Motorola Triumph: Hands On

Alex Colon - PC Magazine

Today Sprint announced the Motorola Triumph, Motorola's first Android device for Virgin Mobile. The Motorola Photon may be getting all the attention right now, but the Triumph is worth a look if you're interested in Virgin's inexpensive prepaid plans.

From just a quick glance, the Triumph looks a heck of a lot like the original Motorola Droid for Verizon. Unlike the Droid, however, the Triumph has a larger screen, weighs less, and lacks the slide out physical keyboard.

At 4.8 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 5 ounces, the Triumph is thin, but it felt substantial and comfortable to hold. It looks a bit boxy, but it isn't unattractive. It has a 4.1-inch, 800-by-480 WVGA touch screen that felt a bit sluggish, despite its 1-GHz processor.

There's a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that supports 720p HD video capture and playback on both the phone or over its HDMI out port. There's also a front-facing VGA camera for video chat, though we have yet to find a good video chat solution for Android.

The Motorola Triumph will be the first handset to come preloaded with Virgin Mobile Live 2.0, an app that gives you free access to a Virgin Mobile branded music stream. Of course, it will also have access to the Android Market, which currently has over 200,000 apps.

The phone is running Android 2.2, which appeared relatively unmodified. Pricing has not yet been announced, and the Triumph is slated for a summer release.

Of course, the big selling point here is Virgin Mobile's inexpensive pricing plans. You can sign up for an unlimited text, data, and Web plan for as little as $25 per month with 300 voice minutes. Unlimited voice calls brings the price to $60 per month. That's a good deal no matter how you look at it, but it's even better with the right device to take advantage of all that data and Web access.

Virgin currently has one so-so Android phone, the Samsung Intercept (we reviewed the Sprint version), and one great one, the LG Optimus V. The door is wide open for a competitor to the Optimus V. If the Triumph's touch screen sluggishness is addressed, it could be a good option. Check back to see how it stacks up once it has been released.