comments on razr vs rezound first impression

[you2]

I'm mostly posting this in case you can provide feed back about features or setting I missed (esp the browser lack luster behavior). These are just subjective observations - though i would be interested if there are fixes for any of the things i mentioned.
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Well to be honest I just got back from a verizon store after comparing the two. The comparison is not complete; and the display connectors definitely spoil the experience of holding the phones. On the other hand the phones were side by side so i'll make these comments:

The rezound actually seemed a bit dimmer on max brightness (partly because max brightness is a bit low (compared to other lcds) and the razr having higher contrast - which is not brightness but increases the visiblity.
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The razr is definitely snappier (esp with things like maps and browser).
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The razr default browser is annoying (cannot pinch or tap zoom on mobile sites; have to go into settings and change text size).
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Both seemed to lock fast on gps
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My impression was that the rezound felt better in the hand with the previously mentioned caveat; the razr was a little uncomfortable due to width/sharp edge.
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The razr sound was better but max volume a bit low; the rezound sound was a bit harsh (esp phone calls).
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I had a pair of kliptch s4 headphones and both phones sounded equally well with the s4 (but the rezound could go a bit louder and maintain good fidelity)
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I cannot comment on reception (this is a verizon store wwith good reception )
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I cannot comment on battery life
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The razr was definitely better built (overall finish was tighter)
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Which do I prefer - not sure yet - I think the rezound fits better in the hand and I think sense helps in daily usage (esp the browser and cut past between windows) - I kind of prefer the razr display and I suspect strongly it is easier to use in very bright light (out doors sunny day).
The rezound can be louder but the quality of sound on the razr is definitely better - esp in the high tones. This is a bit problematic for me becuase I want the sound loud if possible but the distortion in the rezounds harms the experience.
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That's my 2ct (first impression) after using both phones side by side for about 45 minutes.

 

[esn]

I looked at both devices and by far the Razr has a much nicer screen and as far as speed goes the Razr is super fast! I was not impressed with the rezounds UI I felt like I was holding a updated incredible 2. In reading some reviews it seems that the Rezound has a few issues with signal strength like the incredible 2.

 

[kschultz89]

Mind you this is coming from an HTC incredible FANATIC (for a 3g phone, it was by far my favorite phone until the 4g phones come) My first impression of the rebound was that it absolutely sucked. Totally unimpressed with the whole beats audio integration, not really much of a difference. I mean ya it has more bass ancd overall sound range, but nothing really about it really jumped out at me.

The phone felt slow and laggy, and for a phone that's 2 yrs newer then the incredible, the UI felt like the incredible's software on a commodore 64 machine. My razr definitely kills the rezound with looks and use.

I was definitely an HTC fan and actually disliked the Motorola phones, some people may or may not get this but i always felt like the moto droids were the original playstation, and the others were the xbox, as in like D-pad being rough vs thumbstick being smooth haha. Horrible metaphor unless you get it. I thought I was gonna be in love with more or less a dual core, 1.5ghz, 4g lte incredible with beats thrown in there as some icing on the cake, but unfortunately, I only needed to play with it for 10 mins to find out how dissapointing this phone turned out.

P.s. for a dual core 1.5ghz, quadrant was <2400 on the phone I messed around with. Kind of expected a little more. Just my $.02

 

[pm1066]

You can copy, cut and paste between windows on the Razr too--not sure what that means.

I did finds the screens essentially comparable, even though the Rezound has better paper specs. Either one is more than fine, and I don't see a consumer making that a big difference.

 

[Teegunn]

I've held onto a VZ upgrade for 9 months now waiting for the right phone to upgrade to. Got the incredible on launch day, bought a droid x a few months later for the larger screen, used that until late June of this summer when I bought a used DX2 which I have used since then. My DX2 is actually not bad, but does get too laggy overall at times. Bottom line between the RAZR and Rezound is that they are very close in terms of most features. RAZR is so light and thin.... but too wide. Rezound fits much nicer in the hand, but is heavier and thicker. Both screens are very nice, but both screens have their bad points. Both are too dim especially compared to my VERY bright DX2 screen. Amoled has those greyish whites, although they aren't as bad on the RAZR. The Rezound with that spectacular resolution is really hard to beat. Too bad it isn't a bit brighter overall. UI's I actually preferred sense this time, although either phone will likely have a different launcher on it for me anyway. Camera and exteral speaker quality go to the Rezound. Battery life is probably a wash, but damn you moto for no removeably battery! Everything else is more a less a wash for me honestly.

At this point, i don't know which phone to get. Neither phone is "quite right" for me to be honest, but I'm tired of not using my upgrade. I was leaning towards Rezound slightly, but since it does not yet have a root that sticks after reboot and the RAZR does, I am leaning towards the RAZR. I actually don't like the width and sharp edeges of the RAZR it makes the in-hand feel not quite right. I will be getting a cover anyway and my hopes are that the cover "may" have give a little more curve to the edges making it feel better in-hand. All that being said, I am still considering just waiting until ICS, 4.7" display and quad core phones hit in a couple qtrs. I guess one can always chase and wait for new tech though so I'll probably jump for either the RAZR or Rezound by black friday, hoping for a good deal on one of them by then.

 

[sean76]

Razr is a better, Sense destroys the Rezound ...

There's a Dual core snap dragon in there, shouldn't be any lag what so ever!

Unfortunately the Rezound feels pretty bogged down when u put it up against the Razr or even the HTC Amaze.

And the display argument is getting annoying!

Yes text is crisp on the Rezounds display, and whites do appear whiter!

But colors are very washed out, I'll go with a Super Amo every time.

 

[Teegunn]

I didn't notice a speed difference between the rezound and razr. Granted, both phones were literally new out of the box. But both phones were quick as hell. I really liked the sense scrolling "wheel" when you swiped quickly between screens. Useful? Not really. But pretty. I don't like any Moto stock UI, and really I doubt I would stay with sense either as i always load up ADW ex or the like, but I have to say my first impressions were that sense was "prettier" than the stock moto ui. Personal preference in a very short testing time however. Screen wise, it's a toss up for me at this point. Honestly, I flip flop between which phone has a slight lead almost daily. At some point I need to either just get one of them, or wait until the quad cores hit a couple of qtrs from now.

 

[you2]

Quick question; is there any way to tell the default browser on the razr to not goto mobile sites ?

Is there any way to pinch zoom or tap zoom (like on the rezound) when you visit a mobile site ?

 

[Szadzik]

Yes and yes

 

[jroc]

Razr is a better, Sense destroys the Rezound ...

There's a Dual core snap dragon in there, shouldn't be any lag what so ever!

Unfortunately the Rezound feels pretty bogged down when u put it up against the Razr or even the HTC Amaze.

And the display argument is getting annoying!

Yes text is crisp on the Rezounds display, and whites do appear whiter!

But colors are very washed out, I'll go with a Super Amo every time.

Its LCD vs. Amoled 2011...lol. And I have switched sides.....I like Amoled now, alot. Mainly cuz Pentile isnt no where near as bad as some ppl make it out to be. On the RAZR anyway...

I mentioned the other day some ppl might be disappointed in the Rezound....I take that back. Sense UI is a beautiful thing. Beats audio... typical HTC look n feel.

What I meant was some ppl might be disappointed in the screen... But, the Rezound running at 1.5 Ghz, you expect it to feel like its running at 1.5Ghz. The GS2 and iPhone 4S are STILL the benchmark king. Wonder how much hotter it runs... Maybe coming from phones from last year its an amazing phone. Coming from any phone from this year...its not so amazing IMO. Honestly, any phone from this year, if its not giving one any problems, I see no need to switch. Cant tell about dual core vs. single core phones from earlier this year....but the RAZR is damn near amazing vs. my Droid X1 as far as speed, smoothness and the UI.

All I know is the screen wasnt this amazing thing I hear some ppl say about the Rezound. Sharpness, yea. After that....meh. What can I say...I'm an Amoled fan now. And yes....the whole Amoled vs. LCD thing is gonna be preference. Its just like in the LCD vs. Amoled debates from last year, both have pros n cons. Its all about what you like when you see the screens.

 

[rushmore]

Listen to me now and believe me later:

Razr good: Contrast, runs less hot in 4G mode (pipes the heat through display), usb and hdmi connector, easy access microsd, better build, display works better with emulators (matters for old school gamers) and the look attracts chicks.

Rezound good: Text and browsing look better, easier to use with one hand, 4G picks up better in low 4G areas, wifi is stronger (I confirmed this testing and reviews point it out as well- 4G and wifi have better reception), better camera, audio output is better (not by much) and battery options.

Razr bad: Need to zoom more due to grain of pentile, whites aint white (dimmer as a result), awkward to use with one hand and fixed battery.

Rezound bad: Gets hotter in 4G mode (seems to bottle it up), no dual connectors for usb/hdmi (sadly, the industry appears leading away), microsd is stuck behind the battery, flush buttons are a pain and touch issues with game emulators (must think of old school gamers).

Things that are a wash: Battery life (current LTE in both is an evil power sucker), UI (both seem OK), sound quality and device power (I thought the dual S3 was faster, but they are about the same after doing more practical tests).

The display debate is going to be subjective, so have at it there, but most reviews agree the Rezound display is better (FWIW). Seems far sighted people prefer the Razr

BTW: Write this down......... The Razr will see a refresh with a higher def display in early 2012 (like the China model). Bet on it.

 

[you2]

How; no matter what I did i could not get pinch zoom to work on mobile sites. Like wise how do you disable mobile user agent? I looked at the settings et all after opening the browser and could not get either of these two things to work.

I'd like to go back to the store and test these as well as listen to the two phones again (I'll probably buy one - or the gnexus late next week).

Yes and yes

 

[dmaxfan]

Listen to me now and believe me later:

Razr good: Contrast, runs less hot in 4G mode (pipes the heat through display), usb and hdmi connector, easy access microsd, better build, display works better with emulators (matters for old school gamers) and the look attracts chicks.

Rezound good: Text and browsing look better, easier to use with one hand, 4G picks up better in low 4G areas, wifi is stronger (I confirmed this testing and reviews point it out as well- 4G and wifi have better reception), better camera, audio output is better (not by much) and battery options.

Razr bad: Need to zoom more due to grain of pentile, whites aint white (dimmer as a result), awkward to use with one hand and fixed battery.

Rezound bad: Gets hotter in 4G mode (seems to bottle it up), no dual connectors for usb/hdmi (sadly, the industry appears leading away), microsd is stuck behind the battery, flush buttons are a pain and touch issues with game emulators (must think of old school gamers).

Things that are a wash: Battery life (current LTE in both is an evil power sucker), UI (both seem OK), sound quality and device power (I thought the dual S3 was faster, but they are about the same after doing more practical tests).

The display debate is going to be subjective, so have at it there, but most reviews agree the Rezound display is better (FWIW). Seems far sighted people prefer the Razr

BTW: Write this down......... The Razr will see a refresh with a higher def display in early 2012 (like the China model). Bet on it.

I'm betting on it too.
I wasn't awed at the rezound display. It reminded me of the thunderbolt. I can't really tell an upgrade. I was afraid of the razr at first but have became a big fan of superamoled. If i am using the razr for certain things, I can notice dimmer off color whites, but If I watch netflix, whites look amazing. I guess it has to do with blur/power mangement? If you go to best buy and look at one of their dummy phones, that's exactly what the razr screen looks like in direct sunlight. I can't wait to see the nexus screen.

 

[dmaxfan]

How; no matter what I did i could not get pinch zoom to work on mobile sites. Like wise how do you disable mobile user agent? I looked at the settings et all after opening the browser and could not get either of these two things to work.

I'd like to go back to the store and test these as well as listen to the two phones again (I'll probably buy one - or the gnexus late next week).

It isn't on there. Download dolphin browser from the market.

 

[you2]

You mean Szadzik mislead me

I have no doubt there will be better phones in Q1 but I'm switching from sprint and would like to pick up the double data rate thingy which actually puts me at a practical point. I.e, 2GB was a bit tight for travel and 4GB is more than enough for my usage model.

It isn't on there. Download dolphin browser from the market.

 

[dmaxfan]

You mean Szadzik mislead me

I have no doubt there will be better phones in Q1 but I'm switching from sprint and would like to pick up the double data rate thingy which actually puts me at a practical point. I.e, 2GB was a bit tight for travel and 4GB is more than enough for my usage model.

Well, put it this way, I haven't found a way to turn off mobile only viewing of webites. Dolphin is a pretty cool browser though, try it, it's free.

 

[Szadzik]

You mean Szadzik mislead me

I have no doubt there will be better phones in Q1 but I'm switching from sprint and would like to pick up the double data rate thingy which actually puts me at a practical point. I.e, 2GB was a bit tight for travel and 4GB is more than enough for my usage model.

Not misleading anyone.

Open browser, type in about:debug and hit enter

Open Settings and you will be able to set user agent

 

[sean76]

How; no matter what I did i could not get pinch zoom to work on mobile sites. Like wise how do you disable mobile user agent? I looked at the settings et all after opening the browser and could not get either of these two things to work.

I'd like to go back to the store and test these as well as listen to the two phones again (I'll probably buy one - or the gnexus late next week).

Skyfire Browser....so insanely simple to switch between desktop or mobile all while in the browser...

 

[rushmore]

I used to use Sky on the G1 and D1, sure to the Flash conversion. Good times.

Dolphin also has a quick switch function for mobile, but need to download the plug in.

 

[gallandof]

Well, put it this way, I haven't found a way to turn off mobile only viewing of webites. Dolphin is a pretty cool browser though, try it, it's free.

for the default broswer to change the user agent, type in about:debug into the URL and hit go. nothing will happen, but now if you go into menu>settings and scroll down you should have a bunch of other options, one will be UAString click that.

this is personally how I change my UA, never liked any other browser on my phones other than stock with this little tweak


EDIT: damn i need to stop leaving tabs open, didnt realize others had replied when I did mine.

 

[pm1066]

Skyfire Browser....so insanely simple to switch between desktop or mobile all while in the browser...

Yes, but insanely hard to just exit out of.

 

[you2]

Thanks! Is there a way to change the pinch zoom behavior for mobile sites ?

It isn't on there. Download dolphin browser from the market.

Not misleading anyone.

Open browser, type in about:debug and hit enter

Open Settings and you will be able to set user agent

 

[pm1066]

Specifically uastring.

Off topic, but how do you get to advanced settings for individual websites? It's grayed out.