Review: Motorola Droid RAZR Is Super Thin, Super Fast, and Super Expensive

Name: Motorola Droid RAZR

Carrier: Verizon

Price: $300 (w/two-year contract)

The Back Story: 

Back in 2004, Motorola altered a dungeon phone diversion when it introduced one of a many stylish and trendsetting handsets ever created: a Motorola RAZR. Remembered many for a skinny profile, aluminum finish, and horrible battery life, a RAZR became a outrageous strike offered over 130 million units during a four-year run. But as a mobile meridian changed, Motorola motionless to close adult a fan-fav model, while operative on a new authorization that would lead a brigade for Google’s new Android mobile OS: a Droid. After apropos a many renouned Android handset on a market, Moto felt it was time to revive a Razr name and give it a Android diagnosis to emanate the Droid RAZR.

Combining a slim form cause of a strange with today’s high-powered specs, a new RAZR has a steer set on a Android throne this holiday season. And with a slimmest form of any Android phone on a market, along with clever benchmarks and Verizon’s LTE network, it unequivocally has a intensity of capturing it. But can it live adult to a overhype?

Dope

• Slimmest, many prosperous smartphone pattern out: Motorola unequivocally sets a symbol for industrialized mobile designs by building a smartphone that’s slimmer than a CD box during 0.3 inches thick. In further to a slim arrangement, a association claims to have fabricated a framework around “sculpted potion and diamond-cut aluminum accents.” The front is reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass to forestall scratches and complicated damage, and a phone facilities water-repellent cloaking that guards a interior and extraneous from any H2O damage. But a many valued square of genuine estate comes in a form of a Kevlar posterior, that provides plain insurance and well-spoken hardness for a organisation grip.

•  Fast 4G and processor performance: All of Verizon’s LTE-enabled phones furnish lightening discerning formula and a Droid RAZR joins a soiree. Our Speedtest.net research showed us reaching download speeds of adult to 18Mbps and a plain 3Mbps for uploads. As usual, Android Market purchases zipped by execution in no reduction than 5 seconds, and websites and streamed YouTube videos installed instantaneously. The 1.2 GHz TI OMAP dual-core chip can take credit for a faster web performance, as good as a discerning navigation and rarely manageable arrangement feedback. Multitasking was also spot-on with no loiter benefaction after carrying 8 and programs using in a background.

• Smart Actions feature: Motorola’s been unequivocally pulling a Droid RAZR as a battery life preserver that promises adult to 30 percent some-more energy (est. 12.5 hrs of speak time). The handset does conduct to reason stronger charges interjection to Moto’s new Smart Actions application. The programmed module allows users to fist each section of extract from a battery by formulating triggers and environment actions on a phone to govern during specific times. For instance, we can send out notifications for charging and battery levels, appropriate a phone to reduce shade brightness, or put it to nap during sold hours. It’s also able of dwindling processor speed and negligence down information when a battery is nearby depletion. Even yet we managed a customary 8 hours on complicated use, a program did come in handy, and serves as a stepping mill for a destiny of mobile battery utilities. 

• Multimedia and corporate beast: There’s a ton of entertainment and business-centric facilities preloaded onto Moto’s handset. The new MotoCast app can tide media files (even iTunes and Windows playlists) from a phone to any concordant PC or laptop. Another overwhelming disdainful is a choice to perspective Netflix videos in HD quality—making it a initial phone to support high-def playback from a streaming service. Motorola also integrated an extended song actor that grabs manuscript art and lyrics from a Net, and a built-in podcatcher that retrieves newsfeeds and podcasts. Business-wise, a Droid RAZR comes with full Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, along with high-end confidence facilities such as remote wiping, PIN lock, and government-grade FIPS 140-2 encryption for emails, contacts, and calendar.

• Accessories galore: The manufacturer continues to hurl out a outrageous accessories preference with each new device. Besides charity a infancy of add-ons featured for a Droid Bionic and Atrix 2 (see a full list in a review), a Droid RAZR stands out by being a one phone that’s both concordant with dual opposite Laptop docks (100 and 500 Pro models) and runs smoother on Webtop mode than a Atrix. Another important additional is a Smart Controller: a remote that dons a touchpad and pinch-to-zoom functionality, permitting users to control a phone and perspective calm around HDTV or monitor. Check out a rest of a Droid RAZR accessories over during Motorola’s website.

• Huge storage capacity: For a phone that’s slimmer than a No. 2 pencil, Motorola manages to bucket it with tons of memory. Like a Droid Bionic, you’ll find a good 8GB of inner storage and a 16GB microSD label sitting in a memory enlargement slot. There’s always a choice of upgrading to a 32GB card, too.

 

Nope

• Expensive: Subscribers looking for an Android ascent this holiday deteriorate competence finish adult spending all their Christmas rob on a RAZR. But if we act quickly, Amazon is charity a phone for $200. Also keep in mind that if you’re large on accessories, adding several to a selling transport will run we an additional $200-$300 on average.

• Long and no behind access: In comparison to Moto’s compress dumbphones of a past, a new RAZR is a Lurch that stretches out at 5.2 x 2.7 inches. Luckily a lightweight and slim form make for a comforting slot fit.  Another emanate benefaction with a RAZR redesign is a Kevlar backend, that is hermetic close and prevents owners from accessing a battery compartment. So if there’s any energy issues, Motorola competence have to examine it open for you.

• Camera program bugs: Our demo section struggled to open a camera app, crashing several times and giving us a following blunder message: “camera is incompetent to initialize.” The automobile concentration also had difficulty targeting objects, while a shiver suffered a two-second check when gnawing shots.

Final Say: The Droid RAZR excels and prevails during mixing character and substance. It only does it during a large cost. Verizon’s LTE network is guaranteed to have we downloading and streaming calm during ridiculously discerning speed rates, while a dual-core will safeguard sprightly formula on a prolific end. The redesign is both strike and miss, as a phone’s slimness is remarkably attractive. On a other hand, a hermetic behind becomes a vital problem should a battery emanate arise. Luckily with a assistance of a Smart Actions feature, a new RAZR can do what it never could with prior models: reason a charge. But again, a phone’s biggest clamp is a cost tag. $300 for a phone that offers niche upgrades and near-identical opening to that of other Verizon-Android offerings is flattering steep, and will force consumers to check out some-more affordable selections. But if a income is there, or Santa blesses we with some complicated greenbacks, a Droid RAZR will sufficient as a good personal gift.

Tags: motorola, android, droid-razr, verizon, smartphone, 4g, lte