Coming from an iPhone 4 ... Razr impressions, might keep it, might not

[mzjin]

I'm in the holiday return period so I'm going to be playing around with this phone, and if I don't like it, I'll return and upgrade to the iPhone 4S. I had a Droid 1, which had lots of issues, and unfortunately, are still somewhat present in the 2 year older device.

Here are some big things I've noticed:

- Screen is good, but iPhone is brighter, has better whites, and does not distort to blue on high viewing angles

- This device is certainly no iPod - significant headphone background hiss that is apparent in any classical music or softer songs

- Build quality is decent, but not at the same level as the iPhone

- Battery life is adequate, will last a full day easily on my usage patterns, but has much lower standby time (I could not charge my iPhone 4 for 2 or 3 days sometimes if I don't use it much for example).

- Lack of GPU acceleration in Android means Ice Cream Sandwhich will really improve smooth user experience. The Razr is very speedy but the speed is sometimes betrayed by inconsistent graphical performance.

- Call quality is good, signal quality is good as well. There isn't a large discrepency here so the phone works well as a phone. I haven't experienced any drop in data (4G is always here in Boston).

I don't know, I'm annoyed by the headphone jack and the blue tint in the viewing angles, but otherwise, it's a good phone and 4G works well. I'm not sure I can get used to the size yet, that could be a pretty big factor because I'm finding the one handed usage awkward at times.

 

[sean76]

The iPhone 4s is a fine device...

However....itsT tiny screen and lack of 4G LTE is its Achilles heel...

I see no comparison between the 2, and I've owned them both, so I'm pretty much going on real user experience, not by
You Tube reviews or in store play!

If you like IOS, and the smaller more compact screen and package...go Apple!

If you want a screaming fast LTE phone woth a ginourmous screen, with beautiful colors that offer alot of punch, excellent build quality, along with being the thinnest device available today. Go with the Razr....

Decisions ....Decisions!!!

 

[mzjin]

Also, so it was not meant to be:

1) 6 hours of battery life with almost no usage, 40% gone.

No Wifi, no streaming, just a bit of browsing and texting.

2) Data has dropped out several times now JUST within 1 day of owning it.

3) Will lag for no reason sometimes, what's the point of 1.2ghz dual core if it lags?

Only thing I really like about this phone right now is Flash, bigger screen, and widgets.

iPhone 4S is probably on my horizon, unless the Galaxy Nexus blows us all away.

 

[Martimus]

Also, so it was not meant to be:

1) 6 hours of battery life with almost no usage, 40% gone.

No Wifi, no streaming, just a bit of browsing and texting.

2) Data has dropped out several times now JUST within 1 day of owning it.

Ya just gotta love 4G!

What you describe is not uncommon for most, if not all, current 4G devices...

 

[xmr405o]

Found this article

Motorola DROID RAZR vs Apple iPhone 4S

Good luck with your decision. IMO, I wouldn't trade a 4G phone for a non 4G phone especially if you live in a great 4G area...like Boston.

 

[jmj3783]

Also, so it was not meant to be:

1) 6 hours of battery life with almost no usage, 40% gone.

No Wifi, no streaming, just a bit of browsing and texting.

2) Data has dropped out several times now JUST within 1 day of owning it.

3) Will lag for no reason sometimes, what's the point of 1.2ghz dual core if it lags?

Only thing I really like about this phone right now is Flash, bigger screen, and widgets.

iPhone 4S is probably on my horizon, unless the Galaxy Nexus blows us all away.

Lag? I've seen zero lag and I do multitasking all day. And poor battery? Turn off 4g unless your uploading or downloading, my razr on 3g gets over 15 hours. When I am downloading something I switch to 4g (something the 4s can't do)

 

[esn]

I have never experienced any lag on the Razr at all! So far besides the signal drop yesterday this phone has been nothing less than steller! I could understand user issues or defective device but the razr is a solid device.

 

[CGdroid]

I didn't have any lag on razor and FYI,iPhone 4s doesn't do any better and it has even more problems.

http://m.cnet.com/Article.rbml?nid=57326984&cid=null&bcid=&bid=-1

 

[mzjin]

Another day and more awful behavior! Even on 3g only, data has dropped several times already. Battery life is about 1/2 to 1/3 of what you would expect from an iPhone with same usage. At least it hasn't crashed completely on me yet.

 

[jmt9779]

Another day and more awful behavior! Even on 3g only, data has dropped several times already. Battery life is about 1/2 to 1/3 of what you would expect from an iPhone with same usage. At least it hasn't crashed completely on me yet.

i'm really surprised (and thankful) that this thread has stayed so civil. i'm not really sure what the OP expects to achieve here, but walking into the lion's den being overly critical of the very device that we all just bought and (mostly) love, while attempting to make an unfair comparison to an apple product...i don't get it.

there are arguments to be made against every critique you've stated, but it sounds like you wanted the iphone over the razr from the beginning. it's impossible to say that the razr is better than the iphone 4s, or vice versa. it's all about which is better for YOU. and the iphone may very well be the device for you, but you might want to take it easy with putting it up on a pedestal, especially since (you said you're coming from an original droid) you haven't owned an iphone 4s. the grass is always greener, right?...

 

[mzjin]

i'm really surprised (and thankful) that this thread has stayed so civil. i'm not really sure what the OP expects to achieve here, but walking into the lion's den being overly critical of the very device that we all just bought and (mostly) love, while attempting to make an unfair comparison to an apple product...i don't get it.

there are arguments to be made against every critique you've stated, but it sounds like you wanted the iphone over the razr from the beginning. it's impossible to say that the razr is better than the iphone 4s, or vice versa. it's all about which is better for YOU. and the iphone may very well be the device for you, but you might want to take it easy with putting it up on a pedestal, especially since (you said you're coming from an original droid) you haven't owned an iphone 4s. the grass is always greener, right?...

If I wanted an iPhone 4S, I would have one (at full retail). I have an iPhone 4 already.

The only thing I wanted was 4G, otherwise, I would not have bothered to try out Android again. Yet, again and again, I am reminded of Android's beta product level issues (data network dropping out is unacceptable on any modern device) and insanely poor power management. At this point, I may wait to see if the Galaxy Nexus has this issue so that I can at least have a device to have 4G until the iPHone 5 arrives.

 

[Kelmar]

Respectfully, sounds like this isn't the phone for you. Nothing wrong with that either!

I truly hope you enjoy whichever phone you end up with and decide to keep.

 

[mzjin]

Respectfully, sounds like this isn't the phone for you. Nothing wrong with that either!

I truly hope you enjoy whichever phone you end up with and decide to keep.

I will, I'm going to give Ice Cream Sandwhich a chance. I really hope it has acceptable headphone jack quality and no data signal issues. Battery life at least will be manageable with extra batteries.

 

[xmr405o]

If I wanted an iPhone 4S, I would have one (at full retail). I have an iPhone 4 already.

The only thing I wanted was 4G, otherwise, I would not have bothered to try out Android again. Yet, again and again, I am reminded of Android's beta product level issues (data network dropping out is unacceptable on any modern device) and insanely poor power management. At this point, I may wait to see if the Galaxy Nexus has this issue so that I can at least have a device to have 4G until the iPHone 5 arrives.

That sounds like a plan to me. Try out the Gnex too, but I wouldn't waste (IMO it's a waste) money on buying the IP4s at retail when you already have a IP4.

You still have a long time until your trial period ends.