Kent German,
Senior Editor
November 12, 2008
Battery life is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a cell phone. No matter how flashy a handset may be and how many cool features it offers, it won't be worth much if its battery runs out too quickly. Fortunately, CNET performs talk-time battery life tests on every handset that we review. Though manufacturers provide promises on battery life, real-world testing is a much better guideline. By and large, GSM phones win the battery life test, with most models having talk times longer than the 4-hour mark. Here is a snapshot of some of our recent long-lasting models.
Sony Ericsson has a reputation of offering marathon models. The W980 lasted 8.6 hours and the C902 5.9 hours. The Samsung Innov8 went 8.25 hours before its battery died, the Motorola U9 lasted 7.5 hours, and the Motorola Active W450 gave us 8.18 hours of talk time. Though CDMA phones typically have shorter battery life than GSM handsets, the occasional model will surprise. us. For example, the Motorola Krave ZN4 clocked in with 6.1 hours of talk time.
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| Price | Check Prices | $401.86 to $549.99 | Check Prices | $275.00 | Check Prices | $179.99 |
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| Review date | October 27, 2008 | October 30, 2008 | October 16, 2008 | September 04, 2008 | October 23, 2008 | October 14, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | The Sony Ericsson W980 isn't our top choice for a music phone, but it's an attractive and reliable model just the same. | The Sony Ericsson C902's photo quality suffered just a bit, but it remains a solid camera phone with a sharp design, a varied feature set, and good call quality. | If you want a camera phone that will blow almost every other handset out of the water, look no further than the Samsung Innov8. Design complaints aside, it's a powerful and eye-catching device that performs well as a phone, too. | The Motorola U9 is a mostly reliable music phone with an eye-catching design. We had a few complaints, but it makes up for its deficiencies with good call quality. | The Motorola Active W450 finally brings a rugged phone to T-Mobile, but not without compromising its usability. | The Motorola Krave ZN4 accomplishes something few other cell phones do: it's unique, easy to use, and it performs well. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Cellular technology |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM |
GSM |
GSM |
CDMA2000 1X |
| Weight |
3.5 oz |
3.8 oz |
Info unavailable |
3.1 oz |
3.2 oz |
4.6 oz |
| Height |
3.6 in |
4.3 in |
4.2 in |
3.5 in |
4.3 in |
4.1 in |
| Talk time |
Up to 540 min |
Up to 420 min (GSM) Up to 210 min (UMTS) |
Up to 300 min |
Up to 430 min |
Up to 450 min |
Up to 260 min |
| Wireless Interface |
Bluetooth (A2DP) |
Bluetooth (A2DP) |
Bluetooth (A2DP) Bluetooth 2.0 IEEE 802.11g |
Bluetooth (A2DP) |
Bluetooth |
Bluetooth |
| Service Provider |
Unlocked |
Unlocked |
Info unavailable |
Unlocked |
T-Mobile |
Verizon Wireless |
| Band / mode |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) |
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) |
CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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