Not impressed February 7, 2012

Reviewer:  tarheel1977 

I will start off with the good. The phone is very fast on the 4G network and the display is very clear and vibrant. The phone is wide but I don't mind it because it is so thin it still easily fits in my front pocket.
Now for the bad. The battery is by far the worst and I have done everything suggested to make it last longer. My phone barely makes it through a 10 hour shift and forget about a 12 hour shift. When the phone does die I have a difficult time trying to power it back on. It takes at least 10 minutes of pushing the power button before my phone powers on. I have owned the phone since Christmas and I have had to reset the phone no less than 5 times. I personally would recommend another phone. I wish I would have gotten the Nexus.

Not bad phone with extremely weak battery January 31, 2012

Reviewer:  Alex Kouznetzoff  (New York, NY USA) -

Droid Razr's battery is something that I never seen before. Drops down to 20% every two-three hours. Phone starts getting on my nerves because of this and I'm really unhappy yet in a second week of using it, even though I'm a big fun of Motorola in general.

Definitely a step in the right direction but bugs need to be worked out. January 16, 2012

Reviewer:  stymied 

Pros - Google Android OS with ICE Cream Sandwich upgrade capability, 4G speeds, 4.3" screen, HDMI port, 1080p Video and 8MP camera, access to mainly free apps
Cons - very short battery life, lacking power management and very limited alarm features, somewhat fickle Hotspot capabilities, USB tethering will not work without third party or rooting, email capabilities lack rival platforms (may be considered more taste by some).
Having recently purchased the Droid Razr phone as a result of my blackberry giving up the ghost, I was reminded of several lessons learned. Firstly, never purchase a new phone on the day you are going out of town. Secondly, never purchase a phone within the first three months of its release (especially before CES), unless you just love being on the cutting edge of technology. Thirdly, never accept having to learn a new operating system when the old one you have works.
I apologize in advance as I may come across rather unforgiving and favoring the blackberry OS. (It's just that once you find something that works (suits your needs), it's easier to compare everything else rather disparagingly to it. Also, I prefer to invest in technology that works out of the box (those who like to unroot may disagree here), since the cell phone providers make you live with your decision for the next two years (contracts).
After setting up two of my most used gmail accounts and attempting to set up a work account that utilizes MS Exchange server, I noticed that this phone allows only one account its separate icon (my blackberry had four separate icons for each account). Also, the same gmail account has two icons and for whatever reason the inbox for each icon receives different incoming messages? Setting up the MS Exchange server was a different story. Unlike the blackberry which had no issues, I quickly learned of issues that this phone has with MS Exchange based outlook web accounts. I am still working to try to resolve this issue after trying several third party apps.
Next, came the power management features and alarms. I was able to set the blackberry up to power down at 11pm and power on at 6am. I also could set the alarm to 5:30am and have it wake me on a regular basis when the phone was turned off. Not so with the Razr, even when the phone in sleep mode, the alarm will not go off. Even feedback from those trying third party apps confirm this is an issue with other Android based phones and that for the alarm to work the phone has to be turned on. Tech support has confirmed this issue. The power management is a big deal because the battery life on this phone is non-existent which brings me to my next point. This battery needs to be charged at least twice daily unlike the blackberry curve 9600 I had which was charged daily. Installing third party apps such as Juice Defender help, but IMHO you are better off waiting for the MAXX version of this phone (which ironically was announced the day I bought this phone for the same price as the original droid meaning a price drop for the original model). Also unfortunately as with the Iphone design, you are stuck with the battery for the life of the phone.
WIFI hotspot capabilities and internet access was the main reason I bought this phone (aside from the fact I needed a working phone and email access). I was rather dismayed to find the USB tethering did not work out the box (this appears to be Verizon's answer to last year's revelation that they were not able to capitalize or control the USB tethering capabilities of existing Android phones, especially those who did not have an existing data plan that covered this feature). Third party support (Apps) is available however Verizon does not condone or support this convention even when you are paying the extra $30 for hotspot and tethering capabilities and without the user having one of its unlimited data plans (grandfathered) is subjected to a 2 gig monthly limit with steep prices charged for overages. That being said, I found the USB tethering to work somewhat reluctantly with third party apps.
The hotspot however was a different story, multiple trips into the Verizon store and calls to tech support have resulted from this service working intermittently. The first issue was resolved with a Windows XP hotfix for WPA2 support. The second issue was resolved with a razr OS upgrade. After I got the computer to see the razr and access the internet came problems with repeated dropouts when downloading and website hanging or timing out. Apparently, technical support has acknowledged an issue this phone with its provisioning software (which validates subscription to this service) and sites such as Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft, Flickr, fcz, Flipper, LinkedIn, Paypal, and others. Supposedly, a fix is due soon, (another reason not to be on the cutting edge IMHO). Also, this reminds me too much of the headaches caused by proxy servers in the early days of Windows servers.) In retrospect, you may be better off getting a dedicated metered hotspot that has 5gb or 10gb thresholds rather than trying to use this phone to serve this purpose, I am sure Verizon would approve as the 5gb threshold is $50 per month and the 10gb threshold is $80 per month (meaning more money for the company for users who were grandfathered in under the older unlimited data plan rather than the flat $30 fee.)
Using Speedtest and Testmy websites, I have found that in multiple 4G areas, download speeds are usually in the range of 1.2mbs or even lower when using as a hotspot. This is somewhat disparaging as sites such as Hulu or playon.tv typically require at least 1.5mbs for any kind of streaming (another reason why I got this phone (use the hdmi port to connect to an HD tv). In some parts of the metro area, I couldn't even get reliable 3G service or I would be downloading a file and would get dropouts, something I never got with blackberry. Also note as of this writing, Hulu does not support the razr model, another reason to wait.
Phone clarity was good, however I had several dropped calls resulting in the whole phone shutting off for no apparent reason.
The last major contention I have is that when the phone is holstered such as using the Otterbox Defender series with the belt clip, the phone will not shut off as with the Blackberry. This is an annoyance because of the battery life this phone eats.
To sum it up, this phone reminds me of the mantra, "Be patient _________ has not finished with me yet" (you fill in the deity or if atheist, something else). This phone has capabilities but they just need to be refined. I think this is a major leap forward for Motorola (when compared to previous versions) and with time can prove to be a strong competitor to the Iphone platform. I will give Motorola credit for addressing the battery life right out of the gate, 4G access with the dual core processor and HDMI output capability, but I think the Android interface needs further refinement, something maybe the highly touted icecream sandwhich version may address.

Amazing phone January 10, 2012

Reviewer:  jb 

I will start by saying that this is my first smartphone in the last 3 years (I used to have the old palm treos and early blackberries). My, what a difference a few years makes.

This computer, er, "phone" is extremely responsive and quick.

I will say that I live in a 4G area, so that helps, though I do every once in a while see the network toggle between 3G and 4G for no apparent reason.

There are a ton of apps that can take care of almost anything you can think of. In the month or so that I have owned this phone, it has helped me book hotels, find restaurants, grab coupons at those restaurants ... it's been amazing.

I was planning on getting the Nexus, or even the HTC Rezound, but when I tested the phones hands on in the store, this was the best fit for me. It's barely noticeable in my pocket and feels comfortable to use as well.

Awesome phone! January 8, 2012

Reviewer:  Trenton M. Massey 

I upgraded to the Razr from the Droid X about a week ago and am thrilled! Running the SpeedTest app, I was getting a good 11.5 mb down and 6.5 up which was a HUGE boost from the Droid X on the 3G network. It is also much quicker. Toward the end of my usage with Droid X, it was starting to feel pretty slow. Eventually when texting, it couldn't keep up with my fingers and would usually lag about 4 to 5 words behind which was frustrating. On the Razr, all the apps I use load up right away.

The only con I have found with this phone so far is for one reason or another, Hulu is not supported on this model. I am hoping eventually that this will get fixed.

I plan on replacing my cable with this entirely soon. With the wireless hotspot on their 4G network along with Netflix and Hulu (if Hulu makes it's way to the Razr) the phone will pay for itself in two months and start saving me quite a bit each month after that.

Now just looking forward to ICS.

Best phone I've ever owned January 1, 2012

Reviewer:  BIGHAWK 

IDK what everyone is complaining about with this phone. I've had it for a week now and I love it.

I upgrade from the OG droid and can definitely tell the difference in processor speed. RAZR destroys multitasking. I've been trying to find lag with this phone, but its just too dang fast. Not even a whimper out of this brute.

I did run into a slight problem with the phone not turning on within the first 2 days, but that was a simple fix. Just hold down the power button and down volume for 10 seconds. Phone booted back up.

All in all, if you got the money, I would recommend this over the Rezound or Galaxy Nexus any day.

the battery life is H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E December 29, 2011

Reviewer:  alfred929 

I used to have an iPhone and I thought the battery life was bad, until I switched to the Razr. Wow, the battery life is ridiculously terrible. I don't even use my phone that often (I have the cheapest data plan), but sometimes I have to charge the Razr 3 times a day. I could use the alarm clock in the morning, make a 5 minute call, and play a game for 5 minutes, and the battery needs charging. Not kidding. Other than that, the Razr is nice. I like the light weight, the large screen and the sharp color.

great phone December 18, 2011

Reviewer:  jnjmcc "jnjmcc"  (council bluffs ia) -

I bought this phone a week and half ago and thought i would put up a review. a little back ground i have had lots of phones so far in the last two years i have had the following phones: blackberry storm and curve, droid x and droid x 2 and lastly the playstation phone. so far this is my favorite by far
PROS
- awesome screen very crisp and clear, best screen i have seen i know there is better out there but this is the best i have seen.
+ battery life is awesome i used to come home with a low battery every night with my previous phones,but not with this phone. while i work i make alot of calls, on face book alot and use my apps and always come home with a half battery.
+ camera and the video recorder is excellent. the camera is 8 mp and the video recorder is 1080p both are give you what would want great pics and videos.
+ call quality is excellent nice and clear havent dropped a call yet.
+ i like the design of the phone it looks very large but its easy to hold
+ it is the thinnest and lightest phone i have ever seen so light i forget it is in my pocket alot. its even thinner then the old razor lol
+ 4g is amamzing,super fast it take about 5-8 seconds to download a song, very cool is your city carries 4g.
CONS
- I do not like that you can not take out the battery, i have had my phone freeze 2 times so far and then what you can not shut the phone off so then what. well in my case you wait about 5 minuets and it unfreezes.
- price at 300 its very expensive for a phone that by next year will be half off or buy one get one. i didnt feel to bad about buying cuz with my work discount i only payed 230 and verizon is offering any motorola products so i got a bluetooth head set for 10 bucks.
overall a great phone and like i said best phone i have ever had.

great phone December 17, 2011

Reviewer:  Patrick 

This razr phone is replacing a 2 year old Droid. I was holding out for the Nexus phone but after all the delays I just couldn't wait anymore. Great screen, lightweight and super fast. I have no complaints. Battery life is what it is. Lasts longer than my Droid but if your a heavy user like me you will be charging it. I am very happy i bought this phone.

I agree the battery is a problem, BUT... December 2, 2011

Reviewer:  M.D.C. "The Franchise"  (San Diego, CA) -

Some people are blowing things way out of proportion.

Before all that let me explain to you. The Droid RAZR came out so soon after the [[ASIN:B005IQOFW0 Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)]] that a lot of people were quite frustrated with Motorola. Given the issues of the Bionic (which some are quite valid and some overblown), it was like people got locked into something without realizing what was going on, and then here comes the RAZR, which is a supposedly superior device all the way around. The reality is - it's superior but it's also inferior, if that's even possible. What some people don't realize is what I've constantly said about phones: it's all in how you use it. What matters is the use case: everything else is pointless. A person might be a workhorse and absolutely hate the phone.

First the RAZR features a form factor that is slimmer than any other smart phone (I don't think it's slimmer than any other phone. I believe that honor still remains with the T-mobile Dash, but only by a tiny bit). It's also a beautiful looking device, from the sleekness of the body to the accents and yes, even the Gorilla Glass which fronts the screen. From an aesthetic perspective, it's an amazing looking device. Yes, it can be a bit wide in the hand, and some clumsy sorts will balk because they can't properly grip the device and are forced to hold it like a table. Some people will buy it for no other reason than this - that's fine, but it's critical that you understand the phone's shortcomings BECAUSE of this profile. Because there are quite a few.

Call quality was not a problem, especially on speaker phone; the speaker was loud and clear and callers were easily heard. But the slimness of the phone of course limits what type of speaker you can really put in the phone, so while a quiet room will yield an amazing call, a crowded space or a moving vehicle will not...unless it's a noise-filtered limo, perhaps. Music was a different boat altogether, as it seemed to be loud and crisp no matter what, except over the headphone jack, where the quality seemed muted compared to the Bionic or the Thunderbolt.

Motorola's phones all now come with their MotoBLUR overlay, so you're not getting stock Android no matter what you say. The difference here is that the RAZR's MotoBLUR is quite subtle and not nearly as overpowering as other Motorola devices such as the [[ASIN:B004HGU4H2 Motorola Droid X No Contract 3G WiFi 1GHz Android Smartphone Used Verizon]]. I never got the sense that MotoBLUR was trying to "filter" my experience. In fact, you can even remove certain bloat like some of the games, and hide most anything else. Certain things will still launch such as VZ Navigator, but you can kill them with the built-in task manager rather easily, or download an app such as ES Task Manager which shows even more applications to murder. In summary, the RAZR does not feel in the least bit bloated or weighed down with unnecessary apps.

Speedwise the RAZR is one of the fastest on the block, easily handling most tasks faster than the Bionic even, which is surprising given they both have dual core processors. I can only attribute this to possibly a heavier instance of MotoBLUR/bloat on the Bionic, but I'm not totally certain. All I know is that the RAZR is able to pull off things much easier and smoother than the Bionic ever could. The difference is that the Bionic has more memory dedicated to its applications (4GB vs 2GB), so you're not consuming valuable internal space, more regular internal memory (16GB vs 8GB) and slightly more RAM available (1GB vs 512MB) for multi tasking. You do get a 16GB microSD card and easy access to it from a side port.

All was not rosy with the RAZR, unfortunately. First, the battery has been criticized, not only for its lifespan, but its inaccessibility. On a heavy day of usage you'll be lucky to get 9 hours out of it. If that seems short, it is...given the current minimum acceptable standard is around 12-15 hours and some phones can last well over 24 hours. But here is where some people's use cases are going to need to change: The RAZR *can* last 23 hours. I've done it. Unfortunately, it requires changes to one's workflow that a person may not be willing to make. For example, disabling 4G and going with the significantly slower 3G (Verizon has probably the slowest 3G of the carriers) yields at least 5 hours of extra battery in a given day, even with regular usage. The screen does not sap as much power as the data radio, and using the phone on Wi-Fi and disabling the data radio entirely yields even more battery. You also have a Smart Actions app, which lets you set customized profiles based on trigger events that can be used to enhance your workflow and/or conserve battery life. Using these properly based on the way you actually need to use the phone, in addition to more conservative usage (i.e. not playing games all day, but you're working your job or learning in class which in theory means you're using it MAYBE 2 or so hours a day) can help in reaching the lauded battery life levels.

Again though, since it's an inaccessible battery, you'll need to be near a charger or carry an external battery pack, such as [[ASIN:B00486MH80 Motorola Universal Dual-Charging Portable Power Pack (Black, Retail Packaging)]] or something larger if you need more power than this puts out. Keep in mind that these will at least keep your device from completely dying in the event of an emergency call, where you have destroyed the battery playing Angry Birds instead of focusing on your job. But they're not going to give you a full charge from dead. The RAZR itself takes quite a long time to charge from a regular power outlet, well over 2 hours from dead zone, so you need to plan accordingly. If this is your only source for phone calls you will certainly need to adjust your workflow to match the phone requirements.

Camera quality was a mixed bag for sure. While it does record 1080p video and HD 8MP photos, the video in particular looks fuzzy and not that high quality. The image stabilizer creates a "warbling" effect that is quite annoying, almost as if it's overcompensating for motion that isn't yet there. On the photo side, you'll initially think the photos are quite good, but even compared to the Bionic, I was let down. Color levels seem muted and shading/contrast was weak. It wasn't easy to make out fine details and some of the photos appeared muddy when compared to other phone cameras. Giving credit where it's due, the LED is bright enough that you can film in low light indoor conditions reasonably well, and the camera itself does not have too much of an adverse impact on the battery. It's quite possible that they cheaped out in this area on purpose so as not to destroy the battery life.

The RAZR is easily the best Android phone I've used so far. The irreplaceable battery is a downer, yes. But it's still a solid phone worthy of a look.

Droid Razr vs Droid 2 Global November 29, 2011

Reviewer:  FreeThinker "S.C."  (Seattle) -

BETTER:

+Internet Speed
+Processing Speed
+Graphics & Videos
+Weight
+Screen Size
+HDMI
+Extra accessories like Lapdock
+OS Version
+More water resistant (haven't tested though, but there are fewer gaps for the water to get in)
+8 MP Camera
+Front Camera

WORSE:

-Lack of Removable Battery (Considering Droids' mediocre battery life, it is essential to have a removable battery ! In fact I had 5 of them for my Droid 2 and never run out of juice while on the road.)
-Typing accuracy (Much fewer typing errors with removable keyboard. Plus with sliding keyboard you could go from portrait to landscape just by sliding the keyboard, instead of relying on the auto-detection which doesn't function reliably on any devices I've tried. Finally in the landscape mode especially, software keyboard takes 80%+ of the screen. Physical keyboard obviously allows you to see the entire screen while typing.)
-Ergonomics (It feels like a small tablet in one's hands, bigger than it actually is. One hand operation is nearly impossible.)
-Text Resolution (Looks much grainier & less readable)
-Lack of Global SIM Support (And 4G SIM slot won't take global SIMs.)

Awesome Phone November 23, 2011

Reviewer:  Steven Kowalski "Brian Kowalski"  (USA) -

This is a great phone for the price. You get the functionality of Android paired with absolutely amazing hardware design. Its by far the best looking phone out there, not to mention the thinnest available in the US. It has a great OLED display which gives a contrast ratio much higher then any other phone on the market. Only downside is the battery life when using 4G LTE. Otherwise its a great phone!

Came broken extremely poor custom support/service at motorola and verizon December 2, 2011

Reviewer:  Nick Jenkins  (Los Osos, CA United States) -

I ordered this phone on Black Friday for the $0.01 deal that Amazon had going. When I received the phone I was very excited by it. Absolutely beautiful screen and nice design. I liked it much better than the iphone 4s. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Right out of the box, the phone started going into endless re-boot cycles at random time intervals and seemingly simple actions (like trying to text or open a browser) caused the phone to freeze. I attempted a factory reset on the device but it didn't fix the problem. In 12 hours of owning the phone it reset over 50 times. I spent 4 hours on the phone trying to get a replacement through Amazon, Verizon and motorola. What an terrible experience. Amazonwireless was great to deal with and very customer service oriented and were happy to take it back, but unfortunately they were back ordered for 9 days to get a replacement. They suggested I talk to Verizon or Motorola. I was told by Verizon that since I bought the phone from Amazon it was Amazons problem to deal with it and that even though verizon had the phones in stock, they wouldn't provide me a loaner or a replacement. I would just have to be stuck with a broken phone (which was unacceptable since I am required to have a phone on me 24-7 as I am an on-call pilot). I called motorola and asked if they could send a replacement. They said no. Motorola doesn't replace phones they only repair them. I was told I could send it in for repair and wait 7-10 business days for it to return. Again, being left only with the option of not having a phone for a week and a half. I worked my way through 4 different supervisors at Motorola until I got someone in Corporate (a Mrs. Schofield) who was very rude and insisted on trying to talk over me. She was completely uninterested in solving the situation and couldn't exercise one once of executive authority or creative thinking to solve the problem. She wanted to dictate to me policy out of the motorola employee handbook and was one of the most rude people i have ever encountered in customer service. I arranged a conference call between her and my local verizon corporate store to try to have them ship a phone to verizon so that verizon could facilitate the exchange of the broken phone for a new one. I even offered to allow her to put an authorization on my credit card for the full price of a new phone until they received my broken one back for inspection. Mrs. Schofield informed me that Motorola had no way of charging credit cards (even though you can buy the phone directly from them online....hmmm) and that she wouldn't allow verizon to do the exchange. The best she could offer was to have my phone shipped to motorola for inspection and then to send a new one back...a minimum of a 3-4 day process. I told her about the positive experinces I have had with both apple (replacement at any apple retailer) and HTC (sent out new phone overnight with a credit card authorization which was refunded after old phone was returned) in getting phones replaced and about how that creates a positive experience for the customer and enforces branding with the company. She didn't care and promptly exited to conversation. Before she left I told her that I intended to return the phone and go back to apple or htc if this was how motorola was going to handle problems (imagine dealing with them 6 months or a year down the road instead of less than 12 hours after getting the new phone). I then offered to buy a new iphone from Verizon, but Verizon said I would have to pay full retail even though I had just opened a new account. They said that since I bought the phone with amazon and opened a new line of service and had my number ported over, that my hardware discount was only valid for the specific device I had purchased even though it was defective. They said my only option was to open a new line (which I didnt need) with a different phone number and then to cancel my original line of service. So, I would lose my phone number that I have had for the last 12 years. The people at Verizon made no effort to solve the problem. I tried to tell them that they were going to be getting $180/month from me on my plan for the next two years and to look at the big picture. We were off to a really bad start for my first day with Verizon and they were making me question my choice of going with them. After another hour on the phone (and having the Razr reboot another 6 times), I put the razr and my girlfriends new iphone back in the boxes and sent them back to Verizon. I drove straight to ATT and bought two new iphones and had my numbers ported over. Motorola and Verizon were such narrow minded and horrible companies to deal with that they actually made it easier to cancel my service than fix brand new device which was defective out of the box. Motorola even claimed that they weren't responsible for the phone since it wasn't sold directly from them. What a way to stand behind your products and service guys. I will never purchase another motorola device and Verizon service plan ever again. Both of these companies need to re-evaluate how they deal with customers and give their employees the ability to solve problems rather than making them strictly adhere to company flow charts. Awful, awful, awful. Never again...ZERO STARS! I wish I could have recorded this conversation to put on youtube. At least them I may have gotten some results with them.

droid razr January 3, 2012

Reviewer:  h82bbad 

Great phone if you want charge it all the time. This has the worse battery of any device I have ever owned! IPhone 4 battery lasted a day and a half under similar use, this battery won't last for 60 min use and 6 hours standby time! Junk don't buy this phone!!

I have tried some of the bandages they suggest, turning your screen brightness downtown sacrifice image quality and using smart actions to kill data when screen is off...this stuff helps a little but I never had to bandage my iPhone 4 like this...and don't think i should have to with this phone either!
However the screen size is so nice...just have to keep it turned down...downloads are amazingly fast...but better not run an app or it will kill your battery! Lol

Keyboard sucks compared to iPhone 4 also...maybe it will be better when ics comes out!
As of right now...its not ready for prime time! Wish I would have.known it was coming out. I would have gotten the razr Max.....amazon wireless was easy to work with but next time I would spend.more and go to Verizon so I could have just taken the phone back!

Just got a software update and battery life seem twice as good! So raised the review up!

Review the pone!!! Not Amazon or Verizon!! November 25, 2011

Reviewer:  Jose Armenteros 

Stop reviewing verizon and amazon review the phone!!!!

Well the design is gorgeous and looks really good. The phone is fast and good. I wish it was more stock on the ui for android but it isnt horrible the way it is. The battery could be better but it is amazing compared to the thunderbolt.. Most people that have horrible battery life need to see the apps refresh rates most of my friends never do and have facebook checking every hour and twitter too. All in all a great phone and I hope since google now owns them that when ice cream comes it will not be plastered with blur.

Droid RAZR DEFFECTIVE BUYERS BEWARE December 15, 2011

Reviewer:  Matthew Howard 

Okay let me start off by saying that up until last week i was a Motorola fan boy and this review saddens me to write.

Pros:
Thin
Light
Quick charge
Fits hand nicely
Touchscreen feels great
Battery life

Cons:
Black splotches (will explain bellow)
Battery life (how can it be a pro and con...ill get to that)
Heats up
Speaker static (only on the 2nd one)

BLACK SPLOTCHES: Yup they are definitely there, in fact Motorola has verified this in their statement and they specifically noted this IS NOT a defect and that there is no intention of fixing the issue. WARNING RANT( so what you're saying is that those splotches aren't a defect and the product was designed to have a terrible display...nice one moto) If you haven't heard about the splotches check out this video [...]

Battery: Here's the problem I have with the battery, my first razr lasted 7hr out of the box on the factory charge and for the first week I had great battery life, my 2nd one was terrible only got 5hrs of standby with NO use. Now my 3rd one seems to be like the first, decent battery life making it through the day of normal use. How can a company like moto pump out these phones with no removal battery and not quality check them to ensure the battery has no dead cells

All and all the device is filled with inconstant glitches and i feel as though the device was rushed into production. All Verizon will do is offer me a trade for the Bionic which as im sure everyone is aware is not a deal at all considering the price difference and age.

Anyone with the issue comment on the youtube video with your phones build date and a rough estimate as to the number of splotches. Your info will help build a case that will be presented to Motorola to show that this issue effects us users and we want a fix.

Droid Razr Poor Verizon Customer Service Worse February 20, 2012

Reviewer:  EdW 

I upgarded to a Droid Razr. Several times over first few weeks (6) phone got real hot. Thought was strange. Next failed to work had to go in verizon store and get SIM card reset. Next phone would not respond. Went to Verizon store again. They checked said seemed to be defective they would get me a new phone by Fedex. Got email saying my "Certifed Like New" phone was on it's way. I called Customer Service and spoke in length about a "like - New" phone was not acceptable. They basically said that was too bad that they were sure I'd be satified and in fact it maybe that i'll get shipped a new phone. Just received "Certified Like New" phone. Now another trip to Verizon to complain and try to resolve. First Razr is too new and has bugs. Second avoid Verizon entirely. Their warranty and customer service is unacceptable. They said once I had problems I only had 14 days to return the phone (never told me this at purchase) and then any issues after paying full price they replace the phone with a "Like New Certified" this is a damn poor warranty. Stay away from Droid and Verizon.

The Phone is Nice - Verizon Customer Service STINKS! January 7, 2012

Reviewer:  Michael 

I pre-ordered this phone thinking it would be a great fit for me. I had the original Motorola Droid for 2 years prior and loved it.
I did the comparisons of other Droids as-well-as iPhones. I wasn't buying into the whole iPhone fad and thought that the Razr was a good fit b/c of my prior Droid experience and the kevlar and gorilla glass design of the Razr... my first Droid got dropped at least ten times a day and took a beating.
I was excited when the Razr came in the mail but quickly discovered how truly horrible Verizon has become in their customer service.
I called them on the first day to help with some phone settings - the phone wasn't connecting to the internet. The first Rep I spoke to didn't have any knowledge of the Razr (didn't even know you can't remove the battery) - after being passed to two other Reps I finally got one that seemed to know what they were doing. Once that little glitch was worked out I started using the phone and LOVE it. Going from 4g to 3g areas makes the phone lose internet connectivity for a few minutes... that's a bit frustrating.
The only thing that I can't understand is how some people have great battery life... this phone is a battery hog - I need to have a charger in my car and at my desk at work b/c it's constantly sucking down the power.
After having the phone for a month it did an auto-update. After that I started having all sorts of issues with the email accounts I have pushed to the phone. When I called Verizon the Tech Rep determined the phone was defective and overnighted me a replacement... here's the kicker - the phone they shipped me was a "certified used" phone and it looked like someone scraped it across the floor.
I called Verizon and told them I wasn't happy paying $300+ for the phone (after my measly "new every two" discount), the phone was defective and they had nerve sending me a certified new-used piece of crap! They gave me some BS explanation that they want their customers to get a phone back as soon as possible and this is the fastest way to do that - and that the certified new-used phones go through a 100 point inspection... hmmmm - I think someone was falling asleep on the job with the one I got.
They wouldn't even let me go into a local Verizon store and swap the one I have for a new one... they said the store would have to order from the same "new-used" inventory. They said I only had 14 days from the time I received the phone for any sort of warranty to get a new one vs. a "certified new-used" one.
I've gotta say - I've been a Verizon cellular customer since the late 90's... and have other Verizon products as well. I certainly can't complain about their cellular network b/c it is really good. I rarely have connection issues wherever I use my phone. I used to rave about their customer service and loyalty programs they've had. Now, I've seen the quality of their customer service sink to new lows - and it really ticks me off how much they "nickel and dime" you over every little thing. I've paid thousands of dollars to them in monthly usage charges, you would think after a decade of loyal patronage that they'd want you to have a piece of quality equipment that works - and wouldn't push the cost of dealing with their manufacturers like Motorola, etc. onto their customers.
So - after my rambling here - I would say that all-in-all the Razr is a nice piece of equipment - but don't be disillusioned by statements about longer battery life... it's a hog just like every other smartphone. It's really having to deal with Verizon that you should consider. And honestly, I think that they way a company treats its customers is of equal importance to the services and products they provide. It's added stress that you don't need - we all have busy lives.
Good luck in your decision making!

Fare Thee Well, My First Droid Razr December 20, 2011

Reviewer:  Ayamuri  (Alabama) -

Up until two days ago, this would've gotten ten stars from me. It was my first smartphone, got it for one cent here on Amazon, and the phone was great! I'm kinda lucky in my preferences...I don't talk on the phone much. The 450 minute plan with Verizon is even too much for me. This comes as a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it means that I'm not always using my phone to run down the battery (which, word to the wise, configure your Smart Action settings, turn off wifi and 4G when not in use, and download the free Advanced Task Manager app from the Android Market. When not in use for long periods of time, go to Sleep mode). While I don't talk on the phone much, I downloaded a book for the phone's Kindle app and I read like a madwoman and the battery lasted very well with me reading on the phone a lot. In terms of hours...hm. In conjunction with reading for about 3-4 hours a day straight mixed with a bit of browsing, listening to music on the included music player for about an hour(even if I was directly in front of my laptop; the scrolling lyrics for my songs for some reason seemed just the coolest thing to me, xD) or just generally playing around with the phone...I'll give the battery life for me about 6-7 hours, give or take. I'm one of those people that likes to usually charge my phone a lot but had to learn that the proper way to condition the battery is to actually let it run down completely, then recharge it.

Anywho, the curse part of the phone came in when I needed to make an urgent call to home and my mom told me she couldn't hear me. I pulled the phone away from my ear and noticed I had completely full bars and tried turning up the volume. Well, that helped *me* (but I could already hear her crystal clear) but she still couldn't hear me. She said it sounded like I was talking into a can. And there is no setting to configure the internal speaker either. I can live with a short-ish battery (results may vary; seriously, everyone uses their phone differently)...but being able to clearly place a call is the back-to-basics purpose of why anyone gets a cell phone. So...with a saddened heart, I took this back to Verizon.

This is where I trail off from the review of the phone (four stars) and go to the customer service. Everyone has different experiences and some people were so scarred from theirs, they've run the other direction. Understandable, don't blame you and this is coming from a person who works in a call center that deals with Verizon customers (I won't say I work *for* Verizon but I suppose...what's the difference?). Considering customer service is not my department (I'm sales), dealing with customer service was still new to me as it would be for anyone else. The woman that helped me was very nice and she was the sort of rep I want to emulate (contrary to popular belief, some of us truly do care about making customers happy. It sounds cheesy, I know, but please, not all of us are bad). The woman tried to process the return for me but realized that since I got the phone from Amazon, I would have to return it through them. She wrote the number down on a Post-It for me and I figured that was it; I'd have to either use the phones at work to order the return or wait until I got home, as my phone had already been factory reset for the return. Instead, she called Amazon for me right from the store and the woman from Amazon politely verified my information and sent out an email for my return packaging label. The phone will be here tomorrow.

I know everyone's experience's do not go that smooth and I've read a vast amount of comments on here regarding Motorola's service (which is great and groovy people that you believe service is also part of the phone's experience and I agree, but for the love of all that's pure, PLEASE rate the phone in the review too! Half the one-star reviews could really be three or four star reviews but are one solely based on customer service...stop that; first and foremost, review the *product* because customer service likely came after you got the product. But now I'm trailing off from the point of this review myself). I'm going to give customer care on both ends five stars and the phone a four. It was only one issue--a major issue, but just one. I'll try to update this if possible to note how my experience with the replacement goes. Crossing my fingers it doesn't power cycle/reboot, have black spots, dies in two hours with light use, another blown internal speaker, or any of the other myriad of problems that seem to come with cell phones these days, not just the Razr.

The slick phone that almost could.... December 5, 2011

Reviewer:  ToeKnee_TM "};^)~"  (Central Oregon) -

OK, I have to start out with a caveat: I've been an HTC handset user since before Android, and this may have made me a bit biased, but not by that much!

OK, now, on with the RAZR review: It's an awesome phone! Light, thin, super fast, super responsive, and slick. All you could want in a phone, right? Yeah, but Motorola missed a few things. The thin is nice, but it isn't shaped correctly, in my opinion. They wasted real estate on either side of the screen, and I feel they could have contoured the edges a bit more to make it more pleasant in the hand.

As for the software and UI, I still think the HTC Sense interface wins(biased...LOL). There are little things that I miss already: Pinch zooming my home panels and the big HTC clock/weather widget on my home panel. With the RAZR, it's either a clock/calendar or an analog clock and separate weather widget....too much hassle to DL one from the market. Other software gripes: HTC has a built in flashlight app that utilizes the dual LED flash lights to create what I reapeadetly hear as "Holy crap that's bright!" from my HTC Incredible flashlight feature. Once again, there IS an app for that, but a basic function that Motorola should include... NOW, for my biggest complaint: The web browser. There are two things that irritate me about the RAZR (and other Motorola handsets): 1. No easy home page choice...I have to go via bookmarks...on the HTC, it's the first item on the "more" menu of options. 2. The missing ability to force the browser to load Full Web Pages instead of watered down mobile pages. Most sites now have a fairly functional mobile site, but on others, there are issues, and I should be able to select or deselect "view as mobile page". My single core Incredible renders full web sites with just a little sweat, so this dual core Motomonster should be able to handle it. Motorola has such a nasty habit of locking out user functionality....why? I don't know, but they've been non-user friendly in my opinion since I first started using Motorola back in the days of the V-Series Flip Phones that were in use right before the original RAZR came out...

Now, for a few more ups and downs. Smart actions is brilliant, but still has some shortcomings....like, wifi has to be left on for location based actions...one of the biggest eaters of power is Wifi searching...Wifi is one of the things I want to turn on and off...otherwise, this is a brilliant idea! I didn't get to experiment with the other bundled software like the remote media serving service as I am returning this phone in exchange for the HTC Rezound.

Last but not least, the other most used part of the phone (at least for me): The camera. Win and lose here. Starting with the MotoZine....a joint Motorola/Kodak venture, Motorola has had a VERY nifty feature in their phones that seems to have gotten even better: Panoramic mode. The feature rocked before, and now it is all automated and works pretty good...for a phone! I took some very nice pan shots with this camera. HOWEVER, this camera could take way better pictures....for example, it defaults to a 6MP setting for widescreen shots, and you can ONLY select 6MP wide or 8MP standard....and of course resolution drops for those nice panoramic shots...I was not at all impressed with the coloration of my recent sunset shots....the RAZR changed all the pinks and purples to oranges and browns...while they were still pretty, they DID NOT capture the actual colors when pointing at the sunset...I tried adjusting the settings including using the "sunset" setting in the camera with the same exact results. Funny, the pan shot caught the colors better. My HTC Incredible gets the colors very nicely.

Verdict: If you are new to Android or not a power user (I define power user as someone who needs an extra battery but doesn't root their handsets) and love the this appeal....this phone is for you. Otherwise, I can't see any true compelling reasons to buy this phone over other capable and more affordable handsets out there. I also was unable to review this while on a 4G network as life has taken me back out to the boonies. I gave this three stars instead of four even though it is one of the better handsets I've used, I'm an HTC fan AND a power user...the non-removable battery would have killed me although the RAZR did far better than I expected on battery times! I Also need to note that while the screen on here was amazing, there were some DEFINITE flaws in the screen itself. When watching movies, there were weird shapes in the true blacks and some colors....parts of the screen that were imperfect...like jagged mountains of discoloration stretching from the sides of the screen...???? I'm replacing this with the HTC Rezound. I have had EXCELLENT luck with HTC phones...they are tough, fast and I actually dig the Sense interface. Maybe with Google owning Motorola, they may open up the software for a true Android experience....until then, I'll stick with my HTC products!

A side note on Amazon Wireless: After years, they are still in "beta". It shows, too. When they first put on their penny sale, their website crashed for 16 hours or so, and it took me 1.5 days to place a cell phone order. They also changed their penny sale promotion in the last days from all phones to all phones in stock after repeated assurances that the price would be good throughout the sale. I don't like those kind of tactics at all. Also, the mobile hotspot/free giftcard promo is a bit of a joke. It can take up to 60 days to get your "redemption code". This is longer than even mail-in rebates, and I think it stinks! If you call the Amazon Wireless "800" number, the first thing they say is that they "think buying a new phone should be easy". This was far from easy for me. On the one positive side, I was able to swap my phones out and get the phone I actually wanted. They sold me the Rezound on the last day of the promo for the penny, but they were reluctant to do so. AND, after the phones came back in stock (they were backordered), I had to call in and they had to force my order through... I guess I've just become too used to very good service from the regular Amazon...Amazon Wireless is NOT where I'll be turning for my next cell phone purchase. They are anything BUT easy in my opinion...I may even return my Rezound and cancel the new line. Happy shopping!