Motorola RAZR2 V9 Phone (AT&T)

Best. Cell Phone. Ever. September 22, 2007

Reviewer:  David Levine  (Raleigh, NC USA) -

I just purchased this phone a week ago and I have been nothing but impressed. What some of the website reviews are missing is the fact you can access the music player and camera while the flip is closed. The touch screen buttons on the external screen work great. It is also nice that the external screen can be locked so nothing is pressed accidentally.

Phone quality is excellent. I did not experience any echoing or static while on calls. Picture and music quality is also great. This phone really can double as a music player. I have never listened to a phone with such great music quality. Even Sony Ericsson's Walkman line can't touch it.

Another thing no review tells you is the fact the phone comes with a mini USB adapter so you can use the original RAZR accessories. It also comes packaged with a 3.5mm headset adapter so you can use regular headphones with the phones. Both adapters work great with no hiccups.

It is also nice that you can use the phone as an external storage device granted you have a microSD card inserted and a USB cable that can connect the computer from the phone. Because of this feature, I have been able to create my own ringtones and put them on the phone. To transfer data to the phone, no other applications are required. Just drag and drop through Windows Explorer.

Overall, this a cell phone packing every feature I would need. The only quip I have the phone is the fact that the outside smudges easily (though it can be wiped clean just as easily). Also, it would be nice to activate the speaker phone before making phone calls (like you can with Verizon phones). Other than that, this is a great phone purchase, though the asking price of $299 ($179 on Amazon.com) with a 2 year agreement can turn away some. But of course, the original RAZR was $500 when it made its debut.

Another Great Moto Phone September 27, 2007

Reviewer:  S. Chapman "Eatabullet.com"  (Florida) -

Just got this phone a few weeks ago, and I've had plenty of time to test most of the features, and it is by far the best phone I've had in a while. I wasn't really interested in getting a flip phone again, because I do like the "candy bar" style phones, but those are getting phased out more year after year, so I had to go with it again.

My last phone was a Moto v551, and this phone is better than that one in just about all areas. The internet works much cleaner on this phone, it's easier to shop for games, tones, and wall papers. You can use it as an MP3 player, with very good sound quality on it.

The sound quality is by far the biggest improvement. Wow. I NEVER could use my old phone in my home. The calls would sound like the person is about 500 feet from me, not 5 feet, as with the RAZR2.

The larger display, and the huge front display are very noticeable, and I do enjoy being able to use a picture on the front of the phone to determine if it's someone I want to talk to at the time or not.

Games and ring tones seem to work a LOT better on the RAZR2. Downloading, installing, playing takes almost no time. I love the CV thing on this phone. Being able to watch a lot of videos (including my TNA Wrestling) on the phone at a moment's notice. Very nice.

The camera, although I'll rarely use it, is nice. High quality pictures (2.0 Megapixel). It'll never match up to a real digital camera, but it's very good nonetheless.

The ONLY flaw I can see that the phone has, is not a major one. To me, anyway. The number pad isn't as easy to just dial without looking. The 5-key has a bump on it, but that's it. I guess it's due to the whole pad being one singular piece, instead of individual buttons. It's not a big enough issue for me to grant this great phone only four stars though.

One last thing..the T9 texting on this phone is GREAT. Seems to work much better than the v551, but I believe that has more to do with the dedicated "Back" button on the phone. I love that feature. No more having to figure out how to go back..it's right there. Even for browsing.

I'm not too high on the "Mahogany" color, but I had to get a new phone, and this is the only color Cingular currently offers. I know they'll have others soon (Verizon's looks really nice) but I care less about colors, and more about functionality. In all seriousness, even if the only color they had was pink, purple, or rainbow, I'd still take it. This phone is THAT good, that you care less about how manly you look carrying it around, and moreso about all the neat things it has to offer.

RAZR2 9 Not Identical Across Carriers. September 22, 2007

Reviewer:  jim fawcette  (Palo Alto, CA USA) -

It isn't obvious at first (and neither Motorola nor the carriers makes it easy to figure out) but the RAZR2 9's each carrier offers are NOT identical except for the carrier's services and coverage.
The CDMA version (9m) carried by Verizon and Sprint has A-GPS for navigation, but is otherwise a stripped down, less-capable model than the V9-Mahogony carried by AT&T. That GSM/HSDPA version available with AT&T offers a processor that is twice as fast as the Verizon version's (500 MHz vs 225 MHz), 262K colors on screen (v.s. 65k), full HTML browsing vs. WAP2, and CrystalTalk, the signal-processing software that supposedly makes conversations clearer and adjusts volume (said to be quite good but MIA with Verizon). Although the amp demand is higher on the GSM/H version, it is said to have longer battery life, although I have not compared them. I believe the OS is different, but not sure if I recall correctly. A few of the interface elements, and external buttons appear different, although I haven't put them side-by-side yet.
Whether those features outweigh the navigation offered by Verizon's 9m, is subjective, but beware that the phones are much, more differentiated on the various carriers than the original Razr.

UPDATE: Nov24. The naming has been changed on Amazon and the Motorola site. The GSM/HSDPA/AT&T version is now the "9" and the Verizon/Sprint/CDMA version is the "9m". Again, the GSM/HSDPA/AT&T version is more capable.

My Favorite Phone By Far (and I've tried dozens!) May 6, 2008

Reviewer:  - 

I can't begin to list all of the phones and PDA phones I've either tried or owned since the early 1990's when I bought my first. All of them have something undesirable about them, but this is the best I've owned. Most I try out a week or so, then return it, but this one's a keeper! I love this phone so much, I actually (for the first time ever) purchased insurance for it.

Let me start by saying that call quality is of the utmost importance to me and other features are just nice bonuses.

This phone's call quality is so much better than the others, it makes you want to tell the person on the other end to spend a few bucks and buy a quality phone of their own! If everyone used a high-quality cell phone, there'd be much fewer incidences of people having to repeat themselves.

It's extremely well-built using solid metal construction-much better than its predecessors. I like the solid feel of this phone-not flimsy and not feeling like it's about to fall apart at any time.

It has a huge external screen. Unlike the V3xx that I also currently own that has a display so dim, you can't read it, the V9 is bright and clear.

The music phone feature is great to have. Although I bought a protective case that doesn't allow the big exterior screen's touch feature to work, it works great without the case and the vibration when touched allows the user to know that it's sensing your touch. I have 350 songs stored on my mini SD card, with room left for additional storage, plus the phone's internal storage remains clear. I no longer need to carry my iPod shuffle and a separate phone.

The built-in modem came to my rescue when my high-speed internet service failed. It ran my computer, not a lightening speed, but at a rate at least 8-9 times faster than the dial-up modem would have reached. It's even faster when accessing the 3G network via Media Net.

I cannot comment on battery life being poor generally because I routinely place all of my cell phones on the charger at night before retiring. This stems back from the days a phone couldn't hold a charge from sunrise to sunset without needing a charge, but there have been a couple of times I forgot and left it in my purse for 2 days, and it still had plenty of battery life left on that 3rd day.

If, as other reviewers have stated, the battery life is less than on other models, for me, having the big, bright responsive outer screen outweighs a few hours of battery life as a priority to me. It's not like I'll be on a 2 week camping trip with no viable means of recharging. Again, out of habit from the old brick phone days, I have always kept a spare battery fully-charged and so far, have never needed it.

I suspect that some of the reviewers who have negative things to say about this phone may have received a defective handset and would possibly be pleased if they'd exchange it for a properly working model.

By the way, it also features a 2mp camera with zoom and video capture capability! The only thing missing is a flash or light to use in the dark, but I won't downrate it for that alone.

After years of searching and dozens of handsets later, I've finally found my phone, and a whole lot more!

Great phone November 8, 2007

Reviewer:  starburst  (San Francisco) -

I purchased this phone via an upgrade to existing AT&T service, and am very glad I did. I've had it for two days. The call quality is outstanding. Calls on busy, noisy San Francisco streets are clear as a bell. The display is great and fairly easy to navigate, even though I've never used a Motorola phone. Web browsing and the data network are super fast. The speakerphone is great, although it would be nice to be able to continue a call with the lid closed. The phone is gorgeous and very well made. It's very comfortable to hold and use. The screen is fantastic. It would be nice if the user manual contained an index.

If you want to set up e-mail from an existing pop account that isn't with an isp that is one of the standard offerings (I think the options are determined by AT&T, not sure), it takes a little work. You have to register with MediaNet and set up an account. Once you do this, it's easy to configure the phone to check and respond to e-mail. There are no real instructions for doing this included with the manual or the quick start guide, or for navigating MediaNet e-mail. I spent a while on AT&T's web site figuring this out. Figuring out how to wade through a bunch of messages and delete unwanted messages takes a few minutes. It's not immediately clear how to delete bulk messages, and the info isn't clear about whether/what a user will be charged for when messages are stored after being viewed. The MediaNet email currently charges $0.01 per Kb; it doesn't use minutes from your monthly plan. I'm interested to see what charges will be reflected on my bill. I'm not too concerned with this because I'll only need to use the cellphone to check e-mail on rare occasions.

My main concerns with a cell phone are: 1) call quality; 2) battery life; 3) being able to easily adjust settings, esp. volume; 4) a speakerphone; and 5) accessing email from my work account. The only aspect of the phone that is lacking is the battery life, but I knew that when I bought it. The fantastic call quality trumps the battery issue, for my purposes anyway. And I can carry an extra battery.

Much better than 1st Generation Razr November 29, 2007

Reviewer:  SEH  (Chicago, IL United States) -

I have had this phone for about 45 days now. The 1st one I received had a defective key pad (it was delaminating). No problem with Amazon, though and their excellent customer service. I just called them and they just sent me a new one. As soon as I got the new one, I sent the old one back. It was pretty simple/easy. The 2nd one has been great. My #1 concern with a phone is call clarity and the ability to hold/pick up a signal to make calls. All the other stuff is just frilly accessories, to me, that are a nice to have. As far as the peformance of this phone, it is far better than the 1st generation Razr, V-600 and several other moto phones I have had over the years. This phone is primarily used in the Chicago area where AT&T is a medeocre service/signal provider-at best. I have had no problems with making/receiving calls with this phone and it works the way a cell phone should - good reception and call quality (including volume level). It is much better than the previous phones I've had. Last week, I was in a very rural area (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) that I travel to on a regular basis. This phone worked better there than any other GSM phone I have used up there. I was actually able to make / receive calls in places the old phones would not work. Battery performance seems just fine. As with all GSM phones, if the phone is struggling to find/maintain a signal, it runs the battery down much faster. If you're playing video games or using other taxing applications, it runs the battery down. No big deal, use your head and think about it. Also, the software in this phone is faster than the older Razrs. You can flip through screens and run things much faster. Camera quality is decent for a cell phone - however, don't expect any cell phone to shoot SLR quality photos. I haven't used the video or MP3 player features. Again, I don't expect much out of them because this is - after all - a cell phone. If you have reasonable expectations, and have done your homework, you will love this phone. P.S. - Two final comments - the casing on this phone is just slightly larger than the 1st generation Razr. However, it still fits in a Razr leather carrying case, etc. Also, they give you an Mini-to-Mircro USB adapter so you can use all of your old Razr accesssories with this phone.

Very solid, stylish, next-gen phone September 24, 2007

Reviewer:  T. Lee 

Pros
-Bright and beautiful internal display
-Possibly the greatest external screen ever on a cell phone
-Excellent 2MP camera
-3G
-Fairly robust music player
-Good call quality

Cons
-Flat keypad takes a lot of getting used to
-Certain options and functions are either poorly labeled or buried under menus
-Doesn't really bring anything new in terms of features and even lacks some basic ones
-For several hundred dollars you would think Motorola could throw in a memory card or a mini-usb cable.

Bottom line: Not the best phone as far as functionality is concerned, but if you just want a beautiful phone to make calls and browse the web then it doesn't get much better than the Razr2. And this is coming from someone who hated the original Razr.

A Fantastic Phone! February 29, 2008

Reviewer:  janus657  (Cincinnati, OH USA) -

With all the fancy features in cell phones now, I wanted to make sure that the phone I got did what a phone should do: preform well as a phone and not just look pretty. I'm happy to say Motorola's new RAZR2 V9 does both.

First off, the this AT&T version has a unique metallic burgundy color which makes it stand out. The huge bright screen on the front helps with the "not your ordinary RAZR" look. When you open it, the screen on the inside is even brighter! I'm raving over the screens and colors because my last phone was a Motorola V551 (a good phone in its day, but very old by comparison). Having a screen that's easy on the eyes is a great thing for me. Call quality is awesome. The RAZR2 V9 is the only one with Motorola's new CrystalTalk feature. And I must say, whatever it is, its working very well. Calls on this phones sound great. And since this is a 3G phone, the MediaNET browser displays pages really fast. I haven't tried out the music player features on this, so I'm not sure how well that works.

There are a few things worth noting. The keys on this phone are very flat and can be hard to press at times. This is especially true for the buttons on the right and left sides of the phone. The buttons on my old v551 were much easier to press. I've also noticed that the battery life goes for only 3 days. I suppose it has to be expected with at 3G phone, but I was hoping for better performance on that. And, a comment on AT&T more than the phone, I've noticed that 3G service isn't always available. At times the phone connects to the Edge Network instead. There is a speed difference, but not much for what I'm doing. Streaming videos and music would probably take a bigger hit on that if 3G cuts out.

Outstanding! Truly an Awesome Handset!!! April 8, 2008

Reviewer:  P. Sherman 

I have owned this phone now, for over two weeks. I waited patiently for a deal on this phone to show up, somewhere at some point. it was a long wait. a close friend of mine writes the code for moto phones, and i got to take a sneak peek at this phone early on, before its release. i got to see it up close, and in person, and ever since, i wanted one. i knew that when this phone came out, i was going to buy one at some point.

i got this phone for 12 bucks, after rebate via amazon, and after the cost of the 2gb Sandisk memory card. it came in the original ATT box, with the plastic still on it, and all the parts still encased in protective plastic. the phone was truly a new, never used, in the box cell phone as amazon.com promised. This is not a cheap deal on a refurb, its the real thing.

The build quality on this phone is spectacular. The rubberized backing of the handset to make it non slip for sweaty hands, the integrated battery cover that is far better integrated than the Razr1, the look, the feel, the glass, the casing, everything about this phone is leaps better. up to and including the screen, the keypad, the hinge, the camera, the battery life, and quality of calls, its just amazing.

The Bluetooth is VERY fast. on average transferring an mp3 from my laptop to my old razr1 took about 30-45 minutes. This new Razr2 can do it in about 30-45 seconds, and I'm not exaggerating. i timed it, with several different size songs. this thing is FAST.

The internet speeds on the Edge and 3G networks are just awesome. a world of difference. truly. I can remember lags and wait times in excess of two or three minutes on my razr1 waiting for Gmail or yahoo mail to load up.

The instant messenger programs are really great! the connectivity, the ease of use and quick setup times make them a true lifesaver if you are on the go away from your computer. this phone is amazing in how connected it keeps you.

The LCD, both inside and out is just gorgeous. the look and feel of them is really top notch! better than that of the iPhone for sure. The external buttons on the External LCD work flawlessly too and are very easy to locate and use, even for someone like me who has big clumsy fingers.

The menues are better and seem to be similar but more refined. the two soft keys at the top of the keypad help in navigating and have better menu options than the razr1 also.

The haptics is awesome. its a HUGE help! i really am impressed with that too, as well as the camera, the print command to bluetooth to a modern bluetooth capable printer (which i tested and worked perfectly) and the Voice dial feature is MUCH more easily used and much smarter than the original razr's too. way easier to use!

Text messaging is VERY easy with this phone. someone before me said this wasnt a good machine for texting but i dis agree. it took me about a week to adjust to it after the razr, but this thing is very easy and fluid to text with and messages come and go VERY fast. its easy to set up new messages and read incoming ones, to clear up the messages, and to find recipients when sending, and to insert data into texts. its very intuitive and easy to use the keypad too. this is a MUST for me, as texting is one of my top forms of communication.

The best part of this phone is the voice communications. the call clarity, the lack of dropped calls, etc, are first rate and top notch. better even then my landline at home. i didnt think call quality like this could be achieved with a wireless handset and motorola is to be commended for the job they did with this phone in that respect. its just unbeleivable until you hear the difference.

I finally got around to testing the mp3 player today too, and it works like a charm. the external buttons work awesome and are very easy to use and control the player with, and the music player is basic but has all the tools and options you need. its just right! and yes, the bluetooth to headset in stereo is there and it too is very impressive. it works great!

The memory card i bought, the Sandisk 2gb Micro SD memory card, popped into the slot in teh back of the phone beside the sim card, and was immediately recognized without issue. it works perfectly and even works out as an external storage device on my computer. i was worried, i run vista on my laptop, but it found the phone and they play very nice together. same goes for bluetooth transfers. both went smooth as can be, with no hiccups. this phone is all that and a bag of doritos.

One note of caution: be very VERY careful with the cover on the phone to the charging outlet, it is delicate. its the only achilles heel to this phone. be careful and youll be ok.

Battery life is great. i got about a day to a day and a half with my Razr1, i get three to four days with this phone. its a great and drastic improvement, and with the adaptor it comes with, you can even use your old razr1 car charger with this phone too. so no worries there at all.

Best penny I ever spent! March 11, 2008

Reviewer:  R. Scott  (Oklahoma City, OK) -

Originally paid 49.99 for the phone, but saw that it dropped in price to .01 only a couple days after I ordered it, so I called Amazon and was refunded 48.98. The V9 was an upgrade from the original RAZR that I had for 2+ years. I was able to keep my old phone number with AT&T, although I did have to pay $18 to AT&T for the "upgrade fee," and I also bought a 2 Gig. MicroSD card online for $10.25. So altogether, I guess I actually paid $28.26. Still not bad. The call quality of the phone is excellent, volume is perfect, especially compared to the original RAZR. Decent camera for a phone. Battery life isn't fabulous, but I haven't seen a phone that has incredible battery life (I was having to charge my RAZR every day, so anything more than a day was an upgrade); I think I'm having to charge this phone about every 3rd day.