.
The memory on the phone is great- mine is only 4% full.
Also, when texting, my GHI4 key is weird. I could text a letter I, and it will not go. Or, I could text, and it will go from G to I, completely bypassing H. This is my only key like that.
The 'loud' setting on the phone should be louder - I still can't hear it - I leave it on vibrate all of the time. Sometimes, I can't feel it vibrate.
All in all, a good phone.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE: Yesterday my battery was acting up. I was receiving a call (the blue light was illuminating), but neither the contact nor a number would show on the display. I took the battery out for 1 minute and put it back in. Problem solved! This is the second time it happened during my ownership (August 2007), but I forgot to mention it in the original review.
The phone is wearing great! The battery is weaker than what is was during its prime, but it is expected. The only major wear would be scratches on the inside and outside of the phone, a black spot on the light ring, the cover for the earphone holder came off, ordinary dirt (i.e. dust in the camera hole), and sticking keys, but only due to fast texting and age, which to me is acceptable.
The Motorola has held up very well in comparison to my sister's LG VX 8300 (which we used to share). She has gone back for at least twelve chargers and is on at least her seventh phone. I am on my first of both.
I am due for a new phone in April 2009, but I may keep the v325i afterward because I don't particularly care for anything else my carrier, Verizon, offers. My next phone will definitely be a Motorola and I will pay a premium for it if I have to.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
The phone has worn extremely well. I have 136 hours of talk time on it, and I have yet a lick of trouble. The part that you open up wobbles a little bit laterally, but it is not a major issue, just from being bounced on the floor and in my pocket.
Since my last update, I dropped the phone down a flight of stairs. The only thing that happened to it was that one of the clips to the battery cover broke, yet you cannot tell if the cover is on.
Next month, I will be considering a new phone because my carrier offers a new phone every twenty months (I originally got the phone on August 3, 2007). I have loved every moment of owning this phone. The child in me tells me to upgrade to a "cooler" phone (with video and music capabilities), but I can't grab myself to let go of a fine piece of machinery. I don't like the RAZR (my friend has it and it is huge!), but if the time comes where the life of my phone has met its demise, I will be buying another Motorola.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
Today I hit 145 hours of talk time on my phone. The "doughnut button" around the OK button is starting to wear away, showing the blue backlight, but otherwise there are no other issues.
I will probably die with this phone. I think it will outlast me.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I have 154 hours of talk time right now as it sits here beside me.
I just *tried* to receive a call, and my phone wouldn't respond. This time, I remedied it by popping out the battery. It worked!
Also, sometimes when I turn on my phone, the "Enter Unlock Code" screen doesn't come up. I cannot explain this behavior; nor have I found a pattern to it.
"The battery is weaker than what is was during its prime, but it is expected."
The battery life is now to the point where it is just downright dreadful. I will make a five or a six-minute call, and the battery will go from four bars down to zero. If I had to pick a bad thing about this phone, battery life would be by far the worst aspect of it. Know that this could have been designed better because the LG VX 8300 (probably now an obsolete phone) could be used for hours on end without losing a bar. My only other hypothesis is that the battery indicator is incorrect. In my friend's car, the fuel gauge is ALWAYS on the one-half mark; and it stays this way even after the tank is completely filled.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
The talk time on my phone is 159:53:29. I always told myself that I would retire the phone at 168 hours (6 and 2/3 weeks of talking). I am eight hours away from retirement. Fortunately, there is nothing new to report.
I hope my phone isn't like the temporary patrol car in "Adam-12" that is 300 miles from retirement and keeps breaking on the night that Malloy and Reed's regular car had body work done. The car had a radiator hose, tailights, and an accelerator spring replaced. It also needed a new mirror. It eventually committed suicide by rolling down a hill after it wouldn't engage in park. The episode is called "The Beast." I hope my phone isn't like that. It's been reliable so far. I'd buy it again it again if it was still made.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I just ordered a brand new, factory battery for my phone today. It should arrive in 3-6 business days.
Cost: $2.99 (after shipping)
It's a cheap phone, and a new battery is cheaper than a box of taco shells!
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
The battery still has not come yet, so we contacted the seller (eBay) and he said it was returned to him and he would send it again.
No new problems and talk time is 166:08:13. It's getting up there in time and hours, but it is still worth it to fix as opposed to replace.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE:
I got the new battery on July 21. I used it for a solid 24 hours. I sent 50 text messages (a record for me) and spoke using it, too. It works great. One thing to mention is that the vibration strength has not increased. I think I will just get a louder recording of my ringtone and leave the phone on max volume.
I'm looking forward to my next 166 hours!
Talk time: 166:33:00.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE:
Today marks the two-year anniversary of me having my phone. It still works like I bought it this morning, and the talk time is 170:35:19.
Motorola - you'll have my business again someday. But not for a while.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
Yesterday, I had that problem again where someone would call me and the display wouldn't change. Again, I popped out the new battery.
Talk time now: 183:02:32.
This is the original reviewer. This morning (September 12, 2009) I took my phone off of the charger (original) and I found it had not charged/held a charge. It had no bars on it.
I know it was "empty" when I put it on the charger last night, so I knew something was wrong; not to mention the batter only has 20 hours on it. I put it back on the charger for a few hours, and when the display said, "Charging Complete" I took it off and it was fine.
If this is a one-time thing I can understand that it needed to rest because I use the phone a lot, but if this becomes an everyday thing, I will probably start shopping around for a new phone.
Talk time: 185:28:58.
I am the original author of this survey, and my phone finally reached 200 hours of talk time yesterday! No further issues!
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
Yesterday afternoon, I had that problem again where someone would call me and the display wouldn't change. I turned the phone off and on and haven't had any more problems. I have NEVER heard of another phone doing this; maybe it is getting old and it is time to get a new phone.
Also, on my 3, 6, 9, and # keys, the lights are growing dim- the F, O, Z, and "Space Bracket" do not light up as well as the other characters on the keys.
On my 1, 4, 7, and Star Keys, the digits and the Star have weakening backlights. If I can get a new backlight for the phone for cheap, I will consider it.
At this point in time I will edit the ratings:
Reception: Still a 9/10. No problems, but can be "staticy" at times. Also, I have the "dropped call indicator" activated and when there is a dropped call or the other party hangs up, there is no tone.
Voice Quality: 10/10 (same as before)
Build Quality: 7/10 (down from 9/10). I bumped the light ring when I dropped the phone, there has been a black scuff mark since that will NOT come off and that light seems to shine brighter than the other 3.
Screen Quality: 7/10 because in bright sunshine you can't read the screen, this should be automatically adjusted just like the lights on the keypad.
Ease of Use: Still a 10/10. I have no complaints.
Vibration Strength: 5/10 because the vibration is getting weaker. The fact that I always leave it on Vibrate may be a contributor to some build quality issues.
Camera: 7/10 (up from 4). I realize this is a low-end phone, but the camera isn't that bad. It just needs to be VERY sunny.
TALK TIME: 210:40:14.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
At 216:33:02, I retired my v325i. The charger was starting to get finicky, and when I asked about replacing the charger, I was told that on my plan it would be cheaper to replace the phone.
I didn't want to part with my phone, so I told them, "Give me the cheapest Motorola you have with a QWERTY keyboard." So, I got a Motorola A455 (aka RIVAL).
I still have the v325i as a back-up for dangerous activities and trips and things like that, but I use my RIVAL now. Actually, sometimes I open my nightstand drawer just to make sure it is still there.
I love Motorola, so I bought a second one. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
By the way, I wrote my "final review" of the v325i on this site. It is called "Up-With-The-Sun-Reliable Like A True Best Friend."
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