HTC Rezound vs Motorola Droid Razr

[Deleted User]

as a measure of comparison, my cats head was 84.2f ....

lol.

 

[rushmore]

Both the Razr and Rezound work fine in 3G, but in 4G while streaming video, their heads can start doing a 360 and they start speaking in satanic tongues. Hot stuff

Added: Razr gets to 112 degrees (charging, 4G streaming video and HDMI) and about it, so not as bad, but the way it pipes it, you feel the warmth of some of it. Razr however seems cool compared to the Rezound with same tasks, but the design buffers you from the heat more.

I am leaning towards the Rezound having some bad units in the first batch, since no way the device was designed to get so toasty.

 

[YodaDroid]

Well I returned the Razr because of the crazy screen issue I was having. Had a bunch of blotchy spots on the screen while the screen was black and on. Honestly didn't feel like going through 5 handsets to find a good one...lol.

So decided to give the Rezound a try.

It's a fine handset...but over all I just feel the Razr has more punch and the OS and UI just felt smoother in every day use.

The designs are so different, so there will people on one side of the fence for the Razr and people on the other for the Rezound and Sense...comes down to what the person likes better.

Sean. The blotchyness of the Razr is actually an artifact of this Amoled and not a defect. You'll see it in dark rooms when the screen is trying to show black (most of the time black means the screen is off in that area).

It's not a defect of the phone.

 

[TxGoat]

The comparison I'll make between the Razr and the Rezound (from a man's vantage point), it's like deciding whether to marry a stripper (the Razr) or a girl you met in one of your college classes (Rezound).

Sure the Razr will impress your friends until they realize that she stays skinny by throwing up after each meal and doesn't give you easy access to her battery. Her Kevlar backside will probably be a little more firm and her frontside is going to dazzle you with her brighter colors. If you hold her loosely with only 1 hand you may eventually tire so holding her tight with 2 hands may be preferred.

The college girl (Rezound) may look a little less exotic, but she has a little more processing power and some talents that you wouldn't have anticipated unless you took the time to get to know her (the combo of the beats earphones and on board beats software actually work great together). She may not be as flashy to look at (compared to the stripper who earns a living by drawing your attention), but in the right lighting and with the right mood (720p video content to be exact) she will definitely take your breath away.

What it comes down to is do you want something that performs at 9/10ths but looks stunning even though some have reported that 1-handed operation can be tiring, or do you want something that looks 9/10ths as good but performs great (reportedly better 4G reception and better resolution while not as vibrant)?

I don't think there's a clear winner since both phones excel in their own area of expertise and perform admirably in other areas. I'd say anyone that claims otherwise either has professional ties to HTC or Motorola or is too wrapped up in their fanboism to give credit to the other device. You can't go wrong with either phone but your best bet is to expose yourself to both and decide based on what's important to you.

 

[rushmore]

Bah, both devices IMO are a wash- This perspective is after clearing out all demo noise from previous tests:

After testing last night to a compulsive level:

Ergonomics: Rez is better for one hand use- even with the 2700mah battery and cover (you all should by this NOW, $30 ATM at Verizon and will surprise you how nice it fits in the hand- plus protects camera lens better).

Speed: Razr is zippier, but when you remove Sense as the launcher, they are the same. I notice that game emulators are a little slower on the Rez, but with a 720p display, not a surprise.

Touch response: Razr is better, but most of this has to do with some apps not dealing well with the 342 DPI on the Rez. Emulators are a key example.

Display: A wash. Yep, the Rez has higher resolution, but unless you are a micro film reader, you end up one tapping to zoom text a little more, anyway. The contrast and viewing angles are much better on the Razr and a LOT less glare (easier to see outside). Still, the sexy 720p offsets the issues, so a wash IMO.

4G: A wash. Range appears the same in the Lexington area (new area for 4G).

Sound: Rezound is better. Though the Beats settings are artificial boosts (do not like), the sound quality is same, but the volume via 3.5 mm is more and I prefer the speaker output.

Heat: Both run about the same in simple to moderate tasks, but Flash video and game emulators like N64oid seem to push the the Rezound about 10 degrees higher. I was thinking the LTE chip was the issue, but seems more an issue of the semi-stacked design of the Rezound (per the teardown) and the dual core 1.5ghz kicking to max, along with 4G. With no apparent heat piping, seems par for the course.

Media storage: Razr hot swap card slot is tops.

Camera: Of course the Rezound

Call quality: Razr is better

Battery life: Not used either device long enough to make an opinion

The net result seems that folks would be happy with either device, but, ergonomics IMO are HUGE. The Rezound kicks the Razr's butt for ergonomics, even with the extended battery (Rez owners should be forced to buy this).

What seems to be winning me out though is the Razr is a lot easier to see in the sun, better touch response, hot swap card slot, better contrast and like having the HDMI and usb seperate and located on the top.

Still, most people are not compulsive rubes like me, so the ergonomics and the sexy 720p display in a lower light room should sway a lot of folks.

After using them both beyond tethered demos, IMO call them a wash and people should be happy with either device. Added: I do think however that the Rezound would be better off clocked down to 1.2ghz to ease some heat.

 

[wsettle]

The comparison I'll make between the Razr and the Rezound (from a man's vantage point), it's like deciding whether to marry a stripper (the Razr) or a girl you met in one of your college classes (Rezound).
...

You can't go wrong with either phone but your best bet is to expose yourself to both and decide based on what's important to you.

Just make sure you wear protection

 

[kishin14]

Bah, both devices IMO are a wash- This perspective is after clearing out all demo noise from previous tests:

After testing last night to a compulsive level:

Ergonomics: Rez is better for one hand use- even with the 2700mah battery and cover (you all should by this NOW, $30 ATM at Verizon and will surprise you how nice it fits in the hand- plus protects camera lens better).

Speed: Razr is zippier, but when you remove Sense as the launcher, they are the same. I notice that game emulators are a little slower on the Rez, but with a 720p display, not a surprise.

Touch response: Razr is better, but most of this has to do with some apps not dealing well with the 342 DPI on the Rez. Emulators are a key example.

Display: A wash. Yep, the Rez has higher resolution, but unless you are a micro film reader, you end up one tapping to zoom test a little more, anyway. The contrast and viewing angles are much better on the Razr and a LOT less glare (easier to see outside). Still, the sexy 720p offsets the issues, so a wash IMO.

4G: A wash. Range appears the same in the Lexington area (new area for 4G).

Sound: Rezound is better. Though the Beats settings are artificial boosts (do not like), the sound quality is same, but the volume via 3.5 mm is more and I prefer the speaker output.

Heat: Both run about the same in simple to moderate tasks, but Flash video and game emulators like N64oid seem to push the the Rezound about 10 degrees higher. I was thinking the LTE chip was the issue, but seems more an issue of the semi-stacked design of the Rezound (per the teardown) and the dual core 1.5ghz kicking to max, along with 4G. With no apparent heat piping, seems par for the course.

Media storage: Razr hot swap card slot is tops.

Camera: Of course the Rezound

Call quality: Razr is better

Battery life: Not used either device long enough to make an opinion

The net result seems that folks would be happy with either device, but, ergonomics IMO are HUGE. The Rezound kicks the Razr's butt for ergonomics, even with the extended battery (Rez owners should be forced to buy this).

What seems to be winning me out though is the Razr is a lot easier to see in the sun, better touch response, hot swap card slot, better contrast and like having the HDMI and usb seperate and located on the top.

Still, most people are not compulsive rubes like me, so the ergonomics and the sexy 720p display in a lower light room should sway a lot of folks.

After using them both beyond tethered demos, IMO call them a wash and people should be happy with either device. Added: I do think however that the Rezound would be better off clocked down to 1.2ghz to ease some heat.

You know Rush, while I don't always agree with everything you say, the one thing I like about your posts is that you try to stay as objective as possible while still maintaining your personal preference. I don't think enough people do this. Instead, they tend to state what they like as fact, such as saying that the rezound's screen is better no matter what because it's a true HD screen.

In terms of this particular post, I agree with almost everything you wrote. I say almost because I really haven't extensively tested the razr. Only played with it for a good hour in-store when it first came out.

For example, touch response being better on the razr is not something I ever would have noticed after the short time I played with the razr. Why? Because the rezound's touch response seems plenty good to me. Certainly seems on par with my DX and D3. Nor have I had any issue with touch response in the games I play. But this doesn't mean it's a nonissue for everyone. Those that do play game emulators extensively may have a problem with it.

Same thing with the heat. I have yet to have any heat issues with my rezound that has cause me concern. The hottest it's ever gotten was 112F. During my two 30 minutes 4G streaming tests it only reached a temp of 108F. I don't consider these temps hot. And as you state, for everyday use, heat is probably a non-issue (unless you got a faulty unit). Yet if you're the type of person that will be heavily using 4G then, it's nice to know that the razr runs cooler.

As for the screen, I'll add that if you're a big video person and favor detail then the rezound's screen is probably for you. There's a scene in Cars 2 where one of the cars drives past a puddle of water that ripples. The detail of the reflection in the water as it rippled was unlike anything I've ever seen on any screen.

More information is always better than less, even if it's information that might be less important for some than for others. So thanks again.

 

[rushmore]

I am not completely sold on the heat issue, but have noticed it in spikes. Does appear to make sense though, due to device design, 1.5 dual core and LTE.

112f was tops on the Razr so far and that was with a plugged in marathon Flash session and using HDMI.

Either device is a win!

Rez owners, go buy the VZW extended battery now! Wish the Razr had the option.

 

[you2]

My problem is both devices have features I want and features I don't want. I.e, I want the rezound ergo and higher volume; I want the razr anti-glare; resistance to scratches and light weight. The extra battery for the rezound is a nice + for travel the razr water resistance is a nice+.
-
My biggest concern for the rezound is heavy scratching of the display over a two years period and difficulty to use outdoors. These are the areas the razr win; but i hate the idea of limited battery life for the razr and the wide factor being somewhat awkwared for my hands.
-
Hum. Compromise. I could wait for the nexus and see what compromises it brings to the table (my guess on reviews is lower volume than the razr; worse reception; better form factor and improve scratch resistance; and of course lack of sd slot).
-
Hum. Compromises. Why can't someone make the perfect phone. If I wait till Dec 12th or so will verizon double data rate and amazon 1ct deals still be viable ?

Bah, both devices IMO are a wash- This perspective is after clearing out all demo noise from previous tests:

After testing last night to a compulsive level:

Ergonomics: Rez is better for one hand use- even with the 2700mah battery and cover (you all should by this NOW, $30 ATM at Verizon and will surprise you how nice it fits in the hand- plus protects camera lens better).

Speed: Razr is zippier, but when you remove Sense as the launcher, they are the same. I notice that game emulators are a little slower on the Rez, but with a 720p display, not a surprise.

Touch response: Razr is better, but most of this has to do with some apps not dealing well with the 342 DPI on the Rez. Emulators are a key example.

Display: A wash. Yep, the Rez has higher resolution, but unless you are a micro film reader, you end up one tapping to zoom text a little more, anyway. The contrast and viewing angles are much better on the Razr and a LOT less glare (easier to see outside). Still, the sexy 720p offsets the issues, so a wash IMO.

4G: A wash. Range appears the same in the Lexington area (new area for 4G).

Sound: Rezound is better. Though the Beats settings are artificial boosts (do not like), the sound quality is same, but the volume via 3.5 mm is more and I prefer the speaker output.

Heat: Both run about the same in simple to moderate tasks, but Flash video and game emulators like N64oid seem to push the the Rezound about 10 degrees higher. I was thinking the LTE chip was the issue, but seems more an issue of the semi-stacked design of the Rezound (per the teardown) and the dual core 1.5ghz kicking to max, along with 4G. With no apparent heat piping, seems par for the course.

Media storage: Razr hot swap card slot is tops.

Camera: Of course the Rezound

Call quality: Razr is better

Battery life: Not used either device long enough to make an opinion

The net result seems that folks would be happy with either device, but, ergonomics IMO are HUGE. The Rezound kicks the Razr's butt for ergonomics, even with the extended battery (Rez owners should be forced to buy this).

What seems to be winning me out though is the Razr is a lot easier to see in the sun, better touch response, hot swap card slot, better contrast and like having the HDMI and usb seperate and located on the top.

Still, most people are not compulsive rubes like me, so the ergonomics and the sexy 720p display in a lower light room should sway a lot of folks.

After using them both beyond tethered demos, IMO call them a wash and people should be happy with either device. Added: I do think however that the Rezound would be better off clocked down to 1.2ghz to ease some heat.

 

[rushmore]

My problem is both devices have features I want and features I don't want. I.e, I want the rezound ergo and higher volume; I want the razr anti-glare; resistance to scratches and light weight. The extra battery for the rezound is a nice + for travel the razr water resistance is a nice+.
-
My biggest concern for the rezound is heavy scratching of the display over a two years period and difficulty to use outdoors. These are the areas the razr win; but i hate the idea of limited battery life for the razr and the wide factor being somewhat awkwared for my hands.
-
Hum. Compromise. I could wait for the nexus and see what compromises it brings to the table (my guess on reviews is lower volume than the razr; worse reception; better form factor and improve scratch resistance; and of course lack of sd slot).
-
Hum. Compromises. Why can't someone make the perfect phone. If I wait till Dec 12th or so will verizon double data rate and amazon 1ct deals still be viable ?

If the Nexus had a micro sd slot, it would be a good bet.

 

[TxGoat]

If you take the 3 phones that are out or will soon be out (Rezound, Razr, Nexus) if you were to build your ideal dream phone, unless you're a homer, I can see taking hardware or software from all 3 devices to build the one perfect device. I'd take the visual packaging from the Razr with the curved back of the Nexus, packaged in the guts of the Rezound (LTE and 720p with the Beats and I don't mind the "old" tech of the HTC's dual core setup although that's debatable) with ICS and NFC from the Nexus, the easily accessible SD slot of the Razr...and I know I'm probably missing something but that's probably how I would start to package my dream device.

 

[rushmore]

Odd why this has not been done yet.

 

[jroc]

If you take the 3 phones that are out or will soon be out (Rezound, Razr, Nexus) if you were to build your ideal dream phone, unless you're a homer, I can see taking hardware or software from all 3 devices to build the one perfect device. I'd take the visual packaging from the Razr with the curved back of the Nexus, packaged in the guts of the Rezound (LTE and 720p with the Beats and I don't mind the "old" tech of the HTC's dual core setup although that's debatable) with ICS and NFC from the Nexus, the easily accessible SD slot of the Razr...and I know I'm probably missing something but that's probably how I would start to package my dream device.

I agree...not only with hardware but with the different mobile OS's. We can only dream tho, right?

On your take tho...I would go with a Exynos or OMAP for the dual core chip. Maybe the chip in the iPhone 4S. Everything else seems good to me.

Amoled screen with sharpness of the Rezound screen, outdoor viewing, and brightness of the Bionic? Nice....

What seems to be winning me out though is the Razr is a lot easier to see in the sun, better touch response, hot swap card slot, better contrast and like having the HDMI and usb seperate and located on the top.

Still, most people are not compulsive rubes like me, so the ergonomics and the sexy 720p display in a lower light room should sway a lot of folks.

After using them both beyond tethered demos, IMO call them a wash and people should be happy with either device. Added: I do think however that the Rezound would be better off clocked down to 1.2ghz to ease some heat.

On the first point...I had no idea but its better on top to me too. HDMI is more out of the way of playing a game connected to the TV, looking at Netflix and charging at the same time is better ..

On the 2nd point....IMO they can clock it down to 1Ghz. I tried with my RAZR...and it seemed to help with heat. Now its not an an issue at 1.2 anymore, dont know if I just got used to it or its not as warm anymore. (when I first noticed the heat was in my apt...which is a virtual dead zone, so it coulda been the 4G working hard to get a signal, I get no 4G signal in my apt unless I'm near a window. Since I have Wifi at home, I have Smart Actions set to disable 3G/4G at a certain time after work and connect to my Wifi. I was already doing that with my Droid X1, Smart Actions just made it easier...lol) But for my 2 weeks with the RAZR, 1Ghz was fine. Thats why some folks with a Bionic dont really see that much of a difference vs the RAZR.

 

[TxGoat]

Odd why this has not been done yet.

I agree...not only with hardware but with the different mobile OS's. We can only dream tho, right?

On your take tho...I would go with a Exynos or OMAP for the dual core chip. Maybe the chip in the iPhone 4S. Everything else seems good to me.

Amoled screen with sharpness of the Rezound screen, outdoor viewing, and brightness of the Bionic? Nice....




On the first point...I had no idea but its better on top to me too. HDMI is more out of the way of playing a game connected to the TV, looking at Netflix and charging at the same time is better ..

On the 2nd point....IMO they can clock it down to 1Ghz. I tried with my RAZR...and it seemed to help with heat. Now its not an an issue at 1.2 anymore, dont know if I just got used to it or its not as warm anymore. But for my 2 weeks with the RAZR, 1Ghz was fine. Thats why some folks with a Bionic dont really see that much of a difference vs the RAZR.

It wouldn't surprise me if a rep from HTC, Samsung, and Motorola got together and had a "phone draft". They listed all the features on a top tier phone and each got to pick what they would focus their attention on. I find it interesting that each device has one thing really going for them and isn't really encroached on by the other manufacturers. It almost seems planned...."Ok Samsung, you get ICS but you can't have removable media." "Ok HTC, you can have a 720p screen, but you can't amp up the color, we'll give that to Motorola, Oh and don't invest in a visually stunning design, that's going to Motorola too". It feels almost purposefully orchestrated. /tinfoil hat

 

[you2]

Well some of it could be price for components (lcd screen vs oled); not really sure here. I was checking the phones out again (now i'm starting to swing back towards the razr) and made a point to check reflection status (razr does in fact dim reflect lights in the store; while hte rezound reflect nice and bright) as an indication of effect on outdoor viewing. Oh well. I guess for me now the biggest unknown is battery life (for myself) and usability out doors. Everything else I've sort of already quantified after these numerous visits. I obviously like (and dislike) aspects of both phones. Oddly the razr seems to be getting a bit more hate (complaints) than the rezound so that too is metric. I really amazed at the rezound (reading users reviews on amazon, verizon, cnet, ...) the number of peopel who talk about the lack of visilbity outside and the number who say it is visible outside. I mean how can one person see the display and another not see it ? Can't they make up their mind ?
-
I mean I can understand why some folks have good call quality and others don't or why the battery might last longer for some people and not others; but being able to view the screen outdoors ? Go figure for the inconsistent comments

It wouldn't surprise me if a rep from HTC, Samsung, and Motorola got together and had a "phone draft". They listed all the features on a top tier phone and each got to pick what they would focus their attention on. I find it interesting that each device has one thing really going for them and isn't really encroached on by the other manufacturers. It almost seems planned...."Ok Samsung, you get ICS but you can't have removable media." "Ok HTC, you can have a 720p screen, but you can't amp up the color, we'll give that to Motorola, Oh and don't invest in a visually stunning design, that's going to Motorola too". It feels almost purposefully orchestrated. /tinfoil hat

 

[Ken7]

I don't think there's a clear winner since both phones excel in their own area of expertise and perform admirably in other areas. I'd say anyone that claims otherwise either has professional ties to HTC or Motorola or is too wrapped up in their fanboism to give credit to the other device. You can't go wrong with either phone but your best bet is to expose yourself to both and decide based on what's important to you.

I love your analogy. I'm currently using a Rezound and really like it. I'm not crazy about Sense, but I still may not be used to it. I must confess that every time I go into a VZW store and play with the Razr, I lust for that 'stripper'.

I'm more used to the Motorola UI, so it may explain some of my reservations about the Rezound. But I will say that reception has been very good and pretty much on par with my Bionic (perhaps just a bit better).

I'm not sure though which phone has the edge in reception though, I've read some very positive posts about the Razr's 4G reception.

One thing I noticed about the Rezound that I haven't seen anyone else comment on, is the camera's default settings. Although to a casual observer the pictures look very sharp, when you display them on a computer, I see very definite edge enhancement. It's as if the sharpness is set too high at its default setting. I first noticed this just looking at a picture I shot at a VZW store and looking at it on the Rezound's screen. To me it was that obvious.

Don't get me wrong, I think the pix are nice, but I think they are flawed. My buddy was over yesterday and he plans on buying my Bionic. For fun we took a few pictures with both the Rezound & the Bionic and when displayed on the computer, the Bionic actually had more 'real' detail and far less edge enhancement. Most people probably wouldn't care about stuff like this, but since I'm so in to video and the like, I do see it.

I also find the videos pretty poor on the Rezound (nothing to write home about in the Bionic either). Some of the videos I've seen from the Razr look better to me than either the Rezound or the Bionic. It's odd since I think the camera is essentially the same in both the Bionic & the Razr. But I've also seen considerable variation in camera quality from one Razr to another.

In the end, as you said, both phones are great and it's hard to make the wrong decision. In fact either one may well be better than even the upcoming GNex...but then again maybe they won't be.

 

[Ken7]

What seems to be winning me out though is the Razr is a lot easier to see in the sun, better touch response, hot swap card slot, better contrast and like having the HDMI and usb seperate and located on the top.

In the end, for me, I think that's the winning feature, the screen. The contrast on text, pictures and virtually anything are much greater on the Razr and therefore (at least for me) easier to see despite the higher rez of the Rezound.

In looking at how I tend to hold and use a phone (other than using the phone for a call), I tend to use two hands anyway. So the ability to more easily hold a phone while texting or doing whatever, in one hand becomes less important. If you're using two hands, I see no ergonomic advantage with either phone. If you do tend to use a phone with just one hand, then the Rezound will have the ergonomic advantage.

BTW, I haven't really noticed any significant issues with the touchscreen on the Rezound...maybe I just haven't used the apps that bring it out.

 

[Ken7]

Oddly the razr seems to be getting a bit more hate (complaints) than the rezound so that too is metric.

In reading tons of reviews (both user & professional), it seems to me that most 'complaints' come from people that don't own the phone. I see many complaints in the good ol' GNex thread...of course many there despise anything that's not GNex.

From what I've seen, it seems that the pro reviews tend to give a bit of an edge to the Razr. The complaints from owners of the Razr seem to mostly revolve around one thing, battery life. But then again so many owners praise battery life. But that does remain my major concern about the Razr.

It's like you say, one loves the same thing that the next owner hates.

 

[WV_ANDROID]

I returned a razr for a rezound and so far I'm happy I just personally like sense better than moto

 

[TxGoat]

Well some of it could be price for components (lcd screen vs oled); not really sure here. I was checking the phones out again (now i'm starting to swing back towards the razr) and made a point to check reflection status (razr does in fact dim reflect lights in the store; while hte rezound reflect nice and bright) as an indication of effect on outdoor viewing. Oh well. I guess for me now the biggest unknown is battery life (for myself) and usability out doors. Everything else I've sort of already quantified after these numerous visits. I obviously like (and dislike) aspects of both phones. Oddly the razr seems to be getting a bit more hate (complaints) than the rezound so that too is metric. I really amazed at the rezound (reading users reviews on amazon, verizon, cnet, ...) the number of peopel who talk about the lack of visilbity outside and the number who say it is visible outside. I mean how can one person see the display and another not see it ? Can't they make up their mind ?

I mean I can understand why some folks have good call quality and others don't or why the battery might last longer for some people and not others; but being able to view the screen outdoors ? Go figure for the inconsistent comments

I'll comment about my experience with the battery and see if it helps. The first day I took my phone to work I noticed how poor my 4G reception was. I kept going in and out of 4G and my battery life was down to about 50% after only 4 hours, seemed like the Thunderbolt. To be honest I was trying to download a 1.5 gig file and my inconsistent 4G signal wasn't helping. The follwing day I noticed a much better 4G signal, but why?!?! Oh that's right, the previous day was foggy, rainy, and miserable. I even managed 4G at home, which was a rarity with the Thunderbolt. So if you are in a not so dense 4G area, regardless of which phone you get, you might want to get a spare....oh right no access to the battery in the razr.......

I love your analogy. I'm currently using a Rezound and really like it. I'm not crazy about Sense, but I still may not be used to it. I must confess that every time I go into a VZW store and play with the Razr, I lust for that 'stripper'.

I'm more used to the Motorola UI, so it may explain some of my reservations about the Rezound. But I will say that reception has been very good and pretty much on par with my Bionic (perhaps just a bit better).

I'm not sure though which phone has the edge in reception though, I've read some very positive posts about the Razr's 4G reception.

One thing I noticed about the Rezound that I haven't seen anyone else comment on, is the camera's default settings. Although to a casual observer the pictures look very sharp, when you display them on a computer, I see very definite edge enhancement. It's as if the sharpness is set too high at its default setting. I first noticed this just looking at a picture I shot at a VZW store and looking at it on the Rezound's screen. To me it was that obvious.

Don't get me wrong, I think the pix are nice, but I think they are flawed. My buddy was over yesterday and he plans on buying my Bionic. For fun we took a few pictures with both the Rezound & the Bionic and when displayed on the computer, the Bionic actually had more 'real' detail and far less edge enhancement. Most people probably wouldn't care about stuff like this, but since I'm so in to video and the like, I do see it.

I also find the videos pretty poor on the Rezound (nothing to write home about in the Bionic either). Some of the videos I've seen from the Razr look better to me than either the Rezound or the Bionic. It's odd since I think the camera is essentially the same in both the Bionic & the Razr. But I've also seen considerable variation in camera quality from one Razr to another.


In the end, as you said, both phones are great and it's hard to make the wrong decision. In fact either one may well be better than even the upcoming GNex...but then again maybe they won't be.

Lust is pretty much the feeling I got with the Razr. It's a sexy phone that's for sure. I'd say it's style over function (just barely though because it's also a powerhouse inside). The Resound is not outright ugly, but it's not the looker that the Razr is. Once I started to view some 720p content on here, I knew I'd made the right choice. As far as camera and camcorder quality, to me 8 MP pics and 1080p video, while I agree I saw some artifacts and distortion, I'm not expecting my cell phone to win me any Pulitzer prizes or anything. So I'm plenty satisfied from a cell phone owner's perspective. Yesterday I shot 8 pics of some contract work we had done on site. I snapped em all in focus (thank you fast shutter!), and sent them all off on 4G. By the time I walked back to the office, all pics were uploaded and showing in my outlook. I'm really starting to LOVE this phone.

 

[you2]

I'll comment about my experience with the battery and see if it helps. The first day I took my phone to work I noticed how poor my 4G reception was. I kept going in and out of 4G and my battery life was down to about 50% after only 4 hours, seemed like the Thunderbolt. To be honest I was trying to download a 1.5 gig file and my inconsistent 4G signal wasn't helping. The follwing day I noticed a much better 4G signal, but why?!?! Oh that's right, the previous day was foggy, rainy, and miserable. I even managed 4G at home, which was a rarity with the Thunderbolt. So if you are in a not so dense 4G area, regardless of which phone you get, you might want to get a spare....oh right no access to the battery in the razr.......

I think you misread my rant. I understand the inconsistency in battery performance; its the inconsistency in out door viewing that has me confused. Several folks have dinged the rezound for lack of visibility outside while others say it is a non issue.

 

[rushmore]

In the end, for me, I think that's the winning feature, the screen. The contrast on text, pictures and virtually anything are much greater on the Razr and therefore (at least for me) easier to see despite the higher rez of the Rezound.

In looking at how I tend to hold and use a phone (other than using the phone for a call), I tend to use two hands anyway. So the ability to more easily hold a phone while texting or doing whatever, in one hand becomes less important. If you're using two hands, I see no ergonomic advantage with either phone. If you do tend to use a phone with just one hand, then the Rezound will have the ergonomic advantage.

BTW, I haven't really noticed any significant issues with the touchscreen on the Rezound...maybe I just haven't used the apps that bring it out.

The touch issues are some apps, but happen to be ones I use a lot. Stock apps, Dolphin, Angry Birds, etc are fine. It is apps with virtual controls like game emulators where the issues are.

 

[rushmore]

In reading tons of reviews (both user & professional), it seems to me that most 'complaints' come from people that don't own the phone. I see many complaints in the good ol' GNex thread...of course many there despise anything that's not GNex.

From what I've seen, it seems that the pro reviews tend to give a bit of an edge to the Razr. The complaints from owners of the Razr seem to mostly revolve around one thing, battery life. But then again so many owners praise battery life. But that does remain my major concern about the Razr.

It's like you say, one loves the same thing that the next owner hates.

Seems both devices are getting far more good reviews than not. From a word cloud standpoint, the main review dings are the Razr is hard to use with one hand and the pentile is second. Rezound has rough battery life and Sense is laggy is second.

Not consistent in all reviews, but those seem to be the most common dings.

Added: Blackthanos, I agree the Rezound looks better, but I prefer overall function

Either device fits preferences of folks.

 

[Blackthanos]

Lust is pretty much the feeling I got with the Razr. It's a sexy phone that's for sure. I'd say it's style over function (just barely though because it's also a powerhouse inside). The Resound is not outright ugly, but it's not the looker that the Razr is. Once I started to view some 720p content on here, I knew I'd made the right choice.

See it's hard for me to get this sometimes. I guess it's just me but the Razr doesn't look sexy to me. Different...yes, sexy and stylish....I just can't see it. Again this is just a personal opinion. I do realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and my ReZound is a sight to behold to me..lol.

I think you misread my rant. I understand the inconsistency in battery performance; its the inconsistency in out door viewing that has me confused. Several folks have dinged the rezound for lack of visibility outside while others say it is a non issue.

I know exactly what you mean here. I have noticed the same thing. Not sure why that is though. My guess is that it's part personal prospective and part lifestyle. For example I work in marketing so I'll say about 70% of the time I'm inside whether its in the office or in store checking on a project. 10% of the time I'm in my vehicle on the way to these places(so no problem with glare again) and 10% of the time I'm outside. So for me the whole screen glare thing is almost a non issue since it would only come in to play about 10% of the time IF i even had a problem with it. With a daily routine like that the subject of screen glare becomes an after thought in the back of your mind. Now for someone who is say a landscaper or works in construction or something it would be a completely different setup and it's puts them in a situation where they would have more opportunity to have issues with something like that. I do occasionally get some glare and I understand and except that is the trade off for my AWESOMELY clear and detailed screen. When I first got this phone I thought ok it has a nice screen but it's still just a phone so I doubt I will watch anything longer than a music video on it. Now I am almost to the point where I will need to by another sd card because I am watching so much HD content on it. Full length movies, anime, music videos, tv shows. It's crazy. I think I might need some hd video intervention.

 

[TxGoat]

I think you misread my rant. I understand the inconsistency in battery performance; its the inconsistency in out door viewing that has me confused. Several folks have dinged the rezound for lack of visibility outside while others say it is a non issue.

lol, oops I actually read it right and was going to comment on that but somehow I got battery life in my head. I was going to mention that some people are probably having no problems because it's overcast or not extremely sunny where they're at. If the Rezound is like the Thunderbolt then I imagine it's not going to be very easy to see on the brightest days. But then again if you take any LCD TV outside, you're not going to get much viewing out of it either. You can always put a screen protector on the phone that has some anti-glare or just put your hand over the screen. Unless you live in the desert where there's no shade, it shouldn't really be a big issue. If I get a call in the bright sun then I'll just put my hand over the phone, see that it's someone I'd rather not talk to, and then not answer.

See it's hard for me to get this sometimes. I guess it's just me but the Razr doesn't look sexy to me. Different...yes, sexy and stylish....I just can't see it. Again this is just a personal opinion. I do realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and my ReZound is a sight to behold to me..lol.

It's definitely subjective. I do think it's sleek. I mean it is one of the thinnest phones out there, but I think to me the reason it looks sexy is because my last 3-4 phones have been HTC phones and their styling hasn't changed much so I'm probably just weary of the styling.




One of the reasons I'm already counting on the Nexus to bomb is when I downloaded some 720p content onto the phone. At 3-4 GB per movie, the storage in the Nexus isn't going to last long. If I had bought the rumored 16GB Nexus, I'd already be out of luck. This is with only ONE 720p movie installed, a bunch of songs (not all the songs I have), and a few apps.