Droid RAZR HD & Droid RAZR MAXX HD Review of Reviews by Wireless and Mobile News
The Droid RAZR HD is a larger Droid RAZR M with enhanced battery life and a very bright HD (1280x870) Super AMOLED screen. The Droid RAZR MAXX HD has an enhanced larger battery. For those with a Droid RAZR it kicks up the features of the original a notch with a sharper display and more battery life. We surveyed the best top reviews of both the Droid RAZR HD and Droid RAZR MAXX HD to distill the consensus of reviewers. Our process tends to be less prejudicial, because like Reader's Digest, it digests it all for you.
- Best-Liked Features: Solid, fast processor, great battery life, nano coating, Kevlar backing, HMDI port, SmartActions, good call quality and thinness.
- Least-Like Features: Difficult to reach microSD card, not latest Android OS, not ground breaking, subpar camera and Verizon bloatware.
- Overall Average Ranking: 4 out of 5. (MAXX slightly higher by some reviewers).
Reviewers thought the RAZR HD models were built strong and stylish, both models have Kevlar and nanocoating water protection. The slick Circles widget on the homescreen was well-liked for style and simplicity (see demo/tips).
Reviewers all liked the good call quality and 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor. However, the battery makes the Droid RAZR HD heavier(5.1 oz) than the well-reviewed Samsung Galaxy S III (4.7 ounces). The Kevlar backing is much nicer than the shiny plastic of the Samsung Galaxy S III which has a better camera. It also features and mini HDMI port while the Samsung Galaxy S III requires a MHL connector to HDMI HDTVS.
All the reviewers disliked the camera, testing it in many different lighting situations.
Features of the Droid RAZR HD include 1.5GHz dual core processor, battery, HDMI, DLNA, NFC, Bluetooth, 8MP camera, front camera, 1080p video capture 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, microSD card, aGPS an Wi-Fi.
The Droid RAZR HD's battery will offer 6 hours of voice-guided turn by turn GPS navigation on a single charge and up to 24 hours of battery performance. While the Droid RAZR HD Maxx has a 30% larger battery at 3300mAh and 32GB of internal storage. The Droid RAZR HD Maxx has double the onboard storage and lasts 8 hours longer (32 hours)for general battery performance. The DR HD is 8.4 mm thin and the MAXX is 9.3mm.Since the introduction of the Droid RAZR, the battery is not removable, making the overall thickness thinner.
The list price of the Droid RAZR HD from Verizon Wireless is $199, the best prices we could find was $149.99 for new and renewing customers from Amazon Wireless.
The Droid RAZR Maxx HD costs $100 more from Verizon with a list price of $299 while Amazon.com is selling the Droid RAZR MAXX HD for $199.99 for new and renewing customers with a contract. Wirefly offers the same pricing.
In an early commercial, Motorola claimed, "We're smarter. No one lasts longer. We're brighter. We're tougher. We're slimmer. And we have so much more new content. It will melt your brain."
We don't think these RAZRs will melt your brain, but you may enjoy the great battery life, strong feel and easy-to-use interface. Although many reviewers downgraded their opinion because these RAZR HDs did not come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the update now appears to forthcoming and not an issue. The Droid RAZR M is getting an update this week and we suspect the HD models will follow shortly.
The next new member of the Droid family will be the Droid DNA which should be announced this week.
BOTTOM LINE REVIEW:
- PROS: solid build, fast, thin and good/excellent battery life.
- CONS: non-removable battery, mediocre camera, lack of latest Android Jelly Bean(will be updated by end of 2013)
- Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.
Excellent review of reviews. I agree with most of them except the HD camera doesn't seem as bad as they say.
It also dose not look too heavy. Love the Kevlar.