The MOTORIZR Z3 being that its Moto’s “first attempt at the slider design trend,” it gets somewhat of a pass in the value department. CNET was able to get its paws on the predictably thin new mobile, and while the list of niceties wasn’t exactly suited to the (admittedly) high $300 price tag, they couldn’t help but fall for its snazzy good looks.

Aside from the design, the phone offered a pleasantly crisp LCD, user-friendly navigation array, call quality similar to the GSM KRZR, “respectable” battery life of 6.5 hours, and a highly improved volume level.

Besides all this goodness, there is some weakness in this phone, like: the built-in camera is fairly awful, the button layout to be a bit cramped / slick, and the speakerphone to be less than impressive. This rendition of Motorola’s vowel-less lineups did the slider motif “quite well,” and while CNET suggested holding out until prices drop just a bit, it was deemed a solid performer nonetheless.