Review: Motorola RIZR Z8 / MOTORIZR Z8

Motorola Z8 Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The MOTORIZR Z8 is Motorola's most advanced phone yet. It's a 3G smartphone in a slimline slider format. It offers high quality video calling, an excellent media player, high-speed HSPDA data access and the power of Symbian applications. However, we've deducted points for the difficult and unreliable user interface and poor battery performance.

The Motorola RIZR Z8 is an ambitious product. It takes the ultra-slim RAZR phone into the high-end world of the 3G smartphone. This is a phone that has the same kind of features as the brick-like Nokia N73, yet it's hardly any thicker than the original RAZR phone. It's Motorola's first Symbian phone since 2005, and the most highly powered of its current range of phones.

Physically, the Z8 is a development of the RIZR Z3, being a slimline slide phone. It's slightly thinner than the Z3, at just 15mm, but is wider and longer. The shape of the phone is unusual, as the rear edge of the phone is angled slightly when opened, giving it the appearance of a clamshell. It's an interesting design twist, making the phone easier to grip and more comfortable to hold to the ear than a conventional slider. The screen is excellent, being a bright TFT display with an amazing 16 million colours and one of the highest resolutions around. At 2.2 inches across, it's a very good size too - significantly larger than that of the RIZR Z3. The keypad gives good positive feedback, but is slightly cramped, and may be a problem to use if you have very large fingers.

Technically the Z8 is far more advanced than the older generations of RAZR phones. It's a 3G phone with a high-speed HSPDA data speed of 3.6 Mbps, making it possible to download video, music and emails at broadband speeds. It also enables high quality video calling, using a full VGA-resolution second camera running at 30 frames per second for a flicker-free video calling experience. A 2 megapixel camera is provided for high resolution still photography, and this is equipped with a flash for low-light photography. The camera is fixed focus though, so cannot compete with the camera of the Nokia N73 or Sony Ericsson K810i, which both have autofocus cameras.

Musically, the Z8 is very well equipped. The media player supports music in MP3, AAC, AAC+ & AAC Enhanced formats in high quality stereo. The music player handles playlists and shuffles, and can synchronise with your PC via high-speed Bluetooth or USB 2.0. There is support for a wireless Bluetooth stereo headset (not supplied) or a conventional stereo headset. The media player also supports video playback of course, and in fact the phone is supplied with a MicroSD memory card containing The Bourne Identity (one of our favourite films!). The Z8 supports memory cards with up to 4 Gbytes capacity - sufficient for around 1,000 songs. On top of that the onboard user memory is a very generous 80 Mbytes.

We've already mentioned the high-speed HSPDA data access (3.6 Mbps), available in 3G regions. With 2G, EDGE is supported with download speeds of up to 236.8 kbps. An Opera web browser is supplied, with full mobile HTML support and the phone can handle email too. The phone is quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) so is usable worldwide.

As a Symbian phone, there is potentially a wealth of third party applications available, making the Z8 more like a mini-laptop than a phone. However, Symbian systems lack the simplicity, speed and robustness of a simple phone interface. The Z8 exhibits many typical Symbian problems, e.g. a tendency to freeze or shut down and slow menus. Motorola phones are traditionally harder to use than phones from other manufacturers, and the Z8 is particularly challenging - be prepared to spend time consulting the user guide or online forums. While we're pointing out problems, we'll also mention that the battery life is pants!

The most similar competing phone is possibly the Nokia E65, which is also a 3G Symbian slide phone, but with more of a business focus. The Motorola RIZR Z3 is a budget version of the Z8, lacking the 3G and smartphone capabilities. The Motorola MAXX V6 is a 3G clamshell phone that shares many of the features of the Z8, but isn't a smartphone. If you want the best Motorola currently available, then the Z8 is probably the phone for you, but be aware that a 3G Symbian phone demands more from its owner than a normal phone! Be prepared to spend time learning how to use the phone, and be aware that the operating system isn't 100% robust.

The Z8 has now been replaced by the Z10, which has an improved camera.

Share this page on Del.icio.us

Features of the Motorola RIZR Z8 / MOTORIZR Z8 include:

• 3G Symbian smartphone
• 2 megapixel camera with LED flash and 8x digital zoom
• Video camera (30 frames/second)
• 3G video calling (using second VGA camera)
• Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 320 x 240 pixels (2.2 inches)
• Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC Enhanced formats)
• Hands-Free Speaker Phone
• Speaker independent name dialling / voice commands
• Speed dialling
• Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
• Pre-loaded games
• Caller ID with image
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 2.0
• Memory: 80 Mbytes plus MicroSD card (expandable to 4 Gbytes)
• Opera HTML web browser
• Data: GPRS Class 10, EDGE, HSPDA (3.6 Mbps)
• Quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) plus 3G (WCDMA 2100)
• Size: 51 x 110 x 15 mm
• Weight: 112g
• Talktime: up to 5 hours (3G)
• Battery standby: up to 16 days
• Music Playback: up to 12 hours

Motorola RIZR Z8 Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 100 reviews:

Reviewed by Viv from England on 29th Mar 2008
I have had this phone for 3 months with no problems but then it started turning itself off all the time and was difficult to switch back on again. Finally, it turned itself off and could not be restarted. I put it on charge and it would not even charge - the battery symbol just went flashing red instead of green. I intended sending it back for repair but after reading aqll the rviews I am no longer sure what to do. It is no longer possible to exchange it for a new one - I would have to accept a refurbished alternative model.
Rating:

Reviewed by sameela from uk on 9th Mar 2008
i hate this phone ive had it for 9 months and within the first week it started turning itself off. Wen that happened i exchanged it for a new one an then the same thing started happening again. whenever i wanted to do something on the phone e.g play a song it would always come up as busy an then take about 5 minutes to actually play. The phone all around is not good i would not recomend it to anyone
Rating:

Reviewed by Jade from England on 3rd Mar 2008
I have this phone! The battery life is rubbish and the phone is slow to intalise. But overall is a good phone
Rating:

Reviewed by Rob from UK on 18th Feb 2008
I just got my Z8 and was a little worried fter reading all the bad reviews on it. I upgraded from a V3 which was getting past its sell by date. When I got the phone I had to unlock it and unbrand it as it was on the vodafone network, once that was done I was happy to sling in my cheapo virgin sim and start learning the phone. I thought it worked well, the battery lasted well over a couple of days during my first use, as I was playing with it constantly trying to figure stuff out. I only had it crash one, I think this is due to memory on the phone, but its not happened since. The battery last quite long I thought, as I use it quite a lot for phone calls and texting and playing music, I also have the alarm set a couple of times a day. The only thing that bothered me was the rubbers on the front slider, when you have the phone in your pocket and see who is calling, sometimes the phone will open itself upon removal from your pocket and the call will be answered. Only annoying if you dont want to answer a call from someone whos bugging you or someone who tells you their life story. Overall I am quite happy with it, and since no one buys them, I will have a phone different to everyone else.
Rating:

Reviewed by Mark from UK on 4th Feb 2008
Started off ok for a month or so, but now the battery life is a joke. Last for 4/5 hours if im lucky and i charge it all night which is really annoying when it wont last 1 day and you need it. Freezes whenever if you use high memory applications. The screen has got loads of cracks and scratchs on it just from being in the pocket, im sick of it. Slows down alot too. Looks pretty cool though. :)
Rating:

Reviewed by Thomas from UK on 4th Feb 2008
This is on brilliant phone. The one thing i would advise against buying one is that if you are not prepaired to learn how to use it properly then forget it and go buy a phone for 19.99 or something.
Rating:

Reviewed by gaz from uk on 25th Jan 2008
What a load of rubbish.sent off for new battery as phone wouldnt charge.still wont.battery lasts 4 hours max after being on charge 24 hrs and i only use it twice a day max.keeps switching itself off.sent for repair.awaiting outcome
Rating:

Reviewed by Genoa from UK on 19th Jan 2008
I hate it. This was sent as an "upgrade" when my old "New" Motorola died on me. I have had it for 3 days and I want to chuck it out of the window. It has a lousy menu, you can't find anything and it opens menus that you didnt press the keypad for. It is a MONSTER
Rating:

Reviewed by DrNick from UK on 15th Jan 2008
Terrible Terrible phone. The only redeeming feature is the ability to store thousands of texts which a) I should just delete but I'm lazy and b) I think is only because I bought a micro SD card to boost the memory, so I could pack the phone with music and films. But noooooooooo things couldn't be that easy could they? The file format for films like the the bourne identity on the phone are so far from mainstream it's ridiculous. All the menus are overcomplicated, counterintuitive and sloooww! Battery life is terrible, crashes more than a test dummy if it tries to do more than one thing...actually just one thing sometimes, say like RECEIVING A TEXT!!! Leave it be, I may destroy mine in a fit of rage very soon....
Rating:

Reviewed by ozz from uk on 12th Jan 2008
omg worst phone i have ever paid for!!!! battery is not good, looks good but have to wipe it every time i touch it. But the most anoying thing is that ITS SOOOOO SLOWWWWW...
Rating:

Reviewed by Jo from England on 9th Jan 2008
On my third phone and battling to get it changed for something else. The first two froze constantly, the third has about 8 hours battery life when i dont use it at most. Pink and lime green screens of death, cramp in hands when trying to text you ahve to press the buttons so hard. Avoid like the plague
Rating:

Reviewed by Alan from England on 7th Jan 2008
At first I thought the Z8 was the best phone I had ever owned. After a month or so it started turning itself off at random times. Then after 3 months it turned itself off and would not restart. It was sent away for repair, but was irrepairable. I was sent a new handset, which has lasted for just 10 days, and is now on it's way to mobile heaven with it's predecesor! I will now be choosing a different handset, a pity because the Z8 does look good and has some great features. I'm sorry Motorola I won't be buying from you again, I agree totally with Toni from Wales below, 2 empty bean tins and some string would be more reliable and a lot less frustrating! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Rating:

Reviewed by keru from U.K on 7th Jan 2008
i duno wats up with all these people who say this phone is problematic, i realy think yal are not using it right or yal have added apps to it that carry viruses or apps that the phone software platform does not support. i think its a great phone, no regrets and no probs, ofcourse it is a bit slow, but hey, so are other symbian phones......much better than a n73,n76 or e65. no doubts. look into the problem first before yal complain.
Rating:

Reviewed by jane tyler from cyprus on 7th Jan 2008
fed up with it freezing driving me insane trying to use it
Rating:

Reviewed by Chris from UK on 29th Dec 2007
Although it is a great phone the 4,5,6 buttons have decided to give up the ghost.
Rating:

Reviewed by SIAN from UK on 19th Dec 2007
has to be the worst phone ever. not alot of memory for ringtones. keeps freezing and cutting off in th middle of conversations. has totally put me off motorola's. back to samsung for me!!!!!
Rating:

Reviewed by Gary from UK on 11th Dec 2007
Really disappointed...Battery life very poor, software very slow, messages like 'wrong baterry inserted' and it then shuts itself down !, user interface is tricky for me but may be Ok for someone younger with slimmer fingers. Does look great, but will be the last Motorola I go foir until I see significant improvements. Back to Nokia for me !
Rating:

Reviewed by mary from uk on 24th Nov 2007
ok but rubbish ! ihad the phone and i stopped workin within 1 week! yES 1 week thanks mary x x
Rating:

Reviewed by toni from wales on 24th Nov 2007
this phone is absoulutely rubbish.at the moment im on my second z not so gr8 as my first developed problems. I.E battery would not charge.and then shut it self off. and would not re-start.sent it back for repair.could find fault sent out brand new phone 2wks later same problem. now waiting for phone hand set number3?? better off with 2empty bean tins and some string.
Rating:

Reviewed by chris from UK on 17th Nov 2007
This phone is awful. It crashes, the battery life is appalling (one day max - and I am not a heavy user), predictive text is cumbersome and slow. Set up is slow. You can't debrand it, screen saver is a waste of time. Don't buy one.
Rating:

Reviewed by ML from UK on 7th Nov 2007
Awful. Call this the Scary Phone because it is more like hal the computer from 2001 Space Odyssey than a normal mobile phone (that is seems to have an evil mind of its own!) Turns itself off for no apparent reason, freezes, now won't let me download my hotmail messages (even though it did before). Looks gorgeous but is really bad. Battery is soooo bad. Bad, bad phone. Wish had never got it.
Rating:

Reviewed by yo punk from uk on 6th Nov 2007
this phone is like a computer but smaller and you can put it in your bag or have it on the bus i love this phone better than my old nokia the camera is good and it looks outstanding and it is 3G pepole do say that this phone freezes well my one can some times but ween the screen is working its the best phone yet has a 16 million colour screen and a 2 megapixal camera ovarall the phone is excellent but being like a computer it can have a effect such as the phone shuting down or freezeing but i like it.
Rating:

Reviewed by steven toth from slovakia on 6th Nov 2007
I think It's a great phone! But it's still not the best from motorola. I think the best would be the RIZR Z10. But anyway every phone has minor issues,nothing is perfect.Even NOKIA's phones have problems and SE too.Look at this way:It's something new with hype style,Something new with software Symbian OS 9.2 & UIQ 3.1,And something with kick-slider design.No Brand on the market have these.Battery life are good 2 days is great for phone like this,Even SE Pli's battery life is 2 days.But saddly the software still isn't perfect,and the RAM is also small(like on other symbian phones),but it's a M-Ram type which is expensive and it's the best Ram for handhelds(developed by Motorola).The SE Pli Has bigger ram but You need to use a Touch screen which is uncomfortable for me.I hope Motorola will get the software done soon so I can use my phone without problems.Anyway It's a good phone I think..... See ya
Rating:

Reviewed by ian calton from scotland on 3rd Nov 2007
has to be the worst unreliable phone i have ever had screen freezes,ask for pin number all the time screen goes blank. p.s motorola exchanged phone after 32 days for a recoditioned one that is now going the same way my advice take out insurance or GET A DIFFRENT PHONE NOT RECCOMENDED
Rating:

Reviewed by darren jones from wales on 31st Oct 2007
AVOID THIS PHONE ABSOULUTELY RUBBISH ,HAD 2 MONTHS THEN NOTICED LITTLE HAIRLINE CRACKS STARTED TO APPEAR AROUND SCREEN ,GOT INTOUCH WITH MOTOROLA AND THEY DIDNT WANT TO KNOW.LAST MOTOROLA I WILL GET.PHONE SWITCHES ITSELF OFF.COULD GO ON WITH FAULTS,JUST READ OTHER PEOPLES REVIEWS ,SAYS IT ALL
Rating:

Reviewed by EJ from BARRY on 27th Oct 2007
gr8 phone. love it !! buy it now !!
Rating:

Reviewed by Shaun from Wales on 21st Oct 2007
Couldnt wait to have this phone like but it absoulutely sucks! battery is pretty pathetic, phone is beyond slow an decides to reboot itself when ever it wants, had it changed once cause it would not turn back on, its a bad phone wouldn not recoommend it to anyone! they should all be taken awayy fixed an give us a proper phone !!
Rating:

Reviewed by Sassle-woppers from Finland on 21st Oct 2007
This phone is the shizz with the tasty banana shape and the quick internet, video and screen pixels are sick! the texting sucks and it feezes ocasionally when on web. BATTERY is great is you lower screen brightness etc. GOOD PHONE
Rating:

Reviewed by Kerry from UK on 18th Oct 2007
I don't understand all the nad reviews either! I've had my Z8 since July (a Vodafone upgrade) i have to recharge it every 2 days & the phones left on 24-7. The camera quality is fantastic, its never crashed on me or turned itself off! The only downside for me is texting, you do have to press the buttons hard & the predicitive text takes a bit of getting used to! but overall a truly amazing phone indeed I love it to bits!
Rating:

Reviewed by daniel from UK on 17th Oct 2007
I have used this phone now for 3 months and still cannot understand wh people talk badly about it. I do think it's amazing. If you want get one contact me on (danmobiles008@yahoo.co.uk)
Rating:

Reviewed by mark from uk on 14th Oct 2007
love the styling hate thye phone! can't txt as it turns itself off when it opens!great! took it back to vodafone and the guy in shop told me to ring customer services and tell them i want a new phone. is riddled with faults and problems, not worth being repaired as it will ahapen again soon. its been delisted from voda and motorola stopped making it too.says it all!
Rating:

Reviewed by Lana from England on 12th Oct 2007
the RIZR Z3 was better.
Rating:

Reviewed by donna s from scotland on 12th Oct 2007
the phone is a good design and very eyecatching, and the video play back is very good issues are: ive had mine about a month and the thing has died, was charging all night, i turned it off and its never turned back on!!! i bought this outright off an online auction site so have no warranty etc and you can imagine my disapointment when this happens, complete waste of money!!! very very disapointed if you have some insurance then i think it would be a great phone some issues with keys but fine with a bit of use
Rating:

Reviewed by Catherine from England on 10th Oct 2007
I have had this phone for about two months now and have to say that I really dont like it!! It looks okay and the graphics are excellent but like other users I find the battery life extremly poor. Also I find that the general operation quite slow and the phone struggles to keep up with me. My phone also turns itself off a lot and reboots. The functioning can be difficult and this is the first phone where I have had to read the manual. I have already had the phone replaced once and am having to replace it again with 02. Unfortunately since I am past my tryout period with it I am stuck with it. I would not recommend this phone at all.
Rating:

Reviewed by kye from england on 7th Oct 2007
It's a great phone the style is excellent far better than my old rubbish stupid dopey useless Nokia 1600!!!
Rating:

Reviewed by Sarah Richardson from Norfolk on 5th Oct 2007
I have had this phone since May just gone and unfortunely i hate it very much even though i love the style, i find the battery absolutely rubbish because it doesn't last very long i have to charge it everey couple of hours. texting you have to push the button hard and the predictive text is rubbish because it gives you numbers before the letters , phone is slow
Rating:

Reviewed by John from UK on 1st Oct 2007
This phone is packed with features - everything that can be wrong with a phone design is featured here. Sim contacts, sms, keyboard, transfer times, sound quality, battery life are all poor. And it regularly and frequently crashes. Truly awful.
Rating:

Reviewed by ADY from Romania on 27th Sep 2007
It's superb i like it very much but i think it's expensive
Rating:

Reviewed by badvege from UK on 26th Sep 2007
I have had this phone for about 3 months and unfortunately hate it! I love the look of it, it's ascetics are great! Really funky, looks so cool, but after that I hate it, I find the battery life ok, but texting takes an age as you have to push the keys really hard to get letters out, the predictive texting is rubbish it will give you all sorts of nonsense suggestions before something really basic, e.g. why does it give you the number 4 before the letter I??? I use to have a Sony Ericsson and wish I could have it back alas I gave it to my son, the lucky thing! It has minimal little extras as the Sony does, e.g. no flash light, no stop watch, timer, etc. It is a very basic phone, that looks good, and oh yeah you can play movies on a 3 1/2 cm screen whoopie!
Rating:

Reviewed by Jimbo from usa on 23rd Sep 2007
it's a brill phone but way to expensive.
Rating:

Reviewed by Richard from Denmark on 4th Sep 2007
The Z8 is an upgrade from the V3x which I really liked. Have read all the reviews and cannot understand the battery problem: Have watched the entire film and it did not need charging. I have had all sorts of issues from a locked sim card, to bluetooth and Vista not working yet, and the manual which might as well be for the operation of a TV. The Z8 has again and again reached beyond my expectations and I have just ordered the 4G card for music :) This phone takes time, effort and energy to work to a high standard, and it is not for the technologically naive, nor for the impatient at heart. Everything I need is in in there somewhere and Motorola has done wonders for the battery life, it was sad on the V3x.
Rating:

Reviewed by Tony from UK on 3rd Sep 2007
The best looking phone on the market BUT the worst performing phone I've ever had the misfortune to own. Battery life is terrible, software is super-slow and trying to get the PC software to work took 3 days. Swapping for a phone that works....
Rating:

Reviewed by Ash from Uk on 1st Sep 2007
Great Phone, Only Downside is, its Really hard to text on due to the slight curve when the slide is open_ does anyone no how to turn the 'Slide to end call' feature off, it is really annoying when the slide has to be left open during a call
Rating:

Reviewed by David Hobbes from UK on 30th Aug 2007
Mike, try this: Applications>Contacts>Options>View Category>SIM>Options>Marking>Mark All>Options>Copy to Contacts This will place all your SIM contacts on the phone. Will save the obvious problem you are having switching between phone contacts and SIM contacts. Surprised the people in the Vodafone shop don't know this! I'm thrilled with my phone, it just takes a little getting used to. I've found the battery life and software freezes settle down after a few days.
Rating:

Reviewed by Mike Rickman from United Kingdom on 29th Aug 2007
I swapped to the Z8 because I had the V3 and thought the functions were similar. I have had nothing but problems with the phone, my sim contacts disappear and I have changed the handset 3 times in 1 week ! they all know my first name in the vodafone shop ! has any one experienced the same problem ? Its a shame really because I love the look of the phone, just getting on my nerves losing all my contacts.
Rating:

Reviewed by Anish from UK on 28th Aug 2007
I renewed my contract to get my hands on this phone - great to watch movies, i actually was watching bourne series for the first time and the phone really hooked me into the series and i am now watching the rest two... well the screen goes gibberish every once in a while when either being locked or after a call.. difficult to use and doesnt support a 4GB mem properly.. the battery life is not too great and is not easy to use - if you are just going for the look and to watch a movie, probably this phone is good, not to make calls and use it as a phone..
Rating:

Reviewed by sean from fulham, london on 26th Aug 2007
i am so unhappy with this phone. i was excited about it when i saw reviews in magazines and have changed network just to get my hands on it... How disappointed am i ? I have left home in the morning with the phone fully charged and after sending only a couple of texts i get warniings about the battery running low... the crazy thing is the frequency of the warnings and the fact that because the warning uses sound and lights up the whole console it is actually using up even more battery life. but seriously, i have not had a full day's use of it because of this problem. the specification above says 16 days standby and 5 hours talk time and 12 hours music playback. that is all complete and utter fantasy. Other problems: scrolling from one menu to another, an over sensitive scroll control meaning you open the wrong menus, difficult predictive texting (though this may be because i am not use to motorola) , fidgety keys, inexplicable freezing of phone and upgraded at the earliest opportunity If it wasn't for the battery, i would probably have put up with these inconveniences but as it stands i will be taking my phone back to O2 shop as soon as i can. I wouldn't recommend this phone to my worst enemy let alone a friend!
Rating:

Reviewed by dean from essex, england on 26th Aug 2007
this phone is poor my battery wont last a day on normal use my key pad is scrathed from sliding the screen up, iv had my phone since beginig of august and had problems with it from the start it constantly freezes medi that i down load will not save to the phone properly and ends up being corrupt and the phone takes to long to carry out any actions .... i say dont buy this phone !!
Rating:

Reviewed by sharon from England on 24th Aug 2007
I've had a few problems learning this phone. I'd chosen to pick another Motorola -V3i before- so it would be similar, I couldn't have been more wrong its, so different and the manual no help - it jumps sections, you can eventualy work it out. To begin with I wish I'd read this site 1st and said no when this phone was surgested as I had asked for the KRZR K1 which was not is stock. I've not had the problems with the battery though normally last 3 days or so, which is normal to me. I love the look and feel of it and others when forced to look at my new toy like the kick element. Considering the cost there aren't many ringtones or wallpaper you'd wish to select - but I suppose that's why they sell different ones. It does take its time to do things, and when writing a text don't make mistake cos u can't go back with out losing the lot or maybe I haven't read the right part of the manual or maybe they just did write that part in. But now i'v got use to it I love my Z8
Rating:

Reviewed by emily-jo from west mids uk on 23rd Aug 2007
This fone is actually rubbish. it looks great, which is how they con you into buying it. mine keeps turning off, i cant delete my ringtones and battery life is awful. i cant connect to mobiles very well. i dont like motorolas i had the razor and that broketoo. i prefer the SONY ERICSSON W880I AS ITS BRILL! it has a 1 gb memory card and 16 mb on the phone. i have no faults and i love every part of it.
Rating:

Reviewed by John Rowbotham from England UK on 23rd Aug 2007
I have had my Z8 for about a month as yet Have not managed to get the battery to last a full day under normal use to watch the film you must plug in to the mains, the slider is scratching the number face panel picture quality is brilliant, overall a good phone let down by battery
Rating:

Reviewed by Kev from Scotland on 22nd Aug 2007
I'd have to say i found this phone awkward to work at 1st, but as i got used to it i gradually liked the phone more and more. Its a nice looking phone and not as big as some people think. I really want to keep this phone, but i may have to change it due to its terrible battery life. I have to charge it every day, and even then it lasts about 12 hours and that's only with standard txt and calls. I'd hate to think how quick it would die on me if i took lotsa pics! I give the phone an overall 4/5, but sadly the god damn battery, which is abysmal, has let this brilliant phone down. Seriously, it cant be hard to give a phone good battery life, can it??? What's the point of having a mobile that dies on you when you're out?!?!?!
Rating:

Reviewed by ryu yamazaki from uk on 22nd Aug 2007
Could some one please let me know if they are having the same problem as myself!!!! i upgraded from a standard RAZR -> Z8. what happens is the contact list from my old sim when inserted into the Z8 will dissapear if the battery runs out and wont come back after recharging. besides this gigantic problem- nice phone.
Rating:

Reviewed by Bryan Dobson from UK on 21st Aug 2007
Dont buy this phone - i got one for free from o2. Its looks good and that is it. The volumn button is pressed whenever you text - and the battery life is AWFUL! I would say battery life of 28 hours!
Rating:

Reviewed by Si from UK on 20th Aug 2007
It is such a shame! Could have been great but just doesn't cut it. Battery life is my biggest problem with it, lasts about a day with minimal use and doesn't even warn you when the battery starts to fade until it's too late. Also won't connect to my BT car kit automatically, have to keep asking it to connect. First one kept switching off so sent it back. This one is better but sometimes refuses to switch off at all and have to remove battery!
Rating:

Reviewed by julie from uk on 20th Aug 2007
had phone almost 2 weeks, although it freezes now and again, there isnt any other real fault, the keypad a bit of a pain at first but got used to it. love the phone, best ive had so far...
Rating:

Reviewed by Jonathan from UK on 16th Aug 2007
Absolutely Awful! That's the only way I can describe this phone. Plenty of problems with the handset including regularly shutting down, freezing keypad and failing to start up. Contacted the provider after a couple of days to be told that Motorola are recalling all Vodafone handsets. As for personal preferences, I don't like the keypad or the complicated software despite being a Motorola owner for several years. The handset might appeal to teenagers but I wouldn't recommend it to business users. Doesn't even deserve a star! I'll be requesting a change to the Nokia 6300 tomorrow.
Rating:

Reviewed by Lizzie from U.K on 16th Aug 2007
The phone is out of this world. I love it. When you slide it up, it bends. The only phone i know that bends which makes it better than the rest because its unique.
Rating:

Reviewed by Jeff from England on 16th Aug 2007
Had the phone 4 days and it has gone back. Takes an enternity to do anything on it. Even basic functions like delete an unwanted text or start a new text message. The styling is great but coming from a K800i I am well disappointed, going to try the N95 instead. Back to basics Motorola.
Rating:

Reviewed by Kizzle from England on 16th Aug 2007
This phone is amazing,iv just got one today and it was a toss-up between the Ever-so popular Nokia N95 and the Z8,i made my choice obviously! I dont think i'll ever reagret my decision! The Video quality is amazing,any review that says the same isnt over-exadurating! Its very true,and the wireless earphones are off the clock,iv never had wireless earphones before,never realy looked into getting some,but these are good too,watching a film on my Z8 and listerning to the sound via the bluetooth headset its great! Im a real gadget geek when it comes to technology,well not the spec-side of things,just like the look,and configuration of technology! I hate phones that are easy to work out,like a nokia! I need a chalange so the phone doesnt get boring in 5 months time,i need to say in 4 months time ''wow...it did that?'' So if you need a phone that exites your every sense in ways mobiles cant realy,also...to look good (as i am a nightclub manager),then this is the phone for you! If your looking for something just to use and take pictures and dont care about image,its not for you! Overall,its a wiked phone for someone like me,i havnt even found out what it can REALY do,lets just wait and see.....
Rating:

Reviewed by Joanna from UK on 14th Aug 2007
Love the look of it love some of the feature.. I got the hanset as an upgrade and i've had to sent the handset back as it was full of faults, got a replacement no problems but then that one was full of faults.(different faults to the first time) So dont think i'll bother trying yet another one, i'll try a different brand this time.
Rating:

Reviewed by Colin Cunniffe from Scotland on 14th Aug 2007
After having an SE W800i I was regretting moving to Motorola, after the last one I had, the V975, was a really bad phone as it kept crashing all the time. But I took the risk, and what do you know, the same problem. If you dare do anything too fast, it freezes or reboots. The battery life is also very bad, just managing to get 1 and half days life with one charge, and I dont really do much with it. The keys are also very difficult to get used to, they give little feedback whether you have pressed or not, and with the phone taking a split second longer than it should to respond, you find yourself pressing again. Although the phone does have some good points like video playback and the camera is quite good, the negatives far outweight the positives. Avoid
Rating:

Reviewed by Jeff from UK on 12th Aug 2007
Not Vista compatible. Freezes and need to remove battery. Mine stopped saving incoming SMS messages after 2 days, cannot find any settings to change this. Looks good, but i would rather a phone that is good! going back to the shop tomorrow; sorry Moto- try again!
Rating:

Reviewed by Ursula from U.K on 12th Aug 2007
Well. 1 word. Abysmal. First off design: The kick slide feature is the most ridiculos attemt to make a so called 'egronomical' design. You slide it up. Fine. To slide it back down... you have to straighten the device which in itself is hard but thats the easy step. Without straightening it you have to push with ridiculous force. The dimensions aren't too friendly either. It's one of the widest devices I've seen in a long time. Isn't the whole idea of a slider to make it more compact? Well off the design and on to the features. You may be excited about thee rather large specification list and you would be right to. Therefore it is unfortunate that these dazzling features don't work too well. The camera interface is slow. The music player is rather basic. Ok the video capabilities are good but how are you supposed to enjoy films on a 2.2 inch screen. Wouldn't a portable DVD player be better? The whole interface itself is slow and the menu is too plain with little animation on the low pixel icons. I know I may sound moany but it's the truth. I believe that I have wasted too much money on a device that is beaten by many. Over £350 for this device is completely unnessecery. I do not reccomond this phone for that price you could purchase a much better phone such as the N95 and there are some £150 and under devices that are better such as the K800i. Thank you.
Rating:

Reviewed by carol from uk on 11th Aug 2007
Got it today and had the first few hours of battery to use up before its major charge. Have to say yes and no to this one, funky looking phone with awesome sliding top and fits to face. Watching bourne identity on it was cool to but i find myself having to revert to the instuction book because all the menus are just so complicated. Im not sure i like it with all the buttons that dont do anything and sometimes it seemed slow to get going. think ill give it a couple of days and swap it for an ericson
Rating:

Reviewed by bob from uk on 8th Aug 2007
Had the Z8 as upgrade on vodafone, returning it after 24 hrs. After being a fan of Motorola I had high expectations What a disappointment. For business user it was described as being the ultimate. However Documentation terrible Vodafones website say it can do voice dialling so did the guy on the phone, it can't Very difficult to operate and the buttons on the front of the phone are difficult to operate if you have large thumbs Bluetooth takes ages to connect to the car 4-5 minutes after being linked. Previous phone was a samsung and that connected within 1 minute. To copy names and numbers from Sim card to phone was very difficult and as the phone froze I lost all contacts and had to go through procedure again. The only thing this phone has going for it is it looks. Too complicated by far
Rating:

Reviewed by jonny from england on 8th Aug 2007
had the phone couple of days now sound quality with wireless headphones is quality stuff only downside is battery life dont last very long MOTOS GET A NEW BATTERY OUT 4 ME PLEASE
Rating:

Reviewed by kayleigh xx from skeggie on 8th Aug 2007
to be honest i dont think that this phone is anything special, the pixels on it are not as good as what they make out in the instructions but i think that the design off the phone is pretty smart i like the colouring on the system i think that its really clever.... the camera is okay but as soon as yu start to put music on the phone it starts to run extremely slow and it reall annoys me when it does that you see hehehehehe love u all all see u soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rating:

Reviewed by Steve Burkhill from England on 8th Aug 2007
Got one of these to replace my V3x. And I though the V3x was hard to get to grips with. The keypad is much too small and like all motorala's its hard to navigate around. In short - I don't like it.
Rating:

Reviewed by Andy from England on 7th Aug 2007
I waited 3 months for this to become available,unfortunately not worth the wait! It makes phone calls and sends texts, oh and you can watch a film on it (if you keep the charger plugged in). Anything else you expect it to do,forget it! It freezes,won't store mp3 where you want it to,keeps telling me "not available" or "not enough memory left" even though factory settings have been restored and the memory is virtually empty. Not worth bothering with,much too complicated,better off with a 3310 and a cinema ticket. Have persisted with it for over two weeks but refuse to waste my life any more! Tomorrow it goes back......You have been warned!
Rating:

Reviewed by AJ from UK on 6th Aug 2007
DONT GO THERE!! mine is being returned after first day!! Bad Battery Bad Reception Frozen Slow... shall i go on
Rating:

Reviewed by drew from UK on 3rd Aug 2007
Upgraded on contract after my V3i screen died last week. I've had the phone about 3 days and it's restarted itself a few times, not exactly happy though I'll phone my network and get them to replace it. The phone can be a bit tiresome to work out menus etc. though with a little patience this is a good multimedia phone. The reason I bought it was for this. I don't like to have to carry a seperate MP3 player to listen to music. I am very impressed with the bluetooth headset. One of the best gadgets I've ever had. I can walk about the house without having to carry the phone in my pocket and listen to music at the same time as well as answer calls and change tracks on the headset. I'm giving it one more chance with the replacement handset - if it screws up after that I'm getting a different phone. On the basis of the multimedia capabilities of this phone and that my next one won't screw up I will score this a 4*. This is a groundbreaking phone and as far as I can remember, every groundbreaking phone has a few glitches that get resolved after one or two months.
Rating:

Reviewed by Simon from UK on 2nd Aug 2007
Had the Z8 two weeks now and I want to return it! Now the features the phone offer are brilliant, the camera can take good pictures, Once used to the media player I found I can play all my mp4 PSP movies on it (Once transferred from the PSP to the phone memory card) and they look fantastic. At the start the keyboard was fiddly but I got used to it and the screen is brilliant too. So after singing its praises, why do I want to return it? Battery life is terrible, for example I had it on charge overnight, made ONE phone call on it today and by 4pm the phone would not switch on because the battery was dead! In addition, I find it all to easy to leave it on the web, even by selecting 'STOP' I found the phone to be still connected and to really 'stop' it, you need to find the disconnect in the submenus. Its back on charge now and I find I have 10 missed calls and 3 text messages that needed attention whilst I was out but knew nothing about due to the poor battery life. It has until the weekend to prove itself or its going back to O2!
Rating:

Reviewed by shaun lanigan from england on 2nd Aug 2007
guys this is a symbian handset, so expect it to freeze up. look at the nokia n series what a head ache that range of mobile phones is. this motorola z8 is far the best handset that motorola has had to offer to date, use it as a mobile phone and it will work, use it for music/video and it will work, try and do lots of things at once and it will fail, not rocket science. mobile phones are what they state; "MOBILE" get a grip with "FREEZING" issues and get a basic handset instead ... or unless you really do need to be that poser you set out to be of course.
Rating:

Reviewed by Bernard from UK on 1st Aug 2007
I love motorola but this one has disappointed big time. Imagine someone on your contact list calling you from his second number. And you just can't update the contact detail to include this new (second) number without copying it out on a piece of paper and typing in again. This is not expected of a supposed smart phone. I held it for only one day. I have returned it. This phone is a mjor disappointment.
Rating:

Reviewed by James from UK on 1st Aug 2007
This phone is the best phone i have ever had. Amazing screen. Love the kick slide action.
Rating:

Reviewed by John from UK on 1st Aug 2007
awful phone, its a big ugly mess, theres only about 3 ringtones and 3 msg tones and how they are classed as tones i dont no! its overcomplicated, menus are truly shocking, the keypad is awful aswell, only decent thing was playing movies like the "bourne identity" that it came with, and who could forget the terrible 2mp camera? phone had so much hype which i stupidly fell for and it turned out to be the worst phone ive ever had the misfortune to come across! so o2 can have it back and i'll try the samsung u600 or the sony ericsson k810i which are both higher spec on most things than this offering from motorola
Rating:

Reviewed by james from hampshire on 31st Jul 2007
i think the phone is an absolutly bismol i wouldn't ever buy a motorola again, i mean the keys for one thing to press one key you need pin fingers and they need a good push, its like nothing ive ever seen, its slow, complicated, annoying and does nothing i want, you can't have your own settings without the annoying function screen, its just a waits of time and so much money, mine will be going back, it wigh's as much as a brick and is the size of a house, its like carrying a whole computer in your pocket its massivly heavy, i just hate it, its the worst phone ever and motorola have done appalingly here, i wouldn't advise anyone to get this phone sorry
Rating:

Reviewed by Ruary Cunningham from Scotland on 31st Jul 2007
This phone is seriously cool and stylish, but I'm having a lot of problems with the memory card. I cant seem to get it to save my pictures, or music on to it. If anyone can tell me how to use this it's very much appreciated! But overall, just on how cool it looks and with the the outstanding quality of the bourne identity it gets a 4.
Rating:

Reviewed by James from England on 31st Jul 2007
Best motorola yet, great screen, sound, bluetooth head phones are excellent quality, looks good also! True Smartphone!
Rating:

Reviewed by paul from america on 28th Jul 2007
just bought this phone and it is garbage
Rating:

Reviewed by gurbinder singh from india on 28th Jul 2007
the phone is good, that is all
Rating:

Reviewed by Bob from Scotland on 28th Jul 2007
This phone is simply the most frustrating piece of modern technology I have ever used. The good points are the call quality, build and form factor, great screen. Minuses are too many to list but heres a start : bluetooth usage is down to whether the phone wants to or not. Mine occasionally connects with other devices but every time I want to use my Jabra headset I have to set it up again. If you use a memory card, not unreasonable given the media promise in the advertising, then be prepared to spend happy hours searching through files for pics or music. Their location is a well kept secret in the menu system. Use WAP? You cant disconnect manually from a session. Phone has to be set up to disconnect after a set period of time. To some up I hate it more than I like it. E bay look out.
Rating:

Reviewed by Linda from England on 27th Jul 2007
I've had this phone for 2 days, after reading these, and many other reviews, as soon as I received it, I did my best to put it through its paces. I have to say I love it... not bothered about the camera etc, which are very good, but the phone, organiser, keyboard, applications ... just about everything, I've found to be very good... perfect for me. i have been able to put in and retain all my own settings, though it takes a lot of playing about to figure out how! I hope it continues to behave like this... if not it will go back! i was stuck with the most awful samsung 820 ultraslim, which i HATED with passion, and don't want to get stuck again! On a downside, with continual use of the z8, the battery was down very quickly, but i was giving it a very hard time! If things change, I'll let you all know! I have 14 days for it to prove itself!
Rating:

Reviewed by Dan from England on 27th Jul 2007
Such a sexy phone, and being my first Motorola I desperately wanted to love it. However, with such a terrible battery life I've had to send it back. TWICE! For just general use, a few phone calls and several texts and a bit of music the battery had to be charged twice in the same day. This is totally unacceptable. I'm not sure if Motorola have their own quirky way of what you're meant to do the first time you charge you battery, if they do they didn't mention it in the terrible instructions which I wouldn't normally have read had the phone been simple to use. If the battery had been better, this phone would have been worth keeping and with easier texting and a more simplified general use it would have been a very good phone. However, it has none of those and so therefore must be given one star. Bring on the nokia...
Rating:

Reviewed by mark from scotland on 26th Jul 2007
i have had the phone for 3 days and i have to say that it is fantastic,far better than my previous D600. I got it as an upgrade on vodafone,£25 contract and they wanted £100 for it but i threatned to cancel so only paid £40!! Get it and you wont be sorry.
Rating:

Reviewed by ed from england on 25th Jul 2007
motorolas in genreal can be a bit temprental and this phone was no different. I also had the intial shock of how big this phone was. I thought it would be a similar size to the z3 but was much bigger. Crashing and freezing seems to come as standard but i must admit the screen is breath takingly good
Rating:

Reviewed by Stephen Edwards from UK on 25th Jul 2007
Had the phone 1 day crashed 3 times and now wont work at all as the software just keeps resetting itself and it will not communicate with my computer
Rating:

Reviewed by Wayne Clarke from UK on 25th Jul 2007
First impressions were very good, but within 2 hrs it had started to freeze up, not good as I use it for business, had to remove battery as nothing would work, have had the the phone about 5 days and sorry its going back today, 5 days and 8 lock ups not good.
Rating:

Reviewed by Ian from Northern Ireland on 24th Jul 2007
Got it on Vodafone for £30 pm. bringing it back tomorrow. ok its a total disapointment. the menu system is slow and when you save your own settings it reverts to its default. you cant take the back off were the sim is located either. the Camera is good and the second Vga camera isnt the worst. The Battery life is Abismol!! i set up the Blue tooth headphones and within half an hour my battery was near out. the menu likes to freeze when your in the middle of doing things. The HSDT is good i'll give it that but it eats the battery power. like come on having to charge the phone twice in one day..... Do NOT WASTE Your time with this one. Motorola GO BACK TO the drawing board an rethink the entier thing!!!
Rating:

Reviewed by Jane from England on 24th Jul 2007
I find that this phone has very annoying keys to press, and would not recomend it.
Rating:

Reviewed by Michael from UK on 23rd Jul 2007
Got it today on vodafone, 90 quid on a 25 a month contract - haggle with em. Screen is aaaaaaaaaaaawesome. Not tried headphones yet, charging now. theyre not that comfy when i tried em on though... but so sick of them 2 include bourne identity, that'll get rid of a train journey. Slick sliding too. keys are a lil fiddly but who cares when its that good!
Rating:

Reviewed by Dave from UK on 23rd Jul 2007
This is an amazing phone, I upgraded this from a k800i (even thou the camera is not as good) but I have to say the media play is good once you work out how to use it, and video playback is great. There are some downsides to this phone thou, mainly that the menu systems are very difficult to find what you want(ive never read a manual before but for this phone i had to) the S9 bluetooth headsets that most providers are selling with this phone are very temperamental and if you carry the phone in you trouser pocket dont be surprised if you only hear half of what your listening to. Also when texting with this phone if you use multitap it can be quite awkward. If you can overlook these issues then its an amazing phone and I definitely love it
Rating:

Reviewed by alan cook from UK on 23rd Jul 2007
Yep sent it back. As a serious business user it failed to deliver. Under major use the op sys froze, at one point in the middle of a call. I couldnt disconnect and had to remove the battery. Sorry Motorola your Razr V3 with fast internet connection is a better fone and it doesnt freeze, and the voice activation works....
Rating:

Reviewed by Nic Nash from UK on 23rd Jul 2007
Where to start. Phone looks and feels good. But... I totally agree with Alan Cook. Moving from a Nokia after 15 years I was totally lost, even after reading the manual twice. I still have not worked out the voice activated dialling one of the main features require to integrate with my car system. So after 24 hours of frustration I am ready to return to the my 3 y/o Nokia. I am sure it has all the bells and whistles - but useless unless you can easily access them. Guess it is time to visit the 16 year old lad next door to give me lessons. I will revisit this in a week and see if my opinion has changed.
Rating:

Reviewed by Tommydawizza from UK on 19th Jul 2007
I am currently luvvin this phone really nice camera
Rating:

Reviewed by morefire! from england on 18th Jul 2007
motorolas new design the z8 this phone is especially mad to fit your face when you've got an on going call it also has amazing features such as a 3g 2 mega pixel camra tones of spectacular functions
Rating:

Reviewed by Alan Cook from UK on 15th Jul 2007
Lets start with the documentation. Not motorolas strongest point. Having been sad enough to read the manual from cover to cover and re read specific parts i found it to be as useful as sand castle in a sand storm. Its glib and full of assumptions. It doesnt provide full explanations as to the operation of the phone. Suffice to say there is a high level of frustration. The phone itself is sowmewhat sexy. It styling is firmly aimed at the trendy 18-25 year old who's fone is an extension of their ego. Therefore as a 43 year old wearing the wireless headfones my friends thought that i looked a bit of a pratt!! Unfortunatley they done appreciate technology. The operating system is difficult to get a grip of. If you move from Nokia it will take some learning. The internet connection was as quick as promised. The camera proved initially iffy to operate. The media player promised so much, but in the absence of good instruction failed to impress. It seemed to lack basic features - possibly due to garbage instruction. I purchased it primarily for its talk time, i hate to say it looks and its media properties. Tranferring data to the fone via the usb was slower than a friday on the M6 northbound - dior. put the card in the card reader though and its like being on the M74 to Scotland, fast, clear and productive! The wireless works but is patchy, particularly with the music player, despite having the fone in my chest pocket (and the headphones on my head). The Bourne identity was i have to say stunning, clear video and sound. The S9 headphones are trendy to say the least but, and heres the but the voice activated dialling would not work, it just beeped in my ear everytime. So now i looked like Jordi from star trek from behind with no fuctionality to call captain Pickard.... no use at all then. On the whole dissapointed, to the point im looking at sending it back. If Motorloa want to score eith this fone they need to offer proper instruction, and develop a stronger media player.
Rating:

Reviewed by CONOR from BANGOR on 14th Jul 2007
GREAT PHONE WISH I COULD GIVE IT A 6 STAR RATING! S U P E R B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:

Reviewed by Jordeii from UK on 13th Jul 2007
Wiked phone people!, Got it yesturday i lost my phone at school so i told my mum to get me a new one and got me this one! It is alot better than the previous motorola's , (e.g) the Slvr and V3 they were all rubbish but this really tops it! Best phone i have had so far it definately takes the place of my samsung E900! Id recomend this to everyone! The downside is the batterylife that is why i have rated it 4 stars! i love music and the battery doesnt last long but you no its a decent phone!
Rating:

Motorola RIZR Z8 Links