T-Mobile offers Motorola's MOTOZINE ZN5 for $99 on contract

Among American carriers, T-Mobile USA isn't typically the first that comes to mind when we're thinking of purveyors of bleeding-edge hardware -- but between the G1 and this, we might have to start rethinking that stereotype. T-Mob has officially become the first carrier in North America to offer Motorola's 5-megapixel MOTOZINE ZN5, a quadband EDGE candybar with WiFi, a morphing keypad along the lines of T-Mobile's own MOTOROKR E8, and a 5-megapixel camera with xenon flash that's been infused with a heavy dose of Kodak imaging wizardry. The best part about the whole thing might be the price -- just $99 on a two-year contract, which fills our hearts with hope that awesome cams on phones are now officially commodity items. Look for the ZN5 in "select" T-Mobile stores and online starting today.

[)ROFL( @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:13AM]

Too bad I switched to AT&T for my shiny MOTO Q9h Global. However AT&T's HORRIBLE customer service just might force me to switch back to T-Mo.

[allislost @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:00AM]

Does ATT does aren't better?!!?

[allislost @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:10AM]

I guess not! haha

[lawyer bird @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:28AM]

shiny eh?

[Shea @ Nov 3rd 2008 4:36AM]

@allislost:
I'm sure most here would agree that AT&T customer service sucks... but when you use English like that in a comment, you're begging to get ranked down regardless of what you actually said...

[iEye @ Nov 3rd 2008 10:58AM]

So, does motorola make you sign a waiver stating that you may not sell such a fantastic phone on E-bay?

LOLA!

time to die motorola...

[allislost @ Nov 4th 2008 8:45AM]

@Shea

You mean i have to at be better?!!?

[Muhammad-Oli @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:17AM]

Enjoy your blazing EDGE speeds with it!

[TI89 @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:22AM]

There ARE people who don't need 3G, you know. I think my mommy would like this phone.

[Richard @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:32AM]

No 3g is no sale as far as I am concerned. Since changing my handset to umts only I have had zero dropped calls and unusable calls around Auckland, NZ, and with the new telecom network being UMTS only that makes it even less likly that we will see this handset here in NZ, shame, because a decent camera in a phone is great, I am not looking forward to giving up my N95 on loan to me.

[Muhammad-Oli @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:36AM]

@Richard: Nice to see a fellow New Zealander, and I fully agree with your point. I do also see TI89's point, but really a phone like this should have at least 3G for those who do need it!

[Kixx @ Jan 29th 2009 7:28PM]

It is ok w/o 3G, it has wifi anyway. I dont see any advantage unless you're using it as a modem.

[Ben @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:23AM]

A 5MP sensor does not a good camera make. There is so much more to it.

[Jon Nelson @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:29AM]

There's ALWAYS one person to say that. I believe the standard response has become "Yes, we know that more megapixels doesn't equal a better picture, but anyone who knows the least bit about photography would know that, so why would they bother buying a camera phone for its camera?"

[Fernando @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:29AM]

Thankfully this is the best 5mp camera phone around.

http://www.mobile-review.com/review/motorola-zn5-en.shtml#9

[derX @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:34AM]

Or we can stop relying on the whole "OMG, more pixels don't mean better camera and it's a phone so it's probably crappy blah blah blah LENSE SIZE!!!ZOMG!!!" mantra and actually read reviews. The camera on this beast is being praised. I'm happy for T-Mobile.

And a $99 contract price is just awesome. T-Mobile, you're making me proud.

[Chris Ziegler @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:36AM]

In principle I agree with you -- as I always do when someone inevitably makes this tired comment -- but the reality is that I've never used a 5-megapixel cameraphone that doesn't produce an awesome picture (for a phone). Will it permanently retire your point-and-shoot? No, probably not, but even the crappiest 5MP AF cameraphones from mainstream manufacturers are going to produce candid shots sharp enough to do duty as desktop wallpaper.

But to the root of the point you're trying to make, I think this is largely a symptom of the fact that manufacturers are automatically including marginally better optics as the sensor resolutions increase.

[fh @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:48AM]

Next time try saying it in the voice of Comic Book Guy; you might get a more positive response.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:24AM]

I never thought I'd use the cam on my old Motorola as much as I did. All you gotta do is whip it out to capture those quick moments. I think it's really neat that the cameras on mobile phones these days are getting better.

It's just too bad that the iPhone I'm using now doesn't let me take videos. Seriously, what is up with that? I could miss something extraordinary for example! Sigh.

[solmar @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:52AM]

The thing is that when making comparisons, you have to make the proper comparisons and keep things in perspective.
A 5 megapixel cameraphone will have a good chance of taking better pics than a 3 megapixel cameraphone (all other things being equal). However, you can't compare it to a 5 megapixel (or even 3 megapixel) digicam (or worse yet, a DSLR). They're in two different fields, and are two entirely different things.
The problem arises when consumers come to think that a big-megapixel cameraphone can replace their digicam. Well, yes, for some situations, if you're not expecting much, it can take acceptable pics. But once the situation gets more demanding (bad lighting, needing a tripod mount, needing zoom, speed, settings, etc. etc. etc), a cameraphone fails miserably, no matter the pixel count.
Yes, it may be the best camera on a cameraphone to date, but that's just it, it's the best *cameraphone*. It still is extremely limited when compared to a middling digicam. Of course, it's on your phone, so you're more likely to have it with you. That's the thing about convergence, you can do more things, but not as well. There may be a time when cameraphones catch up to current gen digicams, but by that time digicams will have also advanced, too, so there will always be a gap.

[computer.dude.28 @ Nov 3rd 2008 12:49AM]

"T-Mob has officially becomes"
Woah, something's not right here.

[Doug @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:02AM]

Not right something may be, but curious one does it make.

[hamza @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:26AM]

I think I'm not dumping my N82 yet until the next 8 mpix cameraphone from Nokia, but this is a pretty good phone, glad the US market is starting to move away from crappy cameras on phones. First the 3.2 mpix camera on the G1, and then this. And I assure you that the xenon flash makes a world of difference in night shots.

[Devang @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:34AM]

Umm.. why doesn't this phone how up as a unlimited Hotspot @Home calling phone on T-mobile's website? The wifi for only web surfing on a phone w/o a full qwerty keyboard seems a little too much.

[asg84 @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:17AM]

this phone has excellent in sound quality only second to samsung inno8

camera in par with nokia 82 , great option for $99

[Kris @ Nov 3rd 2008 2:23AM]

Did I miss the memo. Is it Talk-Like-Yoda day today or something?

[jd @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:33AM]

they dare to charge 99$ for that phone? what so special about it?

[iEye @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:21AM]

People eat up anything these days...
That phone is complete and utter trash.
just get the darn iPhone...

[tnkgrl @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:20PM]

My unboxing is here: http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/unboxing-the-motorola-zn5-zine/

[Ran @ Nov 6th 2008 10:09AM]

Is anybody else concerned that this phone has the HIGHEST radiation level (159/160 SAR) of ALL cell phones??? No way would I use this phone. No way.

[Kixx @ Jan 29th 2009 7:43PM]

Camera is excellent! Phone overall response needs improvement. I experienced several times, after pressing the answer button, it still ringed. That is upsetting...