Atrix build quality

[kpfury]

How's the build quality of the Atrix? I've been playing w/ it at the store, and seems pretty solid, albeit a bit light and "plasticky". The other phone I'd be comparing it to is the upcoming HTC Thunderbolt (yet to be released). A few of my friends have the HTC Evo and love it - I believe the T-Bolt will be almost identical physically.

How does Motorola quality generally stack up against HTC? Can owners comment on the build-quality of the Atrix vs the D2 or DX, or even the HTC EVO and Incredible (light leakage, gaps, etc)? TIA!

 

[LateDroid]

well, i can only compare to recent phones like a blackberry bold and an iPhone 3GS...i'd say the "tight fitting" components of a phone cant really compare to an iPhone since that phone is made to be a one-piece handset. but it's on par with a blackberry bold for sure but of course feels much better to hold.

it's lighter than i expected but doesn't feel cheap at all. there aren't any creaks, rattles or any indication that the phone is in any way "plasticky".

personally, i havent seen any light leakage from the screen. but the LED indicator can be seen through the ear piece if held at eye level.

battery cover fits very nicely as long as you push in the clips properly, the AT&T guy didnt so there was a small gap...but i just pushed the clip in properly and it sits flush as can be

 

[DT]

Everything seems to fit tightly, the switches all have a nice tactile feedback. I mean, for a piece of massed produced consumer electronics it's more than fine.

 

[idroidberry]

At first it bugged me that it was so light... but now it just feels normal ( I came from the torch). Being lighter might allow for less damage for falls???

 

[shalemail]

I have had a couple of Motorola Android phones and I have also had the HTC Mytouch 3G slide I have also had some Samsung handsets (not smart phones but web capable phones) and in the old days a Sanyo katana and the old Qualcomm stuff. I have always liked Moto phones going back to the flip phone I had with Verizon like 10 years ago. They build quality stuff, one of the BIG reasons I was looking forward to Atrix. I loved the Defy and my wife (and I) love her Bravo. This is a solidly built phone feels good in your hand and rides well in your pocket. I have no complaints about the build, form factor, weight, battery life, speed (it SCREAMS) and currently it's gets comparable (slightly better) download and upload speeds than my defy or the wife's Bravo.

 

[kpfury]

nice, thanks all for the feedback. I think I'm going to give the Atrix a try...

Despite being on a better network, I feel like the Thunderbolt will be too big and have horrible battery life. I'm hoping the lower screen quality, slower download speed and inferior camera on the Atrix won't be dealbreakers for me (BB user for past 5yrs)

 

[s.m.knipe]

I'm hoping the lower screen quality, slower download speed and inferior camera on the Atrix won't be dealbreakers for me (BB user for past 5yrs)

The Thunderbolt has a 480 x 800 4.3" screen for a resolution of 216.97ppi

The Atrix has a 540 x 960 4.0" (qHD) screen for a resolution of 275.36ppi

as per: DPI Calculator / PPI Calculator

so the Atrix has better screen QUALITY, while the Thunderbolt has greater screen QUANTITY

You are right about download speeds (so far ~ I think they will both hover around 5 - 7 mbps when finished, and realistically more towards the 5 ish range with slight edge to LTE) and camera functionality- although, I wasn't happy with the Atrix's camera at first, I took some pics with it this past weekend and it did great, better than my N1 was, so even that is hit-or-miss I guess...

 

[sublime313]

nice, thanks all for the feedback. I think I'm going to give the Atrix a try...

Despite being on a better network, I feel like the Thunderbolt will be too big and have horrible battery life. I'm hoping the lower screen quality, slower download speed and inferior camera on the Atrix won't be dealbreakers for me (BB user for past 5yrs)

i was a blackberry user for around 6 years. 8100 -> 9000 -> 9700.

the atrix completely blows away the 9700. the 9700 was a reliable device with great call quality, keyboard, battery life (although i always get kept 3G off on that device as use many data intensive apps).

the knocks on the atrix (screen, camera, plastic build) are greatly exaggerated on these forums. the resolution of the screen is great. the camera is adequate. and the design is sleek. i think people must have been expecting the "perfect" phone. every user of any phone knows that device has never existed.

the biggest issues for me so far have been call quality, which has been very poor at times. there are varying reports of excellent to poor call quality from others.

also, my battery dies faster than on my bb. but i'm doing much more on the atrix. especially during these first few days of learning the android os. not to mention that on the 9700 i had the 3g radio turned off and rarely used wifi.

 

[ranova]

feels solid to me. The nexus one was probably the best built phone that Ive used, then the iPhone 4. The worst built phones that I have used would have to go to the SGS phones - Vibrant, Captivate, etc - which all feel like cheap pieces of shit, which they are.

 

[mdunn1066]

For a plastic device, it seems very sturdy and well built. I am a strong proponent of HTC's aluminum phones, but the Atrix is well built.