Head-to-head: Virgin Fly SLT100 versus Motorola W375

The Fly SLT100 is a stylish slide-phone, but Motorola’s W375 is a fashionable flipping handset. Which is better? We’ve put them in a head to head stat-clash to find out!

SIZE
Virgin Fly SLT100
The Fly’s a palm-friendly size, and just under 1.5cm thick. That’s thinner than Motorola’s handset, although it’s a little wider. If you’re looking for a subtle phone to fit in your pocket, we’d recommend the SLT100 at a push, although in reality, there’s just 4mm difference here.

Motorola W375
Like the Fly, Motorola’s handset is extremely pocketable. It’s slightly shorter than the Virgin handset, but a little thicker.

CAMERA
Virgin Fly SLT100
The Fly SLT100 boasts a 2-megapixel camera, and while that might not be the best in the world, it’s enough to trounce Motorola’s VGA sensor. An easy win for the slick slider.

Motorola W375
A VGA sensor means the Motorola’s camera is seriously ill-equipped to take sharp snaps. Compared to the Fly’s photos, Moto’s output is grainy and blurred.

MUSIC
Virgin Fly SLT100
The Fly will happily play back MP3s and includes an FM radio. One stand-out feature is its ability to record FM broadcasts too, although with just 25-meg of memory on board you’ll need to buy a microSD card to really get the most out of it.

Motorola W375
The Moto is a poor choice if you want music on the move. There’s an FM radio inside, but the only way it’ll play MP3s is as ringtones. What’s more, there’s just 1.5-meg of memory inside, and no card slot. Ignore this handset if you’re hoping for tunes from your telephone.

INTERFACE
Virgin Fly SLT100
The Fly has a strange interface in that it’ll work just fine if you stick to its buttons and keypad, but also includes a stylus and touchscreen. Sure, the touchscreen’s not the most amazing we’ve seen, but its presence, and the novelty of handwriting recognition on a handset this cheap, make it stand out from the crowd.

Motorola W375
It’s standard button presses and handset flips here. There’s little to write home about in terms of the Moto’s interface. It’s strictly utilitarian, but then, maybe that’s better for a simple phone that does its job well.

BATTERY LIFE
Virgin Fly SLT100
The Fly will keep buzzing for 2.5 hours of constant calls, or 7.5 days in standby. That’s a little low by modern standards, and while it’s probably plenty of juice for most people, the Motorola has it beaten fair and square.

Motorola W375
With 10.5 days of standby ability the Moto’s certainly not a battery hog. It’ll let you natter for 7.5 hours too, meaning you’d have to recharge the Fly three times to equal a single stint from the Motorola.

DESIGN
Virgin Fly SLT100
It’s hardly a design icon, but the Fly’s eye-pleasing enough. With its slider shut it’ll pass as a sleek enough phone to avoid giggles in the local. It’s available in pink too if you’re looking for a splash of colour.

Motorola W375
Available in grey, silver or orange the Motorola’s design is friendly and non-threatening. Sure, it’s a little cartoony, but that’s part of its charm, as are those light-up notification icons on the outside. In the design stakes, this is a dead heat.

VERDICT
The Fly wins this battle on specs and extra features. Without a megapixel-class camera, and lacking storage and music features, the Motorola just can’t compete, even with its cutesy design and extended battery life.