Motorola Razr Droid Review

  

    At one point not too long ago, high-end Android powered smartphones were considered to be a rarity in the landscape, but in the last couple of years alone, it seems we've been inundated by them – to the point that the market was over-saturated. In fact, it seemed like every month (even weeks), some kind of high-end device was being announced or launched, which made it very difficult for consumers to separate the great from the greatest. Looking back at it now, there's no arguing that we've been jaded by it all, since our expectations have become rather cutthroat in what is perceived to be a game changing device.

   Combining two of the most memorable brand names in phone history, the Motorola DROID RAZR is bent on establishing itself as the poster child of tomorrow's next-generation Android smartphone selection. On one hand, it follows in the same stylistic manner that made people fall in love with the original Motorola RAZR from back in the day – thanks to its insane razor thin profile construction. Meanwhile, it doesn't skimp out from what we've seen already in the past, considering that it's packed to the brim with some cutting-edge technology to make it one drool-worthy smartphone – like its 4G LTE connectivity, Super AMOLED display, and dual-core processor.

Design:

   Game changing! That perfectly sums up the overall design of the Motorola DROID RAZR seeing that it flaunts one of the most compelling handset designs in recent memory. We're not kidding about that, because going forward, all other smartphones have to live up to its mark.

   Aesthetically, it combines the designs of the Motorola DROID X series and the PHOTON 4G, but it's able to dramatically separate itself from them thanks to its remarkable razor thin construction. Right off the bat, we're mesmerized by its 0.28" (7.1mm) thickness – making it the thinnest smartphone on the market. However, it's not uniform because of the hump towards the top where the camera sensors are placed. Regardless of that, it's an incredible engineering masterpiece to behold considering that it packs 4G LTE connectivity. And to complement its svelte appearance, it's by far one of the lightest smart phones in its size category.

Look & Feel

  

   We have already gotten through the point that the Motorola Razr is a very slim phone, for most purposes. However, while it is slim, there is a problem that we hadn’t envisaged - the phone feels too big! While it is a 4.3-inch display - same as the HTC Sensation XE and the Samsung Galaxy SII, the bezel around the display makes it the thickest among all three. And is the tallest when standing vertically.

    Below the display are four touch sensitive keys - Options, Home, Return and Search. You can hardly see the 1.3MP video chat camera above the display, hidden away nicely in the dark coloured bezel. On the top spine is the 3.5mm headphone jack, the micro USB port and the mini HDMI out. The right spine has the power key (silver in colour) and the volume rocker below it. Since the battery bay isn't accessible, Motorola has allowed access to the SIM card slot and the microSD card slot on the left spine. There are two problems here, though. First, the flap that opens to allow access to these two slots is quite flimsy. It is the only plasticky bit on this phone, and while the rest of the phone is extremely classily built, this just feels very cheap. And it doesn’t stay down while you are inserting the SIM or the memory card - has to be held down with a finger during the entire process. Secondly, the review unit that we received did not indicate how the micro SIM card is supposed to go in - connectors at the bottom or the connectors at the top. We learnt it the hard way when we slid it in with the connectors (golden coloured bit) facing downward, while it was supposed to go in the other way round.

Motorola RAZR Key Features

• Powered by Android 2.3.6, Gingerbread
• Dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB RAM for a fast user interface and multi-tasking
• 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video capture and image stabilization technology for crisp and clear videos
• Front-facing HD camera for video chat over 3G or Wi-Fi
• KEVLAR^® fiber for strength and Corning^®
• Gorilla^® Glass for scratch resistance
• Water repellent coating protects the phone, and even the inside components, against everyday spills
•  Comes in Shadow Black or Glacier white
•  Preloaded with the Motorola MotoCast^™ app gives you the power to stream or download content from your PC straight toyour device so your personal content is always within reach¹
• Remote wipe, pin lock and government-grade encryption for email, calendar and contacts as well as voice and video chat conferencing
•  Use Quickoffice^® to view, create and edit Microsoft^® Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on your mobile device from anywhere at anytime
• Bluetooth^® 4.0 low energy
• 32 GB memory: 16 GB on board and 16 GB microSD^™ card pre-installed (actual formatted capacity is less)
• Powerful 1780 mAh battery

      Without doubt, the new Razr looks absolutely fantastic. Manages to pack in a lot of power in what Motorola calls "the world's slimmest phone". While it isn't bullet proof, you can still boast about the Kevlar layer on the rear panel! The only thing we say going against it is the price, when up against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy SII and the HTC Sensation, all offering similar performance. Maybe it’s the looks!

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