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Motorola RAZR Review
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Review: December 2011 |
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Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: The new Motorola
RAZR is an ultraslim Android smartphone built from Kevlar fibre.
It looks and feels premium, and has the hardware to match. With
a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen, dual-core processor, 1GB of
RAM and a 1780mAh battery, it's ready to take on any of its
competitors. You'll be taking a bit of a risk choosing Motorola,
but if you enjoy standing out from the crowd you'll find the
Droid RAZR to be a very impressive phone.
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Ah! The name RAZR. It takes us back to the sunny days of 2004 and the original
iconic RAZR phone. Bliss was it in that dawn to be thin, but to be the thinnest
phone in the world was very heaven! But in 2011, when phones like the Galaxy
Nexus and the HTC Sensation XL prove
that big is the new small, what place is there for a new RAZR phone?
Motorola have moved with the times of course, and the new RAZR is not just
the thinnest smartphone in town, but it's also one of the most highly powered
ones. In fact, when you compare the RAZR with other phones in the same price
bracket, it's hard to find any feature that's been missed. The RAZR excels in
all departments. But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let's pause
for a moment to admire the hardware. Pick up the phone. Feel its weight in your
hand. It's not a lightweight phone; it's not a small one either. It feels purposeful
and powerful. Yet the thinness - it's so thin, even allowing for the fact that
the camera projects beyond the official 7.1mm you'll read in the specs. The
phone is constructed from Kevlar fibre with diamond-cut accents and Gorilla
Glass to protect the screen. What's Kevlar, you ask? It's a synthetic material
used in body armour that's 5 times stronger than steel. Impressed yet?
The RAZR isn't just about looks. It's about power. Running Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
and powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and a massive 1GB of RAM, it's more
powerful than most laptops were at the time of the original RAZR phone. That
makes the user interface respond pretty instantaneously to the touch, and it
runs apps without a hitch. The user interface is built on standard Android plus
Motorola's customisations. These may not be in the same league as HTC Sense,
but they're an improvement on raw Android. The virtual keyboards available include
a standard multi-touch keyboard and a Swype-enabled one.
The screen on the RAZR is pretty big by any standards. Sized at 4.3 inches
with an incredible 540 x 960 pixel resolution, it uses Super AMOLED technology
to give a very bright, pinsharp display.
The camera is excellent too. With 8 megapixels, autofocus and an LED flash,
it's a match for most camera phones. The autofocus is fast, but exposure settings
don't always give perfect colour balance. Video is above average, recording
at full HD (1080p) resolution, without too much jerkiness being apparent.
The RAZR has GPS of course, powered by Google Maps, with Street View and Navigation
included.
The media player is a little different from most Android phones. Motorola have
customised it, giving easy access to internet radio as well as to your own music
collection.
Connectivity options are all present, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless
connections, USB for those who prefer wires, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and
a HDMI port for connecting to media devices. DLNA is supported. The phone handles
quadband GSM and 3G connections, making it a global phone, and HSDPA handles
data at up to 14.4Mbps download.
The web browser supports Flash and is very fast at rendering web pages.
There are a few other points worth noting. The quality of voice calls is above
average, thanks to a noise-cancelling second microphone. And the phone seems
to hold a signal very well too.
Battery life is always a challenge on Android smartphones, but the Droid RAZR
comes with a monster 1780mAh battery to help it get through the day. This is
significantly larger than most comparable phones, so even though the RAZR is
power-hungry, it should still last a minimum of a day between charges, and careful
users should be able to get a lot more.
The Motorola RAZR is an outstanding phone in so many ways, even if there are
a few minor idiosyncrasies, like the projecting bulge of the camera. It seems
to us that Motorola is working really hard to reinvent itself after an absence
of several years as a serious mobile phone manufacturer. The new Google involvement
is no doubt driving this. It realises that it has to over-deliver in order to
win back users' confidence, and that this process may take some time. Not many
buyers are yet ready to risk a Motorola, so there won't be many of these new
Droid RAZR phones in evidence, but if you're prepared to take a risk, you'll
probably be blown away in the same way that we've been. And you'll be grabbing
yourself a bargain too if you can find it cheaper than the rival
Samsung Galaxy S2.
Features of the Motorola RAZR include:
- Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
- 8 megapixel camera with autofocus 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 2.1 + EDR, 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 7.1 mm
- Weight: 127g
- Battery: 1780 mAh Li Ion Polymer
- Talktime: 562 minutes
- Battery standby: 305 hours
Motorola RAZR 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 16 reviews:
Reviewed by bongani mlilo from south africa on
20th Jan 2013
absolutely amazing, technology has never been this good,way to go motto
I love it
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Dan Clark from England on 27th Oct
2012
Wrote how impressed I was with the phone back in February and am still
loving using it :) It is now running Android 4.0.4 Icecream Sandwich
which has made it even better to use
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by kirk from uk on 5th May 2012
We have tried many phones in our company, iphone 4,4s,Blackberry bolds
9900 and to date they all have had ONE major issue, battery life. Many
of the smart phones out there have all the bells and whistles but whats
the point if it has to be tethered by a charging lead. The Razr to date
has proofed to last easily 2 days before needing a charge, its call
quality has been better then the iphones and the gmail works seamlessly
with the phone. We will be using these phones for work now and look
forward to the Max arriving that has an even longer battery life.
Great phone.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ian from Australia on 25th Apr 2012
Best phone I've ever had. Always a fan of Motorola so very happy to
give them a go again after having a Nokia N8 for a year.(piece of rubbish
that was)
Very fast, apps load and run well, everything works nicely. Mine came
with the car dock and home dock for free.(work/play kit..) Car dock
automatically goes to navigation menu when phone is in it, really nice.
Home dock also excellent with a night time mode so phone is just like
an alarm clock.
Camera could be better, otherwise superb!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 8th Apr 2012
Love this phone! Works great, much better signal than my old phone (HTC
Legend), no lags when typing, rapid installation of apps. The biggest
bonus is that it feels solid in the hand and stands out from the crowd
of Galaxy S2s and iphones!
Rating:
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Reviewed by jon from uk on 5th Apr 2012
brilliant fone
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jon from UK on 17th Mar 2012
Wanted it, Got it, Love it. Had lots of the top end phones, from the
GS2, iPhone 4s to HTC sensation, LG Optimus 3d. This is the best duel
core phone I've had. Shame not many networks are offering it.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Wonky from Wales on 10th Mar 2012
I've had the razr since early January and its been brilliant. It's hard
to believe how far android has come and it really shows on a phone as
powerful and well designed as this. Can't recommend enough really. And
when you look at it next to it's competition (I'm looking at you galaxy
s2 and iphone) it make them look like phones from another century!!
Really. The only other phone I've seen that cut such a dash is the new
sony xperia s that my wife has just bought. Motorola are back big time.
You gotta remember that android is owned by google and the also now
own motorola, so this is the future really. I notice that android is
now being built into a number of cars (BMW, Lamborgini and Toyota),
which tells me that the world is gonna be all android very soon as apple
don't seem to have any car integration deals. So what better than a
really brilliant android phone to see in this new age. There's not many
to rival this and the ICS update can only make it better. And on top
of that it's a bargain if you shop around.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Ryan from Manchester UK on 7th Mar
2012
Got the Razr today been excitedly waiting for it for past few days,
I was giving up my iPhone4S for this bad boy, I reviewed it to death
and it had everything I wanted in a phone, but some things you cant
judge til you get your hands on it, well, the size, the look, and the
screen are probably the best I have seen on a mobile, it all just works,
rather than bleat on about whats good Ive decided not to keep it is
because when you leave the world of iOS and have had everything easy
it makes you lazy and moving to Android is a big leap, the only real
reason that put me off is the fact that trying to get earphones for
it that work as handsfree is a real pain, most manufacturers aim for
the Apple market but any product that works for iPhone WILL NOT work
on the Razr, bar a Klipsch S4A I couldnt find any other decent ones
and being a HGV driver handsfree calling is a must without using a battery
draining bluetooth.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Dan Clark from England on 16th Feb
2012
Awesome phone. Totally blown away by what it can do and how fast it
is. Highly recommended :)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Marwan Zalaf from Israel on 1st Feb
2012
A svelte robust yet good in the hand feeling. The menu and widgets/icons
are great. Intuitive to use and easy to get to grips with the software.
The screen and display is very good and clear. My friend is so happy
with her phone that I would like one, but can't afford one. Mobile phones
are a very expensive luxury here.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Helen from England on 25th Jan 2012
I just love this phone and find it far superior to other Android phones
I've tried. It's a piece of cake to use and has so many features that
even non-techies will find easy to use. I love the fact that I can access
my Kindle books on it too which cuts down the amount of "equipment"
I need to carry around. They seem hard to come by in the UK, which is
a pity because I feel it takes some beating.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jonathan from UK on 22nd Jan 2012
This is a great phone, I cant understand why UK operators aren't supplying
it! I ordered mine from a retailer on Orange. So far it has been worth
the 'risk', The pros- hdmi port, motocast (allows you to access your
computer's files over the internet), Great Screen, the speed of the
device (including web pages) The cons- Some of the social software isn't
great, i've got (free) apps which do it much better! Not on ICS yet
although an update has been promised for "early 2012"- Im sceptical
as to when this will arrive however! The phone is very wide- it really
dwarfs the Iphone! I like this but despite the thinness it has been
dubbed "the brick" already! All in all a great phone, feels premium
in the hand and really delivers, minus a few minor software niggles
which are easily avoided!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Adel from Egypt on 12th Jan 2012
one of the most top rated Mobile
Rating:
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Reviewed by Phillip from United Kingdom on 11th
Jan 2012
It comes with a fixed non-removable battery - making it difficult to
pop in a fully-charged standby battery. What a shame - I'd prefer the
Atrix 2 simply for its replaceable battery.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Ghanshyam Gandhi from India on 10th
Jan 2012
this a new phone for india from motorola and that is only one phone
which have dual-core-dual processor
Rating:
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