Motorola Droid Razr 32GB - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola Part number: DROIDRAZR32GB
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- 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.
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CNET editors' review
Motorola Droid Razr 32GB - black (Verizon Wireless) price range: $199.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 11/06/2011
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.
Editors' note: We've updated this review with the correct name of the processor. It is the TI OMAP 4430 processor. We've also updated the display portion of the review after closer comparison with competing handsets.
We lowered the rating of and removed the Editors' Choice Award designation from the Droid Razr on January 27, 2012, since reviewing the Droid Razr Maxx, its follow-up product, which offers much improved battery life.
When the Motorola Razr first debuted in 2004, it made headlines for its stunningly thin profile. Indeed, the Razr was the impetus behind the slim phone trend that dominated the industry for years. Because of its huge success, Motorola stuck to its superskinny phone formula, churning out identically thin handsets like the Slvr and the Krzr. The trend could only last for so long, however, and Motorola was soon in need of something new.
In 2009, Motorola came back swinging when it embraced the Android OS and launched the Motorola Droid. The Droid became the ultimate anti-iPhone with its "Droid Does" advertising campaign, and catapulted Android to the masses. Motorola was finally back, and in a big way. Motorola made other Android-based handsets like the Flipout and the Atrix 4G, but "Droid" is still arguably the company's most recognizable brand.
Yet, Motorola did have a few mishaps along the way. The Atrix suffered from poor data speeds during its initial launch, and the Droid Bionic was delayed for months after its initial announcement. Motorola would do well to release a showstopper of a phone to get back into the public's good graces.
Enter the Droid Razr. In one of the best marketing moves we've seen all year, Motorola has combined two of its most powerful brands into one phone. The Droid Razr is just as its name suggests: a powerful Droid smartphone packaged in the superskinny Razr design. It boasts all of the latest smartphone technologies like a dual-core processor, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and support for Verizon's 4G LTE network bundled inside an impossibly thin chassis that's also remarkably durable. The price will likely knock you off your feet, but then, so will the phone.
Design
Motorola claims that the Droid Razr is the thinnest phone in the world, and while we can't prove that, we're inclined to believe it's true. Measuring 5.14 inches long by 2.71 inches wide by 0.28 inch thick and weighing only 4.5 ounces, we were immediately struck by how slim and lightweight it felt, despite its large footprint. There's no denying the wow factor of the Razr's ultralight body, and it does indeed fit perfectly into our pants pocket. Yet, we felt it was a bit too large for our small hands (no thanks to the rather wide bezel surrounding the display), and the squared edges resulted in slight discomfort when held. It's also a tiny bit top heavy because of the hump in the back that houses the camera lens.
In order to accommodate such a skinny profile, Motorola sought innovative ways to construct the phone, resulting in quite the marvel of industrial design. Motorola claims the chassis is built out of diamond-cut aluminum, and the thin sheet of glass dominating the front is sculpted around the edges to fit just so. Instead of a regular battery cover, Motorola simply coated the back in Kevlar, which has a surprisingly smooth and soft texture. Of course, that means the battery is not removable, which is a trade-off that many might not appreciate. Motorola did develop a Smart Actions app to help conserve battery life, but we'll get to that later.
The Kevlar backing won't make the phone bullet-resistant, but Motorola did seek to make the Droid Razr as durable as it could. It has a "nanotechnology coating" that guards the phone against the occasional splash. We placed the Droid Razr under running water for a few seconds, and the water did seem to bead and roll off it, like on a freshly waxed car. It's not water-resistant however, so we wouldn't go swimming with it. The Corning Gorilla Glass display is also said to be scratch-resistant.
While its slim profile is certainly stunning, the Droid Razr's 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display is nothing to sneeze at, either. It's simply gorgeous, with vibrant and rich colors plus tack-sharp details; it reminds us a lot of the AMOLED screens we've seen on Samsung handsets. The Droid Razr does use a Pentile matrix display, so images are not as smooth as on those same Samsung phones. Text in particular has a very slight graininess to it. The qHD 960-by-540-pixel resolution reduces that effect considerably, but it's not quite as vibrant as the display on the iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy S II By itself, however, we maintain that the display is excellent.
We were very impressed by the responsiveness of the display. Overall navigation felt seamless and snappy thanks to the phone's 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor. There was virtually no lag when multitasking between different apps.
Beneath the display are four touch sensor keys for the Menu, Home, Back, and Search functions. On the right spine are two skinny volume controls plus a silver power/screen lock key. The volume keys click satisfyingly into place, but the power key is disappointingly squishy. On the left spine are the microSD card port and a slot for a Micro-SIM card. As the Droid Razr is for Verizon, the Micro-SIM card is purely for LTE; international GSM versions will likely use it for voice as well as data.
On the top of the phone are the 3.5mm headset port and the Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI ports. A camera lens sits on the back along with an LED flash and an external speaker. Sitting above the display is a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capability.
User interface
The Motorola Droid Razr ships with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and a refined and lightweight version of MotoBlur that we've already seen in other Motorola handsets like the Atrix 2 and the Droid Bionic. It has up to five customizable home screens, and at the bottom row of the home screen are shortcuts to the phone dialer, the messaging inbox, the camera app, and the main menu. When you tap the Home button in standby mode, you will see a zoomed-out view of all the home screens, similar to HTC's Sense UI.
You navigate the main menu by swiping side to side, and the apps can be organized into groups. There is a very slight flicker animation that occurs when you swipe screens. The default lock screen has the usual swipe-to-unlock control, a vibrate/sound toggle, plus a camera app shortcut in case you need to get to the camera quickly from the lock screen. As for the virtual keyboard, you have the choice of either the default multitouch Android keyboard or Swype.
Features
The Droid Razr has a plethora of features to meet most of your smartphone needs. It has all the basics, like GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 (which supports a new generation of low-power accessories), Wi-Fi, and a mobile hot-spot capability that lets the phone act as a modem for up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The mobile hot-spot option costs around $20 extra per month, however.
As you might expect, the Droid Razr supports all of Google's apps and services, and most of them come preinstalled: Gmail, Google Talk, Google Search with Voice, Google Maps with Navigation, Google Books, Places, Latitude, and YouTube. You also get the usual phone and PIM tools like a calendar, an alarm clock, a calculator, a file manager, a task list, voice command support, a speakerphone, and more.
Motorola really packed the Droid Razr to the gills with plenty of additional apps to enrich your smartphone experience. They include Amazon's Kindle app, Blockbuster, Let's Golf 2, Madden NFL 12, Netflix, Slacker Radio, MotoPrint, and VideoSurf. Verizon also threw in a few of its own, such as Device Setup, Verizon Instant Messenger, My Verizon Mobile, NFL Mobile, V Cast Tones, Verizon Video, VZ Navigator, and Visual Voicemail, which costs around $2.99 a month.
Corporate and government friendly
Motorola is aiming right at the BlackBerry when it claims that the Droid Razr is ready for both corporate and government usage. It has full Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, and it even features government-grade FIPS 140-2 encryption for e-mail, calendar, and contacts. Other security features include remote wipe, PIN lock, SD card and device encryption, remote enable/disable of camera and Wi-Fi, and more.
Mobile workers will also appreciate apps such as Quickoffice, which lets you create and edit office documents; Citrix's GoToMeeting video conference app; and the portable PC experience that Webtop provides (more on that below).
MotoCast, Webtop, and Smart Actions
A few of the more-intriguing apps are courtesy of Motorola. MotoCast, for example, lets you stream your documents and media files with your home or work computer. It brings the cloud concept of sharing files to a more local and secure location. MotoCast works with the Gallery app to share photos, and the Music app to share music files.
Like a lot of other high-end Motorola Android phones, the Droid Razr ships with the Webtop app that lets you get portable PC functionality. Simply connect it with a compatible accessory like the Lapdock 100 (10-inch screen), the Lapdock 500 Pro (14-inch screen), or an HD Station, and the Webtop platform will launch automatically. The Lapdocks come equipped with a keyboard and touch pad, but you'll have to contribute your own input devices if using something like the HD Station.
The Webtop platform is essentially a Linux-based operating system that provides a Netbook-like experience for creating documents and surfing the Web via a full Firefox browser. The interface is quite bare-bones, and consists of a simple dock or launchpad with a few applications. The phone's screen is replicated on the larger display as well, and you can still access your phone's contents while you're in the Webtop environment. A notable application is the full Firefox browser that is only accessible via Webtop. There's also an integrated Citrix application that lets you access virtual desktops. You can read more about the Webtop environment in our review of the Atrix's laptop dock.
Last but not least is the Smart Actions app that addresses battery life concerns. It's essentially an automation tool that follows a set series of rules. For example, you can arrange it so that the phone automatically turns off Bluetooth and GPS when you connect to your home Wi-Fi network. Or you can set it so that the brightness automatically goes down to 0 percent if you have less than 20 percent battery life left. It was actually surprisingly effective in conserving battery life in our brief time experimenting with it, which is definitely welcome for a phone without a removable battery.
The Smart Actions app is not all about saving battery life, however; you can set it so that the ringer automatically turns off when you're at work, or to launch the music player when you plug in your headphones. It uses location-based and user settings to let you create as many automated tasks as you desire.
Multimedia
Aside from third-party apps like Slacker Radio, the Droid Razr actually has a surprisingly solid built-in Music app. Similar to the one we saw on the Droid Bionic, the Music app on the Droid Razr has plenty of features, such as Internet radio, a whole Music Store courtesy of Verizon Wireless, and support for podcast subscription and playback. As we said before, you can also use the app to stream music from your home server via MotoCast. The Droid Razr has 16GB of onboard memory, a preinstalled 16GB microSD card, and can support up to 32GB cards. It supports AAC, AAC+ AAC+ enhanced, AMR NB, AMR WB, MIDI, MP3, WAV, WMA v10, and WMA v9 formats.
With such a luscious display, it's no wonder that Motorola saw fit to bundle the Droid Razr with Netflix. Indeed, Motorola claims that the Droid Razr is the first phone to be able to play Netflix video in HD quality. We queued up a recent episode of "Top Gear U.K." (which we think is one of the best-looking shows on TV), and were stunned at the crystal-clear quality of the video. Colors were rich and deep, and blacks were true. Even on 4G LTE, the video was stunningly sharp, and it was a treat to watch it on such a wide display. And since the Droid Razr has a Micro-HDMI port, you can hook up the phone to a large-screen HDTV for an even more immersive experience. You can do so via DLNA as well. You can download videos from the Android Market or load your own as long as they're in the H.263, H.264, MPEG4, or WMV v9 format.
The Droid Razr brings over its speed and performance philosophy to its 8-megapixel camera. The camera app launches very quickly--about 1.1 seconds from the lock screen--and there's almost no shutter lag in between photo captures. If the camera is trying to focus on something or if you have flash enabled, it might take a second or two longer to snap a picture. You can adjust the resolution, the shutter tone, the color effects, shot modes, and the exposure. Other settings include geotagging, a self-timer, several scenes that include Macro and Night Portrait, panorama mode, and flash.
Picture quality was decent most of the time, with crisp images and good detail. However, the color accuracy wasn't always there. Even pictures taken in bright daylight looked rather washed out. In low light, most photos had noticeable image noise, and the LED flash did little to rectify the problem. The Droid Razr also has full 1080p HD video capture capabilities, with several audio scenes like Stereo, Wind Reduction, Concert, Balanced, and Front Facing to choose from. Video quality was quite good, and the auto stabilization helped prevent video from looking shaky.
Performance
We tested the Motorola Droid Razr in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless. Call quality was very good, but not without a few flaws. On our end, we heard our callers clearly with plenty of volume. They had natural-sounding voices as well. However, we did detect a faint hint of fuzziness in the background.
Motorola Droid Razr call quality sample
Listen now:
On the other end, callers reported similar audio quality. They had no problems hearing us, and didn't detect a lot of background noise. Yet, they heard the same fuzziness and the occasional hiss at times. Speakerphone calls fared relatively well, though callers said our voice sounded a little hollow.
As for music quality, the Droid Razr's speakers emitted powerfully loud sound, and though a little tinny, the quality was pretty good for a phone. We would definitely recommend a good pair of headphones for better audio quality.
Data speeds on Verizon's 4G LTE are quite frankly, amazing. Using Ookla's Speedtest.net app, we averaged download speeds of around 30.5Mbps and upload speeds of 13.2Mbps. Loading CNET's mobile page took 7 seconds, and the full CNET home page, complete with Flash ads, loaded in just 11 seconds. As we mentioned earlier, we managed to stream Netflix videos at HD quality over 4G with amazing clarity. There were the occasional buffering skips during the initial burst of streaming, but it soon evened out after a few seconds.
The 1.2GHz dual-core processor did its job quite well. We swiped and scrolled without any sense of sluggishness, and switching and launching apps felt smooth and seamless. However, we did notice that the accelerometer sometimes took a couple of seconds to kick in when switching from portrait to landscape mode and vice versa.
The Motorola Droid Razr has a 1,780mAH battery, which is a nice size for such a slim phone. It has a rated battery life of 12.5 hours talk time and 8.5 days standby time. We'll have to run a few more tests to be sure, but anecdotally, we thought the battery life was pretty good. After a normal day's use of surfing the Web, checking e-mail, looking up directions on the map, plus the occasional Netflix testing, the phone was down to around 50 percent battery life, which isn't too bad for a smartphone. The aforementioned Smart Actions app also helps to conserve battery life. Yet, we do think the nonremovable battery will deter some power users.
According to the FCC, the Droid Razr has a digital SAR of 1.45 watts per kilogram.
Conclusion
The Motorola Droid Razr is a marriage of Razr beauty and Droid brawn. Like the original Razr, the superslim and ultralight Droid Razr offers an undeniable wow factor the second you pick it up. It also has a wonderfully vivid 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display, and is remarkably durable with its scratch-resistant, water-resistant, and Kevlar-coated exterior. The Droid Razr has impressive specs, like a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor, support for Verizon's blazing-fast 4G/LTE network, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, Webtop functionality, and more.
But, the phone isn't perfect. Its large footprint and squared edges might scare off those with smaller hands, and the battery is sadly not removable. Picture quality was also not quite as smooth and vibrant as we wanted. However, we think the Droid Razr more than makes up for these deficiencies with its remarkable speed, power, and good looks. Its $299.99 price is very steep, yes, but for those who covet cutting-edge smartphone tech in a slender package, this top-of-the-line phone might be worth it.
User reviews
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Great phone. Can't wait to get one
by PritchardV on November 18, 2011
Pros: + Call quality is great, music sounds good, video playback is excellent
+ Very solid build
+ Display is fantastic, colors are vibrantCons: - Camera could be better
- Battery is not removableSummary: I have read every review I can find and I have given it about a half hour of my time at the Verizon store, just playing with it. The phone ...
Summary: I have read every review I can find and I have given it about a half hour of my time at the Verizon store, just playing with it. The phone is elegant and a joy to play with. I am new to Android, but my wife has an iPhone 4, so I have a frame of reference with the major competition.
There are a LOT of pluses with this device. 4G means this phone is fast. It is amazing how fast web pages load. I recently downloaded an album on my wife's iPhone, and it took almost 20 minutes. I fully expect to be able to download the same album on this device in under 5 minutes. I have watched the iPhone take minutes to do routine updates -- again, I expect more with the Razr, and feel confident it will be much faster.
The colors are vibrant -- and the pentile effect that some professional reviewers don't like is not all that visible to my amateur eye. If you like watching movies on your phone, the 4.3 inch screen will serve you well.
The phone is designed to be tough, even if you don't use screen guards and a case. Gorilla glass makes the glass difficult to scratch and almost impossible to break. Kevlar protects the back of the phone while still giving it a luxurious feel. I fully expect someone with more money than brains to buy one of these just to create a YouTube video testing if the Razr will stop a bullet. The design is aesthetically pleasing -- and it is a worthy successor to the Razr name.
There are some negatives about this phone. They aren't particularly important to me, but they might be to you.
First, the camera could be better. Though it doesn't have the horrible shutter lag of the Droid Bionic, it still takes a second or 2 to autofocus. Once it focuses, though, there is no shutter lag. Picture quality, however, is OK at best.
Second, it gets warm with heavy use -- though that seems to be a bug across the 4G platform. So if you want a 4G phone, expect it to get warm, at least at times.
Third, if you like using your phone with just one hand, this phone is not the one for you. While the Razr is the thinnest smartphone out there (7.1 mm for most of its body), it is most certainly not the narrowest. It is wider than both the iPhone and the Bionic, and if you have small hands it might feel awkward. Frankly, the Razr feels like a small tablet and less like a traditional phone.
Finally, and this is the biggie for a lot of people, the battery is not removable. When this is combined with the way 4G sucks down battery life, some potential owners will run away. However, if you are worried about battery life on the go, there are some wonderful external batteries available on Amazon, about the the size of a cellphone themselves, that should solve that problem before you get your phone into a charger.
Overall, a great phone - and if you will buy the DROID RAZR I suggest you have to check for best deal before you decide at: Flixya.com/blog/3913111/Motorola-DROID-RAZR-4G
Good Luck!19 out of 29 users found this user opinion helpful.
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An fantastic phone that won't be for everyone
by masterazunai on November 26, 2011
Pros: 1. Large, LED screen that has great colours, and even on a low brightness setting it looks great.
2. Wickedly fast browsing and almost completely free of lags in operation
3. The sexiest android I have ever seen. You'll make all your friends jealous.Cons: 1. Very wide (I have very large hands, and this is therefore not a problem at all for me).
2. Mediocre battery life, though still the best of Verizon's LTE lineup.
3. No removable battery (though there is a hard reset available)
4. Expensive!Summary: I recently switched from AT&T to Verizon (completely worth the change for any of you frustrated with your cell phone service provider... the coverage is fantastic), and had ...
Summary: I recently switched from AT&T to Verizon (completely worth the change for any of you frustrated with your cell phone service provider... the coverage is fantastic), and had no doubt about which phone I was going to get. Back in February, I got the Inspire the day it launched, and the terrible battery life, 10 minute boot times, Sense, and the eventual breaking of my micro-usb port led me over to the Atrix... it was love at first sight. Motorola's version of Android was much less intrusive than Sense (this was 2.3 not 2.2), and the overall performance of the phone (not to mention the outstanding batter life on that particular phone) easily outstripped the Inspire. However, AT&T remained a problem. Inevitably, I switched to Verizon, and after the wonderful experience I had with the, it was only logical I switched to the oh-so-sexy Razr. This phone has lived up to all of my expectations. I'll give you a detailed rundown:
After a little over a week with the Razr, I have to laud it even more. Battery life has proven to be good and bad at the same time. On standby (even with 4g active) I get about 2 days of time out of the phone. This is without any use mind you, as I had lost the phone for a while. Calling, texting, reading books, playing games, and even IMing and Facebook don't drain the battery to drastically, but even with full charge, 2 hours of LTE browsing will bring the battery down to 15%. This sucks, but being able to turn off 4g does a lot to help this problem when you're on the go.
Connectivity:
Let's face it: no matter how nice your phone is, it's a hunk of metal and glass without cellular service. Verizon deserves it's rep, and with all the driving I did over the Thanksgiving weekend, I lost 3g and 4g only once, and this was on a backcountry road on the way to my relatives in South Carolina. I'd say this loss lasted about a minute. Other than that, I was happily downloading music, texting, and browsing the internet at 3 and 4g speeds throughout the trip. Outside of cities, 4g coverage can be hard to come by, but there is almost always 3g in abundance, and I averaged about 1 mbps down on my connectivity test throughout the trip on 3g. That's fine (and above average for AT&T) and will get most cell phone internet surfers fairly easily through browsing, but faster is always better, right? 4g ranges anywhere from 3 mbps to 17 mbps down. This is INSANELY fast. In my house (which is not covered by AT&T), I have no use for wi-fi, because my 4g coverage is faster than my wi-fi. Speaking of wi-fi, this phone's connectivity to it is very good and has a very good range. Connectivity wise, this is a truly unparalleled phone.
Dimensions: We live in America, and what's more, most of us don't carry rulers around in our pockets, whether metric or english. So I'll give you the dimensions of this thing in terms of something we all have hanging around. Driver's licenses.
The phone is almost exactly 1 1/2 licenses long, and about 4/5 of a license wide. It's a hefty phone, and it definitely won't be for people with small hands, unless they like using the phone with two hands, of course. However, the focus of this phone is the thickness, or rather, the thin-ness of it. If you were to lay 7 credit cards on top of eachother, you'd have a perfect idea of how thin it is for 90% of the phone, and the "hump" that some people have made a fuss about is really only 2 (2!!!) credit cards thicker. At it's thickest point, it is only about 1 1/2 millimetres thicker than an iphone 4. If the whole phone were as thick as the "hump," it would still be a very thin phone.
Camera: I don't take a whole lot of pictures on my phone, and whenever I do they are only quick snapshots to be quickly posted to Facebook. However, to those of you who need a good camera on your phone, I don't think I'd suggest a phone. But, if you need a decent camera on your phone, I don't think I'd suggest the Razr. It takes fine pictures in good light and without zooming, but any zooming gives pictures a very grainy quality, and bad light does the same. The video, though, I have found is quite good. It adjusts well to light and captures action without much blur. Another nice thing about the video and photography on the phone are the the added features in the Motorola software. Ironically, these are features that are not available in stock android until Ice Cream Sandwich (this is a recurring theme), and even though I would much prefer ICS to Motorola's 2.3.5, I almost wonder if all the added ICS-esque features are a rude gesture to those of us (like myself) who have been pondering the merits of releasing a flagship phone contemporary to the first ICS phone.
Software: I never had the misfortune to deal with the (apparent) Motoblur atrocity, so even though the Atrix forced me to make a 'Blur account, I never felt slighted because the skin for 2.3.4 was so much better than Sense (in my own, humble opinion) and was apparently so much better than the 'Blur skin on the 2.2 Atrix. For those of you who did have to deal with the bad 'Blur, never fear, the Razr is here, completely free of Motoblur! In fact, I would go so far as to say that I would rather have the Motorola skin than stock 2.3, as it comes with many added benefits. Again, one might note some irony in the fact that ICS-esque features are apparent. The side swiping app menu, the ability to easily create folders, the blue backrounds, and the in camera editing tools are all VERY similar to Ice Cream Sandwich, and one must never forget the convenience of being able to sync all your social networking contacts to a phone, right on startup. I have been very pleased with Motorola's added software here.
I will also add that as a non-swyper, the multi touch keyboard is an absolute dream, and I type almost as fast on the phone keyboard as I do on a real keyboard on a laptop.
Hardware: On the ouside, Kevlar and Gorilla glass protecting the phonehave been much touted in the world of android world, and they stand up to the test. The back is waxed by something, and while it may seem like it scratches, the Kevlar underneath stands up to my fingernails, the sand and keys in my pockets, and the driver's license I used to measure it with. It would NOT scratch. I haven't test the glass on the front, but I have had many good experiences (meaning potentially bad experiences that turned out harmless because Gorilla glass is effective) with Gorilla glass, and it has never proven itself wrong.
On the inside, a 1.2 ghz processor that thinks its a 1 ghz processor sleeps (I haven't noticed any real difference between the Tegra 2 in my Atrix and the OMAP in the Razr anyhow), and it provides nearly flawless performance in all the areas I frequently use. In fact, the Razr has better browsing times (you can find any of these tests online) than the iphone or the SG2 (though the SG2 still tests higher than the Razr in many areas... more on this later). Now I'll give some test numbers (I quit all tasks before the tests, but did not reboot):
Antutu Benchmark (a cumulative benchmark that test many different functions of the phone, and it allows you to easily compare the phone to other devices... and I ran this twice): Averages 5951.5, which puts it above the SG2, by about 50 points (better graphics processing, better cpu float point, worse RAM and worse cpu integer), but about 20 points below the Galaxy Nexus for, though strangely enough the areas in which it excels above the SG2 it excels even more so above the Galaxy Nexus, though in the areas that it lags behind it lags behind even further when pitted against the Nexus.
Linpack (tests millions of floating point operations per second. Basically these a complex math problems given to the phone, and the app times how fast the phone completes them. I ran multi-threading and single-threading each 5 times and took the average): The phone averaged 49.7992 on single-thread testing, and it averaged 74.5556 on multithreading. This ranks the phone above phones/tablets like the nexus s, the galaxy tab, the dell streak, the htc incredible, and the g2, though the incredible and the g2 both had scores above the Razr.
Final Comments: This is a good phone. In fact, I'd say it was a great phone, and I am extremely glad that I didn't wait for the galaxy nexus. However, the battery life, while not bad, is not fantastic. The phone is extremely thin, but very wide. It has good call quality, but the battery life can make frequent calling without a charger (especially on 4g, though keep in mind that 4g can be turned off) hazardous. This isn't a perfect phone for everybody, but for those of you who like a big, thin, sexy, powerful phone, look no further than the Droid Razr.
Updated on Nov 30, 2011
Secondly, my 4g speed have gotten even better. I've peaked at 32 mbps with full bars, with webpages, songs, and apps loading extremely fast.
The processor really shines in heavy usage. The type of multi-tasking I do with this thing would likely have killed my poor Atrix. The internals are truly powerful.
I can't stress enough how amazing this phone is. I wouldn't trade it for any phone on or coming to the market.9 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Sexy, rugged, fast, functional and excellent display
by GameDiversity on November 13, 2011
Pros: 1) Excellent call quality, 2) very fast processing, 3) sexy, rugged and well constructed, 4) excellent display for NetFlix, etc., 5) very helpful applications: Motocast, Motoprint, Smart Action, MotoActv, 6) very functional complimentary products: lapdock
Cons: 1) Burns through battery charge, 2) maybe too wide for small hands and 3) average to below average camera (I am using HDR Camera+ instead of pre-installed app for many photos
Summary: The Motorola Razr is simply an excellent phone ... the only drawbacks are the battery life, camera and width (if you have small hands). I really thought I was going to ...
Summary: The Motorola Razr is simply an excellent phone ... the only drawbacks are the battery life, camera and width (if you have small hands). I really thought I was going to get the Galaxy Nexus, but now I am viewing that phone as purely a specialty item. When this phone gets ICS - OMG!
The more I use the phone, the more I really enjoy it. Smart actions is really helping me manage the battery life so I am okay (but wishing for better) in this department). The camera is still a mixed bag; however the video quality is excellent. I am also getting good use from my lapdock and motocast. I am passing on the Galaxy Nexus; I don't believe its camera will be any better and the RAZR is one eye-catching, well performing and functional phone.
Updated on Nov 17, 20115 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great "Smartphone." Even better w/further customization
by SirRyu1987 on November 29, 2011
Pros: Fast
Smart Actions
Thin
Great display
Great call quality
CustomizationCons: Have not found any yet.
Summary: Well...this is the first time I review a smartphone, even though I have had many different smartphones, and have always done my research before buying. Having had iPhones, Windows ...
Summary: Well...this is the first time I review a smartphone, even though I have had many different smartphones, and have always done my research before buying. Having had iPhones, Windows Phones, and Android phones, I have tried pretty much everything out there (I have also had Web OS phones and Symbian). So, I can compare this great phone to those I have owned, and this phone beats them all, in pretty much every area (yes the iPhone/Rezound has better resolution).
I have used all of my phones in an enterprise environment (I works in IT Management). I send and receive tons of emails per day, and browse the web quite a bit. Therefore, battery life and having a phone that is fast and reliable is a must. The Razr has met all of these requirements better than any phone I have owned.
I have read some reviews that complain about the battery life. I think those that are "real" Android users, will know that any smartphone with Android will drain the battery fairly quick without further customization. These people that are complaining about the battery are probably setting up a lot of email accounts, social networking accounts, and have a lot of apps running background sync. This will totally drain your battery in a few hours. Therefore, to preserve battery life, you need to customize your email accounts, social networking accounts, and any other apps, to sync every few hours.
A great plus on the Razr is the Smart Actions, which automates the customization process. I have created several rules that apply when I am at home, work, or in the road. I have one that stops background sync when the phone is just seating. When I pick up the phone, it syncs up and I get any emails that were sent to me. Smart Actions is just awesome! Now I can truly call my phone a "Smartphone."
Also, call quality is better than any phone I have had, so far no dropped calls.
So, if you do not want to spend some time to customize this phone to be even better than it already is, then go for the iPhone or a Windows phone, which are designed for users that want a "limited" smartphone from the get go.
You may have heard that Android is for geeks, and in some sense that is correct, but anyone can take a few minutes to customize their Android phone to get the most out of it.
So, I highly recommend this phone above any phone out there, just know that you need to dedicate some time to make it your own, but if you do, I promise you will be highly satisfied.5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Exceeded My Expectations
by rcm1454 on November 25, 2011
Pros: Amzingly fast speed, great call quality, ease of use
Cons: None that i can think of.
Summary: I have used this phone for the last 5 days, after dropping my Blackberry Bold. I was apprehensive to learning a new OS, going to a larger phone, and battery ...
Summary: I have used this phone for the last 5 days, after dropping my Blackberry Bold. I was apprehensive to learning a new OS, going to a larger phone, and battery life being too short. I am very pleased with the phone in all three aspects. The current oerating system, not sure if it is gingerbread, butternut, cheesecake or whatever other ridiculous name they put on it, but it is ver yeasy to use; almost intuitve. The speed of the phone, and browser capability is also amazing. Obviosuly coming from Blackberry, where the browser is awful makes the Rzr shine, but it is so fast and easy to download and install apps, I am a convert for sure. The battery life has been "fine". Not great, not bad. IT definitely is not what the Bold was, but how could it be? Finally, the phone is so thin and light, the overall larger footprint doesnt bother me at all, and fits in a pair of jeans very easily.
overall I love this phone....and would recommend this to anybody!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Everything wanted in a phone..hope battery's up to it.
by garygreen5 on November 14, 2011
Pros: Beautifully designed, fabulous display, seems extremely rugged and sturdy, easy to hold and use.
Cons: I think the jury's still out on how well the battery holds up in typical use. I think it'll be okay, but needs charging as soon as am home in the evening.
Summary: Only had the phone for four days now, but am enjoying it totally. Unlike my wife's iPhone 4, the processor horsepower makes any action or task super fast, no ...
Summary: Only had the phone for four days now, but am enjoying it totally. Unlike my wife's iPhone 4, the processor horsepower makes any action or task super fast, no lag at all. Am totally satisfied with the device so far, only concern is how the battery's going to work going forward. With such a small form factor, there can be only so much battery within.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Amazing phone!
by dgonzalez375 on January 19, 2012
Pros: UI, amazing hardware, tough and sleek. Great screen, love the high quality gorilla glass, absolutley everything is top notch
Cons: Might be a bit large for those with smaller hands
Summary: I've had it for about 1 month now and I can't be happier. Now to address battery life since this is the biggest gripe most people have with ...
Summary: I've had it for about 1 month now and I can't be happier. Now to address battery life since this is the biggest gripe most people have with this phone. First, the battery is not removalbe. So what? The iPhone does not have a removable battery either and how often are you really doing this anyway. Second, learn to use the phones features. Your Task Manager allows you to add your most used programs to the time out list so after 2 minutes of inacitivty, the programs will shut off and won't use proccessing power and drain your battery. Learn to use and customize your Smart Actions, this is a great feature. You can customize your phone to turn off, sleep, airplane mode, at certain times, etc. so your battery life will be pretty good once you set it up. Third, you do not need to be on 4G all the time. You can toggle between 3G and 4G, or just download a simple toggle from the market. Lastly, use common sense and put your phone down every once in a while, you do not need to be plugged in to the universe 24/7. Don't blame the hardware if you don't know how to use it.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is a Grown Man's Toy!
by TheGeeDawg on November 22, 2011
Pros: + Wow Factor
+ Amazing display
+ zippy processor
+ Quality Materials and build quality (The anti-Samsung)
+ Water resistant
+ Best 4G battery life
+ Great software like Motocast, SmartActions and Government level encryptionCons: The only legit complaints can be about the Camera. It's not great, but its not bad. The camera is better than most smart phones indoors and quite good outdoors.
Summary: I upgraded from a Thunderbolt and I ain't looking back. This phone does everything well and several things great. Motorola has put everything into this phone and it shows. ...
Summary: I upgraded from a Thunderbolt and I ain't looking back. This phone does everything well and several things great. Motorola has put everything into this phone and it shows. This is no Bionic flop; the Droid Razr is a winner. A New Year's resolution from Moto of an Ice Cream Sandwich, will only make this phone that much sweeter.
As I said in my original post, the camera is the weak link. I have since picked up Camera Zoom FX from the Market. All camera issues immediately went away. Now the camera is fast and accurate. This tells me that the all the camera issues from focusing to white balance are software problems. On one hand it's great that the hardware is fine and easily fixed. On the other hand, it's sad that Moto would release their premier phone with bad camera drivers. Hope they fix it in an update because you really should have to by camera software just to take advantage of the hardware. If the included camera software functioned as Camera Zoom without the editing bells and whistles I would add the half star becuase this phone would be perfect.
Updated on Nov 25, 20113 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Super-fast device but Pentile display may be a problem
by zinger1230 on November 12, 2011
Pros: Very Responsive and fast
Stunning front facing camera
Beautiful design
LTE is super fast
Very well built and razr thin
Vibrant display
Will have ICSCons: Rear camera colors are a little bit washed out
Pentil display on front uses 2 sub-pixels instead of 3 like most phones today, causing spaced out pixels if looked at closely.Summary: This phone is absolutely amazing. I got rid of my thunderbolt and jumped on this phone right away. Dont worry about the non-removable battery because battery-pulls wont be necessary with ...
Summary: This phone is absolutely amazing. I got rid of my thunderbolt and jumped on this phone right away. Dont worry about the non-removable battery because battery-pulls wont be necessary with the 1.2 GHz dual core processor and 1 Gb of DDR2 RAM. The Screen is gorgeous despite the pentile technology(may bother some people but still beats all previous Super AMOLED displays). The LTE is off the charts around here in the tri-state area. I do not regret buying this phone at all and i will probably keep this phone through my entire two year contract, which is something i have never done before. This phone is a must buy.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A Few High Points & A Ton of Lows: Immediate Return
by Kacen_Point on November 27, 2011
Pros: Thinness is undeniable. Showstopper.
Kevlar mesh is cool.Cons: Beware of the awful battery life. I make a few phone calls and check email, and my battery goes from 100% to 60%.
The screen is so pathetically grainy! The AMOLED display is brilliant but resolution is incredibly pixelated.Summary: Ambitious phone, but don't fall for the effective marketing. Beware of the awful battery life. I make a few phone calls and check email, go to 1 website, and ...
Summary: Ambitious phone, but don't fall for the effective marketing. Beware of the awful battery life. I make a few phone calls and check email, go to 1 website, and my battery goes from 100% to 60%.
The screen is so grainy! It's pathetic. The AMOLED display only serves to highlight the incredibly pixelated look of the Razr's screen. Compared to other Android phones, such as the Galaxy, or especially the HTC Rezound, its an absolute joke.
The highs do not nearly compensate for the lows. Even at Amazon's 1 cent price, it was still not worth it, let alone the $300 retail price.
I sent it back for the Rezound---yea the Rezound is A LOT thicker, but with its iPhone Retina Display grade resolution, and an expandable battery option, there's no doubt the Rezound is the way to go among Verizon's 4G LTE Phones. Maybe that's why it's on backorder for 1-2 months on Amazon.
Bottom line: the RAZRs thinness is stunning, the marketing campaign is captivating, but it falls miserably short. Please make sure you acknowledge its shortcomings before you commit.6 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Part number: DROIDRAZR32GB
- 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.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Phone Design PDA
- Width 2.71 in
- Depth 0.28
- Height 5.15 in
- Weight 4.48 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology CDMA / LTE
- Band CDMA 800/1900 (Dual Band) / LTE 700
- Service Provider Verizon Wireless
Messaging & Internet
- Messaging & Data Features Text messages,
Multimedia messages (MMS),
E-Mail,
Voice mail,
HTML Browser - Mobile Services VCAST
Communications
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth 2.1,
IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Phone Features
- Additional Features TTY compatible,
Touch screen,
AGPS,
Voice command Display
- Diagonal Size 4.3 in
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Wall/USB charger
Product series
-
Motorola Droid Razr 32GB - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
Up to 750 min,
With digital camera / digital player / FM radio,
4.48 oz,
4.3 in -
Motorola Droid Razr 16GB - white (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
Up to 750 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.48 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 in -
Motorola Droid Razr 16GB - purple (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
Up to 750 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.48 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 in -
Motorola Droid Razr 16GB - black (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
Up to 750 min,
With digital camera / digital player,
4.48 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 in -
Motorola Droid Razr 32GB - white (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
4.48 oz,
4.3 in -
Motorola Droid Razr 16GB - blue (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs:
-
Motorola Droid Razr 16GB - black (Verizon Wireless) - Refurbished
Manufacturer: Motorola
Specs: Verizon Wireless,
CDMA / LTE,
4.48 oz,
8 megapixels,
4.3 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Motorola products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Motorola
- Address:
600 N. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847/576-5000
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