Motorola Razr phone review

The new version of Motorola's Razr phone is a remarkable piece of engineering - and sets a new standard for the company.

 

By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor 

There are lots of things one might dislike about the Razr: open the box and it admonishes you to charge up the phone before using it, when so many phones no longer take the same hectoring approach. Turn the device on and where some Android devices demand a single sign in, the Razr wants plenty of yeses and noes to before you can get to doing anything.

But the Razr is exceptional in so many other ways it more than makes up for what are irritating foibles: at just 7.1mm thin, it is the worthy successor to the original clamshell handset that sold more than 130million units after it was launched in 2004.

Available on a number of networks in the UK from next week, the device features a Kevlar back, a top-of-the range 4.3” display and a 1.2GHz processor. That display is huge and remarkable in its brightness and detail.

Predictably, such a big screen does somewhat drain the battery life, but that difficulty with a full day's operation is becoming standard for all top-of-the-range phones, the iPhone 4S included. The phone will feature an 8megapixel camera and can record in full 1080p HD video.

Elsewhere, the Razr is running Android 2.3.5, enhanced by Motorola’s own adjustments. These will not be to everybody’s taste, but they do add useful features and provide a different aesthetic to the standard Android look. A new app called MotoCast allows the device to stream or download content such as music, films or files from any computer in the world, so long as it is also using MotoCast. A new feature called “Smart Actions” will also automate certain settings, so that, for instance, the phone can automatically put itself on silent when the GPS registers that it has entered its owner’s workplace.