back to article Hands on with the Motorola Razr Maxx

In the time since Motorola's Razr was launched in 2011, rivals have released powerhouse handsets that make the Razr feel more Bic than Wilkinson Sword. An upgrade beyond a simple Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich patch was always a needed move, but with battery depletion the number one gripe among smartphone users, Motorola's …

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  1. Piro Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    The one I'd have to recommend

    It's all about that battery.

    You haven't mentioned Webtop and the dock, though. Has all the same nifty stuff in that department as the Atrix.

    The only downside to this device is that it makes you think everyone else's batteries are pathetic.

    My Desire HD with 1230mAh looks like a watch battery in comparison.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The one I'd have to recommend

      Got to agree here. Although I have a compulsive need to be on the bleeding edge (OneX) I'm sure that most people who's lives don't revolve around tech will find this phone ideal.

      If they market it right (TV ads emphasizing battery life), I'm sure it will do well. I suspect that they won't though as phone manufacturers only ever seem to want to advertise their good features after they find themselves being leapfrogged in said feature by Apple who then proceed to saturate the media with how revolutionary it is.

    2. LarsG
      Thumb Down

      On the plus side there is the BIG battery, and it can withstand a shower.

      Um, that's it, looks ugly, uninspired and the screen is nothing to boast about, did Motorola know Samsung were bringing out the S3 and HTC new effort?

      They seem to like to play catch up don't they.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      If they

      advertise it enough anything is possible, look how gullible people were when Samsung went all out with the Note? People will believe anything if you say it to them enough.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'd still prefer to take the nice pretty one out for a date rather than the plain ugly fat one.

    5. Patrick 14
      Thumb Up

      Re: The one I'd have to recommend

      odd Cause my watch battery lasts 5 years lol

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Finally, somebody gets it

    Finally, a phone manufacturer gets it - making the phone thinner does little good past the point where it will fit into a pocket, so instead, add more battery and keep the same thickness!

    Now, if we could just persuade them to stop being silly about making high pixel count cameras that only work well in full sun, and instead reduce the pixel count and increase the pixel area, so they work well in normal lighting. If I want to take >4MP pictures I'll use a camera with better optics than the damn-near-pinhole on a phone.

  3. Mike Hartley
    Facepalm

    Razrs are great...but flawed

    The Razrs are great phones. Yes out-powered nowadays and in need of a price cut to reflect that, but with great screens, connectivity and the frequently-cut MicroSD port to allow for plenty of expansion. Lightweight, comfortable and a joy to use on the whole.... but....

    Remember the old Walkmans? The joys of crackling headphone ports after a while, and the self-fix solutions (chewing gum, duck tape, super glue - or solder if you had an iron somewhere). Unfortunately the Razrs have the same problem, even all these years later. The way they are fixed to the main board means there is flex that creeps in until you are left with a really dodgy connection - although some cut-up drinking straw can apparently fix that (need to get a straw to try it as it is really annoying me now!)

    Even worse is the fact that the USB port has apparently started failing in the same way for some folks.

    You really would think they'd learn from the example of others - even 30 years later! I really like my phone, but it's annoyingly flawed.

  4. blackcat Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Darn!

    I got my RAZR about a week before then announced the MAXX for the UK.

    Still very happy with it. And its now got the AOKP ROM which is even nicer.

    A company in the US offers an upgrade kit for the RAZR. New battery, new back case and the glue to stick it back together.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    oooooh lovelly!

    A phone with a decent battery!

    Shame about the os though. Seriously, would you look at that messy hone screen, hundreds of ugly looking icons, horrible UI, uurgh. Will stick with my lumia thanks.

  6. Neil 51

    Perfect timing..

    Just in time for a phone upgrade. Was planning on getting the S3 but found this while googling for alternatives yesterday, Still a bit undecided though as I've never owned either a Samsung or Motorola. Any opinions on either? Plus, still can't see it on any pay monthly plans. Grrr.

    1. LarsG
      Thumb Up

      Re: Perfect timing..

      I understand your confusion. My advice, make sure whatever phone to buy fits in your pocket, never buy a newly released handset as they all have teething problems, wait a month or so for reviews that comment more on usage rather than a 5 min fumble, consider, if it is an android phone does it come with the most upto date OS or is the manufacturer giving you a 'promise' of an update in the future. Note that when my HTC Sensation (unbranded) was updated to ICS it became a pig. If you have a branded handset the update will take much longer, if ever, and you may find it does not suit the phone.

      Consider, as I do, whether you want to be stuck with a phone on a two year contract which is average, and will be well out do date in six months and unlikely to have the OS up graded after a year, should you buy an unbranded phone and then go for a sim only deal. Note android phones get cheaper after a month or so of release, while Apple do not. If you keep your phone in top condition unbranded ones sell better.

      Lots to think about, good luck because you'll need it.

  7. pctechxp

    remember

    The quoted battery times are 'under optimum conditions' which means they've probably tested it right next to a test cell antenna

    Result, you won't get anywhere near the quoted times.

    And a fixed battery these days?

    Oh wait, like HTC and the late Sony Ericsson, they've got Apple envy.

    1. ogradyjd
      Go

      Re: remember

      I haven't had any problem with the fixed battery since it lasts for so long, and when I'm in the car I just slot the phone in the very nice car dock they made for it, and the phone just never seems to run out. I thought I would mind it for probably the same reasons you have, but it just hasn't been any kind of problem.

    2. Piro Silver badge
      FAIL

      Re: remember

      Misplaced cynicism. Sorry, but this one actually does have a battery unlike all other smart phones.

      http://www.anandtech.com/show/5533/motorola-droid-razr-maxx-review-18x-the-battery/2

  8. zanto
    Mushroom

    is there a hardware reset switch?

    or do you have to wait for days to reboot the phone if or when it freezes?

    every once in 3-4 months even the power switch of my milestone becomes unresponsive and i just take the battery out.

    i'm waiting for a phone with an S4 snapdragon processor, sd card slot, removable battery, decent size screen and if i'm really lucky, a slide out qwerty keypad.

    1. Piro Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: is there a hardware reset switch?

      Hold volume down and power for 10 seconds for a hard power off.

  9. ogradyjd
    Thumb Up

    Got one!

    As an upgrade from my and my wife's original Droid Xs, this phone is awesome. I'm not missing a higher resolution screen and other bleeding edge features because after being on all day with sporadic phone calls, web browsing, emailing, wireless never off, and much texting, the battery when I get into bed is at about 65%. That's with moderate usage! My old Droid X would have needed a recharge by dinner to make it to bed time.

    I agree with others - it's all about the battery. If a higher resolution screen and such would drain the batter faster, then I didn't really need it for what I do. I don't play games, but the current resolution is just fine for Kindle/Nook/Pulse reading without eyestrain.

    By the way, the GPS is great and does not seem to drain the battery almost at all, and with the Brightness Control app, even the screen seems light on the energy slurping. The screen is very responsive to touch (get a screen protector though - Gorilla Glass just isn't enough), the speaker is loud enough except for in the car (connect it via bluetooth or wire to your car speakers and you'll be good to go). The front and back cameras are fun to play with, especially with Skype - but only use skype when you're on wifi.

    That's all I can think of for now. If you want a phone that just works and that for a long time, this is the best phone on the market as of now. I can't guarantee that tomorrow, but that's tech for you.

  10. Dave 126 Silver badge
    Pint

    I'm a hypocrite

    because I carry a small phone and a large compact camera (an LX-5) most places. Camera fits in jacket pocket fine, phone battery lasts days. I don't use phone as a PMP because I don't feel an overwhelming need to watch movies on the trot - I'm not a user of public transport - and when I want tunes to walk to the pub with I have a USB stick style MP3 player that normally lives plugged into my car stereo (Mass Storage Class). Fats Waller.

    GPS? Don't use it that often, the UK ain't that big a place and our roadsigns are mostly good - but I have it if I need it. Failing that, most peoples cars are big enough to accommodate a road atlas- mine is. As to my location - all the clues can be found from road signs and position of the sun.

    Internet access? Wiki is useful for settling pub arguments (the same rationale that led the Guinness Brewing Co to make a Book of Records), but really, not used so often as to justify £500 and bulging trousers.

    Media playback? Shit, who do I know who doesn't have a PVR, PS3 or Media Thingy under their telly? Hell, even if I had a DVD at home I wanted to watch at my friends house, it's easier to just stream it from [ take your pick of dodgy sites ]. At least then we're not treated to "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A CAR WOULD YOU?!!" adverts.

    Mobile gaming? Get something with joysticks FFS. Nintendo's Game and Watch for example. Or a Sega Gamegear. Or pick up a newspaper and do the crossword.

    Social networking? See pub. Purpose of phone? To see what pub friends are in. In pub is friends, crossword, bar billiard table, exact location and, if you're a --------- a TV

    -end drunken luddite rant

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'm a hypocrite

      And you ooze a distasteful smugness, but I give you and up vote because I like that kind of unpleasant character trait.

  11. DrXym

    I wundr

    If ze razr maxx hazz a szplchkr

  12. Dropper

    Battery Life

    I've had mine for about 10 weeks now and I have to say it's a great phone. I used Dolphin Browser frequently throughout the day, stream netflix movies while I'm waiting at my kids volleyball training and of course use it for txting and phone calls. I charge the phone once every two to three days.

    There are only 3 very minor quibbles as far as I'm concerned. First is there is a software bug affecting all RAZR phones, it will lose it's ability to auto-rotate the screen, requiring a power off/on to fix. Which apps cause this are currently unknown, but I suspect it is browser/internet access related. The issue is not entirely the fault of the apps as they don't cause the same errors on other Android phones. They are probably doing something naughty, but HTC and Samsung phones appear to have more robust versions of the OS. Very minor like I said and a quick "reboot" fixes the problem, which occurs maybe once or twice a week.

    The second minor quibble is that you cannot remove the battery. So ok, this phone makes having a spare mostly irrelevant, but if the phone does lockup then you're in a bit of bind. Consider that the only way to clear many Android lockups is to power off the phone - and that most Android lockups mean that you cannot do this because the touch screen stops responding and pressing 'Power Off' is no longer possible. So that leaves removing the battering (you can't) or waiting for the battery to discharge.. You now have a phone that accepts no inputs, will automatically go into a power-saving smart action when it's battery reaches 50% life and a battery that lasts a month on standby. This could be a tiny issue. Fortunately the most common reason for this phone to lockup is simply that it's overheated, so a fan or a lump of ice in a baggy will return your phone to normal operation. But you can see where this might be a bit of problem later down the road as most smartphones last around 18 months before weird shit starts happening.

    Last issue is that overheating. It's a minor thing but I now live in Vegas and the last thing I need in a 100-110 degree summer is a phone that acts like a heating pad sitting in my trouser pocket.

    These things are hardly deal breakers though. I loved my old HTC Incredible, gave me 2 1/2 years of very decent service. But after trying the latest Samsung offering with ICS, I find this to be superior in every way. ICS itself is not a big deal to me as most of the features other people love are things I don't use. I have around 5 apps that I use on a daily basis, another 5 or so that I use a couple times a week and the rest of the phones functionality is wasted on me.

    The important things are all checked - big screen, big battery, Netflix, Navigator and my apps work.

    1. Piro Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: Battery Life

      http://www.technipages.com/how-to-reset-droid-razr-if-frozen.html

      Holding volume down and power for 10 seconds seems to do it.

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