Incredible piece of technology October 26, 2012

Reviewer:  Gary L. Hall "Gary"  (San Francisco, CA United States) -

This smart phone has jaw dropping ability and performance.

Being from the bay area, most people in my age group have iPhones. Personally, I have had 2 droids and an HTC windows phone since smart phones started to be the norm. Each phone that I've owned was decent enough relative to it's peers and pretty close to the top technology of the time. This not only blows the old technology away, in an objective world it would dominate all other options. In fact, the more I show apple fanatics, the more I see that hesitation that comes with wondering if your iphone is really the cool thing anymore.

The phone is thin, even with the extended battery I think most people would be hard pressed to notice the difference between this and the thinnist smartphones unless they were actively measuring or comparing. In everyday use there isn't a difference in your pocket between 7mm and 9mm.

Obviously the battery is the main selling point for the MAXX but it delivers as promised. I easily got 2 full days of moderate to heavy mixed use without a charge, including the standard constant tinkering when you get a new toy, lots of internet, streaming music and video, navigation, bluetooth, and talk time mixed in.

HD Display is amazing. When combined with the large screen size it seems less ridiculous to actually watch television, movies, games, or whatever else you like. I can definitely see myself downloading a movie to watch on a long car or plane ride without any loss in visual fidelity. a 4.7inch 720p screen 24 inches from your face is every bit as enjoyable as a 50inch 1080p on the other side of the room.

The camera rear facing camera is as good as it seems to be possible to cram into a phone. The software is ok and the picture quality is good enough for most things short of serious hobbyists and professionals. The lack of a physical camera button is annoying for both launching the app and taking pictures but I will get over it.

This is more of a general Motorola Droid thing, but Smart Actions is an incredible app. It allows you to set up automatice settings changes based on various triggers. Want your phone to be silent or vibrate only at work? just tell it your work address and when you get there, it switches the volume settings and whatever else you like. Want to turn off the ringer after 10pm? give it a time related setting that expires at 6am and only allows calls from your selected "VIP" phone numbers during that time. Tired of wasting battery connected to 3G/4G when you're using Wifi anyway? set it to disable data connection when you have a wifi connection. The app is built in, very easy to use, and has endless possibilities.

There is also the near field communication technology. I have haven't used it yet, but pay by phone, and the NFC transfer (popularized by the samsung galaxy commercials) also appear to be available here.

Oh yeah, with the gorilla glass and kevlar, it looks nice too. Update: I officially had my first drop of the phone from just below waist level out in the city. I had a little jolt of panic since I don't have a case on it yet, but I couldn't find a blemish (probably a decent amount of luck involved too).

Seriously, unless you are very very concerned with taking near magazine quality pictures, this is your phone.

If you're looking for the right vehicle dock it is here [[ASIN:B009GCTBMG Motorola HD Vehicle Navigation Dock for Motorola DROID RAZR HD/RAZR MAXX HD - Retail Packaging]]

This poorly rated dock is the one verizon is selling for this phone: [[ASIN:B008QVQYRS Motorola Flip Stand with Smart Desktop Charger - Retail Packaging]]

Update 10/30/12:
Being that this is a phone--a quick word on the call quality after about a week of use. It is excellent. The incoming voices are clear and others can't really tell I'm on a cell phone. The bluetooth was easy to set up as well.

The one and only downside for me to this point is the lack of accessories. I haven't purchased a phone at launch before so this may be the norm but Otterbox cases, higher quality screen protectors and such aren't really available yet. Although, as far as screen protectors there is no reason you can't use the ones marketed for the "RAZR HD" since the screen has the same footprint.

Update 11/26/12: The Otterbox cases are now available:
[[ASIN:B009JR1PV8 OtterBox 77-22902 Defender Series Case for Motorola RAZR MAXX HD - 1 Pack - Retail Packaging - Black]]
[[ASIN:B009JQZDJO OtterBox 77-22896 Commuter Series Case for Motorola RAZR MAXX HD - 1 Pack - Retail Packaging - Black]]
these are also available in a red/black and white/grey version.

Droid Razr MAXX HD vs Iphone 5 January 23, 2013

Reviewer:  Drexel 

I got the new iPhone5, 4 of them to be exact, and returned them all for 4 new Droid Razr Maxx HD's. I have a business, and I am in the field a lot. So are my people, and the iPhone 5 just doesn't hold up. With the new 4g network, the iphone 5 battery just doesn't last. Add on the fact the bluetooth on the iphone is very subpar, and it has a much weaker phone signal than most phones and certainly the Razr Maxx HD, it was an easy decision. I have a Jawbone ERA bluetooth headset, and when I put the iphone 5 in my pocket, it breaks up. I have a flexsmart bluetooth FM tuner in my truck, and the iphone will connect to it, but sound playback is only half what it is on an android device. And yes, everything, including the volume max limiter on the iphone is turned all the way up. Then throw in that Apple decided to pull one on their current loyal customers who have the 30 pin connector for their "older" iphones, and ipods, by switching a perfectly functional power cord to the new "lightning" cord, forcing customers to either buy an adapter, or buy a new cord. This would be understandable if they went to a USB 3.0 cord or something faster than the old one, but they did not. Rather they just gave it a speedy name, "lightning" and changed the end. More money out of the consumers pocket. Couple that in with the fact that itunes is now more of a marketing app and less user friendly (actually quite a pain in the arse to use) and I tried asking myself why I ever purchase the phones. It was an easy switch, and I couldn't be more happy with this monster of an android phone, the Droid Razr Maxx HD.

I must point out that you can buy expandable memory for Razr, where as an Iphone, you are stuck with what the phone has. The HD Maxx has 32 gb of internal memory and is expandable to 96gb with a 64 gb sd card.

I would like to say that I price matched this phone with Verizon through my local carrier rather than buy it on Amazon. Amazon is wonderful and they have great products at incredible prices, and their customer service is amazing. But buying through my local carrier is just easier for me.

The screen on the HD MAXX is amazing. I see less glare on this phone than the iPhone 5 in direct sunlight. The droid Maxx HD also has a higher screen resolution than that of the iPhone 5. You can go on trails hiking with the right app and keep track of everyone in your group via GPS, without having to worry about your battery going dead. This was especially useful when we went fourwheeling in the mountains. People would get lost, but I knew exactly where they were with my phone. My daughter has one as well, and I know where she is at on her way home from school and when she goes to the park. GPS drains your battery profusely, but again, you don't have to worry about it much with this phone. My voice is loud and clear to others when talking on the Razr and I hear everyone equally as good. There are and endless amount of apps on android devices and usually you can find great ones that you don't have to pay for. The camera on the phone is the only downside. It is good but doesn't take insane quality pictures like you might find on the iphone 5, but that is not what my phone is for. If you are going somewhere, where you are going to take a lot of pictures (like on vacation) take a professional camera where you can properly zoom in and have amazing quality. After all, I bought a 'phone' to talk on, browse the web, and use GPS, not take pictures. Don't get me wrong, the camera is good, but it's not perfect.

All in all, I would put this phone up against an iphone 5 any day of the week and then some. The iphone is being passed on the mobile market now. They had set a benchmark, and that benchmark has been passed. By not only this phone but the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Samsung Note 2 is another great one, but it is ultimatley too large for everyday use for a phone in my opinion.

There is a docking station here on amazon, "Motorola HD Vehicle Navigation Dock for Motorola DROID RAZR HD/RAZR MAXX HD - Retail Packaging", that is excellent for the Razr Maxx HD. Save yourself some money from buying a seperate GPS reciever.

If you are looking for screen covers, get "Halo Screen Protector Film Invisible (Clear) for Motorola XT926 (DROID RAZR HD) (3-Pack) - Premium Japanese Screen Protectors" . They are the best.

As far as a case, if you want to get one despite the phones Kevlar backing and front Gorilla glass, I recommend, "
Diztronic Matte Back Black Flexible TPU Case for Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD [ONLY FOR MAXX HD MODEL] (Verizon) [Retail Packaging]

UPDATE: I have seen a few people complaining about video and flash player on the Razr MAXX HD. Flash player does not seem to work correctly on the default web browser, Google Chrome. It works on Dolphin Browser but not perfectly. It does work perfectly in Opera browser mini. I have not tried it with any other browsers as Opera is a good browser. I imagine there is a plug-in for flash you can download for Chrome to make it work, but have not tried. If I do, I will provide another update. These web browsers are free in the app store and there are many more available than what I've listed.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Flash Player is no longer supported on Android phones (iphones have never had it and still don't), as everything is being moved to html 5. You cannot download flash player from the google play store anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't get it. To get it:
Go to your settings, chose "security" and choose, "Unknown Sources" (Allow installation of apps from unknown sources). You will get a warning that your phone is more vulnerable to attack by apps from unknown sources. Select "okay" if you agree or "cancel" if you don't want the file. If you select "okay", Go to: [ m.cnet.com/news/install-adobe-flash-player-on-jelly-bean-devices/57554629 ] in your web browsers address bar. There is a link there that will take you directly to a link to download the latest flash player. Note: If your phone does not allow you to download from unknown sources, you cannot get the file. The Droid Razr MAXX HD has this option, so you can still download the file as of 1/27/13. Now click on your apps menu (the icon on the bottom on the screen in the middle, on the Droid Razr Maxx HD)Find "files" and click on it, go to "Device Storage" and click on it, find "downloads" and click on it, find "install_flas..._ics.apk" and click on it. Flash player will be installed. After the file is installed, go back into setting, security, and uncheck "Unknown Sources" to be safe. Enjoy.

The more I use this phone, the more I love it.

Extremely polished. Oozes Quality. November 7, 2012

Reviewer:  Ayyyy 

I bought the Razr HD MAXX and this is literally the perfect phone so far.

In short, this is the most polished Android phone I've ever used (and I've used a lot of them!). I haven't encountered a single bug or defect in hardware, software, etc.

The phone size itself if just right. I have normal size hands for a male and can reach everything on the screen with my thumb. No readjusting needed. As stated by others, the MAXX version is barely any thicker or heavier, get it!

In this review I'm going to focus on the software, as the hardware is pretty straight forward.

When I first got the phone the move over from my old phone was simple. After signing into my Google account, all contacts synced right away. I'd recommend using the app "sms backup and restore" to recover your texts from your old phone. I backed up the file to my dropbox so I could restore it easily.

The OS reminds me of my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is a good thing. Almost everything is stock Android. Need I say fast?

All screen transitions, opening of apps, app drawer, notifications, swiping, answering calls, touching widgets, etc. are silky smooth. You would think it already has Jelly Bean's "Project Butter." No lag anywhere in sight. Multitasking is a dream. While talking on the phone I was receiving texts, emails, etc. immediately. You can also have Facebook, gmail, Google Chrome, texting, dailer, ebay, youtube, dropbox, apps etc. etc. all open and the phone doesn't even notice it. It plays 1080p youtube videos without stutter and no buffering! These videos look incredible in hand.

Battery life. It has a ton of it. When pulling this phone out of the box, it was charged 30% from the factory. I immediately restored texts, contacts, accounts, apps (downloading all of them over 4G and then installing), etc. Basically abusing the battery for hours, on 4G tinkering with the phone. To kill the phone at the end of the night I had to turn screen brightness all the way up and download/watch a 1080p youtube video for a while.

If you are on the edge to buy this phone, it's obvious from the reviews this is THE best phone on Verizon right now. As far as I'm concerned, the best phone period. Between the build quality, speed, battery life, size, almost stock android, call quality, call and data reception, this phone gives an absolutely incredible user experience. I'm completely satisfied.

If I had to think of a con I'd say the fact that it didn't come stock with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. However, it's on the way by the end of the year says Motorola and the leaked build that has already surfaced.

Also, if you are on a fringe 4G area this phone may spend a lot of time searching for 4G and transitioning between 4G and 3G. This could make battery life not as exceptional or even not good at all. But, compared to other 4G phones with smaller batteries, this is the best choice. You can always toggle 4G/3G off and on with apps to save lots of battery life if you are in one of these areas. I'm in a decent sized city and I've only seen the 3G logo once, 4G the rest of the time.

I'm a normal guy btw, no motivation to write this review other than the fact I'm thoroughly impressed. I've had trouble with phones in the past and this one is the exception, perfection.

My Best Cell Phone Ever! October 23, 2012

Reviewer:  wildwillie56 

I've had the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD for two days now. I've talked on the phone while using the navigation software that was loaded and even surfed the net. The phone ran all three features for more than three straight hours...and used up less than 20% of the battery. I plugged it in when I got home and it was back up to 100% in less than 15 minutes. And, the downloads scream with 4G. I'll take something big to beat this phone!!!

Good, solid, but not flashy phone December 9, 2012

Reviewer:  MIS Prof  (Ohio USA) -

I got this phone because my Droid X was a couple of years old and was too slow in downloading and opening apps and data. I considered the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and the HTC DNA before buying this. I liked the look and speed of the DNA, but the 16GB on storage and no micro-SD card slot ruled it out since I carry around at least 12GB of music. I liked the look and feel of the interface on the S-III, but it seemed a little flimsy and I can be tough on my phones. The Note II looks like a great alternative, especially with the S-pen, but it seems a little too large to be comfortable carrying around all day. I bought this because of the solid feel of the case and because of the advertised speed and battery life.

Compared to the Droid X this is a speed demon, although that isn't hard to do. Running benchmark tests it tests slower than the Samsungs, but faster than most other phones on the market. This is to be expected with the 2GB of Ram in them and especially with the Note's quad core processor vs. the dual core in this one. Still, this phone downloads apps and files very fast and opens and runs apps instantly.

The main benefit given for this phone is battery life. So far it does seem to have significantly more life that any of my previous phones. It seems to last me about 10 hours of constant use, not the 2 days that some people have been reporting. I have been using it a lot since I first got it to download apps, play around with the interface and test it out, so that is probably draining the battery faster than normal use, but probably not too different from someone who used it constantly for working on documents or playing games. Today it is at 33% battery life after just under 10 hours of use. At that rate it will get about 13 hours, which is certainly less than others have seemed to experience. I will see how it goes after more days during which I don't use it so much.

My one complaint is the interface. As someone else said, the widgets and functionality seem almost a step backwards from the Droid X. Yes, the screen is larger and brighter, but not enough to make it any more useful for working with documents. It is still a phone with the ability to do the occasional email rather than a workhorse messaging device. Mine got the Jelly Bean OS upgrade as soon as I activated it, it is working off of Android 4.1.1, so it isn't that it is an out of date version. It may just taking some getting used to, but I miss some features of the old OS, like the ability to move apps and contacts between the SD card and internal storage.

The Wi-Fi setting on this is getting annoying too. I have no problem connecting a laptop and 2 desktops over my current Wi-Fi at home, but this phone keeps trying to connect and refusing to saying "poor internet connection." When using the phone at home the Wi-Fi connection app comes up every few minutes, asks for my password, and then sits there while trying to connect.

I have made a few calls on it and as a phone it seems fine. The call quality is about the same as on the Droid X on both ends. The main difference is in the speakerphone, which has much higher fidelity than on the old phone.

Overall this is a good phone for someone who wants a relatively fast, solidly built but not too flashy phone.

Amazing Phone October 18, 2012

Reviewer:  kbucksot 

I traded my Samsung Galaxy SIII for this phone. Couldn't be happier. AOSP Google operating system is the best. Amazing battery life is an understatement. Motorola is coming back now that google has control of them.

Awesome Phone, Motorola's best yet October 27, 2012

Reviewer:  T. Dog  (MACHESNEY PARK, ILLINOIS USA) -

Really can't say enough about this phone. Amazing Screen, Super Fast, Built like a Tank, Water resistant coating, Feels great in the hand, Loud and Clear Speakerphone, Motorola reception that is second to none, and all with a super long lasting battery.

Is it perfect, no, but what phone is. If I could talk to the engineers at Motorola, I would ask them to put the Power button back on the top like the Droid X. I have a tendency to hit the Power button when I'm trying to adjust the Volume but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I also wish that instead of a "recent items" button, it was a "menu" button, but again, I'm getting used to the new configuration.

One more thing is that I wish the Glass over the Camera Lens were slightly indented so it didn't get finger smudges on it.

I really like the way this phone has a larger screen than the Razr Maxx it replaces, yet it's not as wide, like I said earlier, the new Maxx HD really feels good in the hand.

Now we just need Otterbox to hurry up and develop a Commuter case for it, supposed to be on the way though.

So, did I mention I really like this phone? If you're on the fence, just buy it, you'll love it, and you'll save a 100 bucks buying it from Amazon.

Solid Phone Overall October 25, 2012

Reviewer:  A. Paul Cellura 

I finally made the upgrade from my Droid X which I got in summer of 2010. So far I am loving the device. There is nothing absolutely game changing here (other than battery life) but everything works and works very well. The build of the phone is a big plus. It is a bit on the heavier size but feels like it was made to last. The screen is great. I know some have concerns regarding the display (PenTile) but I don't think you'd be able to notice any flaws unless you used a magnifying glass or something.

The camera isn't that great, but it isn't horrendous either. I pretty much only used my camera at concerts/special events in the past so this wasn't a deal breaker for me. If you do use your camera quite a bit, you may want to spend a little more time thinking about this issue before making the purchase. It's also unclear whether software upgrades could ameliorate this issue a bit?

Also, those concerned about shipping time when ordered: I had to wait about 5 days even though my projected shipping date was in December. Well worth saving the $100.

Finally, although not a surprise, the battery is the star of the phone. It is so nice not having to worry about lugging the charger around with me wherever I go. I can use the phone throughout the day worry-free and still have plenty left when I get home.

The reason for the 4 stars (would give 4.5 if allowed) is due to the fact that the camera is lacking as well as some of the specs. The specs would have been top-notch a few months ago, but this phone is not up to par with some of the newer devices coming out now and during the holiday season. Will it result it a noticeable difference? Who knows.

Overall, a highly recommended device.

what would you want more? November 20, 2012

Reviewer:  Cosimo Pecchioli 

I got this phone 5 days ago, so not a long time ago, but let me tell you why I love it (coming from an Iphone)

PROS
1) BATTERY LIFE, BATTERY LIFE AND BATTERY LIFE!! The battery is simply exceptional. If you are a light user it lasts 2/3 days (naturally leaving the phone on during the night), if you are a super heavy user (lot of calls, email and gps usage) you can count on the phone to bring you at the end of your day with no problems whatsoever (12 -13 hours on). It recharges from fully empty to 100% in about 3-4 hours.

2) Google goodies. Google maps and navigation first and foremost, a very nice integrated gmail app which synchronizes all your contacts on the spot and much more

3) absolutely painless bluetooth tethering with external devices (i.e. tables), so I can use the unlimited (and actually very fast) Verizon data connection with my tablet without the need of another data plan

4) Very bright and nice screen. OK I am not a teenager and I don't use the phone to play games or watch movies or other stuff, but I find it nice to look at.

5) Coming from an Iphone, fully configurable. You can finally choose what to do or what do not to with something you paid for. There are a lot of options I have not explored yet, and most of them probably I never will. I own a Nexus 7 tablet, so I was somehow already familiar with Android 4.0 but still, it is very user friendly.

6) I am still far from using all the 32 GB of the phone, but the knowledge that if that will ever happen I can shove in a microSD card is nice to know.

CONS
My only con, and I was aware of that, is that I don't have big hands and sometime I have trouble in handling all the option with one hand, like holding the phone and scroll down the notification bar from the top. Other than that, so far I could not find a weak spot on this magnificent phone

I am quite sure that you can find on the market faster phones, or lighter phones, or even brighter phones... but what use you have for all these fantastic features if you are constantly struggling with the battery?

Best phone available October 23, 2012

Reviewer:  Joeyoung25 

This is the best phone available hands down. The iPhones always have all the hype but they never have the quality to back it yet people still buy them. I bought this phone from my local verizon store the day they were available. The salesperson told me they got 12 of these phones in for the launch day and yet I had no trouble getting one and didnt wait in line for anything. I love this phone for the truly amazing battery life. I use my phone very heavily by streaming video, music, navigation, web browsing downloading/uploading pics, VPN access to work and I havent plugged it in at night with less than 40% battery life. It is amazing!! the screen is next best feature as it isnt an IPS screen but it does have very very good pixel density and is very large while not making the phone itself large. The phone is just as thick as my old droid X's thinnest edge. I have always been a motorola fan because they are wireless pioneers and make solid phones and now they are owned by the biggest search engine in the world.

Long lasting durable phone October 26, 2012

Reviewer:  Fb290 

This phone is amazing with the longest lasting battery life and its very durable. I owned the Droid Maxx and traded up for the Droid Maxx HD. One thing i noticed right away a longer lasting battery and the charge up time is much faster.

I have been waiting for this phone for months and so glad I got it. The bigger screen is great too going from 4.3 inches to 4.7 inches with the phone staying the same size.

I have had this phone a week and im a heavy user. This phone is very hard to lose power. I use it from 8 am to midnight during the week and still have 40 percent left.

The Right Tech November 20, 2012

Reviewer:  dersepp 

Why I Chose to Stay with Verizon and Select the Razr Maxx HD:

When our contract obligation with Verizon came and went in May, I began looking at replacement phones for the HTC Droid Incredible phones my wife and I have enjoyed the last 2 1/2 years. I wanted to stray from Verizon and was going to choose getting S3's for the two of us on T-Mobile, as they have a bargain plan price and their HSPA+ in most of Silicon Valley where we live approaches and sometimes surpasses published local reviews of Verizon 4G LTE connection speeds.

It turned out to be my wife having a non-negotiable desire to have the newest Apple product, which was far from being announced. As you know, T-Mobile does not have access to Apple products. For myself, I preferred to choose an Android with a large screen. I had shingles in the left side of my face, and my cornea on that side is stippled, so I need reading glasses for many things, but if a screen is bright enough and with enough contrast, I can get by without trading regular glasses for my readers. If I ended up with an S3, I would have gotten a second battery so I could run the screen on crazy brightness all the time. This was a key in my decision making.

So I had to change my plans to purchasing with Sprint, ATT, or Verizon. Sprint had the HTC EVO 4G to accompany the iphone, but Sprint's network is problematic. ATT had EVO's sister HTC X, so that looked like where we were going, along with the mad HTC charging habit one must pursue when owning their otherwise fine devices. I had a long-term service complaint with Verizon regarding signal strength in our home. In the past six months, cell signal here in our home had gotten abysmal. To stay a Verizon customer, I insisted on their extension device ([...]) sans fee. They agreed, so long as we agreed to stay customers for an additional year. This obligation runs concurrent with any phone or other equipment purcheses, so my honey got a CDMA iphone5 for her birthday in mid-October.

It gave me a chance to see their Retina display at my leisure. While it looks good, the size, brightness duration, and contrast did not work for me. I heard about the Razr Maxx HD from our IT guy, and decided to see it the first week it was out. I found what many found in the bright, "over-saturated color" of this product was exactly what I need, and I will never need another battery to lug around. My local Verizon store tossed in the combined auto and home mount and stand, but I had to get the auto charger on EBay for $9.00, the only caveat of ownership thus far. Really, you'd think Tesla was brought back to life to design all things electrical for this thing. The battery life works every bit as good as promised, and the device charges faster than any phone I've seen.

I'm absolutely engaged in discovering all of the changes and improvements done to Android the past couple years. Although I did not mind HTC Sense, the scarce Motorola rebadging of ICS makes for a clean and fast experience. Syncing with all previous apps and networks has been seamless, without any quirks or problems. The phone is 6.4 ounces with the case I've selected. The thing has an indestructible solid feel to it.

Cons: I found the camera actually pretty good, unless in low-light situations on the native setting. A bit of practice can find one quick at adjusting the picture brightness level, but there is some graininess displayed that others have commented on. This in no way is a deal breaker for me.

This phone won over the S3 for me. February 23, 2013

Reviewer:  Techie  (Maryland, USA) -

I've been a Droid user for a few years, and I just upgraded from the Droid X2.

Any time I decide to buy a piece of technology, I review it over the course of a few months so I know I'm getting my money's worth. I was bent on getting Galaxy S3 for quite some time until a friend told me about this phone, and I ended up changing my mind within the hour.

When it comes to buying a phone, it all depends on the individual. Some people, like me, are very much into the Droid UI. Other people are ok with switching from the Droid to Samsung UI. I'd suggest going into a cell phone store and playing around with the phones, or see if your friends have it and will allow you to try it out. There's also a lot of videos on Youtube that go over each phone and compare them to others.

It's almost like buying a car. Everyone can give you suggestions on what you should buy, but it comes down to YOUR personal preferences.

I love how everything looks on this screen, the call quality is clear, and the speakerphone is nice and loud. Because I'm a Droid user, figuring out the phone wasn't all that difficult. There are some differences that I had to get used to with how the UI is put together, but those are minor things.

When it comes down to the Razr and the S3, if you're really on the fence, think about this: For the most part, they're practically the same with one major difference: The battery that so far (for me) has taken 38 hours to hit 14% from a full charge with normal use, and this includes playing a lot of Star Wars Angry Birds. The first time you use it, a lot of your battery will be eaten away from re-downloading all of your apps, setting up your accounts, and getting the Jelly Bean update. Once you get used to the phone and figure out what settings you want in Smart Actions (<--GENIUS), you don't really have to think about switching things on and off to conserve battery. One of the Youtube comparison videos I found talked about the price difference between the S3 and the Razr, and that the price of the Razr was steeper. This is true, but like I just mentioned, you get a great battery and it comes with 32g of on board storage. They do have a 32g version of the S3 that is a little cheaper, but you still don't get the amazing battery.

I have ringtones that I wanted to transfer to my Razr from my old phone, and I found it was a little different than what I thought it would be. When I hooked up my Razr to my computer, I had to set it to "Camera PTP" because mass/media storage didn't pull up the phone's folders on my computer. From there, I dropped my ringtones into my ringtone Zedge folder, and the notification sounds into the notification Zedge folder, and everything worked from there. If you do it this way, those ringtones will show up in the Android system list since you didn't download them directly from Zedge. I would recommend you save your ringtones if you want to keep them, as I found half of mine didn't show up in a Zedge search. There is a ringtone folder, but I've yet to try dumping files into that to see if they work as ringtones.

When it comes to old Zedge wallpapers, I wouldn't worry about saving them I were you. I transferred my S.H.I.E.L.D. logo I had from my X2 (downloaded through Zedge), since I couldn't find it on my Razr through the Zedge search. I ended up changing it because the photo wasn't high resolution and it looked bad as a wallpaper.

The phone physically is a beautiful thing to behold. It is a bit of a put off for some people that you can't remove the battery, because we're all used to having to take the battery out to reset the phone. If you need to reset the phone for any reason, hold the power and volume down button at the same time.

I downloaded this widget so I can see the battery percentage on my home screen. It also tells the battery temperature and you how long you've been going since your last charge: [...]

I also just got this for my car: [...]

The slight downside is where the usb port lands, but you can move the phone a little to access it if you need to charge it while you're traveling. Otherwise, it's very solid. I'm not a fan of the vent mount because of the weight of the phone and the awkward angle it sits at. The windshield mount works great.

One last note about Smart Actions: I have it set to go into "work mode" when my phone's GPS senses that I'm at my place of employment. I'm an audio visual technician and I set my work profile wallpaper to a picture of headphones. After I got in this morning, I went to go check something and BOOM, it was already in work mode. It's pretty B.A. if you ask me.

UNBELIEVABLY GREAT PHONE! January 9, 2013

Reviewer:  Geminiman 

The Motorola Razr Maxx HD is by far the best phone that I've ever owned! I've had the Samsung Galaxy 2 (cheap junk and a huge disappointment!) and the Apple iPhone5 (decent phone, but much too Apple proprietary), but the Razr Maxx HD blows them both away in functionality, design and especially battery life! I'm a 51 year old real estate broker and needed a phone that's a tool, not just a toy. After being disappointed with other phones, I did some extensive research, then decided to go with the Razr Maxx HD. It works extremely well with my business applications and I'm not tied to a phone charger all day. It may be a slight bit larger than other phones, but I'm fine with it. I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone! P.S. I don't usually submit reviews, but was so happy with this phone that I felt an obligation to share with others. Go for it...you won't be dissapointed!

Best Phone I have ever owned November 8, 2012

Reviewer:  Hi9999 

This phone is amazing.
I bought it because I wanted a bigger screen with long battery life. This phone does NOT disappoint!
During the work week I can go a day and a half before I have to charge. That is with 4G and since I am a in the car more than I am in any one place this device is my phone and computer in one. The point being I use the hell out of it during the week. It really proved it self on my last business trip. At the end of the night my buddies are all trying to find outlets at a bar to charge their phones and mine was still on 45%.
During the weekends since my usage is much less it will go from Friday AM until Sunday late afternoon before I need to plug it in.
That's all I can say about the battery...it is awesome.

The mechanical design of the phone is just as impressive. Some may say it is a little hefty, but I like that the phone is built solid and doesn't have the cheap plastic feeling.

NO MOTO BLUR!! Thank you Motorola or should I say Google (since they own Motorola now). Blur was such a pain it is nice they got rid of that piece of software.

It was very easy to import iTunes songs into this device and the 32GB comes in handy for that. I haven't even had to put in my 16GB Micro SD card yet.

Lastly I had to switch carriers to get this phone. Verizon has been so much better in call quality and coverage than AT&T. Also the LTE (True 4G) coverage area is HUGE!

I can't say enough about this phone. I tell everyone I see they have to get it.

The one down side is I don't have Jelly Bean yet, but that is scheduled to roll out by years end. And from what I hear the battery life will improve more with that update. I can't wait.

Switched from iPhone 4 and AT&T November 15, 2012

Reviewer:  MattkPSU "Matt"  (Eastern PA) -

This review is written from the perspective of a long-time Apple owner. I took the leap to Verizon and Droid, because I was sick of Apple's fiefdom of control and iTunes. This is an amazing phone with a lot of bugs and frustration.

The good:
-4g blazing speed and verizon's network and tethering and hotspots
- NO iTUNES. You can drag and drop files and download free MP3's. what a blessing!
-hardware/ battery: Great high def screen, good speed. Light and thin, even with the big battery. The battery is not quite as good as advertised, but certainly better than the iphones by far.
- customization: you can much more easily customize all sorts of things. You can set it to turn off battery-draining features when you are at certain locations, during certain times of day, etc. You can use whatever broswer you like as default, etc.
- available apps Apple would never allow- Avast! antivirus, google maps, mp3 downloading, etc.

The bad:
- the camera is nowhere as good as the iphone 4 camera, let alone a match for the newer phones.

-The email app does not integrate well with yahoo mail. Yes, it's their hated competitor, but still. My yahoo mail no longer goes through work's wifi, even though my apple phone accessed yahoo just fine with the same settings.

-Apps that worked flawlessly on iphone are buggy and unusable on this droid. The tetris app crashes constantly. Droid no longer supports flash. Yes really. All that fight over flash and now they don't support it anyway.

-Google/ Bloatware- you cannot uninstall google plus. Why? The phone has a gig of RAM but it's burned up by all kinds of bloatware. The iphone was great about killing apps. The SGIII has 2GB of RAM and that would be welcome.

-audio quality of headphone jack, especially with 3d sound effects turned on, has audible hiss and is disappointing.

Ugly:
-GPS doesn't work! I constantly have to reset the phone to get satellite GPS and verizon cell tower GPS to work in the apps. The ONLY thing that solved it was to enable google's prying "google location services". Why does Google need to know my location? (Navigator does work well, assuming the phone GPS is actually working...)

-Screen has turned bright purple during phone conversations. I hope it's just an isolated incident, but it's a known problem with these phones.

All in all- if I can sort out my GPS issues, get my yahoo mail to work properly, and my screen does not turn purple, then this phone deserves 5 stars. Until then I have to say I'm disappointed.

Love This Phone October 25, 2012

Reviewer:  Droid-99  (NY) -

I'm on my third day with the Razr Maxx HD and absolutely love it. I got it for the battery life, and it certainly delivers. The smart actions are a good addition which acts like the Tasker app in the play store. It feels great in your hand, for those that like a little heft, but doesn't feel heavy. The large notification light was a nice addition that I had no heard about prior to the phone coming out.

The only things that I'm not a fan of, is the inability to set your home screen to a middle screen. I assume it was so that Motorola could have the settings window to the left. The other issue is the camera. It's pretty close to awful. I dont get why Moto would put such a crappy camera into such a nice phone. But, I didnt buy it to take photos so I'm not worried about it.

Either way, I'm very happy with this phone. It's a signifigant upgrade over my Droid X.

GPS Sucks April 22, 2013

Reviewer:  Mike 

I use the phone for work. I am a over-the-road driver and I use the GPS alot. My old phone was a Droid X2. Worked great. The new Razor Maxx HD is normally .5 to 1 mile off on the GPS, and most of the time all it says is "Searching For GPS". If it finds the GPS then once you move it stops working..
Everything else works great...
I've had the phone 2 weeks. New replacement is to arrive today.
I will update the review after using the new phone

UPDATE. I purchased my 1st. Razor Max HD on 4/8/13.
Verizon replaced it within 5 days...Fast foward. It is now 5/7/13 and after 4 replacement Razor Max HD's and at least 3 hours with Verizon Tech Support and 1 hour of time spent with a Motorola Tech. THE PROBLEM CAN NOT BE FIXED. This is per Motorola.... Verizon has advised me to get something else or reactivate my old phone! Verizon Tech Support actually advised me not to get a Samsung S III (my 2nd choice) because of several issues and I don't like I-Phones, so where do I go from here?

Good Luck!

Really shows what some good design and engineering can do. UPDATED April 17, 2013

Reviewer:  Kyle "cylem"  (Brighton, MI) -

Smartphone designers are always claiming that people are wanting slim phones and because of this it limits the size of battery they can put in it, which is usually like 2100 or less with a few exceptions. Then comes the razr maxx which has a miniscule added thickness compared to the Galaxy S3, One x, optimus G (infact I had the optimus G before this and they are almost exactly the same size). This keeps those good specs, thinness, and has a vastly larger battery.

I'm big on batteries, usually when I get a phone, if i can I will get the extended battery for it, but that sucks you usually end up with something that's shaped like a cheese wedge and is awkward to hold. Not to mention the battery cover that comes with those third party batteries usually sucks and is more likely to break. I hate the thinking that I should be turning things off or I should wait to do something on my phone because I'm afraid it will die to soon. Who wants to go plug their phone in on lunch break or whenever they get in the car?

The Razr Maxx in words is the phone for me (or you if you agree with the above paragraph) in terms of battery. Now I could slap a huge battery on an LG Chocolate but that wouldn't necessarily make it a good phone.

Design:
Decent design, especially looking at the previous Razr generation with their ugly chrome accent, it is really a decent looking phone. The front looks good with a great huge multicolored notification light. Sides are aluminum and the back is the Kevlar which is great and does not hold finger prints!
It's heavier than your average phone, but it really makes it feel more solid and better in the hand. One annoyance though is you need a special tool to open the port for your sim card/micro sd. The sim card makes sense, by why the micro sd??

Screen: Honestly they all mostly look the same, it looks good and works well in sunlight!

Camera: Like other said, not the best but i think if people are that worried about the camera they should get a standalone. The camera works for facebook, video chat and picture messaging fine.

Performance: Seems to be up there with the others. I've used the S3, optimus, and one x and its comparable. I wish it had 2gb of ram but it doesn't make a huge difference. I get slowdowns sometimes, using chrome it lags starting up, and typing sometimes lags behind when doing things, a few hicups here and there but nothing major.

Software: Like said before, mostly stock, I didn't like the homepage they had, it was kind of slow and the homescreens were oddly set with swiping to the left giving me a power management access thing, so i just use NOVA. I am not a huge fan of the digital home, back, multitask buttons I would rather have them below the screen but its not a huge annoyance.

Battery: Like I said this is why I got it, the battery is great, I'm at like the 7 hour mark with around 2 hours screen time probably, maybe a little less and it is at 75% which is leaps and bounds above most. I would be around 30% or less with 2 hours and a workdays amount of standby with my optimus G.

I would recommend this to anyone who feels like I do about battery life, looking for great build quality and good specs. It may not be the fastest, the thinnest, best screen or best camera but all those things it still does great, along with keeping you alive all day during them.

UPDATE: After a few more days of use, I have found the battery standby to not be as good as the LG Optimus and its newer processor. It seems that the newer Krait quad cores have great standby, not to say this ones is bad. However I do notice how much better the MAXX's battery is when using it, I tried Netflix and got i think a bit above an hour per 10% which is awesome.
I still notice performance dips here and there, i downloaded Ram manager pro and it's helped, there is a decent amount of bloatware on the phone that is always loaded into my memory taking up alot of it. For instance it won't let me get rid of Slacker, I uninstall it and it redownloads, I get rid of it with root manager and it keeps popping up with errors.
I love the feel of the phone more every day and love still not having to worry about my battery!

Battery Life That Kills January 24, 2013

Reviewer:  Tinytim 

I purchased the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD for the purpose of durability, call quality, and of course the battery. I used to own a Galaxy S3 but it felt so flimsy to hold and suddenly the the LCD went black, mine must've been defective but I wanted something new. I then went to the HTC Droid DNA, which in itself is a wonderful device, quad core, 2GB of RAM, and that 1080p screen. It seemed like the Cadillac of all androids, but it lacked serious battery power. On one charge, it lasted me about 12 hours at the most, then it would have to be recharged.

After giving it some thought, I decided to give up a powerful processor and a 1080p screen for the Razr Maxx HD. I had some second thoughts, but went for the trade anyways and I do not regret it at all. Although the DNA did have a quad core processor, the Razr Maxx HD did not seem at all significantly slower and did everyday normal tasks with ease. The screen on also is very nice. The naked eye can hardly process a 1080p screen on a phone, so although the screen on the DNA is very nice, you will get very used to it and when transitioning so another phone can hardly tell the difference. You're gonna need to compare the phones side by side in order to tell a real difference. Call quality is also much better on the Razr Maxx HD, with voices sounding much clearer and the person on the other line can hear me with much more clarity. The battery life is SPECTACULAR on this device. I can literally go a whole day with some heavy usage such as game playing, web browsing, 3rd party apps such as Facebook Instagram etc. I am also very pleased with the way the phone was built, with Kevlar backing, gorilla glass, and the metal strip which surrounds the phone, it seems that it is indestructible! The only gripe I would have about this phone is the camera quality. Although it is not as good as the DNA camera or the Galaxy S3 camera, it does take very decent photos and should not be a deciding factor if you want to buy this phone. Since the Jelly Bean update, the phone has become much faster and the camera did get a tad better.

Don't have second thoughts if you are deciding about getting this phone, it was one of the best phone decisions I've made. With it's durable quality and battery life, you can't go wrong with this device!