Simple Technology Choices - Cell Phones - T-Mobile Motorola U6 PEBL Review

The Motorola U6 PEBL from T-Mobile

Ease of Use: Overall Rating:

Reviewed by Jamie Lendino 7/15/06

If you’re looking for the most jewel-like phone, stop right here. The Motorola U6 PEBL is a solid offering from T-Mobile, giving you a comfortable design and great sound quality in a package that’s easy on the eyes. You can get a PEBL from T-Mobile in four different colors: green, black, blue, and orange.

The PEBL’s body resembles a stone after significant water erosion. Although its 0.8-inch depth doesn’t match Verizon's RAZR V3c’s 0.57-inch figure, the PEBL’s soft, rounded corners make it feel smaller than it already is. This is one phone you won’t mind carrying in your pants pocket. The phone stays closed with a magnetic clasp that clicks shut. The flat keypad design feels a bit odd, though we had no problems keying in the right numbers. The keys offer the right amount of resistance, and the phone’s rubberized casing and moderate dimensions make it easy to hold for long periods of time.

We weren’t disappointed on the sound quality front either. Voices have a natural tone without any harshness, slightly besting Verizon's RAZR V3c. The screen could have been a bit larger, given the large plastic surround. The VGA camera won’t win any awards, but its photos are useable, with decent contrast and an ability to deal with brightly lit subjects without overexposure. Taking and saving photos is quite simple. Battery life is on the long side, which is always welcome. Phones that trend towards high style (read: RAZR V3c) often sacrifice endurance due to lower-capacity batteries.

The phone uses Motorola’s traditional menu scheme, which means you’ll find it somewhat difficult to do basic tasks. When we first entered the main menu, we were greeted with a series of unlabeled icons. The Settings area is a mess, with separate submenus named “In-Call setup,” “Connection,” and “Phone Status.” If someone recently called and you’re looking for their number, you have to remember if the person called you or if you called them, since they’re unnecessarily divided up into two different lists. Adding contacts to the address book took more key presses than we’d like.

Overall, the PEBL is a diamond among a sea of plastic phones, but its menu system could use a redesign.

Pros: beautifully made, good sound quality, small footprint, solid battery life
Cons: confusing menu system, screen could be larger

Details:

Motorola U6 PEBL
Carrier: T-Mobile
Price: $99.99 w/2 year plan
Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.9 x 0.8 inches
Weight: 3.9 ounces
Camera: VGA
Bluetooth: Yes
Card slot: No
Battery Life: Up to 5 hours talk time

Ease of Use: 2.5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 stars