Motorola RAZR

Editor's Review of the RAZR

When you think of the Motorola Razr, you probably picture 2004's Razr V3, complete with its quirky clamshell form factor and odd metallic finish. However, Motorola's latest Razr handset couldn't be more different, as it aims to impress with its high-end smartphone features.

Design & Build

The big selling point here is the design of the Razr. Measuring in at 7.1mm thick, it may not be the thinnest phone in the world, but it certainly feels as skinny as they come. Unlike the plastic-coated Galaxy S2, the Razr boasts a toughened chassis crafted from Kevlar fiber too, which makes it feel much more durable than its slightly-chunkier Samsung-branded rival.

Saying that, we were slightly put off by the oddly-balanced nature of the handset. Thanks to its super-skinny form factor, Motorola have decided to stuff most of the phone's components at the top of the handset, which makes the Razr little awkward when sitting in the hands. Saying that, it will slip comfortably into your pocket, thanks to its 127g weight.

As they say, it's what's inside that counts, and that's certainly the case with this modern day Razr. Under the hood, you get a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with a healthy 1GB RAM, which offered an all-round slick and speedy experience.

Of course, these impressive innards also offer the power behind the Razr's 4.3-inch screen, which boasts a 540 x 960 pixel resolution and Super AMOLED technology on top. This, thankfully, proved just as impressive as it sounds on paper, offering-up super-bright and vivid images.

OS & Interface

Motorola may have just buddied up with Google, but that doesn't mean they managed to get their mitts on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Instead, the Razr arrives running Google's Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread software, with a bump to ICS promised for H1 2012.

That's not to say you should put-off buying the Razr until it gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich. We were pleasantly surprised with Motorola's - albeit unnamed - custom user interface on their latest high-ender, and it proved more functional than disruptive. For example, Motorola has included a new grid where you can store your favourite contacts, ideal for sending a quick text without having to scroll through 400 Facebook friends.

Speaking of which, social networking is tightly-knit into the Razr's homescreen, which offers a functional back drop for all of your chums' updates from Facebook and Twitter.

With Android 2.3 onboard, Swype also comes included on the Razr. We've always been huge fans of this third-party Android QWERTY keypad, which lets you drag your finger from letter to letter, rather than punching each in individually.

Multimedia & Storage

On the rear of the Razr you'll find an 8 megapixel camera, complete with autofocus, LED flash and 1080p HD video. Although its on par with the Galaxy S2 in terms of spec, we found the shooter the phone's ultimate downfall. Admittedly, it produced some decent photos indoors, but the Razr seemed to struggle in sun-light conditions, with images appearing over-exposed and lacking in natural colour. Unfortunately, we got the same results when shooting video, too.

Its camera may not be that impressive, but the handset does boast a decent amount of storage. The RAZR comes equipped with 16GB of included memory, and an 16GB memory card chucked into the box.

Everything Else

With its excellent screen and powerful processor, we already knew that the Razr would offer a second-to-none web experience. And we were right. Thanks to the Super AMOLED screen tech both images and text look crystal clear, aided perfectly by the 4.3-inch screen size. Of course, you'll also find both HSDPA and WiFi connectivity onboard too, so we noticed no lag when firing up pages.

Conclusion

Camera aside, the Motorola RAZR is an excellent piece of kit. It's got dual-core power, a gorgeous screen - and not to mention that super-skinny body. Although Motorola's custom UI is certain not to appeal to everybody, it looks like the Galaxy S2 has got some competition.