Rezound or Razr M

[AmishButcher]

Hello all...the time has come to upgrade, so I'm gathering info on potential phones. So I've narrowed it down to these two. VZW offers the Rezound for $79 online (it was $199 in the store today) and the Razr M is $99. I've got the DINC 2 currently and the DINC before that, so already leaning towards HTC...but it looks like the Razr M is quite a phone for the $ and it leads me to my biggest hesitation at this this point - it's NEW vs. the almost yr old Rezound at this point. If I went Rezound it would be almost 3yrs old by the time my contract expires. Don't get me wrong, the stats on the Rezound are impressive but I can invision it left for dead in terms of OTA droid updates by this time next year (as the case with my DINC 2).

So I guess it boils down to a year old pimp phone vs a brand new mid level.

I will surely root whichever I choose, am current running CM on my DINC2

My main uses for the phone are Web, Games, pics and random YouTube clips...not big into streaming music or video.

Also, I guess the Rezound ships with some decent Beats ear buds, nothing top of the line, but above average and that is a plus also (for my iPod, ha).

I appreciate any responses or input from you guys...THANKS!

 

[AmishButcher]

Oh, in researching, I am confused on the 4G network described for the phones:
Rezound - LTE 700
Razr M - LTE 700 / 800 / 1700 / 1800 / 2600

Yes I'm new to most of this, but does this mean something like the Razr M comes pre-loaded with more compatibility to an upgraded LTE Network?

Source:
HTC Rezound vs. Motorola RAZR M - GSMArena.com

 

[HowardZ]

In the news, verizon purchased some new frequency bands for lte, and is selling off some of its 700 mhz holdings in some areas.

Thus far lte has been only in the 700 mhz band, but it appears this will be changing. Perhaps in a few years the rezound will be obsolete? Probably there will continue to be compatibility for many years.

Recently my adult daughter caused minute overage on our family plan averaging two hours of talking per day. There is a $95 charge to terminate her phone service. The alternative is to pay $10 per month for six months and terminate without any penalties. So her phone number was transferred to my old LG phone and it works fine. It sits on the kitchen table unused - occasionally making noises when her friends text or call. Point is the only verizon phone that ever got obsolete was my old analog bag phone from over a decade ago. Now that was a great Motorola bag phone!

 

[TisMyDroid]

Welcome to DF AmishButcher. That is a tough decision because I think what you will find when you go to play with them is that you are looking at two excellent phones. My son has the rezound and there has been absolutely no problems with his phone at all... great signal, takes great pics, great display, no drops and his update to ICS has been flawless (I did an fdr, so think that helped for his update).

I think the advantages to the razr will be the faster processor, that it will get jelly bean fairly soon, and I expect it to have great radios in the Motorola tradition. I am curious how the difference in the display will be between the two & difference in cameras. Even though both have same size display, the difference in phone size may play a factor in your choice.

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[Garemlin]

The Rezound is a good device. Problem it is almost a year old device. Specs are very similar across the board and I have heard that the Rezound does have decent reception. Moto goes without saying in regards to reception. It is a Moto after-all. Not sure if the Rezound will see JB or not. The M will and prolly beyond. And it (Rezound) is kind of a brick. Especially with the extended battery. If I was gonna be killing an upgrade I think I would go for the new hotness that will see updates for at least another year over a device that is prolly gonna be hitting EOL pretty soon.

Just food for thought. You can buy a used Rezound now for around $250.


Oh and welcome to the forum!!!

 

[TMYINC]

When it comes to rooting a phone I will always choose HTC over Motorola. This is due to the bootloader and the ability to unlock the phone. Motorola always has great hardware so that plays a factor in too. I have a Bionic, Rezound, Thunderbolt, and the original Razr. Well I gave the Thunderbolt to my wife to replace her outdated DInc lol. I like the ability to switch kernels, tweak vsels and so on so HTC is higher on my list. With the new Kexec development it might be possible for us to do that on Motorola devices but for now it's still a work in progress, but the devs are doing awesome with it. I feel Motorola will get more frequent OTAs the HTC which is great for unrooted phones or for leak development. My poor Thunderbolt is still stuck on GB lol. All this is just my 2 cents in helping you make a decision. I love Android so I make any phone work lol.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[MrSmith317]

Not to add incentive for the RAZR M(especially since I don't appreciate 3 iterations of the same exact phone), but with the RAZR M and beyond Moto-Google is going to start unlocking the bootloader or at least like HTC give a way to unlock the bootloader(which I believe is already up and running).

 

[bsweetness]

The Rezound is a good device. Problem it is almost a year old device. Specs are very similar across the board and I have heard that the Rezound does have decent reception. Moto goes without saying in regards to reception. It is a Moto after-all. Not sure if the Rezound will see JB or not. The M will and prolly beyond. And it (Rezound) is kind of a brick. Especially with the extended battery. If I was gonna be killing an upgrade I think I would go for the new hotness that will see updates for at least another year over a device that is prolly gonna be hitting EOL pretty soon.

Just food for thought. You can buy a used Rezound now for around $250.


Oh and welcome to the forum!!!

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. There are more similarities than differences between the two, but probably the biggest difference (and it is a major difference) is the processor. The Snapdragon S4 in the M is an extremely efficient processor. Not only does it provide for faster operation, but it also gives a big boost to battery life. The M also has a much smaller footprint overall, while still retaining the same size screen as the Rezound.

Personally, if I were buying on contract and had to choose between the Rezound and the M, I'd go with the M. The Rezound is a great device, but I'd have a tough time using an upgrade on a phone that old, especially when it can be purchased inexpensively off-contract. If I really wanted the Rezound at this stage in the game, I'd buy it off contract and save the upgrade for a big time release in the future that I could either keep for myself or turn around and sell for $500+. Also, as already noted, the M will probably see a longer period of official support for future updates, which is always a major consideration when looking to have a phone for the length of an entire two year contract.

 

[bsweetness]

Not to add incentive for the RAZR M(especially since I don't appreciate 3 iterations of the same exact phone), but with the RAZR M and beyond Moto-Google is going to start unlocking the bootloader or at least like HTC give a way to unlock the bootloader(which I believe is already up and running).

Motorola has said that they'll only do that with carrier approval. Since developer editions for the RAZR M (along with the RAZR HD) have already been announced, it's safe to assume that the RAZR M and RAZR HD sold by Verizon will not have unlockable bootloaders. If the plan was to allow them to be unlocked, there'd be no reason for the developer editions.

But that does bring up a good point to consider. If you're really into flashing custom ROMs, the RAZR M sold through Verizon probably won't give you as many options as the Rezound would. You'll still be able to root once an exploit is found, but custom ROM options will be limited with a locked bootloader.

 

[AmishButcher]

Appreciate the feedback guys...Thank you!!! I've never owned a Moto, my experience with SmartPhones has been a BB Storm (i will never speak of again) then the DINC/DINC2. I've never had an issue with the radio on both HTC's, so while the Moto may be better, that alone will not sway my decision. My 2 biggest concerns are the Rezound's current age and therefore being abandoned by VZW (and it looks like I'm not alone in thinking this) and screen resoloution. While both Razr M and Rezound are 4.3" displays, the Rezound is 720p vs. Razr M's 540 x 960 (a slight upgrade over my DINC2). The Razr M also is stated to come with "Corning Gorilla Glass", anyone have any experience, input on this?

The only difference in cams I see (from the specs, anyway) is 2.0mp vs. the VGA FFCam.
Beats Audio is not a buying factor, I have an iPod Classic for me music and either one of these phones won't change that.
In terms of rooting, I have done the S-Off/Root/Flash Rom process, but I'm not an everyday flasher and at least at the surface, switching kernals has seemed a lil over my noobie head. My main objective in rooting is simply to delete the ridiculous amount of bloatware pre-loaded by my friend VZW. Although I will admit that the version of Cyanogenmod I've been running has been extremely stable and had no issues with my phone since flash.

I do prefer a lil heavier phone actually, had the Galaxy SIII in my hand at the VZW store today and it felt like a post-it note in my hand...equal parts impressive and scary.

Also, what about not being able to pull the batter on the Razr M? Should that scare me? Lord knows a good 'ol battery pull has been necessary on ALL the smartphone's I've had when the hamsters inside fall asleep.

Honestly, if it weren't so old (to START a 2yr contract with, not calling it old) I think this would be a no brainer for me with the HTC...but the flip side then would be it wouldn't be at it's current $79 price then either.

Thanks again for all the good info and warm welcome, looks I'll be here to stay, just a matter of which subforum...that being said, time to plant my flag - Go Steelers!!

 

[AmishButcher]

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. There are more similarities than differences between the two, but probably the biggest difference (and it is a major difference) is the processor. The Snapdragon S4 in the M is an extremely efficient processor. Not only does it provide for faster operation, but it also gives a big boost to battery life. The M also has a much smaller footprint overall, while still retaining the same size screen as the Rezound.

EXCELLENT INFO my friend, thank you!!!!

 

[bsweetness]

Appreciate the feedback guys...Thank you!!! I've never owned a Moto, my experience with SmartPhones has been a BB Storm (i will never speak of again) then the DINC/DINC2. I've never had an issue with the radio on both HTC's, so while the Moto may be better, that alone will not sway my decision. My 2 biggest concerns are the Rezound's current age and therefore being abandoned by VZW (and it looks like I'm not alone in thinking this) and screen resoloution. While both Razr M and Rezound are 4.3" displays, the Rezound is 720p vs. Razr M's 540 x 960 (a slight upgrade over my DINC2). The Razr M also is stated to come with "Corning Gorilla Glass", anyone have any experience, input on this?

The only difference in cams I see (from the specs, anyway) is 2.0mp vs. the VGA FFCam.
Beats Audio is not a buying factor, I have an iPod Classic for me music and either one of these phones won't change that.
In terms of rooting, I have done the S-Off/Root/Flash Rom process, but I'm not an everyday flasher and at least at the surface, switching kernals has seemed a lil over my noobie head. My main objective in rooting is simply to delete the ridiculous amount of bloatware pre-loaded by my friend VZW. Although I will admit that the version of Cyanogenmod I've been running has been extremely stable and had no issues with my phone since flash.

I do prefer a lil heavier phone actually, had the Galaxy SIII in my hand at the VZW store today and it felt like a post-it note in my hand...equal parts impressive and scary.

Also, what about not being able to pull the batter on the Razr M? Should that scare me? Lord knows a good 'ol battery pull has been necessary on ALL the smartphone's I've had when the hamsters inside fall asleep.

Honestly, if it weren't so old (to START a 2yr contract with, not calling it old) I think this would be a no brainer for me with the HTC...but the flip side then would be it wouldn't be at it's current $79 price then either.

Thanks again for all the good info and warm welcome, looks I'll be here to stay, just a matter of which subforum...that being said, time to plant my flag - Go Steelers!!

The difference in screen resolution is a legitimate question. From the reviews, the qHD screen on the M is one of the best qHD screens out there. I'd go to Verizon at take a look at both screens and see what you think about the differences. Coming from the Incredible 2, either will be an improvement. Gorilla Glass just means it's a type of fortified glass that's stronger than regular glass. Most smartphones have some sort of fortified glass like that, with Gorilla Glass being the most well-known.

With ICS and beyond, you can freeze most bloatware natively in Android without the need for root. So that's something you're going to be able to do from here on out even if you decide not to root (although rooting will allow for more things to be frozen and for more customization options).

Not being able to do an actual battery pull isn't something to worry about at all with the M. Like all phones with non-removable batteries, there will be a series of button presses that do a simulated battery pull. While I'm not sure what they are for the M, on the RAZR/MAXX, all you had to do was press and hold the volume down and power button together for about ten seconds. As far as the phone is concerned, that's the same thing as pulling the battery out. I'm sure the M has a similarly easy process.

 

[acejavelin]

... My main objective in rooting is simply to delete the ridiculous amount of bloatware pre-loaded by my friend VZW...

This shouldn't be a real issue anymore, unless space is a major concern and generally speaking it shouldn't be, with ICS (and I assume JB and beyond) you can disable even firmware applications, hiding them away from the system, app drawer, and file extension associations, so that the phone acts like they do not exist. It is a very similar process to TiBu or Ultimate Backup "Freezing" an application.

Many people I know root for this reason only, so with the ability to do this in the operating system rooting is not a real concern to most of them.

 

[HowardZ]

I had a very bad experience with the last ota to my Motorola Droid X. It was an extreme amount of work to regain root with 621.

I swore I'd never buy another Motorola phone.

HTC is nice that they officially sanction and assist unlocking the bootloader which makes rooting a breeze. It is also simple to replace the recovery with a custom recovery which does backups and can install roms.

Personally I would stay away from Motorola and look at htc and Samsung as being far more root friendly.

Also consider leaving verizon if others like t-Mobile happen to have good coverage in your area and fast data.

If my contract with Verizon was over, I'd consider the new Samsung galaxy nexus II purchased directly from Google and use it on tmobile.

 

[nikecar]

Perhaps in a few years the rezound will be obsolete?!

every phone will be obsolete in a few yrs

The Rezound is a good device. Problem it is almost a year old device. Specs are very similar across the board and I have heard that the Rezound does have decent reception. Moto goes without saying in regards to reception. It is a Moto after-all. Not sure if the Rezound will see JB or not. The M will and prolly beyond. And it (Rezound) is kind of a brick. Especially with the extended battery. If I was gonna be killing an upgrade I think I would go for the new hotness that will see updates for at least another year over a device that is prolly gonna be hitting EOL pretty soon.

Just food for thought. You can buy a used Rezound now for around $250.


Oh and welcome to the forum!!!

now that we have ICS, the data drops have gone. Its a great phone, but yes, its outdated, just like in 1 yr, the M will be too.