Basic Features

Released exclusively for the Cingular Wireless, the Motorola V551 is a quad-band phone (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM), making it truly a world phone, compatible with GSM networks worldwide.

Motorola rated the V551's 820 mAh Li-Ion battery at 225 hours of standby and 3.75 hours of talk time. However, those are under optimal conditions.

When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Actual talk and standby times are lower.

Screen

The external screen's blue display is 96 x 32 px. While not full color, like some external displays, the V551's STN (Super Twisted Nematic) monochrome display does have its advantages. Grayscale consumes much less power and can prolong the battery life of the phone. Since the external screen is most used to access quick information such as time, caller ID, or network status, many people might prefer longer battery life to color.

However, the internal TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screen is capable of displaying 65K colors at 176 x 220 px . Being TFT, it has advantages over STN matrices by allowing quick response and refresh rates.

TFT active display matrices can achieve more vibrant colors and faster refresh rates due to circuit transistors being placed directly on the glass at the pixel location. STN on the other hand, does not, and requires the scanning of pixel locations. This results in noticeably quicker response times; refresh rates needed for using the V551's screen as a viewfinder during camera mode.

Audio

As for polyphonic ringtones, the V551 supports up to 24 simultaneous chords. However, for users who want the most realistic sounding tones, MP3 ringtones are preferred, which the V551 supports.

Conventional ringtones utilize the MIDI file format, which recreates sounds by essentially playing "musical notes." Thus the more simultaneous chords that could be overlay meant more realistic sounding ringtones.

MP3s on the other hand are not "sheet music," but rather straight recordings; allowing users to record audio from any input, whether it be music with lyrics, voice, or sounds.

As for other audio capabilities, the V551 also supports speakerphone for handsfree functionality.

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