Motorola Bravo (AT&T)
Manufacturer: Motorola Part number: 4980438
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Motorola Bravo is a midrange Android smartphone with solid multimedia features.
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CNET editors' review
Motorola Bravo (AT&T) price range: $499.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 11/30/2010
The good: The Motorola Bravo has a nice 3.7 inch WVGA display, a slim build, and a multimedia-friendly feature set that includes DLNA support. It has good call quality as well.
The bad: The Motorola Bravo ships with a MotoBlur overlay, which may not be for everyone. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery. You can't uninstall or remove preloaded apps.
The bottom line: The Motorola Bravo is a midrange Android smartphone with solid multimedia features.
Motorola came out swinging in late 2010 with several new Android smartphones just in time for the holidays--Citrus is targeted for the entry-level crowd, the Droid Pro for professionals, the Flipside for messaging fans, and the Bravo for multimedia aficionados. Indeed, the Bravo has DLNA support as well as a nice 3.7-inch display for your video enjoyment. We're still not huge fans of the MotoBlur interface--it's required if you want to use the Bravo--but it does have Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS, making it a decent midrange Android smartphone. The Bravo ships with Android 2.1, and we don't yet know if it'll receive a Froyo 2.2 update. The Motorola Bravo is available for $129.99 after a new two-year service agreement with AT&T Wireless.
Design
The Motorola Bravo is similar in design to the Citrus, with its curvy candy bar style. At 4.29 inches long by 2.48 inches wide by 0.52 inch thick, the Bravo looks and feels pretty compact, and it cradles comfortably in the hand, thanks to its soft-touch back. It has quite a good heft to it as well at 4.59 ounces. The Bravo doesn't quite have the eye-catching impact of its Droid X cousin, but some people might feel drawn toward its minimalist look.
On the front of the Bravo is a decent 3.7-inch display. As a midrange phone, you won't find a fancy Super AMOLED display here, but the 16 million color LCD glass display still managed to please. Graphics look really vibrant and sharp and text looks nice and crisp, thanks to the 480x854 WVGA resolution. You can adjust the brightness, the screen timeout timer, and the Bravo also has an internal accelerometer so you can set it to portrait or landscape mode just by rotating the phone. The capacitive multitouch screen felt smooth and easy to use as well.
As for the user interface, the Bravo comes with Motorola's new MotoBlur interface, which lets you move and resize widgets on any of the phone's seven home screens. Like other MotoBlur handsets, the Bravo requires you to start up a MotoBlur account before you can start using the phone. The aforementioned widgets let you keep track of a variety of updates from social networks, incoming messages, newsfeeds, and more.
As you flip through the seven home screens, you'll see a navigation bar along the bottom row that lets you know which screen you're on. On standby mode, you'll see shortcuts to the phone dialer, the main menu, and the contacts list instead. If you want to enter text, you can use Android's own multitouch keyboard. The alternative Swype keyboard popular with many Android users does not come built-in with the Bravo.
Underneath the display are three touch-sensitive Android hot keys for the pop-up menu, the home screen, and the Back button. The microUSB charging port is on the left spine, while the volume rocker is on the right. On the top is a 3.5mm headset jack and the screen lock/power key. On the back is the camera lens. The microSD card slot is inconveniently located behind the battery.
Features
The Motorola Bravo ships with Android 2.1, which isn't as good as the latest Android 2.2--it lacks voice dialing over Bluetooth and you can't store apps on the memory card--but it still has most of the Android features we like. That includes the usual Google apps like Gmail, Google Talk, Google Voice Search, and Google Maps with Navigation. Once you sign in with your Google credentials, you can also sync your contacts and calendar information with Google Calendar.
Gmail is not your only option for e-mail, of course. You can enter your own POP3 or IMAP accounts, and the Bravo supports corporate e-mail via Microsoft Exchange as well. Other written communication features include the usual text and multimedia messaging, and instant messaging (AOL Instant Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger). With MotoBlur, you can also send and receive messages via Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
As the Bravo is from AT&T, the carrier also bundled in a few AT&T-specific apps. AT&T Family Map lets you track your family members' phones for a monthly fee ($9.99 for two devices and up, $14.99 for five devices) provided their phones are compatible with the service; AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots lets you find the nearest AT&T hot spot; AT&T Maps/Navigator is an alternative to the Google Maps service, but it does cost $9.99 for the turn-by-turn directions; and AT&T Music lets you purchase and download songs via the AT&T Music catalog. You also get AT&T Radio and Mobile Video.
Further on the entertainment feature list is DLNA support, which lets you wirelessly share media files to other DLNA-supported devices over Wi-Fi. The phone also comes with MobiTV, the usual Android music player, and a Media Share app. For the music and video player, the Bravo has a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB cards for additional media storage. The Bravo supports AAC, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA9, eAAC+, AMR NB, and AAC+ media formats.
Other apps included with the phone are Where, YP Mobile, Social Networking, Motorola's Phone Portal that lets you manage your phone's contents on the PC, Quick Office, and Mobile Banking. You can get more via the Android marketplace of course. As for the Web browser, it's the usual Android Web kit browser bundled with Adobe's Flash Lite 3. We like that it displays full HTML Web pages, though it can get pretty choppy when scrolling through graphic-heavy Web sites.
The Bravo's phone features are fairly standard. They include a roomy phone book and each contact can be associated with multiple numbers and e-mail addresses, a photo, a street address, and more. It also has voice mail, caller groups, voice command, polyphonic ringtones, caller ID, and the unique capability to silence the phone just by turning it face down. Other features include Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, a file manager, an alarm clock, a countdown timer, a calculator, a speakerphone, and a vibrate mode.
As for the camera, the Bravo only has a 3-megapixel shooter, which is fairly low as far as modern smartphones go. Still, for simple candid shots, it performs well. Photo quality was decent--images looked sharp, but colors were a bit muted and not as vibrant as we would like. After taking the photo, you can crop, rotate, or geotag it. There's also a camcorder that can record 30fps video.
Performance
We tested the Bravo in San Francisco using AT&T Wireless. Call quality was quite good for the most part. Thanks to Motorola's CrystalTalk technology, we encountered very little background noise interference, which our callers confirmed. On our end, we heard them very clearly, with little to no voice distortion.
On their end, callers said we sounded loud and clear, though they did detect a tiny bit of digital distortion in our voice. Overall though, quality was good--we encountered almost no static buzz or hiss. Speakerphone calls were a bit different--they heard a lot more background hiss, and the echo effect was more pronounced.
The Bravo has 7.2 Mbps UMTS 850/1900, and we enjoyed speedy connections for most of our testing period. We loaded the CNET mobile page in around 10 seconds and the full CNET front door in around 49 seconds. Even though it doesn't have a 1Ghz processor like its higher-end brethren, the Bravo's 800Mhz more than satisfied with zippy app launches and screen transitions.
The Motorola Bravo has a 1,540mAH lithium ion battery that promises 8 hours of talk time and 9.9 days of standby time. In our battery drain tests, it has a talk time of 8 hours and 6 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Bravo has a digital SAR of 1.59 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Very happy with my choice for a first Smartphone!
by GeneRiley on July 4, 2011
Pros: + Battery life has been excellent
+ Feels solid and protected
+ Sound quality and resolution quality are greatCons: - Can't uninstall and the fact AT&T won't allow non-Marketplace apps to be installed
Summary: The Bravo is my first Smartphone although I used my wife's iPhone 3Gs extensively and tried all the models in the store before finally choosing this one. I am ...
Summary: The Bravo is my first Smartphone although I used my wife's iPhone 3Gs extensively and tried all the models in the store before finally choosing this one. I am very happy with my decision! I have had it for a month now and have fully utilized its features.
The 4G models had just come out and I was tempted by the Atrix with the much larger screen, newer OS, etc. But I really wanted something that I could just drop in my pocket and not always be worried about bending or breaking when I sat down. The Bravo is a great size and although it is a bit bulkier after I paired it with the Otterbox Commuter case, it feels solid and protected so I can just grab and go.
I am pleased with the flexibility of Android (primarily why I didn't want to go the Apple/iTunes path), I am happy with the battery life, call quality, volume (I often have to turn it down!), etc. I will be shopping for a larger SD card though as it is easy to burn through the 2GB which comes packaged.
My only complaints are all for the AT&T apps that you can't uninstall and the fact AT&T won't allow non-Marketplace apps to be installed (amazon appstore please keep working on them to allow!!).
I would definitely recommend the Bravo if you are looking for a well rounded entry level (without any real compromises) Smartphone. Assuming you can catch it with the 2-year contract $50 price, I think you can't do better with AT&T's lineup to get your money's worth!
*** P.S. If you will buy this Motorola Bravo I suggest at: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AM5ID8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=***************&********=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&************=B004AM5ID813 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Motorola Bravo is an excellent android smart phone!
by Campestris on November 28, 2010
Pros: Pros: Brilliant- beautiful display, Excellent call quality, Good battery life, Quick processor, and Speaker quality.
Cons: Cons: Camera/video quality only ok and there is no camera flash.
Summary: The Motorola Bravo is an excellent android smart phone and has many high end features. This phone's greatest strengths are a brilliant display, great call quality, and a quick ...
Summary: The Motorola Bravo is an excellent android smart phone and has many high end features. This phone's greatest strengths are a brilliant display, great call quality, and a quick processor. The phone is small in size and fits well in the hand, but has a large display. It was easy to set up corporate email and sync my calendar with Microsoft Outlook. MOTOBLUR is pretty cool and does a good job combining multiple email accounts and facebook. Camera/video quality is only ok and there is no flash; however, photo editing tools are good and can enhance photo quality. Other pros for this phone include: battery life, games, ease of texting, menus, speaker, Wi-Fi capable, downloadable apps, multitasking, touch screen, search entry, and volume level. This is a great phone!
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy Set - Up!!
by alan60085 on November 22, 2010
Pros: I just got mine today to replace my aging & failing Moto Q9H. Getting is all set up with MotoBlur & my corporate email and such was a snap!!
Cons: I was concerned about giving up my thumb keypad. The screen keyboard works well and is intuitive, but only time will tell how it does in hot or freezing temps. I wish I could make it sync with Itunes for my music.
Summary: So far I like the phone. To be honest it is my first Android phone, so I have a lot to learn. It's been easy to learn to use. ...
Summary: So far I like the phone. To be honest it is my first Android phone, so I have a lot to learn. It's been easy to learn to use. In time I'll report back on runtime and anything else I experience in the field. It's nice to have APS available. Pretty much zip for my now retired Q9H (Windows Mobile). There are a few I have been having Ap envy over, and now I can have them myself.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best Phone Ever!!!!!!
by luikang24 on December 16, 2010
Pros: call quality is 10x better on this than my old phone (Sony Ericcson Walkman) and the graphics are amazing
Cons: sd card located behind the battery :( but other than that, its great
Summary: got this to replace my old phone, a 3yr old sony walkman. Almost got the iphoe till i was told customer service for the phone gets charged to your account, ...
Summary: got this to replace my old phone, a 3yr old sony walkman. Almost got the iphoe till i was told customer service for the phone gets charged to your account, which is retarded. Graphics are crystal clear, and texting is different but i've found it better to text sideways. As for the review saying the phone isnt built in with the swype method for texting, sorry but your wrong so please edit your review, i dont use the swype though cuz its kinda annoying, unfortunately, having a case for this phone kinda sucks as it muffles the music but it my just be my case in general, others may not have that problem. Highly recommend this phone over the iphone definitely.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Guaranteed Brain Tumor
by J_Sea on July 7, 2011
Pros: It rings when someone is calling in. Nice shape.
Cons: Nearly everything else. Radiation (SAR) Level. Touch screen is super unresponsive. Speaker phone bad. user interface super bad.
Summary: If I were an attorney, I would file suit in US SUpreme Court against ATT for offering this piece of trash and potentially harmful object (can you call it a ...
Summary: If I were an attorney, I would file suit in US SUpreme Court against ATT for offering this piece of trash and potentially harmful object (can you call it a phone anymore??)
Can we please give this a zero star rating???
The headaches and severe ear& head burning experienced when talking on it is a loud tip off. Plus ATT refuses to exchange it for a healthier model....not to rant on corporations being non-human and therefore unconcerned about the effects of their products or customer satisfaction, but the ol' ATT and Motorola have squeezed a very large piece of decomposed matter out of their corporate, lifeless, profit-over-people rear on this one....I'm selling it on eBay ASAP and replacing it with a dixie cup and a thread as that would be an improvement. Stay AWAY from this DANGEROUS DEVICE!!!!!
Updated on Jul 7, 20112 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good Starter Android Phone!
by edselone on April 19, 2012
Pros: Easy to use for first time android user. User guide that came with the phone is clear and easy to follow. If those don't answer your questions, there are a TON of how-to's online that are very helpful.
Cons: Battery life not as good as my old Samsung Mythic, but not terrible. I guess it depends on how much you are browsing on the net, which I only do at work with a wi-fi hook-up.
Summary: Got this phone through Consumer Cellular and have now had it up and running for a week. Touchscreen is super sensitive but works great. Colors are bright. Camera is easy ...
Summary: Got this phone through Consumer Cellular and have now had it up and running for a week. Touchscreen is super sensitive but works great. Colors are bright. Camera is easy to use and pictures are good quality. Both out-going and incoming calls are clear and crisp both from my end and the receiver's end. Apps easy to download and response time seems quick enough for me. I'm not a Techie by any means, but I have found this phone remarkably easy to set-up and learn. I would highly reccommend this phone to first time android users, especially if you are over 50 and not interested in watching movies on your phone.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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New life with Android 2.2 from Consumer Cellular
by djk1940 on March 17, 2012
Pros: User friendly, inexpensive, comfortable size, voice quality, battery life, optional 3g data plan, many apps available from Android market, 3.7" multi-touch screen, wifi and bluetooth wireless connections, and available desk-top multimedia station.
Cons: The installed MotoBlur app seems more of a distraction, but might be contributing to some of the user friendly qualities without my knowledge.
Summary: This phone has been upgraded to Android 2.2 and is now available from Consumer Cellular, which uses the ATT network. No data plan is required with this provider, but ...
Summary: This phone has been upgraded to Android 2.2 and is now available from Consumer Cellular, which uses the ATT network. No data plan is required with this provider, but limited plans are available at much lower prices than from other providers.
With an increasing number of free wifi hotspots available, both my wife and I have stopped carrying our android tablets in addition to our cell phones, and now only carry this phone. We find the "tablet" uses of the phone to be much easier than our more expensive tablets, even though both had larger screens and one had a Honeycomb operating system. When connected to either 3g or wifi, connections are fast and responsive.
I'm sure there are better smart phones on the market. But if you are a light user of both cell phones and mobile Internet connections, the Motorola Bravo when combined with Consumer Cellular, represents a value that no other carrier/smart phone combination even comes close.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Blown away!
Pros: Gorgeous display, awesome touch screen, Google search, maps & GPS, Thousands of Android apps (many free), and text keyboard.
Cons: Camera (low res pics and no flash).
Summary: Even though it is my first Android, it is very simple to learn and the phone comes with an Android tips and tricks that shows you all you need to ...
Summary: Even though it is my first Android, it is very simple to learn and the phone comes with an Android tips and tricks that shows you all you need to know. This phone is a hit!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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More than I thought possible all in one phone!!!
by luvxlk9 on December 5, 2010
Pros: Ease of use, talk to text, 7screens at a touch, widgets galore, live wallpaper, pinch to zoom, wasn't sure about the android market, but once in found most ringtones, games etc. I've always paid for, are now free. Still finding new things every day.
Cons: Nothing so far!!!
Summary: Amazed at how easy the phone is to learn and use even for this Grandma of 8. I hated texting, but now can talk into the phone and it writes ...
Summary: Amazed at how easy the phone is to learn and use even for this Grandma of 8. I hated texting, but now can talk into the phone and it writes it out for me with the touch of 1 button. Call clarity is very clear and so far I have received a signal everywhere I've gone including in some buildings I haven't received one before on previous phones. I have and will continue to recommend this phone to everyone interested.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This phone SUCKED. So happy to get a diff one.
by SarahMariee on December 1, 2011
Pros: It had cool features, and a good layout. Was fun for a while. The apps are pretty good for what you can get on it, and durable. Dropped it a bunch, didn't crack for a while.
Cons: Had it for less than a year, and the screen cracked. Started getting really unresponsive and slow. Would randomly turn off even if it was just sitting without being touched. Battery life was ok, but it overheats A LOT.
Summary: I do NOT recommend this phone. It is super super frustrating and I am SO HAPPY AT&T is sending me a different phone for my replacement. It seems ...
Summary: I do NOT recommend this phone. It is super super frustrating and I am SO HAPPY AT&T is sending me a different phone for my replacement. It seems to s not respond when you needed it really fast to call someone, kinda dangerous for a 17 year old girl as an owner. Constantly overheated and broke like 3 of my chargers.
TIP: If the company takes a phone off the market after less than a year, you know it sucks. DO NOT GET THIS PHONE.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Part number: 4980438
- Description: The Motorola BRAVO with Motoblur delivers an experience to cheer about. With its large 3.7-inch touchscreen and web-browsing capabilities, this compact smartphone is sure to make an impression. And it keeps your life updated and secure through Motoblur.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Form Factor Touch
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components GPS receiver,
Digital camera,
Digital player,
FM radio,
Voice recorder - Width 2.48 in
- Depth 0.52 in
- Height 4.29 in
- Weight 4.59 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
- Band WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Mobile Broadband Generation 3G
- Service Provider AT&T
- Operating System Android 2.1
- User Interface Motorola MOTOBLUR
- Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen (multi-touch)
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services MMS,
SMS - Instant Messaging Services Yahoo! Messenger,
AOL Instant Messenger Service (AIM),
Google Talk,
Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger) - Supported Email Protocols POP3,
IMAP4 - Supported Social Networks and Blogs MySpace,
Twitter,
Facebook - Messaging & Data Features Microsoft PowerPoint support,
Microsoft Excel support,
Microsoft Word support,
PDF support,
Macromedia Flash support - Mobile Services YouTube,
Picasa,
Gmail,
Google Play Communications
- Data Transmission GPRS,
EDGE,
HSUPA,
HSDPA - Wireless Interface Bluetooth 2.1 EDR,
IEEE 802.11b/g/n - Bluetooth Profiles Serial Port Profile (SPP),
Object Push Profile (OPP),
Personal Area Networking Profile (PAN),
Hands Free Profile (HFP),
Headset Profile (HSP),
Phonebook Access Profile (PBAP),
Human Interface Device Profile (HID),
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP),
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) - Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Voice control,
Call timer,
Conference call,
Speakerphone,
Voice dialing,
Vibrating alert - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Sensors Proximity sensor,
Accelerometer,
Ambient light sensor,
Digital compass - Additional Features CrystalTalk PLUS technology (noise reduction),
DLNA Certified,
Picture editor,
Intelligent typing (iTAP),
Software updates FOTA (Firmware Over The Air),
Widgets support Organizer
- Personal Information Management Synchronization with PC,
Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder,
Alarm clock Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards eAAC+,
AAC +,
MP3,
WMA,
AAC,
AMR - Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-4,
H.264 Processor
- Clock Speed 800 MHz
Memory
- RAM 512 MB
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC - up to 32 GB
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 3 megapixels
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Features Video recording,
Geo-tagging Navigation System
- GPS Navigation A-GPS receiver
- Navigation Software & Services AT&T Navigator,
Google Maps Display
- Type LCD display - Color
- Diagonal Size 3.7 in
- Display Resolution 480 x 854 pixels
- Features Wallpaper,
Screensaver Connections
- Connector Type Micro-USB,
Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm Battery
- Technology Lithium ion
- Capacity 1540 mAh
- Run Time Details Talk - up to 408 min,
Standby - up to 235 hour(s) Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Power adapter , Power adapter
- Also Included microSD - 2 GB
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Motorola products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Motorola
- Address:
600 N. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847/576-5000
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