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Droid RAZR Maxx

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:19 Written by Paula

Review of the Droid RAZR Maxx

Anyone over the age of 20 can remember the ridiculous craze that surrounded the original Motorola RAZR flip-phone. When Motorola decided to revive the franchise as an Android smart phone, there was bound to be a similar surge of excitement from Android fans both at home and abroad. The latest Droid RAZR Maxx for Verizon brings a seriously powerful CDMA handset experience to American audiences that places an emphasis on battery life and screen size.

Features and Specs

The Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx packs some serious hardware that belies its lean profile. Including the TI OMAP 4430 chipset, it boasts a dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex A9 CPU and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU backed up by 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of built-in storage. It can support up to 32 GB of additional storage via the microSD slot, and ships with an included 16 GB card by default. The display is a 4.3”, 960 x 540 pixel Super AMOLED model protected by Corning's now-famous Gorilla Glass.

Operating System & Software

Shipping with the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread operating system, the Droid RAZR Maxx can be upgraded to Android 4.0 via an OTA update in the future. Aside from Motorola's customized UI skin, the interface is a fairly stock Android implementation. This works to the RAZR Maxx's advantage, as it provides a fairly seamless experience with the added benefit of extra battery life. Bloatware is tastefully restrained, with only a few additional software applications hogging the Maxx's ample screen real estate.

Network Speeds

By opting to go with Verizon, Motorola ensures that the RAZR Maxx will benefit from Big Red's stellar coverage and 4G LTE speeds. Field tests of this particular model's bandwidth potential shows that it can regularly achieve download speeds in the 13 to 17 Mbps range, and even pull down 22 Mbps if the stars align properly. Upload speeds are similarly brisk, with the average reported speed falling somewhere in the 5 to 7 Mbps range. Call quality is crisp and clear even in fallback 3G mode, making the Droid RAZR Maxx one of the best all-around browsing and calling Androids on the market at the moment.

Performance & Benchmarks

One of the most obvious selling points of the Maxx is its 3,300 mAh battery, which promises superior life and talk time. In real world tests, the RAZR Maxx is able to provide up to 17 hours worth of talk time while running off of the 3G network on a single charge. Aside from its extra long battery life, it offers the same snappy UI and user experience as its close cousin, the Motorola Droid RAZR. In addition to being quick off the blocks for most tasks, it boasts an 8 MP rear camera that shoots 1080p video and bests most similar phones in its class.

The Verdict

Ultimately, the RAZR Maxx is more than meets the eye in terms of performance and delivering the goods when it counts. You can think of it as a Droid RAZR that's specifically formulated for marathon usage sessions thanks to its included 3,300 mAh battery. Is it worth paying extra for the RAZR Maxx over the original Droid RAZR? That depends on how much you care to spend for versatility and convenience. If you're the type of person who's constantly on the go and often doesn't have time to charge their phone as much as they'd like, it's definitely worth your consideration.

Author Bio: Paula S. is a tech blogger and smart phone enthusiast who writes reviews of the newest phone hardware and apps. She helps people find low rate car insurance companies and well recommended car insurance.