The Motorola RAZR was one of the most popular phones in history, and a
lot of RAZR fans rejoiced when Motorola decided to resurrect the name
with the DROID RAZR. We knew it was going to be thin, but in my wildest
dreams I never thought it was possible it would come in at 7.1mm thin. I
mentioned in my initial review that it just might be the sexiest phone
I’ve ever held, but does it live up to the hype?
Design
As I already mentioned, the main selling point is thin. It’s 7.1mm,
but the overall dimensions are a little big at 5.15 x 2.71 inches. In
contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is 5.11 x 2.71 inches. It’s
only a tad smaller, but the display is 4.5-inches vs 4.3-inches on the
RAZR. On the plus side, the RAZR is very light, weighing 4.48oz while
the Skyrocket weighs 4.66oz.
When I first held the DROID RAZR, I thought it felt really nice and
non-slippery, but later, I realized I was wrong. This phone is actually
very awkward to hold and control with one hand. My hands are smaller so
it might not be an issue for some of you, but to me the DROID X and
DROID Bionic are more comfortable in the hand even though they are
thicker. The kevlar backing on the RAZR is very nice and smooth, but the
shiny plastic bezel sticks out too much which makes it more slippery.
This is a complaint I’ve had with a lot of phones, but never Motorola.
This was a big disappointment for me.
Hardware
The full specs for the DROID RAZR include a 4.3-inch (960 x 540)
Super AMOLED display, 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB RAM,
8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, 1.3MP front camera, 16GB
internal storage, 16GB microSD card included (upgradable to 32GB),
1780mAh battery, 4G LTE compatible, Bluetooth, WiFi, micro HDMI, and
Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. The DROID RAZR is also Lapdock compatible for
all your webtop needs, of which I didn’t test.
Battery
Most of the newer LTE phones are coming with 1850mAh batteries, so
the smaller 1780mAh is a concern, especially since its non-removable. I
live and work about 10 to 15 miles from the main city that has LTE so I
was not always on 4G all day, but I found the battery to be adequate. I
always have a car charger around so the fact that the battery is not
removable doesn’t bother me. If you are unable to charge regularly, you
should still get through the regular work day with normal to heavy use.
Motorola does provide “Smart Actions” software that gives you a lot of
flexibility to make settings that could be helpful in conserving your
battery. More on that later.
Performance
I found the RAZR to be very snappy and quick with minimal lag. If
you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know I’m not big on
benchmarks. It’s just a number, and I don’t think the average consumer
is going to choose a phone because of its benchmark. However, I do run
one occasionally just to see what’s going on. For the AnTuTu Benchmark,
the total score was 5369, which put it below the Galaxy Nexus and just
barely below the Samsung Galaxy S II. Not bad at all, but the Galaxy S
II was released over 6 months ago. With the RAZR released only a few
weeks ago, it should get a higher score. Again, not a reason to buy or
not buy the RAZR. In the real world the RAZR is fast so you won’t be
disappointed.
There has been a little controversy over the display. The RAZR has a
qHD (960 x 540) Super AMOLED display. The DROID Bionic has the same
resolution, but the PenTile display was poor. The Samsung Galaxy S II
screens seem to be the one that everyone thinks is the best going so how
did Motorola do with the RAZR screen? I think I am in the minority, but
I feel the RAZR wins. To me, the blacks are deeper in the RAZR. It is
difficult to tell in these photos below, but I have pitted the RAZR
against the Bionic and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket. The Skyrocket has a
bigger screen and less resolution (800 x 480) so the lettering is
bigger. To me the lettering is crisper and shows up better on the RAZR
with the proper white balance. I set all displays to the exact
brightness for these comparisons, and I included the Bionic only for
comparison because it never had a chance.
Software
The DROID RAZR comes with Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 and Ice Cream
Sandwich is promised for early 2012. Of course, Motorola has their own
UI (don’t call it Blur) on top. Motorola’s software enhancements are
considered the worst among tech enthusiasts, but I think it’s overblown.
It’s just a launcher, some widgets, and some other enhancement
applications. It’s in no way intrusive like HTC’s Sense. There are 5
home screens and the transitions are nice. Motorola threw in some nice
extras as well like the ability to hide apps. This is great for the
pre-installed bloatware that comes with the phone out of the box. They
even let you uninstall some of them. For example, in your app drawer, if
you long press on an app you will have a few options which include, Add
to Home, Share, Add to Group, or Uninstall/Hide. With Let’s Golf 2, you
are given the option to uninstall, but with the My Verizon app, you are
give the option to hide. This is a nice touch.
Some other nice additions is Motocast and Smart Actions. Motocast
allows you to sync with your home or office computer, basically creating
your own cloud. You can access files, listen to music, or play videos
from anywhere. I believe in this, but a lot of consumers have issues
with setting this up or having an “always on” computer at home.
Ultimately I am not a fan of using Motocast only because I prefer using a
third party app. The problem with all of these OEM applications is if
your next phone is not the same OEM, you have to set up and learn
something new. Either way, Motocast works well.
Smart Actions is all about making your “smartphone smarter.” Ever
since the Verizon launched its 4G LTE network, the biggest complaint has
been battery life. With Smart Actions, Motorola lets you be in control
with various settings that involve your location, action, or even the
time of day. For example, you can set it to turn off bluetooth when you
get home. There are so many options and settings that it can be
overwhelming. Motorola understood this and offered various samples, and
if you don’t set any up, you will receive notifications with
suggestions. The settings go above and beyond battery saving. For
example you can set it to turn off your ringer when you go to bed or
automatically launch the news in the morning. Again, there are 3rd party
apps that will handle most of these because Smart Actions won’t come
with your next phone unless its a Motorola. They did a great job with it
though.
Camera
The DROID RAZR comes with an 8MP rear facing camera that takes video
up to 1080p, along with a 1.3MP front facing camera. Motorola has never
impressed anyone with their cameras, but this camera might be there best
ever. I’m not a camera connoisseur by any means, but it’s a dream
taking photos with the RAZR as opposed to other Motorola phones. The
shutter lag is non existent and the color blends are nice. Here are some
example shots, with the first picture taken at night.
Closing:
The DROID RAZR is one beast of a phone. If you are a Verizon Wireless
customer and you are in the market for high end, you have the choice of
the RAZR, the HTC Rezound, or the soon to be released, Galaxy Nexus.
For me, it comes down to the RAZR and the Galaxy Nexus as the Rezound is
too bulky. I have yet to get my hands on a Galaxy Nexus, so it’s hard
for me to say hardware wise which is better. For me, it really comes
down to Ice Cream Sandwich. If it’s ICS that you want, then I have to
obviously recommend the Galaxy Nexus. If you can wait a few months, then
I would recommend the RAZR. My only real complaint is the plastic
glossy texture, but I don’t expect the Galaxy Nexus to be any different,
and it probably won’t bother most people. So its decision time, Ice
Cream Sandwich or the DROID RAZR with a 3 month wait for ICS? I have to
go with Ice Cream Sandwich now since I can’t wait, so I choose the
Galaxy Nexus. Which way will you go?
