Motorola StarTAC 85 Specs Prices & Insights Unveiled

Overview

The Motorola StarTAC 85 is a notable entry in the history of mobile phones, primarily because it represents one of the early flip mobile phones that became a cultural icon in its time. Announced in 1997, this device was cutting-edge and played a significant role in shaping the mobile phone industry. The StarTAC series is often credited with introducing a new level of portability and style to mobile phones.

Design and Build

The Motorola StarTAC 85 is revered for its compact design. With dimensions of 98 x 57 x 23 mm and weighing only 112 grams, it was among the lightest mobile devices available during its time. The use of a Mini-SIM card and its pioneering flip-phone design made it highly pocketable and convenient for users, making a statement by embodying innovation in portability.

Display

The display on the Motorola StarTAC 85 was a monochrome graphic screen capable of displaying four lines with a character width of 15 chars each. While modern displays boast millions of colors and high resolutions, the monochrome display of the StarTAC served well for the simple menus and messaging capabilities it supported. This was typical for mobile devices from the period, emphasizing usability over multimedia.

Performance and Features

As a feature phone, the StarTAC 85 offered basic functionality that was revolutionary at its release. It ran on GSM technology with support for GSM 900 networks, providing reliable voice communication. However, data services like GPRS or EDGE were not available in this model, reflecting the focus on voice and text communication.

Notably, the StarTAC 85 lacked a camera, Bluetooth, WLAN, and even a loudspeaker. Despite these absences, it was equipped with vibration alerts and monophonic ringtones, and allowed storage of up to 100 contacts in its phonebook. Call records were limited to storing details of 10 dialed, 5 received, and 5 missed calls, a significant feature at the time.

Battery Life

Equipped with a removable NiMH 500 mAh battery, the StarTAC 85 offered a standby time of up to 75 hours and a talk time of 230 minutes. The demanding users of today might balk at the capacity, but during the late 1990s, these metrics were quite satisfactory for the typical use patterns of mobile phone users.

Sound and Connectivity

The StarTAC 85 did not include a 3.5mm headphone jack or a loudspeaker, and it lacked multimedia capabilities. Communication, chiefly handled via voice calls and SMS, did not extend to modern internet browsing or wireless technologies like Bluetooth. The device was purely focused on essential communication, reflective of both the technology available at the time and the user needs.

Cultural Impact

Beyond its technical specifications, the Motorola StarTAC 85 was a cultural milestone. It was one of the first clamshell phones to see widespread use and inspired future designs. Its iconic flip-open style was emulated in media and became a symbolic representation of forward-thinking mobile technology, appearing in movies and TV shows, solidifying its status as an aspirational device.

Conclusion

The Motorola StarTAC 85 marked a pivotal moment in mobile phone evolution. Its lightweight design, innovative form factor, and practical features embodied the aspirations of a time eager to harness new technology while setting the stage for future advancements. Despite being discontinued, the StarTAC 85 remains an iconic piece of technology history, reminding us of the humble beginnings that led to today's smartphone sophistication.