Recently Motorola and Verizon announced a new line of 2012 Droids to add to their roster with the Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD, & the Razr M. This marks the first launch of Motorola Android devices since being acquired by Google. Up first for release is the Droid Razr M, which is the smallest of the trio, but not to say it is the weakest either. Motorola took a different approach to the Droid M as the other two announced devices are more like refreshes. After already doing a hands-on with it, we were able to take one home to go more in depth. My complete analysis lies below.
Motorola used a qHD (960 x 540) resolution 4.3inch edge-to-edge screen for the Droid Razr M. While on paper that may sound terrible, it is not as bad as it sounds. They used Super AMOLED Advanced technology which makes color pop and appear more vibrant than that of your average qHD screens. But since it is a lower-resolution display, pixels are present but the color reproduction helps balance it out. Also for you butterfingers out there, the display is covered by Corning’s Gorilla Glass as well as the rear has a Kevlar fiber panel for added protection. It is a nice narrow screen size that works well for your viewing pleasures. Not the best display in the market but its still a good one.
I’m glad Motorola didn’t go with their usual TI OMAP chipset and went with Snapdragon’s 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor which has been equipped in all of this year’s great Android devices. This chip has done wonders for Android devices and continues to do so here on the Razr M. The M performs like a champ in every department and doesn’t suffer from the usual hiccups that have plagued Android since its inception. On-board to assist is 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage that can be expandable up to 32GB via microSD.
Embedded inside is a 2000 mAh battery that Motorola quotes to give users 20 hours of battery life. As far fetched as that sounds, the battery is really that good. With moderate usage I easily got over 21 hours of juice with still 32% left and heavier usage got me just over 9 hours with 11% left. This is a department where Motorola has mastered while others are still fumbling about it.
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| Droid M sample photos |
The Razr M has a 0.3MP front-facing shooter which works as well as any other VGA video chatting camera does. The rear-shooter is a 8MP capable of recording video in 1080p HD and does so quite well. Although there is no dedicated camera button, this is still a decent shooter. In good lighting conditions, you get great sharp images but in low-light the results aren’t as sharp along with dull color wash. In other words, it will be Instagram-worthy as long as you have some light to shed on your subject. Motorola added audio options for recording video like Stereo, Wind Reduction, & Concert to better filter noise. Good overall optics inside of this one.
Motorola’s has gone and revamp their Blur UI to compliment Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software on-board. This version of Blur UI is definitely their best and most useful yet. While visually it looks bland but offers more customizable features that many Android skins have yet to offer. We already highlighted the greatness of Smart Actions in last year’s Droid Razr review and it is still an innovative part of Moto’s software.
The new Blur allows you to access Quick Settings by swiping to right on your homescreen. Within these settings, you can toggle your Phone Ringtone, Wi-Fi. Bluetooth, GPS, Mobile Data, and Airplane Mode on or off as well as go into your full Settings screen. They now have an entire screen to themselves rather than jam pack them into the Notification windows shade. Also you also have the option to have only one Android homescreen page and max out at 7 pages. And lastly, are Moto’s new homescreen circle widgets last seen on the Atrix HD. There are 3 widgets that allows you view the time/set alarms, view the weather, and view the battery percentage. The clock can be viewed in analog or digital, you can add locations for multiple weather forecasts, and you can swipe the battery widget to get to a shortcut to full settings. This new Blur puts Motorola headed in the right direction for future handsets.
This is a great all-around phone. The low-res display is the only thing keeping this from being a high-end device as the internals match most of the Android powerhouse devices. The great combination of hardware & software is reminiscent of the original Droid along with a superb battery life. Consider the Droid Razr M, Verizon’s replacement for last year’s Razr but inside of a better-looking body & fast processor.
The Razr M is a solid Android device and due to the screen resolution makes this more of a mid-level smartphone. For $99.99 w/ a two-year contract, this is a great buy for those whose needs may fit it. Some of you may be interested in the M’s brethren like Droid Razr Maxx HD for the extended battery life and 1280 x 720 resolution but availability has yet to be announced. Or other non-Android devices on the horizon.
