Motorola's Razr HD smartphone has been out in the US for a few months and now it's arrived in the UK. Here's our Motorola Razr HD hands-on review.
Motorola's Razr HD smartphone has been out in the US for a few months and now it's arrived in the UK. Here's our Motorola Razr HD hands-on review.
We spent some time with the Razr HD (XT925) at this year's Mobile World Congress where we didn't exactly have to fight crowds to see the handset like the other vendors' stands at the show. See also: Group test: What's the best Android smartphone?
Like other recent Razr devices, Motorola has opted for something of an alternative design. The Razr HD looks like a lot of smartphones from the front with a glossy black finish but has a fascinating back.
Once again Motorola has used Kevlar as a material and this time covers the entirety of the handset's back and wraps right round to the aluminium which runs around the edge. In our opinion, it simply looks awesome and gives the premium feel you want from a smartphone.
Sadly, the Kevlar rear cover doesn't make the Motorola Razr HD bullet proof. However, the combination of it along with the alumium frame and Gorilla Glass makes the Razd HD a hardy handset. You certainly won't need to run out to buy a case or a cover for it.
In the UK, the Razr HD ships with Androud 4.1 Jelly Bean. Being owned by Google, the Motorola interface is largely vanilla Android but has its own style.
With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.7in HD screen and an 8Mp rear camera, the Razr HD is Motorola's flagship smartphone. However, this isn't going to compete with the flagship devices of rival vendors very well.
Don't get us wrong, the Razr HD is a lovely phone. The screen looks fantastic with a 720×1280 resolution, even under the bright MWC lights, and the performance seemed decent enough to us. The issue is that there are more exciting smartphones on the market already and more are on the way.
If Motorola had launched the Razr HD in the UK last year then we would have been singing its praises. But, as it stands, it has to compete, in the Android market only, the Sony Xperia Z, HTC One and incoming Samsung Galaxy S4.
You might be thinking the Razr HD is likely to be cheaper than these rival devices, and it is. Clove and Expansys have the device for around £400 SIM-free which is a saving of at least £100. However, the Google Nexus 4 costs just £239 so the Razr HD sits in a strange a lonely position in the market.
The Razr HD does have 4G LTE built-in which is an advance over the Nexus 4, certainly. But consider that the HTC One SV costs about £250 and the Motorola handset looks less appealing.
If the Razr HD had a huge 3300mAh battery like the Razr Maxx, it would be a great reason to choose it, but it doesn't. It has a reasonable 2500mAh battery which coupled with a dual-core processor could produce a good battery life but it's no major selling point.
It's truly a shame but it's a case of Motorola bringing the Razr HD across the Atlantic too late for it to be a major contender. Every way you look at the smartphone, there is a better rival to be had for both more and less money.
Motorola's Razr HD smartphone has been out in the US for a few months and now it's arrived in the UK. Here's our Motorola Razr HD hands-on review.
We spent some time with the Razr HD (XT925) at this year's Mobile World Congress where we didn't exactly have to fight crowds to see the handset like the other vendors' stands at the show. See also: Group test: What's the best Android smartphone?
Like other recent Razr devices, Motorola has opted for something of an alternative design. The Razr HD looks like a lot of smartphones from the front with a glossy black finish but has a fascinating back.
Once again Motorola has used Kevlar as a material and this time covers the entirety of the handset's back and wraps right round to the aluminium which runs around the edge. In our opinion, it simply looks awesome and gives the premium feel you want from a smartphone.
Sadly, the Kevlar rear cover doesn't make the Motorola Razr HD bullet proof. However, the combination of it along with the alumium frame and Gorilla Glass makes the Razd HD a hardy handset. You certainly won't need to run out to buy a case or a cover for it.
In the UK, the Razr HD ships with Androud 4.1 Jelly Bean. Being owned by Google, the Motorola interface is largely vanilla Android but has its own style.
With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.7in HD screen and an 8Mp rear camera, the Razr HD is Motorola's flagship smartphone. However, this isn't going to compete with the flagship devices of rival vendors very well.
Don't get us wrong, the Razr HD is a lovely phone. The screen looks fantastic with a 720×1280 resolution, even under the bright MWC lights, and the performance seemed decent enough to us. The issue is that there are more exciting smartphones on the market already and more are on the way.
If Motorola had launched the Razr HD in the UK last year then we would have been singing its praises. But, as it stands, it has to compete, in the Android market only, the Sony Xperia Z, HTC One and incoming Samsung Galaxy S4.
You might be thinking the Razr HD is likely to be cheaper than these rival devices, and it is. Clove and Expansys have the device for around £400 SIM-free which is a saving of at least £100. However, the Google Nexus 4 costs just £239 so the Razr HD sits in a strange a lonely position in the market.
The Razr HD does have 4G LTE built-in which is an advance over the Nexus 4, certainly. But consider that the HTC One SV costs about £250 and the Motorola handset looks less appealing.
If the Razr HD had a huge 3300mAh battery like the Razr Maxx, it would be a great reason to choose it, but it doesn't. It has a reasonable 2500mAh battery which coupled with a dual-core processor could produce a good battery life but it's no major selling point.
It's truly a shame but it's a case of Motorola bringing the Razr HD across the Atlantic too late for it to be a major contender. Every way you look at the smartphone, there is a better rival to be had for both more and less money.
No comments:
Post a Comment