Motorola RAZR maxx Ve
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 25, 2007 by Eric Zeman
Our in-depth look at Motorola's RAZR Maxx Ve shows why it is a cut above previous RAZRs. NEW: Video Tour read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
I Thought it was good....
I've been a VZW customer for over a decade and have used many phones, many by Motorola but never bothered to write a review because to me, a phone is a phone and I don't except much except the basics. For the most part, VZW provided those basics over the years.
Not so with this phone.
Pros:
Nice looking
Decent camera (not important)
Good keypad
Clear screens
Cons:
Poor battery life, maybe 24 hours with 1 or 2 short calls and little or no BT
Very slow UI
Constantly locks up for no reason
Constantly reboots for no reason
Bluetooth bugs/lockups
So-so reception compared to other phones I've used
I know today's phones need to have cool features squeezed into a ever smaller package but the basics should never be compromised. Battery, menus, stability, reception. Don't sacrifice these to make a more fashionable phone.
When I brought it to VZW they said they needed an hour with it to recreate the problems. This store was the closest to me but not close enough to leave my phone and come back. Unfortunately, I need my phone. So now I feel stuck with this for a while. The sooner they release a firmware update to solve these problems the better.
This will be my last Motorola phone.
Razr Maxx A Truly Great Phone!
I've read all the reviews about this phone and want to thank everyone that contributed their facts and opinions. It lead me to ultimately purchase this phone, and I have no doubts whatsoever. I agree with almost every pro listed, so I'm not going to add any because they're all covered. I do have some rants though, but remember they do not have anything to do with the performance of the phone!
-Most Samsungs and LG's got VZW Enhanced UI at about the same time the Maxx came out. How come this phone didn't?
I have a solution, somewhat, for this problem. VZW obviously wants the same UI in all its phones so they will be easy to learn, especially for senior citizens and pre-teens. No pun intended. Also it's easier for VZW cust. serv. reps to help confused people, including themselves. My solution is to just keep the same UI in all their phones but enhance it so it's different to look at and kind of exciting to play with when you get a new phone. Nobody wants the same old boring thing to look at year after year!
-The only other rant I have is yes the front of the phone is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. I went to an eyeglass store and bought a soft eyeglass cleaner cloth that won't scratch the phone. It sounds funny but it beats wiping the phone on your pants or shirt all day. lol
A great phone Verizon is offering now. I also love the look of the phone more than the new razor 2! And saved 50 bucks! If you are on the fence go to a store and check this phone out....it's a keeper.
Westchester County, N.Y. area with great reception.
MOTORAZR is a very good phone
Iâve had MOTORAZR phone for 3 weeks and am very satisfied. I upgraded from a Motorola e815 which started to die after much use. I tested several phones before choosing the MOTORAZR, including the LG8700, LG8600, LG8300, Samsung A990, and the Samsung U540. Also, my wife uses a Moto V325i. My main measure of a phone is reception. Call of the incoming and outgoing signals is, to me, most important over bells and whistles. I found the MOTORAZR to have superior call quality (both ends from test calls) over most of the phones tested. The LG8300 and the V325i both scored well in call quality, with the MOTORAZR still being slightly better. I selected the MOTORAZR for the 2mp camera, which I use regularly for work. I have not used the music features.
Pros:
⢠Excellent reception. Call clarity for both ends of call is great
⢠No dropped calls in Chicago area, Northern Illinois, Southern/Central Wisconsin, Northern/Central Indiana, New Orleans, Wash. D.C. Metro area, Phoenix, AZ.
⢠Has side tone. I love having side-tone on a phone. It helps keep you from talking too loud during phone calls, because you have a reference to your own voice volume. I hate when people talk into their cell phones like they are talking across an auditorium.
⢠Sturdy feel
⢠Easy to program numbers and email
⢠Clear large screen, internal and external
⢠Seamless sync with bluetooth (Plantronics Voyager 510 and Garmin NUVI 660)
⢠Camera takes clear photos - better with good light (see cons)
⢠Fast data access-Iâm always checking weather and news
⢠Loud ringers
⢠Good vibrate by my standards. I donât miss calls.
Cons:
⢠Camera lacks clarity in lower light levels â interior light levels
⢠No 2.5mm headset plug
⢠Can use 2.5mm headset with USB adapter, but cannot charge at the same time
⢠Side tone is a little too loud
⢠Lots of fingerprints (has nothing to do with performance)
⢠No aftermarket charging stand available yet
Great phone, but returned it.
I really did like the Maxx VE, it has a lot of great features; like an excellent screen, a big front screen, excellent camera, really bright flash, great look, nice grippy feel, and even this "funny face" feature in the picture editor which was quite entertaining...
But, after having it for about 12 days, I returned it for the LG VX8700. My previous (and first phone) was an LG VX8100... I got really acustomed to the T9word texting format, and the fast menus. I ended up returning the Maxx not because its a bad phone, but because its often slow getting thru the menus, saving pictures, etc... and I just couldnt get used to the ITAP format.
I realized that it wasn't worth keeping the Maxx just because it had a flash, a slightly more versatile camera (i already have a great dig cam) a funny face picture editor, and a cool look. Though the VX8700 lacked a flash, and its speaker phone wasnt so great, it had what I used most, T9 texting, and much faster menus. To me those 2 things are more important than anything else. The maxx was just slow and somewhat frustrating to use. I cant really say that the 8700 is "better" but it the features that I need, it has. - Plus I never ever use the phone for music so the mp3 features on the maxx ve didnt really apply to me.
PROS
-excellent screen, big front screen
-great quality camera and flash
-sleak classy look
-cool picture editing features
-great sound quality
-great speakerphone
CONS
-iTAP (i'm used to T9word)
-SLOW. it cant keep up with my thumb. lots of delays. frustrating. slow at loading pictures, saving pictures, etc.
-i was constantly wiping the front screen on my pants to get the finger prints off
- Carrier: Verizon.
- Region: Nashua, NH
Great phone with great features
I've had the phone for a week and have been very satisfied with the phone so far. Unlike other phones out there, this seems to do almost everything well.
PROS:
-Great Reception
-Great earpiece quality & loud ringer speaker
-Very clear speakerphone works with the phone closed
-Excellent build quality (Rubberized paint on the metal housing, w/ very strong hinge)
-Bright & crisp QVGA screen (Smoother images, better in sunlight than most)
-Caller ID is displayed in large font on the external screen
-Menu speed is improved over the RAZR & KRZR
-Cleaner menu fonts than most Verizon UI phones
-Battery life seems to be good after a few initial charges.
-Camera is outstanding & the flash is great for pictures at night.
-The keypad buttons are large
-Ability to launch the music player with the phone closed.
-Can set all 4 scroll wheel shortcuts
-Mini-USB charging port
CONS:
-No large centered clock on the external screen as on past Motorolas.
-Can't change the ringer volume/type with the phone closed.
-Red Bars. Verizon didn't put the Flash UI & enhanced themes on it like the new LG's & Samsungs.
-Occasional hiccups during navigation (but nothing distracting)
NEUTRAL
-The signal meter is a bit inconsistent and it's hard to judge signal
-Keypad is flatter, but more firm than the RAZR
All in all, the pros heavily outweigh the cons & I will be keeping the phone. Verizon could have polished up the interface a bit, but one has to remember that the Flash UI adds little to no extra functionality, & the maxx is just as usable. The fact that it feels great & does so many things well make it Verizon's best current offering in my opinion. With a software update, the phone could be even better.
Having had the E815 & V3m, I can say the maxx is a definite upgrade to the V3m but is a different animal than the E815. The E815 has SLIGHTLY better reception and interface, but the maxx is better built, has a better charger, better screen, and better camera.
Review after 1 Week of use
I have used this phone extensively for 1 week. I have had the E815, lg vx4500, vx9800, vx9900, the Q, Samsung A990 and now this phone. Here is what I have found...
Pros:
-Excellent Screen quality (both internal and external)
-Loud Speaker phone
-Great Reception
-Excellent Camera and Flash
-Nice design
-Very Sturdy Phone
Cons:
-Battery life could be better
-I wouldn't say UI is a con but Verizon needs to stop limiting the phones
-Screen smudges easy
-Phone clip is a piece of trash
-no 2.5mm jack
I like it!
Due to a transmission problem with a just-installed cell tower near our home, we could no longer use our much-liked LG VX8300s. We found that the Motorola KRZR and Maxx Ve have significantly better call qualityâparticularly transmission. Hereâs what we found in comparison:
STRENGTHS
⢠LG VX8300âbetter access points for headphones, charging, and MicroSD card, as well as longer battery life.
⢠The Moto Maxxâconsiderably better camera, no external antenna, much better screens, better keypad, better call quality, better reception, better looking.
PROS
⢠Cameraâtakes outstanding pictures, and the flash makes it very usable indoors. And, like a real camera, you can play with settings and focus and such in order to get the best picture possible. Or, you can simply use automatic. I like it.
⢠Screensâabsolutely superb!
⢠Keypadâgreat and easy to use.
⢠Call qualityâI have had five phones before this, and the reception, transmission and sound quality surpasses them all.
⢠Interfaceâquick!
⢠MP3 playerâis about the same as the LG (good), if a little louder thru the headphones, but not as loud thru the speaker. I also like the external music controls better on the Maxx than on the LG. I occasionally bumped a button on the LG when in use, but because there is a lock on the Maxx, that doesn't happen.
⢠Feel and look of the phoneâexcellent. Without faulting the LG (its size makes it a great fit in my palm), the Maxx is very solid and has a sort of rubberized back that provides a great grip.
CONS
⢠One portâwhich doubles as a headphone jack and charger. While the connection is more secure than on the LG, it is at an awkward location on the side.
⢠MicroSD card slotâyou must remove the battery cover. Contrary to some reports, you do not need to turn off the phone or remove the battery in order to access it.
⢠Battery lifeâa little better than half that of the LG.
SUMMARY
⢠If you're looking for value alone, I recommend the LG VX8300. If you're looking for features, the Maxx is terrific.
A fully functional work of art
Pros: Call quality, reception, speaker, style, durability/construction, screens, keyboard, camera quality, PC connectivity, and voice dialing, last but not least music.
Cons: Battery life, battery cover, speed of camera, video length and quality.
The call quality on both receiving and transmitting are phenomenal.
In my basement, I get poor/no reception with my previous phones and carriers. However, the maxx Ve work flawlessly, with no dropped calls in the 3 weeks I have owned the phone!
This piece is a literal work of art. I actually never liked the old Razr designs. They kinda remind me of the Startac phones, which remind me of what my son would have in his toybox. Outter screen is large. The hinge that the clam shell works on is very solid in both the open and closed positions. Large keypad has buttons that couldnât be placed in a better position, and give a great feedback when pressed. Screen is clear, bright, and visible even in direct sunlight.
No proprietary charge/data cable!!! If you have a mini USB cable, you can do anything you want with this phone. You can hack it, load mp3 ring tones, mp3 music, podcasts, sync to Outlook, edit your contact, transfer photos and video if you want.
Music on this phone isâ¦for lack of better worksâ¦.Awesome. Awesome is the speaker that plays the music. The touch sensitive keys on the outside of the phone are a great thing. Everything can be done without flipping the clamshell open. How great is that?
To get to the removable media you need to know how to get the battery cover off. The battery cover can be difficult for some people to remove.
The absolute worst aspect of this phone is the battery life. Thank God plugging it into a USB jack charges this phone, and when itâs plugged in, it charges fast. Iâm not a heavy phone user. I may make 15min of calls during the day, and I have even hacked the phone and disabled the EVDO feature, which is a battery hog.
Motorola RAZR maxx Ve
Do yourself a favor read as many reviews on this phone. I "upgraded" from Motorola E-815. Not much of an upgrade except for the 2.0 mega pix camera and its options and functions. It does have a nice size outer screen and viewing video you shot with phone is nice.
It drops 3X as many call as my old E-815. In addition it seems slow at time changing functions. The software version (6/07) that Verizion is using on this phone and many others is too small to read on some of the screen. The Blue-tooth connection is not very good, you need to have your phone so close to your Blue-tooth you might as well just use it as regular phone with out Blue-tooth. Now phone has locked up and must be returned. I only had one month. I would pass on this one. Nice job Verizon
Awesome phone!! Verizon best so far
Pro:
1. Easy to use.
2. Built very well.
3. Great speed.
4. Battery life is great 3.5 days on normal use. a few calls and text.
5. Extended battery doesn't add much bulkiness.
6. Loud speaker phone.
7. Loud ringtones.
Cons:
Not many, I agree finger prints are bad but to me it's a phone not to be made for display on a shelf.
