In just a few days, the Verizon Droid Razr Maxx will receive the big update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich. I've had my hands on, what I'll refer to in this review as, the "VDRM" (Verizon Droid Razr Maxx); Just calling it the DRM sounds sort of restricted. This review pertains to Android Gingerbread, which is the OS running on this device as of this post.
Score: 8.5 out of 10.
Great: It's an absolute beast in battery life, ruggedness, and beauty - I have not seen many devices that can show all of those qualities. This Smartphone knocks down the LTE "battery killer" rumors right away as I was using this device heavily on 4G LTE numerous times. On 3G, it easily can go up to 2 days, in my area (SouthEast, Michigan)/a very rural area.
Not So Great: Having an 8MP rear-facing cam, the picture quality is subpar. It is still Running Gingerbread, though camera operations may improve with an OS update to the better camera software seen on ICS Devices.
Hardware – What We're Working With
The hardware is probably my most favorite part when it comes to the construction of the VDRM. When I heard that this phone included Kevlar in it's construction, my interest had already been piqued. When I hear the word, Kevlar, I think of bullet-proof vests, and also the skins on the marching snare drums in High School band - the one's that NEVER wore out after hundreds of thousands of rim shots.
As for that cheesy markup on that above image, the arrow is pointing to the door on the side of the VDRM that allows quick and easy access to the MicroSD and LTE SIM Cards. With many other devices, you have to pop off the back panel just to access them. By the way, a 16Gb SD MicroSD is pre-installed!
As for that cheesy markup on that above image, the arrow is pointing to the door on the side of the VDRM that allows quick and easy access to the MicroSD and LTE SIM Cards. With many other devices, you have to pop off the back panel just to access them. By the way, a 16Gb SD MicroSD is pre-installed!
The VDRM has a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and 1Gig of DDR2 RAM - nice. Facing us on the front of this smartphone is a beautiful 4.3" Super Amoled Advanced display. This display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass. I love seeing phones that include this because I know the experience will be genuine when you really don't require a screen protector. I think the reason I will always have my love for Gorilla Glass being used on mobile devices is because of this Korean video from 2010 that I remember viewing ~ the time I owned my first Galaxy Tab (they were equipped with this durable material):
If Bluetooth is important to you, the Droid Razr Maxx has everything you would require as of this posting including: Stereo Bluetooth Class 2, Bluetooth Version 4.0 [aka Smart Ready], and even low-energy profiles such as a heart rate monitor. I stopped using Bluetooth a few years ago, however I really think the technology is picking up again. CNET had a really cool write-up on why the bad bluetooth days are behind us.
Camera and Camcorder
I don't want to draw final conclusions in this area, as this phone is just hours away from getting the ICS update. While the camera is not a deal-breaker for me, I would have to say this is really the ONLY weakness for this phone that was a constant issue for me. Sure, it's a point-and-shoot "phone" camera and I understand that these come with limitations, but even the Galaxy Nexus (with it's 5MP camera) seemed to take higher quality shots.
Oddly enough, this very same lens on the VDRM captures fantastic video. The camcorder captures 1080p video and mirrors it via an HDMI output to your HDTV devices. So this is why I don't believe it's fair for me to draw a conclusion on the camera when updated software is right around the corner. The image stabilization on the camcorder works very well. Here is a very short video clip that I posted a couple of weeks ago:
Oddly enough, this very same lens on the VDRM captures fantastic video. The camcorder captures 1080p video and mirrors it via an HDMI output to your HDTV devices. So this is why I don't believe it's fair for me to draw a conclusion on the camera when updated software is right around the corner. The image stabilization on the camcorder works very well. Here is a very short video clip that I posted a couple of weeks ago:
When it comes to the Camera, the auto focus was a little tough to work with at first but if you hold still enough, you can get 8MP quality photos. The following photos were taken under different lighting conditions: The first one is a picture of my ticket for a sporting event, the next two photos are from a low-lighting environment at Club 54, where I watched some live jazz. I will add that the 4G in Sterling Heights, Michigan (that whole area actually) is superb and, if needed, I could have very-easily streamed the event live from the Razr Maxx.
And here are some food photos. I did not take these pictures while driving - my wife was the driver; I snapped pictures. That last photo is a pizza I baked and then snapped a photo while it was under the bright stove top light.
And here are some food photos. I did not take these pictures while driving - my wife was the driver; I snapped pictures. That last photo is a pizza I baked and then snapped a photo while it was under the bright stove top light.
I have to justify my "minus" that I gave the camera however. The above photos were actually a few of the clearest I could find out of dozens that I snapped. I'm not a cook, but I photograph food often because, seeing the textures up close, contrasting from the background really lets you see the quality of the camera/focus. If the camera is held perfectly still while snapping a photo, they do tend to come out pretty nice. I hope that when the VDRM gets ICS, it makes every snapshot just as clear.
Battery Life
Verizon is not at all over exaggerating about this device's absolutely awesome battery life. The claims are that the Verizon Droid Razr Maxx has the longest battery life of any 4G smartphone. I agree with this, but I think Verizon might be being a little too humble there. Honestly, out of the dozen's of smartphone's I've had, the VDRM tops many 3G smartphons - in my opinion, of course.
I spent a few days purely on 4G (not even using Wi-FI) just to see how the VDRM held up. I was very pleased as I got through an entire day with very excessive usage. Here are the cities that I visited in the Metro Detroit area, entirely covered by 4G LTE:
I spent a few days purely on 4G (not even using Wi-FI) just to see how the VDRM held up. I was very pleased as I got through an entire day with very excessive usage. Here are the cities that I visited in the Metro Detroit area, entirely covered by 4G LTE:
- Clinton Twp, Michigan
- Utica, MI
- Roseville, MI
- Sterling Heights, MI
- Southern Romeo/Washinton Twp, MI
- Shelby Twp, MI
- Harrison Twp, MI (near Gibralter Trade Center)
Call Quality
Call quality was excellent although the speakerphone at times seemed like it may have crackled; This was nothing serious though, and turning down the volume a bit when using the speakerphone easily corrected the sound. Just like in my previous review of the Galaxy Nexus, the call reliability was perfect - never had a dropped call during a 2-week period.
Software - System & Apps
There are quite a bit of apps preinstalled on the Droid Razr Maxx, like it or hate it. I'm actually not going to go over all of the included apps as that is an entire review in itself. Bloatware is a huge issue IF it noticeably slows down the phone. Being that this phone is a beast, it still operates smoothly. I made use of a few of the preinstalled apps. One app that grabbed my attention was Smart Actions from Motorola.
Smart Actions totally does away with the insane learning curve that I expected from an app in this category. A much more complex app in this category would be Tasker for Android. You can virtually do anything with Tasker, but expect to spend an entire day learning it. Think of Smart Actions as a conditional app. For instance, I could set up a smart action where IF I plug in my headphones into the Razr's 3.5mm headset jack, I could THEN set my favorite music app to launch - or my "workout routine" playlist.
Smart Actions totally does away with the insane learning curve that I expected from an app in this category. A much more complex app in this category would be Tasker for Android. You can virtually do anything with Tasker, but expect to spend an entire day learning it. Think of Smart Actions as a conditional app. For instance, I could set up a smart action where IF I plug in my headphones into the Razr's 3.5mm headset jack, I could THEN set my favorite music app to launch - or my "workout routine" playlist.
I dig the installed Motocast on the VDRM. With Motocast you can freely access your computer via your phone. Actually, you can access multiple computers from this one device. Out of town for the week and forgot something on your computer? You can look through your computer's documents and not have to worry about them being stored on a remote server somewhere (ahem, dropbox?).
All of the necessary Google Android apps are included stock on the VDRM. The expected Verizon Wireless apps are pre-installed including: Back up Assistant, Media Manager, and VCast Music. I think these stock Verizon apps are great for people that may be moving from a not-so-smart phone to an all-out monster like this. I say this because Verizon has consistently included these apps across many other devices and they will appear familiar to users across different platforms/OS's.
Webpages load very fast with the stock HTML 5 Webkit browser. Flash works smoothly, integrating with this stock browser, showing all animations on many flash-rich sites. I had no stutters while flick scrolling a flash-embedded page.
Conclusions
Verizon and Motorola teamed up to bring us what I would like to title the greatest out-of-the-box 4G LTE Device yet. Sure, I love the Galaxy Nexus just the same, but I would recommend purchasing an extended battery in order to obtain a battery life that is even remotely comparable to the VDRM. Even then, both devices are still running a totally different OS, so I'll keep an eye on reports of the VDRM's battery life once it receives ICS.
Currently, the Droid Razr Maxx is available in Verizon Wireless Stores and online for $299.99 with a two-year agreement. I've said this in the past and I'm sticking with it: If you're going to be stuck with a device for 2 years, I'd recommend that you go all out and get a 4G LTE Device rather than buying a budget phone (as I've done in the past) because, a few months later, you just may resent it when you see others pulling in data on their cutting-edge 4G devices.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I give the Droid Razr Maxx an 8.5.
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