Droid RAZR Reviews: Master Compilation

dgstorm

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There are already several notable reviews for the Droid RAZR available even before the phone has been launched. We thought it would be useful, especially for those folks that are still undecided, to have a post and thread with a master compilation of RAZR Reviews from around the web. We are including 8 of the most noteworthy reviews compiled from reputable sites in the main story of this post. However, we also want you guys to either write your own mini-reviews in the thread, and/or add links to more reviews that you have found beyond the 8 in the main article. That way, we can compile a true master list of RAZR Reviews. Also, it's important to note that we did not choose these particular reviews over others for any particular reason. These were simply a smattering of the many well written reviews available and serve as a broad sample of what is out there.

Obviously, we can't include every detail from the reviews on these sites, so here is how we are organizing it. At the top, there will be a list of links to the 8 different reviews. Then, below that, we will list each one with a brief summary of notable features in their article, and a synopsis/conclusion quoted directly from their respective review That way, if you just want to read some brief final thoughts, or you want to pour over every detail in their articles, you will have options.
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Droid RAZR Review Links:
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[*]BGR - Motorola DROID RAZR review
This article was concise, but included just enough detail. They seemed to really like the aesthetics of the phone, and were impressed at all the features packed into the thin design. They had some quibbles with the Pentile display, but indicated that it was good for what it was. They also where not too thrilled with the width of the phone, and indicated that it was very difficult to use one-handed. They really liked the Smart Actions software that "lets you specify different actions for your phone to automatically perform based on locations", and they found the call quality to be excellent, although speakerphone was weak. They were very impressed with the battery life, and got days of standby out of it, even when using 4G occasionally. Overall, they loved the device, and even talked about its accessories a bit. Here is some of their conclusion:
The Motorola DROID RAZR has replaced Samsung’s Galaxy S II as the best Android device I’ve ever used. It’s ridiculously fast, incredibly thin and it runs on the fastest network in the country. It is also the first 4G device to finally show the world that it doesn’t have to be as thick as a brick or have battery life that forces you to invest in 12 chargers.

With a beautiful design, an amazing display and a thin profile that’s packed to the brim with the latest and greatest specs, the Motorola DROID RAZR is absolutely worthy of being Verizon’s flagship device for the holidays. While the physical size of the device is larger than I’d have liked, and one-handed usage can be tricky if you’re not used to the crop of large display’d devices of late, there are way more positives than negatives with the DROID RAZR

[*]PhoneArena - Motorola DROID RAZR Review
This review was several pages long and was jam-packed with information. They really loved the design and called it, "game changing!" and an "an incredible engineering masterpiece." With its slightly moisture-resistant design they indicated it was the most solid Moto design yet. They also made mention of the Pentile Matrix screen, but still enjoyed the rich colors and deep blacks it displays. They were actually impressed with the Motoblur (although no longer called that) that is running on top of Gingerbread 2.3.5, but they indicated that it is similar to what is on the Droid 3 or the Bionic, although a bit quicker. They liked that the software seems to have a deeper level of social integration, and their article went in-depth with even more of the software on the phone. They felt that the camera was similar to the Bionic, but not quite as good, and noticed a bluish hue on almost all pics, and some digital noise. They were also not impressed with the video quality of the camera, even in 1080p HD, probably due to lack of auto-focus for video, but instead has touch-focus. The reviewers did like the microHDMI port. They described the internet performance as impressive with "wicked speeds". They also really liked the Smart Actions software, and here is a description from them of it,
If you happen to be particular about having complete control in everything surrounding the DROID RAZR, the Smart Actions functionality will be especially appealing to you. Honestly, it turns the handset into your very own personal digital assistant – but the beauty in it is that it's actually smart! Basically, Smart Actions is a reminder system on steroids, seeing that it provides a wide array of actions based on specific triggers. For example, if you happen to activate the ‘work’ Smart Action, it'll know when you arrive at work due to your GPS coordinates, while at the same time, it can even automatically send a text to someone informing them that you've arrived safely.
This review wasn't quite as impressed with the battery life, yet they did indicate that it was good, and that you could get 10 hours of battery life even with LTE usage, which would facilitate nightly charging. Overall, they were in love with the phone as well, and practically gushed at the end. Here is a part of their final conclusion,
Bringing us back to memory lane, there's no arguing that the original Motorola RAZR was an iconic device that's seemingly forever ingrained into our minds, but on top of that, it showed us the kind of ingenuity behind Motorola. As the story goes, the RAZR eventually exhausted its ride, but Motorola managed to reignite that fire with the original Motorola DROID from a couple years ago. Now that the stage is set for a complete makeover, the Motorola DROID RAZR is by far the most compelling handset to step into the competitive landscape in recent memory.

In a time when high-end smartphones seem to be a dime a dozen, the Motorola DROID RAZR is able to captivate our attention above all others thanks to the brilliant engineering marvel that it beholds. For something so thin and light, it's almost impossible to even fathom that it's remarkably strengthened to offer superior durability over other contemporary smartphones. Meanwhile, it doesn't compromise on other things, which really amazes us even more knowing that it's choked full of cutting edge hardware to make it literally future proof in every way possible.

[*]TechCrunch - Motorola Droid RAZR Review: So Close, Yet So Far
I really liked the format of the TechCrunch review because they gave a summarized short version, as well as a fairly in-depth long version. However, they did seem to nit-pick the device a bit. Still, their opinion is less over-enthusiastic than the others, so their objectivity is appreciated, and they had several great pics of the phone. I will just quote from their short version for the tidbits, and then give you their conclusion from the long version after,
Pros:
7.1mm waist line makes the Droid RAZR the thinnest smartphone in the world
Truly beautiful and unique design paired with an equally gorgeous display
MOTOCast support — stream any media seamlessly between PC and handset

Cons:
Tends to overheat a bit, and thus slow down
Is so light that it feels cheap, and for a $299 phone that’s not exactly what you’re going for
This should be expected, but battery life was a bust
The reviewer's final thoughts,
All of Motorola’s pre-release hype set my expectations pretty high, but did the Droid RAZR manage to win me over? Almost. I still don’t think the lightweight feel lends itself well to the premium sort of experience Motorola was going for, and the RAZR’s battery left a lot to be desired. Even so, Motorola has managed to put together a really impressive (not to mention gorgeous) package with the Droid RAZR, and there’s a lot to like if you can live with a few shortcomings.

[*]AndroidCentral - Motorola Droid RAZR review
AndroidCentral's review was pretty thorough and packed in a ton of info, and a lot of pics. I also liked that they included a brief summary at the beginning. In their review, they agreed with BGR that the phone was too wide. They commented more fervently about of the fact that the battery was not removable, and weighed the pros and cons of that. Here is their initial summary, followed by their in-depth wrap-up,
The Good = It's fast, it's thin, it's got a gorgeous high-resolution display, and it's running the most recent version of Android available (at least for a few more weeks). Motorola has already promised an update to Ice Cream Sandwich. Good camera, and has Verizon 4G LTE data. The Bad = May be too large for some; is about the widest phone we've used. Battery can't be removed. Full of preloaded apps that you might or might not actually want. Conclusion = Yet another "best-of" phone for Verizon. But the Droid RAZR's size could be a bit much for some, and we've got real concerns about not being able to swap out the battery for a fresh one when needed.
Here is their wrap-up,
Chalk up another one in the "Best phone on Verizon" category. We keep saying that a lot for Big Red, but it's no less true. The Droid RAZR's got a great screen, the dual-core processor keeps things plenty speedy, and Motorola's customizations keep getting better with each iteration.

But we're very much aware of the fact that the Droid RAZR is a 4G LTE smartphone with a battery that can't be removed. That means you're either going to need to make sure you're able to plug in when needed -- and it's telling that Motorola included one of those little mobile battery banks in our review package. We'll give an update on battery life after we get a little more usage under our belts.

That relatively major caveat aside, one thing is abundantly clear after even just a short time: Bringing back the venerable RAZR name with the ever-improving Droid line should prove to be a winner for Verizon, as long as the battery holds out.

[*]CNet - Motorola Droid Razr
CNet's Editors did a short and "too the point" review of the RAZR. They didn't get overzealous with massive amounts of information or pictures, but they eloquently kept strictly to their opinions of the device. Furthermore, they also commented on the corporate and government friendly features of the phone, which has been largely ignored thus far by other reviewers. They included their own summary and conclusion that I will let speak for itself,
The good: The Motorola Droid Razr has an attractive, slim, and lightweight design that is also water repellent and scratch resistant. It has a fantastic 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Verizon's 4G/LTE speeds, plenty of multimedia features, corporate and government grade security, Webtop functionality, and decent battery life.

The bad: The Motorola Droid Razr's large size might feel awkward in small hands; we expected better picture quality from its 8-megapixel camera; and the battery is not removable.

The bottom line: With its razor-thin design, jam-packed features, and blazing speed, the Motorola Droid Razr is easily one of the year's top Android smartphones.

[*]Engadget - Motorola Droid RAZR review
Engadget's review was a good solid medium-length writeup that concentrated on the many of the primary features of the RAZR. They loved the "premium" feel and look of the device, although they too were a bit concerned about its width. They were not impressed with the display, although they didn't have any major complaints, which is pretty typical of a Pentile Matrix. (Interestingly, they weren't sure if it was a Pentile and were trying to get confirmation from Moto.) They bench-marked the phone and found it to be slightly slower than the SGS2, but faster than the HTC Amaze 4G. They were mostly happy with battery performance, and indicated that you might get 2 days out of it with only very-light usage. This reviewer again compared the camera to that found in the Bionic and found them to be similar. Once again, when talking about the software on the phone, they felt there was too much bloatware, but really loved the Smart Actions, tasking app. Their overall impression seemed rather ho-hum. Here is their final wrap-up,
Don't get us wrong -- the RAZR's beauty is not only skin deep. The LTE radio, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM make sure this sleek number is ready to run with the big boys. It kept pace with, and in some cases clearly outclassed its high-end competition. Despite its deficiencies in the display department and underwhelming battery life, the RAZR looks to be a perfectly viable alternative when considering the similarly-pricey Rezound and Galaxy Nexus, but we'll have to wait for our full reviews of those devices to say for sure. And don't forget: this one will only get better when ICS comes to Moto's slim slab of sexy.

[*]AndroidCommunity - DROID RAZR Review
AndroidCommunity's review was very complete, yet concise. It included a ton of benchmarks, pics and videos as well. The reviewer actually enjoyed the new Moto UI overlay, and the excellent performance of the phone. Interestingly, this reviewer really liked the camera on the phone, far more than any of the other reviewers. They indicated that the battery life was merely "OK" and even did some in-depth real-world tests of different situations that could drain the battery. Again, this reviewer mentioned the excessive width of the phone, but overall liked its feel. Here is their wrap-up,
This device is the clear new top choice for LTE devices on Verizon’s network. Where before this new wave of Motorola devices came out with the interface formerly known as Blur, now Motorola has hit a new stride and the whole device flies quite nicely. I’ve still got a bone to pick with the built-in gallery app, but that’s an argument for another day. Right now it’s all aces.

[*]SlashGear - Motorola DROID RAZR Review
SlashGear's article had a few videos and a massive amount of pics. They still packed in a decent bit of info about the device too, and where very objective. The device may be light, but it is so large that this reviewer actually found it tiring to hold for long periods of time. SlashGear seemed to like the Smart Actions just as much as the rest of the reviewers, and even found the UI enhancements to be useful. They described the camera as "not the best, but not the worst" both in picture and video quality. They loved the VZW LTE speeds of the device, but were mostly unimpressed with the battery performance. Overall, SlashGear leaves us with the impression that the phone focuses on style over substance (my words, not theirs). Here are their final words,
Unfortunately, like the original RAZR, there are also compromises made to achieve a slimline package. Motorola’s battery is, in our experience, insufficient, particularly if you want to make prolonged use of LTE – and, based on the speeds we’ve consistently seen from Verizon’s 4G, you really do want to use it – and the form-factor can be uncomfortable to hold over extended periods. The camera is an excellent example of how spec-sheet features aren’t the sum total of the story.

The first RAZR had fiddly buttons, a rubbish display, confusing software and a poor camera. It also marked a true shift in cellphone design, shaped the market and cemented itself as a style icon (despite Motorola’s best efforts to sour that as the years went on). The DROID RAZR won’t redefine the industry but it will undoubtedly be a fashion favorite, particularly for those who aren’t swayed by the incoming Galaxy Nexus’ slightly chunkier, curved design. Still, the experience of Ice Cream Sandwich on the narrower Nexus may give the DROID RAZR only a small window in which to make its mark.

We intend that these tidbits and links will help make your phone purchasing decisions a little easier. Don't forget to add your Droid RAZR comments in the forums. Also please add more links to reviews that you found helpful an interesting.
 
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wicked

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Great post David! :icon_ banana:
 

aaf709

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Yes it's a great post. This will give prospective RAZR owners something to read, in addition to playing with it in the store.
 

JohnnytheK

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Thanks for the great compilation of reviews, very helpful.

Now what though? Nearly all seemed positive but with slight disappointments here and there, but mostly a good phone.
Funny, perhaps not, that the battery is an issue. I think we all saw that!
If the phone was 1-1.5 mm thicker could they put in a 2,000 mAh battery in?

But the phone is thin! Yeah we see that. Well good we worked hard to make it thin!
I also feel it's too light, for me it cry's out for an otter box.
 

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kodiak799

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A couple of points:
1) The "smart actions" is a nice feature....But it sounds like a watered-down version of Tasker and Locale for the less savvy user. Not that the feature doesn't have value for a lot (even most) people, but Locale and Tasker are fantastic (although it does cost a few bucks).

2) Not sure how relevant speaker phone really is with all the bluetooth these days. But this reminds me of a long-time complaint which is WHY can't we get a smartphone with a decent speaker? Thin does nothing for me - I want a quality functional device that doesn't make tradeoff's in the interest of absurd thinness.
 

tjk629

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A couple of points:
2) Not sure how relevant speaker phone really is with all the bluetooth these days. But this reminds me of a long-time complaint which is WHY can't we get a smartphone with a decent speaker? Thin does nothing for me - I want a quality functional device that doesn't make tradeoff's in the interest of absurd thinness.

I still use mine a lot. Some for music and others if I just don't want my phone up to my face.
 
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