I don't own this phone. I own the cheaper Motorola (Nextel) i710. I have many friends who own this phone though, although a few of them have since "downgraded" to the i710.

The main reason I chose the i710 over this i730 was signal strength. the i710 consistently gets better signal the the i730 no matter which of my friends phones I compare it too. All my friends are on the same wireless plan from Nextel as I am, so I know its not service, it is definitely the phones.

I can have full bars on my phone (5 including the little antennae icon) and my friends phone held right next to mine will have 2 or 3 bars. My phone gets signal in places their phones are "Out of Service."

Now you might say that maybe my friend just has a dud phone. Well I have 4 friends who have the i730, 5 friends with the i710 and one with the i860, all from Nextel, and the i710's always have better signal compared to the i730's. The i860 gets as good a signal as the i710 (but its significantly more expensive too).

I am not sure why two phones based on the same hardware and software have such drastic differences in signal. The only thing I can think of is some hardware added to give the i730 an external screen somehow interferes with the antennae hardware somehow.

Other than signal strength compared to the cheaper and basically identical (except for external screen) i710, the i730 is a pretty good phone. Lots of features, solid and durable construction and good battery life. For me signal was more important that a silver case an an external screen but if you like those things the i730 is a decent phone to use.
I don't own this phone. I own the cheaper Motorola (Nextel) i710. I have many friends who own this phone though, although a few of them have since "downgraded" to the i710. The main reason I chose the i710 over this i730 was signal strength. the i710 consistently gets better signal the the i730 no matter which of my friends phones I compare it too. All my friends are on the same wireless plan from Nextel as I am, so I know its not service, it is definitely the phones. I can have full bars on my phone (5 including the little antennae icon) and my friends phone held right next to mine will have 2 or 3 bars. My phone gets signal in places their phones are "Out of Service. "

Now you might say that maybe my friend just has a dud phone. Well I have 4 friends who have the i730, 5 friends with the i710 and one with the i860, all from Nextel, and the i710's always have better signal compared to the i730's. The i860 gets as good a signal as the i710 (but its significantly more expensive too). I am not sure why two phones based on the same hardware and software have such drastic differences in signal. The only thing I can think of is some hardware added to give the i730 an external screen somehow interferes with the antennae hardware somehow. Other than signal strength compared to the cheaper and basically identical (except for external screen) i710, the i730 is a pretty good phone. Lots of features, solid and durable construction and good battery life. For me signal was more important that a silver case an an external screen but if you like those things the i730 is a decent phone to use.