Motorola Milestone XT720 review

Appearances count for a lot when it comes to buying a device you carry around with you every day. It's why most Apple devices go down a storm, and it's why we think the Android 2.1-based Motorola Milestone XT720 might have a tough time selling.

All the chamfered edges and awkward bulges, this smartphone isn't only ugly to look at, but it's also uncomfortable to hold. We particularly dislike the device's slung-out right "hip", where the camera shutter button is located. Pick up the XT720 with your right hand and it's far too easy to press it by accident. It's heavy too, and, if you can manage to squeeze it into your jeans pocket, it won't be a comfortable experience.

Beyond the gawky profile, you'll at least find some compensatory features. There's an 8-megapixel camera, complete with Xenon flash, face detection and electronic image stabilisation. There's also a large 3.7in 480 x 854 capacitive touchscreen with multitouch.

It shoots 720p video, has A-GPS and built-in satnav software, a digital compass, an FM radio plus 8GB of storage via a bundled 8GB microSD card. Hidden away on the left edge is even an HDMI output.

It's a remarkably capable device for one so cheap. It can be had for free on a £20 per month, 24-month contract, so it will hardly break the bank. Alas, that's where the appeal ends.

The first problem is the camera just doesn't live up to its billing. The number of pixels may be high, but the pictures it produces are grainy and full of noise. The Xenon flash helps in dark rooms, but in auto mode it fires far to frequently for our liking. Video is just as bad, exhibiting severe colour noise and and banding.

It also feels extremely sluggish: menus stutter when flicked up and down, and in our measured tests it put in a middling performance. It rendered the BBC homepage over a fast Wi-Fi connection in an average of 21 seconds (well down on the iPhone 4's score of around nine), and completed the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark in 45 seconds (to the iPhone's much quicker 10 seconds).

After our 24-hour battery test, in which we download a 50MB file, make 30 minutes of calls, listen to audio for an hour and force the screen on for an hour, only 30% capacity was remaining - another below average result.

It isn't the overall look, then, that ultimately does for the Motorola Milestone XT720, but rather the disappointing performance. With a camera that fails to live up to its promise, sluggish response times and meagre battery life, there's little that stands out bar the reasonable price.

Author: Jonathan Bray