Motorola Droid Razr Maxx user reviews (Verizon Wireless)

Pros Battery
Screen size
Build quality
Connectivity
In hand "feel"
Android OS

Cons No Android 4.0...yet
Camera not great, but not awful

Summary I thought I would upgrade to the iPhone 4S when I was eligible, but I felt blah about it. Everyone around me has an iPhone, which they love, but there were things that excited me more about with the new Android phones. I decided to go with the Galaxy Nexus because of its stellar reviews and high rankings on phone lists. I liked the screen size and resolution, and Android 4.0 is wonderful. However, the connectivity to service was awful. I lost service when making a call when walking out of the Verizon store -- and in a major metropolitan area. I lost service on almost every call I made after that, which was frustrating and disappointing. The change the SIM card at Verizon, which didn't change anything. Service was moderately better on 3G, but I still had problems, so I decided to return it. In addition, the battery life was very short, and it got uncomfortably hot while talking on it during the few times I was able to do so.

The day after I bought the Galaxy Nexus, the Razr Maxx was released, but, since I could only do one return at Verizon, I was hesitant to try another 4G phone. I was resigned to get the iPhone 4S, thinking it was the safe option (upgrades, streamlined opeeration, iTunes, etc.). But, after having the Galaxy Nexus for two days, the iPhone felt so small and heavy, and I knew I couldn't use the widgets that I enjoy with Android. It's silly, but I wanted to be excited about getting a new phone, and I wasn't excited about the iPhone.

While the salesman was returning the Galaxy Nexus and preparing to set me up on the iPhone 4S, I wandered over to the Razr Maxx display. I liked it very much, so I decided to take a chance on another 4G phone, and I have been very happy with my decision.

SCREEN: I just prefer the bigger screen of the current line of Android phones of iPhone. The Razr Maxx screen may not have the much lauded pixel density of the iPhone 4/4S or the Galaxy Nexus, but it is very bright, and I barely notice a difference.

CONNECIVITY: No problems. And 4G really is very fast. I use it at home instead of WiFi since I was grandfather into an unlimited data plan.

PROCESSOR: Very quick. Just an occasional hick-up when going back to the home screen, probably due to the calendar and weather clock widgets I have running there. Not a big deal, and it may improve with ICS.

OPERATING SYSTEM: No, it doesn't have Ice Cream Sandwich, but I am coming from Froyo, and this is much better. I can live happily with it until the ICS update arrives. Also, I am a Google fan, and I would have a difficulty time without navigation from Google Maps, which is something a friend who switched from the original Droid to iPhone misses greatly.

BUILD: I love how it feels. Much more comfortable that the Razr. I'm not using a cover on it yet, and may not put one one due to the great build quality (Kevlar, Gorilla Glass). However, I did put on a screen protector, "just in case!"

And finally, BATTERY: Fantastic. I was so conditioned by my old phone -- and even by two days with the Galaxy Nexus -- to constantly worry about the battery, but I worry no longer. I easily get through a day with moderate to heavy use, and the batter has yet to go below 30%. For me, it's worth it.

I did research ad nauseum when my upgrade was approaching. I learned that no phone is perfect and no phone is for everyone. This one spoke to me, and I am enjoying it very much!

Pros Battery Life (See Below)
Display
Battery Life
Functionality
Battery Life
Smart Actions Battery Life Saver
Did I mention battery life?

Cons None that I've found so far. The camera isn't as intuitive or reactive as the iPhone, but I want my phone as a phone. If I want the crispest action shots, I'll use my camera.

Summary I have the Droid X2 and then upgraded to the 16gb Razr. The Razr is the exact same phone as the Maxx, but my battery was dying every day before I left the office. Don't undervalue how much battery life 4gLTE service actually uses. I used Smart Actions, made my own adjustments, limited use, didn't read my Kindle app at lunch, and still had a dead battery on my way home from work. So, I traded up to the Razr Maxx. This week, I've used my phone to watch Netflix shows at lunch, read from my Kindle app, used the phone more than normal (on purpose), sent a lot of texts and pictures, played on Facebook, watched YouTube videos, and just tried to run this battery into the ground. End result....70% battery life at the end of the day. This battery is no joke. I can't kill this thing. I've never had a phone that I didn't have to charge every day, but I could honestly get 1 1/2 - 2 days out of one charge, and that's saying a lot for me. I use my phone for work all day, and play on it quite a bit when I'm not in the office. This is the best phone I've ever owned. Call quality is crisp, I don't drop in some dead zones I've always dropped in. The Speak Now function allows you to speak texts, emails, and call contacts while driving with no interuption. The 4gLTE speeds are lightning fast, and in it's case, I can't tell the difference in thickness between the Maxx and Razr, except that the Maxx is better balanced due to shape, and easier to hold for calls. I absolutely love this phone. I considered a Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4s also, but there is no comparison. When this phone gets ICS update, there will be no reason to look at any other current phone on the market.

Pros -Perfect size, big bright beautiful screen
-Stupid fast
-Quick multitasking
-Very fluid and easy to customize
-Extensive, long battery life

Cons -Bluetooth disconnects randomly, but reconnects back easily.
-Wi-fi back to 3G switch is rough (a few seconds)
-Phone calls back to 3G rough (not on Wi-Fi, 10-20 seconds sometimes)
-Skype, audio comes out the phone earpiece and not media speaker.

Summary Ok, coming from a Blackberry Storm2, I had finally found the phone that I thought would be my best fit. It does everything the Blackberry did but so much better. My exchange email now arrives instantly, compared to six or seven minutes later. No more truncated emails!

First of all, the display! I can't get over reading about people complaining over no 720p display, its blurry, or whatever else. This screen is just as good as my wife's iPhone 4 at any angle, along with anything you can grab at a Verizon store. I'm not sure of how any higher resolution screen could look "better" unless looking under a magnifying glass?? Netflix, Skype, websites all look great.

I am admittedly addicted to my phone and use it too much. It will normally make it through 18 to 24 hours with a lot of screen on time, time of Skype video calls, Netflix, Facebook, games, updates, etc.

Navigation is dead on, although I would have preferred a different more natural sounding voice. Also a little hard to hear in the car dock and on speakerphone.

Car dock is amazing, fits great, charges plays music, Pandora or other music apps. Can record videos, see text messages and emails pop up. Only complaint is you can't go to home screen from car dock app. To access an app you want to use, you have to have it running in the background (or on recent apps) and hold the home screen button to open it. May have to unplug the dock and open the app if it isn't up in the background.

Camera is much better than my Blackberry, of course not as good as a point and shoot. Wish it would have had a dedicated button under the volume rocker for better auto focusing. I'm still playing with it and plan on trying out CameraFX and maybe a couple apps.

Video in 720 is good and clear, a little choppy. Audio could be a bit better. I like it though.

CDMA radio is excellent, great signal most everywhere. Surpasses my Blackberry and some co-workers phones. Wi-Fi radio could have been stronger, I get signal through the house, but not as good as it should (in my opinion). I have not tryed out the Mobile Hotspot, don't want to root my phone and have not wanted to pay extra). After the recent update, the forums are reporting it to be working good though.

I would recommend this phone to anyone, even a novice at smart phones. This is my first Android device and so far was easy to customize and learn. You really can't go wrong here..

MOST IMPORTANT: Remember all devices, computers, etc, will have bugs and issues of some sort. I'm tired of reading reviews over multiple platforms of people complaining about the little stuff. We may eventually have devices that are 100% perfect, but we don't have anything like it right now. - Again, my personal opinion -

Pros Ridiculous battery life, solid build quality, fast and powerful, large screen, great call quality.

Cons Lack of Android 4.0, less-than-stellar screen, mediocre camera, low resolution.

Summary This is a really great phone. I had the original Droid, and have had nothing but problems with it for over two years. So, needless to say, I was very excited to upgrade. I am not a big fan of the small, underwhelming iPhone, so it was either this or the Nexus. The battery and build quality sold me on this one.

Battery

First off, this is exactly the same as the Droid Razr, except for a (much) larger battery, and a slightly different shape, due to that larger battery. So does the larger battery rationalize the fifty-dollar price increase. In two words, oh yeah! The battery is amazing. With over double the capacity of phones like the iPhone, you won't need to charge this baby often. You would have to put this phone through the ringer all day long to drain its battery, and if you use it more moderately, you could easily get two or three days out of a charger. I haven't reached 70% since I got it.


Build Quality
This is a nice-looking phone. It's sharp, it feels great, and it is sure to make your iPhone-using friends squirm with envy. It's slim, light, and large. Just note that if you have small hands and you like to do one-handed texting or browsing, you may have issues due to the large screen size.
The gorilla glass screen is great, it's water resistant, and the overall build quality just seems solid. The Kevlar backing is more of a gimmick than anything else, but it looks neat, and it has a nice feel to it. Just don't expect to stop any bullets with this one!

Screen
This has a nice, large Super Amoled+ screen. It is fairly bright, and images look really nice and sharp. However, if you compare it side by side with a phone like the Galaxy Nexus, you will notice the difference. The screen is less bright and colorful. So, while it's nice, it's not the best. And at this point in technology, for a top-of-the-line device, I expected 720p. It's a shame, but the screen really isn't bad, and you are sure to enjoy it. Movies and games look nice and sharp.

Software
This is where the phone really stumbles a bit. Again, for a flagship device, I can't believe this doesn't have Android 4.0. And from the looks of things, we won't be getting it this year at all. Very sad. You shouldn't have to root your device to get the best software. This isn't an old phone. Motorola, update your gear!
The Motoblur version of Android is okay. It's not so intrusive as it has been in the past. But you will probably want to replace most of it with custom apps from the marketplace. The smart settings are very nice, however. For instance, I set my phone to go silent at night, only if I am home and my phone has been inactive for a few minutes. However, calls from certain individuals will still go through. Very nice!

Sound
This thing has a great speaker! The speakerphone is surely the best I have ever heard, and even music sounds clean and crisp. This tops the sound quality list for any phone I have ever seen. Even if you set the phone down on its back (speaker down), the sound is clear and loud. Very nice.

Call Quality
I'm not a big talker when it comes to the phone. However, I have had some serious issues with other phones in the past regarding call quality. That is definitely not an issue here. Calls are crisp and clear, and both parties can hear each other well. The speaker has nice volume, and I have yet to have a dropped call. No issues here at all. Calls sound much cleaner than on my old phone.

Camera
First off, the 1080p video on this phone is very nice. You won't want to be ditching your camcorder anytime soon, but for a mobile device, the video is very nice.
However, the camera is a bit blah. While 8 megapixels is nice to have, it doesn't matter too much if the camera isn't great, and other phones have better cameras. If the camera is a primary feature for you, you may want to look elsewhere. The pictures are mediocre: a bit washed out, and not very clear. It does not perform well in low light, though this is a problem with many phones out there.

Performance
This phone is fast! It has a dual-core processor that will keep you zipping along. Things open quickly, transitions are smooth, and apps perform very well. Multitasking is a breeze, and I don't get constant force closes. It has the processing power, memory and overall juice to do what you need, when you want, all the time.

Capacity
This phone comes with 16 GB internal memory, about 8 GB of which is set aside for storage. It also comes with a 16 GB SD card, upgradeable to 32. While I would have liked the option to have a 32/32 combination, it's not a big deal, and this will work for most people. If you have a lot of music files, Google Music comes pre-installed, and works like a charm!

Overall
In the end, this phone makes me happy, and not just because of have been waiting two years to replace my old piece of junk. This is a slick, slender piece of powerful hardware that will make just about anyone happy. It makes my Droid look like a doorstop, and makes the iPhone look like somebody's chubby misfit cousin who showed up to the party uninvited.
I would take off a star for the software, the camera, or the lack of 720p resolution, but really, these things are just nitpicking, and each of them does the job well, if not perfectly. Since I don't think there is another phone on the market that outshines this one, I give it 4.5/5. However, if it had Android 4.0, and brighter 720p screen, and the iPhone camera, I think it would be smartphone perfection!
Bottom line: if you want a top-of-the-line, powerful smartphone, this is the one to get.