Motorola MotoROKR Duo Z6

The MotoROKR Duo Z6 doesn’t sport the latest technology, have the fastest internet access or the most advanced music management features. But Motorola has cleverly bundled this GSM phone with a good headset and quality software.

The music

Two things make the Z6 a good buy for the music lover: the simplicity of the interface and the bundled headphones. The interface supports sorting by album, artist, composed, year or genre, and you can make your own playlists with the supplied PC software.

More significantly, the phone cleverly comes bundled with Motorola S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones. And what a difference they make, compared to the cheap earbuds you normally get with mobile phones. The S9 are wraparound headphones with in-ear canalphones. They don’t leak noise, but deliver crisp audio straight to your middle ear.

The phone

Not loaded with bells and whistles, Motorola keeps things elegantly simple with the Z6. It’s GSM only, has very limited Internet access and few pre-installed applications, but its screen is clear and bright, the backlit buttons crisp and responsive and the interface simple and fast to navigate. Call quality during our tests was very good, and we had no problems with reception.

The phone’s two megapixel camera isn’t much chop, with limited video modes and relatively poor photo definition, but it does have a nifty light that can help both filming at night and finding keyholes in the dark.

Conclusion

While it’s hardly the last word in phone technology (not even being 3G capable), the genius of the MotoROKR Duo is its bundling with a high-quality Bluetooth headset, making all the difference to the experience of using the phone. Without the headphones, it’s a decent music player and an average phone; with them, it’s an affordable and reasonable replacement for a portable MP3 player.

Overall
Features
Value for money
Performance
Ease of Use
Reader Rating0 Votes
Good headphones; Elegant controls; Quality music output.
No 3G support; Limited music management; Weak camera.
3