Review: Motorola Droid RAZR M for Verizon Wireless
The Motorola Droid RAZR M takes the design language we first saw from Motorola a year ago with the Droid RAZR and compresses the height and width. The result is an attractive device that has a comfortable footprint and doesn't leave out any features.
The M's look isn't quite as clean nor as seamless as that of its predecessors. There are more obvious parts and pieces screwed (literally!) together. There are six torx screws plainly visible, three on the left and three on the right. It lends the M an industrial look. I found the white model - with contrasting black display and Kevlar back - quite appealing.
The M is wedge-shaped, so it's thicker at the top, slimming down toward the bottom. Thanks to the minimal bezel around the display, the M is narrow and comfortable to hold. I was able to grip it firmly with my fingers wrapped all the way around. The back surface is textured just a little bit, adding some tackiness (not tacky-ness!) to the phone. All of the buttons and controls are used easily with one hand. It's certainly small enough to slip comfortably into your pants pocket.
I have to hand it to Motorola. The front of the M really is all screen. The amount of bezel on the left and right sides is the thinnest — or close to the thinnest — we've ever seen. Even the bezel above and below the display is tiny, especially since Motorola ditched the dedicated control buttons that might normally appear on the bottom. The result leaves the M with no wasted space. Spartans would approve.
The sides are a wee bit busy in appearance. In addition to the three torx screws, the left edge houses the microSD and SIM cards, and the microUSB port. The two small card ports are protected by a single hatch. You really have to sink your thumbnail into the slots to retrieve the cards. The power button and volume toggle are on the right edge. They both have good travel and feedback. The power button is silver and has ridges, while the volume toggle is white and smooth. The different textures make them easy to tell apart. The 3.5mm headset jack is on the top edge of the phone.
As with other modern RAZR designs, the M does not have a removable battery. Instead, the battery is locked under a patterned Kevlar surface. Don't expect the M's Kevlar lining to take a bullet for you. Instead, it is merely highly scratch resistant and adds a cool look to the device.
In all, I am impressed with the RAZR M's body. It is one of the most usable pieces of hardware Motorola has brought to market in the last year.
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