Motorola RAZR MAXX Review

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Review: May 2012

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The Motorola RAZR MAXX is an ultraslim Android phone with the longest talktime of any smartphone. With a fast dual-core processor, a 4.3 ich Super AMOLED screen and an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, there's plenty here to get excited about.

Whereas the Motorola RAZR's unique selling point is being the world's thinnest smartphone, the USP of the RAZR MAXX is having the longest talktime of any smartphone. The biggest battery we'd previously seen was the massive 2500mAh battery on the Galaxy Note, but this looks weedy compared with the 3300mAh turbine installed in the RAZR MAXX! This can power the phone for 17 hours of talktime, presumably to the Duracell Bunny.

But despite this, the RAZR MAXX is still extremely slim, at just 8.99mm. That's just 2mm more than the original RAZR. Compare this with the 8.6mm of the svelte Galaxy S3, and you'll see that even with the enlarged battery, the RAZR MAXX is still one of the very slimmest phones around. It's quite heavy though, at 145g, but this, combined with its tevlar construction, makes it feel - literally - bullet proof.

The RAZR MAXX runs Android Gingerbread (2.3.6) but Motorola has promised that it will be upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). Motorola has customised Android too, with features such as the Smart Actions app, which automates everyday tasks such as adjusting settings at work / at home, switching off battery draining features, turning off your ringtone at bedtime, etc.

Apart from the bigger battery and the resulting increase in thickness and weight, the MAXX is the same phone as the RAZR. You can read our detailed RAZR review for the full details, but just to recap, this means that the the MAXX is an extraordinary phone with such features as:

1.2GHz dual-core, dual-channel RAM processor
16GB onboard memory, plus up to 32GB memory card
4.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen
8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording
Flash-enabled web browser

In short, the Motorola RAZR MAXX gives you one of the best smartphone experiences of 2012 and enjoys the status of "superphone." As Motorola puts it, "Thinner and a talk time twice as long as our competitor's smartphone? The competition doesn't stand a chance." This may be overstating things, given that Motorola currently enjoys just 2% of global mobile phone sales. But if you're after an amazing phone and you don't mind being different, the MAXX could be the phone for you.

Features of the Motorola RAZR MAXX include:

Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)
8 megapixel camera with autofocus, 8x digital zoom and LED flash
HD 1080p video capture at 30 frames/second plus front-facing video camera for voice calls
Display: 4.3 inch 960 x 540 pixel Super AMOLED touchscreen with Swype-enabled keyboard
Media player
Speech recognition
Dual microphone noise reduction
AAC, MP3, eAAC+, AAC+, eAAC ringtones
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (Corporate Sync, Google Mail, POP3/IMAP), Google Talk
aGPS / eCompass with Google Maps, Navigation, Street View
Internet: Web browser with Adobe Flash Player 10, youtube
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, micro-USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI, DLNA
1.2GHz Dual-Core, Dual-Channel RAM Processor
Memory: 1GB RAM, 16GB plus microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
Networks: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 2.0 Mbps
Size: 131 x 69 x 9.0 mm
Weight: 145g
Battery: 3300 mAh Li Ion Polymer
Talktime: 17.6 hours
Battery standby: 607 hours

Motorola RAZR MAXX User Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 4 reviews:

Reviewed by Richard from england london ,hackney on 15th Jan 2013
had this phone for 4 months now my motorola atrix 4g just got tired so i brouht this one and what a great choice, great pictures,great hd movies,very clear screen,MONSTER BATTERY this is why i brought this phone ..what is the point of having a phone were the battery runs flat by 1pm, crazy! the i phones are good phones but the batterys on the phones are a big joke and the apps will cost you in the long run, android phones gives you freedom to run wild, all phones will be made with monster batterys in the future it just happenes that motorola done it first..JOB WELL DONE.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by John Sutherland from United Kingdom on 24th Sep 2012
Myself purchased the Motorola Maxx from the amazon.co.uk website. I agree it's a well built, as a blackberry fanantic of several years, I agree it was my first android handset. Is very well built I agree, but myself & staff in my local mobile shop had difficulty setting it up for email or storing contacts. This was after I'd already set the Moto-Blur ID evidently Motorola now insist on. After looking at it parked on my mantlepiece as a useless & very
expensive piece of junk, I returned it to amazon.co.uk within seven days. Over the years, I use to swear by motorola. I have owned just about every V3 model they came out with. The problem with this new product, unlike products of the past, since google took over the company, no instructions are provided with this handset.
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by AW from Thailand on 22nd Jul 2012
In Thailand we are blessed with ridiculous low cost of calls ... Why text when calling is less than 1p per min .

This phones lasted 12 hrs talk time with constant sync for 2 days . I run a business my business partner has an IPHONE he was empty before 11am and now only just make 5pm with a 9800 ma extention battery and the lump it makes .

This phones is the dogs dangly bits , it is the only phone that can last over a day in my hands .. and it works great
Rating: Reply

Reviewed by julie from Nottinghamshire on 2nd Jun 2012
Have had Sammy galaxys2, iPhone4 and various smart phones. This phone absolutely tops everyone I have ever used. Absolutely brilliant.
Rating: Reply

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