Motorola MILESTONE XT720 review

Introduction

The original MILESTONE was the lifeline by which Motorola pulled themselves out of their deathbed. And now the once ailing giant breathes again – but is in no mood to rest or make peace. Instead, it’s breathing fire on the enemies.
Motorola had itself a true droid army in almost no time – and the best thing is it’s not an army of clones. Creative designs and rich equipment helped the company make an emphatic comeback, and the XT720 is focused on keeping up that momentum.
It’s not as simple as calling it a sequel – a QWERTY-less alternative of the original MILESTONE. 8 megapixels and a Xenon flash for a physical keyboard is a trade-off many users would be delighted to accept. But the Motorola XT720 is keen to offer more. It packs its punch with character and personality.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720
The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 will certainly be up against some tough competition. There are bigger screens out there and devices with better specs. And it’s not a Snapdragon either, something that’s become almost standard at the high end. But the next MILESTONE for Motorola doesn’t come unarmed. Let’s take a look at the highlights of its spec sheet.

Key features

Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
3.7" 16M-color capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 854 pixel) resolution
Android OS v2.1 Eclair
ARM Cortex A8 720MHz CPU, PowerVR SGX graphics accelerator; 256 MB of RAM
8 MP autofocus camera with xenon flash, AF assist light and geotagging
720p video recording @ 24fps
Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
150MB storage, microSD slot, bundled 8GB card
Accelerometer and proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
Great build quality
microHDMI port with 720p output (bundled HDMI cable)
Excellent audio reproduction quality
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantages

No DivX or XviD video support
No smart and voice dialing
Somewhat clumsy camera interface
GPS navigation app only offers a 60 day trial
No Flash support for the web browser

Judging by the list above this Droid is putting all the eggs in the camera basket. 8 MP stills and 720p videos are the best Android has to offer and this is the first time they come together on a single handset. And Xenon is a first for the platform. HDMI out is still novel enough to be a key selling point on its own.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720 at ours
And even though the MILESTONE XT720 is not currently running the latest version of Android, Motorola promise to deliver the Froyo update in due course so there’s no reason to get upset.
We are now about to check out if the performance is there to match the specs. We start with the styling and hardware right after the break.

Decent retail package

First thing first, let’s look what’s hiding in the box. Along with the handset itself, you will find the increasingly popular two-piece charger-data cable combo. The socket outlet charger head couples with the USB cable to create a full featured charger. USB charging is enabled too.
The nice surprises are the supplied HDMI cable and the generous 8GB microSD card. That kind of cable is still rare and it’s nice of Motorola to save users some bucks by including it in the package.

The contents of the retail package
The headphones and the usual bunch of paperwork are the other items in the box. It’s a one-piece headset meaning that if you want to replace the headphones you will lose the remote.

Motorola MILESTONE XT720 360-degree spin

The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 is slightly above the average size of a handset with a 3.7” touchscreen. At 116 x 60.9 x 10.9 mm, it is quite comfortable to handle, helped by the unusually curved shapes. We do like the styling of the Motorola XT720 and think the design accents actually make sense.

The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 next to the iPhone 3G
Up front, the bezel looks bigger than you’d expect, creating an impression of badly used space. Let’s not forget though that an 8MP module and a Xenon flash do need a lot of room.

Design and construction

The display is great indoors but fails under direct sunlight

The sensors above the display and the earpiece

The keys below the display are touch-sensitive too
T

The right side controls: volume rocker, gallery button and shutter key
The left side of Motorola MILESTONE XT720 features the microUSB port, which is used for both data transfers and charging. It’s covered by a small plastic flap.

The microUSB port is under a small cover on the left
There is a similar cover for the microHDMI port which is on the top of the handset, next to the exposed 3.5mm audio jack and the power/lock button.

The top: Power/lock key, 3.5mm audio jack and HDMI port
The bottom of the Motorola MILESTONE XT720 is completely bare, but for the microphone pinhole.