When the Motorola Razr first arrived at my door I was excited, this gadget had claimed so many sleek sounding features, even going as far to have “BEAUTY.BRAINS.POWER.HOT” as the tag line pasted across the box.
However, upon opening said box I was greeted with a written message in several different languages “Charge me up!”, “Chargez-moi!”, etc – And you’d be keen to heed this advice.
Having a Dual Core 1.2GHZ processor does have it’s advantages, the phone made fast work of loading most apps and booting up is a lightning quick exercise. Unfortunately rather like another dual core phone the Optimus 3D, I found the Razr steadily draining itself even whilst on standby, giving it an overall limited battery life, and one that will need charging up at least every day.
There are options to use the phone in power saver modes, but that means turning off notifications from apps and other handy little features that you’ve gotten used to with the ‘Smart Phone’ generation.
The question is do you want to sacrifice battery life for the larger processor speed?
The Razr boasted and delivered a gorgeously framed 4.3″ super amoled screen, and the design in terms of aesthetics isn’t too bad, although as a man with rather large hands I did have trouble using the device with just one hand.
The version of Android (Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread) that the phone runs on works well, with only a few minor GUI issues such as wasted space and too many menus in other places – but the simple prowess of Google’s Android is still one that’s appreciated within the Razr’s skin.
Call quality is good and the phone came with a set of headphones and a USB adapter to transfer files to and from a computer. This also serves as the only way to charge the device – or at least without buying a mains adapter separately.
The phone has HD video recording and transmitting capabilities, but as is usual with most smartphones (perhaps with the exception of some of the top Nokia Models), I found the picture quality was below the quality you would expect to find from a stand alone 8 MegaPixel camera.
Whilst the Razr has charm in certain places – the Operating System, its large screen and simple button lay out, it also loses points for having a short battery life and a run of the mill camera. If you like it’s looks and can pick one up on a contract, the Razr is a powerful mobile on the cutting edge of technology, just don’t stray too far from a power point.
More info visit www.motorola.com