[Quick Review] Motorola Droid Razr

[WenWM]

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Overview:

For months we saw leaks of a sick device with specs that seemed unreal; the device was announced early this month and here is our review for it. When originally announced, the Droid Razr was a phone in its own class; the device harnessed the power of technology to become the world's thinnest phone, made out of uncommon materials. The RAZR sounded so great on paper that I had to get it the day it was launched, and here are my thoughts about the device.

Using the Droid Razr, in my experience, is identical to the Droid Bionic; the device has a similar processor, same user interface, and same version of Android. Essentially the Droid Razr is the Bionic in a thinner, more attractive body. Its hardware has everything you would need. The qHD display is quite amazing when watching movies, the thinness actually caused me to lose track of it on several occasions, and the Kevlar back makes me just want to take a bullet to see if it helps. This phone is really just top of the line in everything, but sadly it has one design flaw; it's just too wide. The phone feels awkward in any hand I put it in, and just doesn't feel comfortable to hold. I say this even though I own a Galaxy S II (4.5 inch version) from T-Mobile. There are certainly good things about this phone, but this is a big issue for me, and it could be for others as well. It also has a few other smaller issues that I have detailed below.

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Here's the breakdown:

Good:

• qHD resolution
• Fast processor
• Gorilla Glass
• Fast 4G
• Development community backed (Droidforums)

Bad:

• Weirdly shaped (wide, and thick on top)
• No hard camera button
• Bad screen technology
• Price
• Battery life is not the best; still pretty good in general though!

Ratings:

10/10: Speed and Multitasking
7/10: Camera Quality
8/10: Browsing Experience
7/10: Music Playback
10/10: Network
6/10: Pricing
7/10: Overall Rating

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Would I buy it?
I cannot honestly say that I would buy this device. It's impressive, but the Bionic is just as good --if not better. The Bionic has almost identical features, just without the awkward feeling I get when I use the device. Plus the Bionic has a slightly cheaper price.

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Recommend it?
No; the Bionic is probably a better buy(cheaper, easier to hold, and with removable battery) and the Galaxy Nexus is a great alternative if you are willing to wait. I was overall a bit disappointed in this phone, and it is not worth signing a new contract, IMHO. You're better off sticking to your OG Droid or whatever you have now and checking out this device next to the Galaxy Nexus or the next generation of devices coming in a few months.

 

[tjk629]

The first picture looks like a black hole.

 

[NoBloatware]

You know what they say about guys with small hands...

 

[bppump911]

Price Seems Irrelevant

With all current Android offerings on sale at Amazon for a penny, how does price matter anymore? Also, doesn't this type of pricing anger those who paid full boat?

 

[xsylus]

The build-quality, features and design shape make the RAZR seem desirable but the locked bootloader made me pause and then finding out it doesn't have a removable battery was the final straw to convince me that the RAZR is not for me. I'm hoping the Droid 4 will offer more since the design of the Droid 4 is similar to the RAZR but it seems that Motorola just keeps missing the mark with their devices because for every good feature they add, they tend to cut a corner somewhere else. I honestly don't see why Verizon or any carrier needs to have the power to decide whether a bootloader is locked and I don't see why the RAZR couldn't have a battery door. :blink: I'm also slightly annoying that so many of these devices no longer include a physical dedicated camera button. :dry: I'm sticking with my OG Droid 1 for as long as I can because I can't find a device I like better all the way around. While I wish my Droid 1 had a faster processor and more internal storage space I'm glad it doesn't have blur and that I can run vanilla Gingerbread on my Droid 1.

 

[jroc]

I honestly feel the same way IF you have a Bionic already and it works fine and you're happy with it. I absolutely see no need to switch.

Choosing right now tho between the 2? Tougher call. Even tougher when you factor in the G Nex and Rezound. Coming from a Droid X1, I really can't tell its wider unless I have both phones. And I was fine with the width of the DX1.

And I had a revelation about the removable battery... the big downside tho is if you have a phone with a bad battery, the whole phone needs to get sent in.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[mastacox]

Coming from an OG Droid I can tell you without question you ARE NOT better sticking with the OG if you're up for renewal. If you're suffering through constant hot-booting and slow overall performance like I was, the RAZR (or Bionic) is a night-and-day upgrade. There are a few other points I disagree with in this review, first and foremost being "staying with your OG Droid." Are you better off waiting for a Nexus? Possibly, but the problem in my book is there will ALWAYS be a better phone just around the corner. You can't stay paralyzed in fear that you won't have the best phone in existence, when it's 100x better than your current phone.

My wife has a Bionic and I have a RAZR. Side by side they are an interesting comparison, and there are some differences not mentioned:

- The RAZR's Super AMOLED display has more vibrant color and far better contrast ratios than the Bionic's display. Watching movies or viewing pictures is overall a more enjoyable experience on the Razr- colors are richer and more vibrant. Look at the two phones side by side and you'll see what I mean. The high contrast ratio is a double-edged sword though, because the RAZR's display can appear slightly more "pixelated" in high-contrast small text on solid color backgrounds. A good example of this is the small red-on-black text found in the Youtube app- the text is obviously a line of small red dots (because the letters are basically one pixel wide). This effect is less obvious on the Bionic because even though it has the same resolution in a pentile arrangement (although its sub-pixels may be a different size), the lower contrast ratio makes it harder to discern the individual dots.

- The RAZR has Motocast, the next-generation version of the Bionic's Zumocast software. Motocast is better made and integrated than Zumocast, and as far as I can tell Zumocast cannot be upgraded to Motocast by the user. This will apparently require an update from Motorola (an update is rumored to be in the works, so maybe this will be included).

- Bionic appears to have somewhat better battery life using 3g and Wifi (which is why we got it for my wife). Not sure about 4g life, but there's no doubt that it's a battery hog for either phone. I have used my Razr with 4g, and it was mind-blowing how fast it was!

- Bionic is narrower and thicker (obvious), weight "feels" about the same even though the Razr is technically 20% lighter. Weight is obviously not a killer in either case.

- Car dock for the RAZR and Bionic are similar in features, although I personally like having the plugs for the RAZR which are all located on the top (vs. Bionic's side and top for micro USB/HDMI and earphone).

 

[regkilla]

The Droid 4 will not have an unremovable battery too. Future Motorola phones will not have removable batteries. That's the future of mobile phones.

 

[Shadez]

The Droid 4 will not have an unremovable battery too. Future Motorola phones will not have removable batteries. That's the future of mobile phones.

You mean the Droid 4 will have an unremoveable battery I know just a typo..

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

Well, I have a Bionic, but I must take exception (and a minor exception at that) to the OP's claim that the Razr is just too wide (because I am in a "Nit Picking" mood ). In actuality the Razr is only 0.08" wider than the Bionic. It is 0.13" taller than the Bionic and 0.15" thinner than the Bionic. I do support the OP's claim that they are essentially the same phone. The main difference is the screens. Once screen does colors better and the other can be viewed in sunlight better. Both good phones, just slightly different.
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[Dave12308]

The build-quality, features and design shape make the RAZR seem desirable but the locked bootloader made me pause and then finding out it doesn't have a removable battery was the final straw to convince me that the RAZR is not for me. I'm hoping the Droid 4 will offer more since the design of the Droid 4 is similar to the RAZR but it seems that Motorola just keeps missing the mark with their devices because for every good feature they add, they tend to cut a corner somewhere else. I honestly don't see why Verizon or any carrier needs to have the power to decide whether a bootloader is locked and I don't see why the RAZR couldn't have a battery door. :blink: I'm also slightly annoying that so many of these devices no longer include a physical dedicated camera button. :dry: I'm sticking with my OG Droid 1 for as long as I can because I can't find a device I like better all the way around. While I wish my Droid 1 had a faster processor and more internal storage space I'm glad it doesn't have blur and that I can run vanilla Gingerbread on my Droid 1.

Droid 4 is essentially the RAZR with a slide out keyboard. The non-removable battery will remain in order to keep the thin form factor.

 

[Dave12308]

The Droid 4 will not have an unremovable battery too. Future Motorola phones will not have removable batteries. That's the future of mobile phones.

No, future THIN and LIGHT Motorola phones will have non-removeable batteries. Full-thickness devices will likely retain removeable batteries, extended batteries are extremely important to some customers.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

You give it props for qHD, then list in the bad that it has bad screen technology? What am I missing?

Awkward in your hand? Do you have small hands? It feels find in my hand.

 

[SnoDrtRider]

My Razr felt odd in my hand at first mainly (I think) because of needing to get used to the power button location on the side after the two years it was on top with the OG. After getting used to the Power Button location it felt better but still not quite right. I resisted getting a case because it would bulk up the phone but wanted the protection. I opted for the Verizon Case/Holster with the kickstand so it would fit into my Navi Dock. Much to my surprise the phone immediately felt a lot better in my hand with the case.

Maybe the Razr is too thin for it's size for some people...???

 

[RETG]

No, future THIN and LIGHT Motorola phones will have non-removeable batteries. Full-thickness devices will likely retain removeable batteries, extended batteries are extremely important to some customers.

What?