O2 Xda Orbit 2 review

O2 Xda Orbit 2 Review

Reviewed by: Andrew Lim

Reviewed on: 25 March 2008

Performance
Audio quality during calls is fine without any noticeable distortion or muffling during calls. The loudspeaker is equally clear, which is good when using the Orbit 2 as a sat-nav.

As we mentioned, the 3-megapixel camera is really only good enough for MMS messages and -- at a push -- small prints. There's no light source on the phone, so keep your shooting to the sunshine.

The Orbit 2's large touchscreen is great for viewing content but some users may find the lack of a mechanical keypad annoying

We used the GPS in a car and found it worked, although in certain areas you may find you have to wait for several minutes before picking up any satellites.

Battery life is quoted at 4 hours talk time and 450 hours on standby. We found that battery life varied dramatically depending on how much we used HSDPA, GPS and Wi-Fi, but with moderate use, the Orbit 2 lasted for over two days.

Conclusion
While it still has an air of seriousness about it in comparison to phones like the Nokia N95 8GB, we really like the O2 Xda Orbit 2. It's business as usual on the inside but the plethora of connectivity options make it a great choice if you always need to keep in touch.

Our only word of warning would be that if you're used to a mechanical Qwerty keypad, then switching to a touchscreen might come as a shock -- try before you buy.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday