So does the Razr live up to the Hype?

[sean76]

Sean, I knew you would get the phone. I believe you and I have the same taste in phones. lol. I have been pretty happy with the RAZR. Not perfect, but what phone is. I am going to be setting my Smart Cast up to the extreme today. I figure Sunday. I will get a true look at day to day life is with the built in battery.

Lol I couldnt resist! I agree on Liking it so far...Really cool phone!

 

[sean76]

Sean, what would you say are the biggest differences (pluses mainly) over the Bionic? Obviously size, but what else?

To be honest...I liked the Bionic from day one! I really did, however there were 2 things that just pushed me over the edge...

The Camera- Jeeeez, the Bionics camera is borderline insane with how long it takes for a shot to focus! With the Razr its pretty much instant. One of the fastest shutters I've ever used on an Android phone. Very good IMO

The Black Screen of Death- I've gotten it probably a Dozen times since I got the phone on launch day...So far so good with the Razr! I have not heard any reports of this happening. Honestly, If it happens once on the Razr in the next 2 weeks, It'll be packed up and brought back to VZW. And then after that I will most likely stay away from Moto for a while.

All in all...Those were my 2 big complaints...Otherwise I really liked the Bionic...And would have most likely kept it if those issues didnt exist.

Now to answer your question about the Differences of both...

The Size and Form factor- Bionic is better IMO, it just is! The Razr has alot of useless space around the bezel. but I guess it was needed to fit all that goodness under the hood while still keeping it so thin. Yes the Razr is so cool, and so thin...However I prefer the feel of the Bionic.

Screen- Tuff one! All preference...If you ask me, I'd rattle of my perfect screen..Which would be a Super Amoled Plus with 720P resolution. Soon, very soon we'll see that! As for these 2? They're both Pretty Good, not perfect, but good!

The Bionics screen was trashed for so long, Pixels, washed out, etc! I do not agree...I've always said my Bionics screen was good inside, and by far the best I've ever used outdoors. Whites are so white, and the screen is just so bright at say 50%! Cant say the same for the Razr...Yes its a good screen, but as far as brighness and whites...Bionic Wins!
However...The Razr screen IMO is very good when you talk about colors and what not! Super Amoled cant be matched with how deep the Blacks are and how vivid colors are...It's not even Close between the 2! Colors and Blacks on the Razr make the Bionic look washed out. So with this argument it comes down to what you like better...I side with Super AMO.

I cant really comment on battery yet because I havent even had the Razr 24 hours yet! But from what I see so far, it's probably going to be similar to the rest of VZW's 4G LTE devices...Which means Ehhhhh...lol
As you know the Razr has it's battery sealed in, so if your a road warrior that needs to swap batteries through out the day...The Razr may not fare well being that you'll need to be near a charger of some sorts.

Gimme a week and I'll be able to really give a solid answer on Battery life on the Razr...IMO the Bionic was terrible after 2 months of owning it! My winner in the 4G battery wars was, and still is the Droid Charge.

UI is fluid and solid as it was on the Bionic...So no real difference there yet IMO.

All in all...The way I see it! If had to choose one, I'd probably go with the Razr...And this is the reason why!

Call Quality...Yup Call quality on the Razr might be the best I've ever used on a smart phone...Yes I said ever!

Calls are really loud, and really clear! I was asked if I was at home talking on a land line last night...So while the Bionic is ok in this dept! The Razr is by far the better of the 2, as well as the better of all the phones I've owned the last few years.

Also in that regard...The speaker on the Razr is very loud and clear as well!

So there you have it... Thats my take on the Razr vs Bionic wars so far!

 

[breadnatty08]

Sean, thanks a bunch for the write-up. I got a chance to see one today while we were waiting to get a table for breakfast (going to IHOP on a Sat. morning is not one of the best choices to make in life). It was really cool looking and I still can't believe how thin it is. Was a dummy unit so I couldn't use it. Will be swapping out my Bionic for the GN when it comes out, but it's great to see so many options.

 

[sean76]

Sean, thanks a bunch for the write-up. I got a chance to see one today while we were waiting to get a table for breakfast (going to IHOP on a Sat. morning is not one of the best choices to make in life). It was really cool looking and I still can't believe how thin it is. Was a dummy unit so I couldn't use it. Will be swapping out my Bionic for the GN when it comes out, but it's great to see so many options.

No prob!

Yea I'm going to be on the fence between the Razr and the GNex when it gets released..

 

[FragDroidX]

Does it live up to the hype? IMO this is one of the few times that something has lived up to the hype. The Razr is everything they said it was. Does that mean its the right phone for you? Only you know the answer. I am currently using the Razr along side the Droid X, Droid 2 Global, Samsung Fascinate, Droid Incredible, Droid Incredible 2, Droid Bionic and Galaxy S II (yes I like phones as much as Sean). I will post my impressions after using the Razr for a few days. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them.

 

[mzjin]

Searching for WiFi uses less power, typically, than searching for 3G/4G and, for that matter, searching for GPS satellites. While it would be nice to be able to have Smart Actions turn off WiFi when you're out of range of a known AP, in my opinion it's a small price to pay.

Your phone is a phone - it always needs to hold onto 3G or 4G because it needs to be able to communicate with the towers in order to get you calls, text, and data.

Your phone does NOT need WiFi, it is not an iPod Touch or an iPad.

It's a very simple test - go through your day without WiFi and have 2x the battery life, or go through your day with WiFi on all the time and have your battery life drain like mad. WiFi is useful if you have no 3G or 4G, you have limited data plans, or the task at hand requires WiFi bandwidth.

 

[Martimus]

Your phone is a phone - it always needs to hold onto 3G or 4G because it needs to be able to communicate with the towers in order to get you calls, text, and data.

I'm sorry my friend but you are mistaken... A Motorola Razr V3 was a phone, the old analog cellular brick phones were phones, and the telephone plugged into the wall outlet in your home is a phone. Smartphones, while they have the capability of phones, have transitioned into more than just telephones... they are mobile computing platforms.

A smartphone provides you the ability to make calls, send/receive text messages, send/receive emails, surf the internet, function as a GPS, play games, and so much more.

The traditional voice capabilities of today's smartphones use separate radios from what's needed for data. As such each becomes independent of the other. WiFi is but one of several ways of connecting a Droid Razr to the cloud in order for it to function as a data device. Don't want to use WiFi? Use 4G (LTE). Don't want to use 4G? Use 3G. Can't use 3G? Use 1X. Or you can tether your phone to another device and use it's data connectivity.

If you simply don't want any of the above, turn off data altogether and turn your $600 smartphone into a feature phone. The choice is each of ours to make... with smartphones we have options and options are an awesome thing!

 

[mzjin]

I'm sorry my friend but you are mistaken... A Motorola Razr V3 was a phone, the old analog cellular brick phones were phones, and the telephone plugged into the wall outlet in your home is a phone. Smartphones, while they have the capability of phones, have transitioned into more than just telephones... they are mobile computing platforms.

A smartphone provides you the ability to make calls, send/receive text messages, send/receive emails, surf the internet, function as a GPS, play games, and so much more.

The traditional voice capabilities of today's smartphones use separate radios from what's needed for data. As such each becomes independent of the other. WiFi is but one of several ways of connecting a Droid Razr to the cloud in order for it to function as a data device. Don't want to use WiFi? Use 4G (LTE). Don't want to use 4G? Use 3G. Can't use 3G? Use 1X. Or you can tether your phone to another device and use it's data connectivity.

If you simply don't want any of the above, turn off data altogether and turn your $600 smartphone into a feature phone. The choice is each of ours to make... with smartphones we have options and options are an awesome thing!

I get all that, my point is that if you are interested in better battery life, you are better off going day to day with WiFi completely off, only turning it on and off as the need arises.

I recommend anyone to try that out and see if it makes a difference.

 

[jmt9779]

I get all that, my point is that if you are interested in better battery life, you are better off going day to day with WiFi completely off, only turning it on and off as the need arises.

I recommend anyone to try that out and see if it makes a difference.

well, i can't give you a comparison of battery life with wifi on versus having it off, but i what i can tell you is that i NEVER use wifi and i'm getting the same battery life as everyone else right now.

 

[sean76]

Just put my Razr next to my Fathers Droid Charge....BIG difference in the screens!

The Charges screen is brighter for sure, and whites seem to look much better! When I say better, I mean they appear white with a slight touch of blueness.

The whites on the Razr seem almost greyish, off white!

The difference is really noticible when putting them against each other.

Now don't forget, the Charge has a Super Amoled Plus vs the Razr's Super Amoled!

I'm wondering if this is something that is device specific, and varies from device to device with the Razr?

 

[rushmore]

Seems odd people mention the Razr and Gnex, but not the Rezound. The camera, device speed and display are great. I was far more impressed with the Rezound than I was the Razr. Sure the Razr is thinner, but also taller and wider than the Rez.

Mobiletechreview posted a review stating that 4G radio on the Rezound was more stable and better reception in lower 4G signal areas than the Bionic and Razr.

Compare the displays and camera and try using the Razr and Rezound with one hand and see which is better.

 

[infamousjax]

Your phone is a phone - it always needs to hold onto 3G or 4G because it needs to be able to communicate with the towers in order to get you calls, text, and data.

Your phone does NOT need WiFi, it is not an iPod Touch or an iPad.

It's a very simple test - go through your day without WiFi and have 2x the battery life, or go through your day with WiFi on all the time and have your battery life drain like mad. WiFi is useful if you have no 3G or 4G, you have limited data plans, or the task at hand requires WiFi bandwidth.

Your smart phone DOES NOT need 3G or 4G to make calls or receive calls. It only needs 1x/2g. The other is for data

Oh, and WiFi does not drain the phone as much as 4G, OR 3G, for that matter. Get your info right !!

 

[jmt9779]

Just put my Razr next to my Fathers Droid Charge....BIG difference in the screens!

The Charges screen is brighter for sure, and whites seem to look much better! When I say better, I mean they appear white with a slight touch of blueness.

The whites on the Razr seem almost greyish, off white!

The difference is really noticible when putting them against each other.

Now don't forget, the Charge has a Super Amoled Plus vs the Razr's Super Amoled!

I'm wondering if this is something that is device specific, and varies from device to device with the Razr?

are they set to the same level of screen brightness? the razr's screen looks exponentially better at a higher brightness (but I've got mine turned way down low for battery savin'.)

 

[mzjin]

Your smart phone DOES NOT need 3G or 4G to make calls or receive calls. It only needs 1x/2g. The other is for data

Oh, and WiFi does not drain the phone as much as 4G, OR 3G, for that matter. Get your info right !!

The whole point of a smartphone is to have data (3G/4G) on the go.

Or you could just buy an iPod Touch and keep your WiFi on.

Having WiFi on all the time on an iPhone 4S, Droid Razr or any other smartphone drains your battery life like crazy. If you're in an area with WiFi, you're definitely close to an charging area, making the point of using it also pointless.

The problem with keeping WiFi on is that it kills your battery by searching for WiFi signal constantly.

Having data constantly through 3G and 4G is to be expected, turning off these radios would be like turning off your main and backup power generators - it is illogical, because you rely on them for emergency (data pushing, email, reminders, app services, AIM etc).

Can you program your phone to shut off WiFi when your preferred network WiFi signal drops out? That would be fine. Just don't program your phone to use location services to toggle your WiFi on and off, because your GPS will constantly be in use and will absolutely destroy your battery life.

The best way to use WiFi is to keep it off as a rule, turn it on when you are in a preferred WiFi area, and then have the automatically disable the WiFi radio when you drop your connection (when you leave that area). In all cases, the 3G/4G radios should toggle on and off depending on whether WiFi is active.

 

[sean76]

Seems odd people mention the Razr and Gnex, but not the Rezound. The camera, device speed and display are great. I was far more impressed with the Rezound than I was the Razr. Sure the Razr is thinner, but also taller and wider than the Rez.

Mobiletechreview posted a review stating that 4G radio on the Rezound was more stable and better reception in lower 4G signal areas than the Bionic and Razr.

Compare the displays and camera and try using the Razr and Rezound with one hand and see which is better.

Brother I'm all over the Rezound! That phone is gonna shock a few people.

 

[sean76]

are they set to the same level of screen brightness? the razr's screen looks exponentially better at a higher brightness (but I've got mine turned way down low for battery savin'.)

Yup..same! It's an Amoled thing! Some are Off White, some are Bluish White, and some are Greenish White! Nature of the Beast I guess...

 

[you2]

But how is the call quality? The cnet review was very negative towards th rezound call quality (both the review of the razr and rezound were done in sf; but you can barely understand the call in the rezound while the razr was crystal clear). What I don't know is if this was a one off or if the rezound has an issue

Brother I'm all over the Rezound! That phone is gonna shock a few people.

 

[sean76]

But how is the call quality? The cnet review was very negative towards th rezound call quality (both the review of the razr and rezound were done in sf; but you can barely understand the call in the rezound while the razr was crystal clear). What I don't know is if this was a one off or if the rezound has an issue

We'll see Monday

 

[Martimus]

We'll see Monday

You're poor Amex card is gonna be smoking after the Droid Razr, Rezound, and Nexus!!

 

[sean76]

You're poor Amex card is gonna be smoking after the Droid Razr, Rezound, and Nexus!!

Lol....its Warm as of right now! By Monday is should be smoking...And by Black Friday is should be at about 5 alarm status...lmao

 

[Teegunn]

Just put my Razr next to my Fathers Droid Charge....BIG difference in the screens!

The Charges screen is brighter for sure, and whites seem to look much better! When I say better, I mean they appear white with a slight touch of blueness.

The whites on the Razr seem almost greyish, off white!

The difference is really noticible when putting them against each other.

Now don't forget, the Charge has a Super Amoled Plus vs the Razr's Super Amoled!

I'm wondering if this is something that is device specific, and varies from device to device with the Razr?

Wow, I find this info disappointing. The Charge phones I have used (instore) myself had a terrible dim display. My X1 and especially my X2 blew them away display wise IMHO. Yes, the charge had deeper, better colors, but overall it was sooo dim as to be very bothersome. Outdoor usage would be impossiible. Anyway, thanks for the info as usual very informative. If this phone has an even dimmer display than the Charge it's not even on my radar anymore. That being said, I'll be trying it out instore anyway, lol.

 

[sean76]

This is something I only noticed about an hour ago. For some reason the Razr is not exactly as fluid as the Bionic when moving from screen to screen!

Now a few thinks can attribute to this...

Its wider? More landscape to swipe across

May be just mine?

Or the Bionic may just be more fluid?

Honestly I don't know...The only reason I noticed was because I took my Bionic out to go back and check a previous text.

Hmmmm?

 

[sean76]

Now I'm curious about this with the fluidness of the phone...

Can someone please chime in on the real differences between the processors, and if that would be the cause?

Razr- 1.2 GHz TI OMAP4430 dual-core

Bionic- 1 GHz TI OMAP4430 dual-core ARM Cortex A-9

Also Razr is running 2.3.5
Vs
Bionic running 2.3.4

Anyone?

 

[burntorangefan]

To answer the thread question, in a word "yes." Great build. Ridiculously fast. Very good battery life for a 4g phone...this opinion is a direct comparison to a thunderbolt and bionic...pretty decent ui overlay. So thin and light it's crazy. Very good call quality. Excellent screen if you're okay with amoleds, which I love.

What's not great? The phone IS a little too wide, but that's engineering and when you squish everything down it necessarily makes it wider...so imo, you can't REALLY give it kudos for it's profile on the one hand and hate on the other. Just saying it is a little wide.

Also, for whatever reason it has a tendency with my setup to be a little slow with homescreen redraw from time to time. Not bad and not really "laggy" but every so often I feel a hiccup.

So all in all a wonderful device. Very much lives up to MY expectations which are very high. The nexus has a lot of work to do to overcome this challenge. Will tell you eventually if it's able to do that, as I'll be getting it as well and returning the loser. All in all I really love this device.

Edit: screen heat is an an absolute non issue. Been killing this poor phone all day and i'm telling you, it's not worth any further discussion.

 

[rushmore]

Now I'm curious about this with the fluidness of the phone...

Can someone please chime in on the real differences between the processors, and if that would be the cause?

Razr- 1.2 GHz TI OMAP4430 dual-core

Bionic- 1 GHz TI OMAP4430 dual-core ARM Cortex A-9

Also Razr is running 2.3.5
Vs
Bionic running 2.3.4

Anyone?

Same chip but clocked 20% higher. This is a reason why the Razy gets more warm than the Bionic.