Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX
Phone Scoop Review
Jan 30, 2012 by Eric M. Zeman
Motorola's Droid RAZR MAXX builds on the foundation set by the original RAZR and makes a wide number of improvements to an already good design. Here's Phone Scoop's full review of the RAZR MAXX. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
beats all other phones
Well here goes, im a truck drjver been for 8 years and love it. The razr maxx is a great companion. With be able to use the gps and listen to music at the same time and not worried about getting the car charger out in four hours. The cameras are great since we cant use our phone i Skype with my girl and crisp clean screen and sound. Moto did a awesome job hands down the best phone. Apple may struggle to beat.
This is a challange to all driod devices
I've had this device for 2 months now and absolutely love it. My recent devices include the Samsung Galaxy Nexus , Rezound , Bionic, Droid X2 and Droid X (on VZW), EVO, EVO 3D and Phonton (Sprint). I carry an iphone 4s for work Razr a few and loved the screen, HOWEVER it software does allow you to grow with the device
Here's my breakdown:
PROS;
-Screen in crisp and a pleasure to look at. Colors are true and text is amazingly clear.
-Camera takes amazing photos and works like it should, smooth and worry free.
-Calls are clear and loud, no echoes or static.
-Data is crazy fast, processor works great and device maintains nice signal.
-UI works and interface has nice intuitive features which make it the best Android UI on the market.
-Beats Audio is the real deal. The sound from these earbuds is nothing short of amazing.
-The battery life is astounding
CONS; these are minor and by no means a deal breaker
- ICS release late
four days on battery
I bought this verizon phone for my wife. So, I don't use it day and day out.
So, here goes. The android interface that moto designed is way cool. Very intuitive. Very light weight. Big screen.
Phone audio in and out is very good. She calls me on speaker phone mode with it on her lap while she drives. Sounds very good to her and I. Noise canceling appears to be very effective. I can tell she is in the car but not like other phones in the past. Much less on speaker!!
I am very concerned for her safety sometimes. I want the battery to be reliable so far so good. The four day battery life is not checking email at all. Only some facebook usage, occasional web surfing, text and talk.
Only one hiccup so far. The phone locked up after getting a full charge. No screen activity. Nada. The soft reset worked nicely. Hold Power and Volume down for 10 - 15 secs. Rear cover does not separate from the phone. The soft reset exists for that reason. Battery access may destroy the cover.
Memory and sim located in a side hatch. I can see the flip down cover side hatch getting destroyed in the future.
We both complained about moto batteries for years. We both liked moto phones but we ditched them because of battery failure.
Excellent Phone
I have been using the RAZR MAXX for one month with Verizon in the greater Phoenix area. The phone and service have exceeded my expectations.
PROs
1. No connection problems or dropped calls.
2. Excellent voice quality.
3. Very fast data downloads.
4. Phone operation is fast and smooth.
5. Web performance makes this phone fun to use.
6. Battery life is excellent; Averages 20 hours with frequent phone and web use, minimum 14 hours with one movie and 7 application downloads added to normal use.
7. Excellent screen brightness and clarity.
8. Phone feel and quality are first-rate.
CONs
None
Same as Bionic, but Awesome Hardware!
I've had the Droid, Droid X, and Droid Bionic in the past. The UI is identical to the Bionic, with just a little bit less bloatware. The big difference is obviously the hardware. The slim profile is beautiful. The actual screen size is identical on the Droid X, Bionic, and RAZR Maxx. The actual size of the phone on the RAZR Maxx is wider than the Droid X by 1 or 2 mm and taller by maybe a mm. However the RAZR Maxx at its thickest point is just a hair thicker than the X at its thinnest point. Moto moved the power button over to the side of the phone, which I like. It makes it easier to access for one-handed operation. My only complaint is that they got rid of the physical camera button, but I rarely use the camera anyway. Its slim profile also makes it lighter, which makes it easier on my pinky finger. But the build feels very solid.
Battery: Amazing! My Bionic never made it through a full day so I had to keep the extended battery in it. I wasn't a fan of the thickness that came with it, but I got used to it. The slim profile on the Maxx is awesome. The Maxx lasts from early morning to late night with moderate to heavy use. The battery lasts longer than any other 4G phone with extended battery.
Software: I like Moto. I tried the HTC Rezound for 2 weeks and couldn't get myself to like it. The Maxx homescreen is the same as the Bionic, and really is good enough that I don't use LauncherPro anymore. And I really really like the Favorite Contacts widget.
All the basics are covered. Call clarity is great. Speaker volume is loud. UI is snappy (better than the Rezound). And this is the only Android device that I have ever not been able to crash using Google Earth.
The RAZR Maxx has really set the new standard for smartphones. It still has the same 4G problems I've had with the Bionic and the Rezound (data connection sometimes stops and needs to be reset) but I have to blame Verizon for this. If you're considering a 4G phone, I wouldn't consider anything else.
Hands down the best smartphone out there, not just the best Android one!
I'm an extremely heavy business user that has become accustomed to charging my phone every chance I get so it will get through the day. With the Razr Maxx it hits the charger only once a day when I go to sleep at night; that's it and usually it's still around 30%+ at that time.
I've owned upwards of 20+ smartphones in the last 8+ years since smartphones moved into the realm of "useable". BB's, Palm's, WM's, iPhones, Symbian, Android - Several of each from several manufactures and carries and several 4G phones starting with the HTC Thunderbolt; then Bionic, Razr & now Maxx.
The Razr Maxx IMHO is by far the best smartphone to date, of any type out there.
PROS:
-Battery life is nothing short of AMAZING
-Very stable for an Android phone
-WAY MORE flexible/capable than an iPhone
-Build quality is top notch
-I prefer Motorola's "skin" on Android to
others; just very useable/functional but
probably not as "pretty" as others like
HTC's sense
-Pre-loaded apps like the news reader app,
mail, calendar, etc super functional, no
frills, just works and works VERY WELL
-Size; even with an otterbox on it, great
screen size and battery life yet more than
manageable size
-Very fast and responsive
-Motocast! Awesome! Syncs music/movies etc
just like iPhone/iTunes but no Apple's
needed (not even iTunes) plus I can get
whatever I need from my desktop or server
on my phone (and xyboard tablet) from
anywhere I'm at.
-Ice Cream Sandwich on it tomorrow!
-Durable as can be...I've literally bounced
this thing on the driveway a few
times...can't even tell where it hit when I
pick it up - Otterbox is largely
responsible, but I've had other phones take
less and still break in an otterbox
CONS:
-Camera; iPhone is way better - BUT, I didn't
get it for the camera, I have a real camera
for that
-4G / data connection drops regularly. I
won't ding the phone for this though as
every 4g phone I've had/tried has the same
problem not just Mot's; a network thing?
GET IT!
So far, so good.....
Finally! I'm glad to see Motorola (or any manufacturer) realize that some of us don't care to have a smaller phone, but we want POWER - and power is what the Maxx delivers. Of course, the traditional Motorola virtues of great signal, excellent clarity, and user-friendliness are still here, but now you can enjoy your smartphone as intended - and for the entire day! Since much has been written about the Motorola Droid Razr, I'll save the details, as this is the same device with about 2mm more thickness - and you won't notice the size difference, trust me, as it's still about the same thickness as the iPhone. My again eyes appreciate the 4.3" screen and my large fingers like the keyboard better than the smaller iPhone keyboard. I give this one a score of 4.5, but only because Android is not quite as polished as iOS (iPhone operating system) - it's getting there, but not quite as smooth yet. I'm hoping the Ice Cream Sandwich OS update will help get this phone to a 5.0 score.
While I'm at it.....I'd even be OK with making the next Razr Maxx a bit thicker, say 11mm, and up that battery even more - to 5000ma or more - so you could actively use the phone all weekend if you're out and not worry about charging at all.
All that said, the Razr Maxx seems to be just what I needed and I'm happy. I hope it works as well for you too!
Best phone on VZW
I purchased this phone 5/25/12. All I can say so far is I love this phone. I stream pandora (unlimited data plan) over bluetooth in my car at least 6 hours a day. The battery life is outstanding. It should be a requirement in every 4G LTE smartphone that is made nowadays. I used to have the Galaxy Nexus prior to this phone, and while it was the "latest and greatest" I would have to constantly keep it on the car charger. I could not make it a full day on the battery. Even went as far as purchasing the extended battery for it. I gave me probably an additional two hours if that. Not worth the price I paid for it. Can easily make it two days on a charge with the Maxx.
Pros
Battery Life
No Lagging
Easier to grasp than the Nexus
Much louder speaker than the Nexus.
Memory Card slot.
Cons
Screen not as big as the Nexus
Screen is not as beautiful as the Nexus
Heavy
Non removable battery
Not really a pro or con, but I wish it came in various color options as the the regular razr does.
This is a smartphone--Wow
I have bought many smartphones and my previous phone was the galaxy nexus lte, which i really liked and used it for about three months. It was a great phone, beautiful screen and very fast,the design was great. The battery life wasn't good at all, love the ICS. I was considering the Motorola razr when i purchased the nexus, and decided to get the nexus instead. But then the razr maxx came out and i wanted so much to get that phone after all the research i did on the maxx. I finally paid out of pocket the full price for the razr maxx just to have it and so far after three weeks i totally love this phone. This phone is the ultimate. This phone is super fast, the screen is very crisp and clear the design is to me perfect, love the build and feels so solid when you hold it, and the battery life is totally amazing. I can go two days with moderate to some what heavy use and have 40% of battery left. This short review is my opinion only and if you decide to get this phone you will probably have the same review as i do. I have never had such a smartphone as this one, this phone is my dream come true about a smarphone, Motorola came thru on this phone. The screen is tough and the kevlar back is pretty cool, all and all i give this razr maxx a sold five
Thank You MOTO!!
I'm truly impressed with this phone! It's faster than the Galaxy Nexus, which I owned and sold. ICS is nice but over rated. Razr Maxx battery life for me is very good at 12-15 hours; I know it says 21 hours; but I'm not a heavy user, I'm an extreme user. With Galaxy Nexus, I used two of three extended batteries everyday and sometimes putting in third, that's 4200mAh plus. Razr Maxx with 3300mAh getting through the day and not even using the Smart Action proves to be better. The only con for me with this phone is it not having a (HD Screen 720x1280) In fact, had it released with HD and ICS, it would have killed Galaxy Nexus. Out of the box true proformer - Razr Maxx!!! Phone for easy customizing to proform - Galaxy Nexus.
In every way this phone for me, has out done every other Verizon LTE phone - EVERY! (I've owned them all!)
GO MOTO!!!
