Motorola BRAVO MB520 Full Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Overview of Motorola BRAVO MB520

The Motorola BRAVO MB520 is a smartphone that was introduced in late 2010. It aimed to provide a balance between performance and cost, offering features that met the basic needs of users at the time. This phone is particularly notable for its time due to its integration of Android OS and functional design.

Design and Build

The BRAVO MB520 comes with dimensions of 109.5 x 63 x 13.3 mm, weighing 122 grams. The compact design was appreciated by users who preferred smaller devices. The phone is built with a classic candy bar style and has a robust yet sleek black finish. Its solid construction gives it a sturdy feel without compromising on aesthetics. The use of mini-SIM was quite common at the time of its release.

Display

The smartphone sports a 3.7-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. The display has a 16:9 ratio and a density of approximately 265 ppi, which was decent for multimedia consumption at that time. The screen occupies about 54.7% of the front surface of the phone, providing a tangible viewing area for videos and applications.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the BRAVO MB520 is powered by the TI OMAP 3610 chipset, featuring an 800 MHz Cortex-A8 CPU and a PowerVR SGX530 GPU. This combination ensures that the device could handle basic applications and functions smoothly. For storage, it comes with 2GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. Additionally, it supports microSDHC cards, which was a staple feature for extending storage.

Camera

The device is equipped with a single 3.15 MP rear camera. While modest by today’s standards, it was adequate for casual photography in well-lit environments. The BRAVO MB520 can record video at CIF resolution at 30fps. However, it lacks a front-facing camera, which was not uncommon for smartphones from this period.

Battery Life

The smartphone is powered by a removable Li-Ion 1540 mAh battery. This capacity allows for stand-by time of up to 240 hours and a talk time of approximately 6 hours and 50 minutes. These figures reflect a reasonable battery life for a device of its era, enabling a full day of moderate use on a single charge.

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the BRAVO MB520 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, GPS, and A-GPS for navigation. It also features a stereo FM radio with RDS and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. The phone was versatile enough to handle basic connectivity needs effectively, including GSM and HSPA network technologies.

Software

Motorola BRAVO MB520 originally ran on Android 2.1 (Eclair) but was upgradable to Android 2.2 (Froyo). This allowed users access to an extensive library of applications through the Android Market. The presence of HTML and Adobe Flash Lite support in the browser made it capable of accessing multimedia content on the web.

Additional Features

The phone is equipped with sensors such as an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass, enhancing user interaction with supported applications. The device includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, providing users with an easy way to connect their headphones for music and calls alike.

Market Position and Conclusion

At its launch, the Motorola BRAVO MB520 was priced at approximately 150 EUR, situating it in the mid-range sector of the smartphone market. It catered to users who required a solid, reliable device for basic smartphone tasks without the premium price tag of high-end models. Although discontinued, it remains a part of Motorola's rich history of mobile device development.

In retrospect, the Motorola BRAVO MB520 is remembered for its practicality and reliability, attributes that resonated well with its audience at the time. Its journey from inception to discontinuation reflects a significant phase in the evolution of smartphones, particularly in making Android more accessible to a broader audience.