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Powered by a 312-MHz Intel ARM920T PXA27x processor and 64 MB of SDRAM, the Motorola Q has improved application performance and less battery usage over prior generation smartphones.

The speed of the OS was acceptable, but significant delays in excess of three to four seconds were experienced during more memory-intensive applications such as running the Media Player or Camera.

Operating under the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform, users can adjust the Home Screen layout for a comprehensive all-in-one view of activities with information such as frequented applications, date, time, email, text messages, upcoming appointments, and profiles. Pressing the "Start" button opens the application manager but rather sparse on software, users are presented with only a basic list of programs. Resembling a phone rather than a PDA, the Q offers the bare basics in preinstalled software. Consumers may need to spend some money to make the Q worthwhile.

Currently only available as a dual-band CDMA (800 / 1900 MHz) device, the Q runs on Verizon Wireless' nationwide digital network. Motorola has also announced a GSM variant with UMTS support planned for testing in late 2006, but the launch date won't be until sometime in early 2007. No word if Cingular or T-Mobile will pick up the GSM Q.

Motorola rated the Q's 1130 mAh Li-Ion battery at 3.33 and 200 hours (8.3 days) of talk and standby times respectively. However, measurements are under optimal conditions where manufacturers and carriers often refer to the times they publish as maximum times.

The Motorola Q's 2.5-inch screen is exceptional, offering outstanding brightness and clarity at a large 320 x 240 px resolution. Despite having a lower pixel count compared to Treo 700, the Q has larger surface area. But lacking touch screen capabilities users will need to scroll through the menu using the Thumbwheel on the side, similar to the BlackBerry.

The 65K-color LCD is built from TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, providing excellent intensity, brilliance, and speed at the expense of power consumption. With many high-end devices delivering 262K-colors, 65K-colors is a bit disappointing, but most users won't be able to tell the difference without a side-by-side comparison.

The combination of screen size, vibrancy, and clarity makes the Q's screen an excellent canvas for advanced multimedia applications such as video streaming, camera functionality, and Internet browsing. However the lack of touch screen capabilities makes the Q disadvantaged as a productivity device.

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