I’ve never been a big fan of sequels. The very first version of something comes out and turns out to be so popular that a second version must be released to further milk the cash cow. At least, that’s the way I feel about movie sequels in general.
But do phone sequels work the same way, or are they truly what they should be in the first place: improvements to the first piece of work?
The original Motorola CLIQ was a run-of-the-mill Android 1.5 handset launched in late 2009 that didn’t really make any ripples in the market. Fast forward to 2011 and Motorola has decided to release the Cliq 2. Will the Cliq 2 be a revelation like the Samsung Galaxy S2 or will it suffer the same fate as a bad movie sequel – crash and burn?
Basic Specifications: Motorola Cliq 2:
- Dimensions: 116 x 59.6 x 14.5mm
- Display: 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen
- Weight: 175 grams
- Processor: 1 GHz TI OMAP 3620
- Memory: 512MB RAM, 1GB internal storage with pre-installed 2GB microSD
- Operating System: Android 2.2
- Camera: 5MP, autofocus with dual LED flash
- Battery: Talk time up to 7.9 hr
Weighing at 175g does indeed make it heavier than the average Android smartphone but that is attributed to the in-built QWERTY keyboard. It also comes in at 14.5 mm which is thicker than your average Android smartphone, once again courtesy of the in-built QWERTY keyboard, but feels about right for a smartphone with full QWERTY keyboard attached.
The 3.7 inch LCD screen is smaller than some, but this phone is not intended to be a high end model and the 3.7 inch display screen does provide good screen real estate. Overall, for those who were frustrated by some of the less than durable aspects of the original Cliq, the Cliq 2 is certainly an improvement in terms of solid construction.
One of the unique selling points of the Cliq 2, in my opinion, is the slider keyboard’s ergonomic design which reminds me of a honeycomb and this is a very nice feature if you do a lot of texting. It might take a bit of getting used to but once you are broken in, you should find it much easier to text with the additional contact surface. On the back of the phone, the battery cover has a few ridges built into it which allows for extra grip – always a good thing – but which might affects the overall polished finishing of the phone.
Motorola has also installed its proprietary CrystalTalk Plus technology into the CLIQ 2. This is Motorola’s patented noise cancellation tech that allows you to talk in a loud room at normal volume. With that, it gave the user the ability to hear and be heard perfectly fine over the phone, even if you are in a loud environment.
Summary: Motorola Cliq 2:
The added screen real estate and screen resolution go a long way to making the overall Cliq 2 experience much better as compared to the original Cliq. The hardware is bigger and heavier, but much more sturdily designed and constructed. The call quality is good and loud, testament to Motorola’s proprietary CrystalTalk Plus technology, and is an additional bonus.The Motorola team definitely deserves additional brownie points for coming up with an innovative design for the slider keyboard and hopefully, we can look forward to more unique designs in future.
Overall, the Motorola CLIQ 2 is a great buy for a midrange Android handset and is a reasonable successor to the original Cliq.
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