Google-owned Motorola Mobility took the wraps off of its new line of Razr phones—the Droid Razr HD (pictured above), the Droid Razr Maxx HD, and the Droid Razr M. All three phones are coming to Verizon, and all three will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; an upgrade to Jelly Bean should be ready before the end of the year.
I managed to get some brief time with each of the new models, and I came away impressed with Motorola and Verizon’s latest offerings.
Let’s start with the smallest of the trio, the Droid Razr M. The phone has pleasing curves that make it easier to hold, and its Kevlar backing felt like velvet to my fingertips. Like the Razr HD and the Razr Maxx HD, the M runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor, which Motorola says will deliver excellent performance without compromising battery life. Apps opened instantaneously, menus flew beneath my fingers, and high-definition videos played back without a hint of stutter. Not bad for a phone that costs only $99.
The M packs an 8-megapixel camera, but unfortunately, it was difficult to tell how well the camera could perform given the funky lighting in the demo area. The Droid Razr M ships September 13, but I have one in my hands now; check back soon for my complete evaluation of the phone.
The other two new additions to the Razr family, the the Droid Razr Maxx HD and the Droid Razr HD, look and feel nearly identical. The one difference: the Maxx HD weighs a smidgen more than the Razr HD. Both the Maxx HD and Razr HD displayed colors brilliantly on their giant 4.7-inch, 1280 by 720 pixel high-definition displays. However, I felt some strain while trying to navigate around the devices one-handed; the large screen was a lot to get even my large hand around. Any time I wanted to drop down the notification bar or do anything else at the top of the screen, I’d have to readjust my grip on the phones. The phones look like they’ll fit comfortably in most pockets, though.
In my use, both phones performed as well as the Droid Razr M did in handling high-definition video and moving among apps. I look forward to getting units in for review later this fall so I can more fully evaluate them. Motorola says the phones will be available in time for the holiday shopping season.