DROID RAZR MAXX Unboxing and Quick Hands-on

by: Kellex | posted 01.26.12 | News, Phones, Reviews, Videos

And there she is, the DROID RAZR MAXX and its 3300mAh battery back in our hands. After a quick tour of the device at CES, we have it again to hopefully see if it can live up to the massive single-charge numbers that Motorola was touting. The hardware for the most part is exactly the same as the original RAZR with a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4430 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP shooter and 4G LTE connectivity, so rather than putting together a full review, we may end up just doing a whole bunch of battery tests. We’ll see over the next couple of days how things go and may change our minds on that.

For now though, enjoy the quick unboxing and comparison shots to the regular RAZR after the break. We have the MAXX on the charger now so that we can start pounding on it within the next couple of hours.

Unboxing:

Gallery:

RAZR MAXX vs. RAZR:

(RAZR MAXX on the right and on top in case you could not tell.)

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Anonymous

What’s the point of them putting on the plastic if you’re only going to pull it off to find all kinds of nasty on the screen??
Mark

Fiancee and I picked up our new RAZR MAXXs this evening. Feels nicer in hand with the smoother back, and what isn’t noticeable in the pics is that the edges are also rounded off a bit. I personally like the angular corners, but with the edges less sharp, the phone feels somehow better integrated overall while still being edgy stylistically…. if that makes any sense. It’s still feels crazy thin, and is actually just slightly thinner than the GNex. Glad Verizon had the extended holiday returns.
http://twitter.com/michaelaburnham Michael Burnham

I like the look of the Maxx, less of that hump, great battery….but if it wasn’t for it being locked down, I would easily get it over the Gnex I am going to be getting in next few days. I have had the OG Droid, the D2, and now X2, last 2 do to CLNR, love the build quality of Motorola.
Guest

I hope they release an HD dock for this
djstinkdik

Everyone is talking about motor radios being awesome. I guess they left the awesome out of my bionic. 3g never stays connected.
Anonymous

Kellex, you got girlie hands. LOL

Anonymous

Prepare to get a sad face from him!
QtDL

They look like nice, moisturized, girlie hands. He prob gets weekly MANicures. Kellex – no green check shirt today? Must be in the wash.

QtDL

Razr MAXX battery test = constantly streaming porn. Let us know how many hours it takes to get to full battery drain.
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Jim McClain

I think if and when the nexus gets all the upgrades its needs, it will be the better phone, but for now it the MAXX
Jim McClain

the nexus is so sleek and slim, dont even notice it in my pocket, much better shape than razr, but I think the razr is a better phone
DJB

What about the screen quality? I compared the Razr to a couple other phones and the Razr kinda has a “dim” look to it. I pulled up the calendar up on both phones and the Razr did not produce a good sharp “bright” image. The calendar was the stock one that is white. Any thoughts on the “Clarity” of the Razr Maxx? It seams you would have to put the Razr brightness on the highest setting. Any thoughts would be helpful. THANKS !!!

Jim McClain

its not dimm, the nexus screen is just really bright, some describe it as cartoonish bright

DJB

I compared it to the LG Spectrum. Yea the word dim would not be a good choice of words. I guess what I am trying to say I am looking for s screen that “pops”, that is crisp. I would like to have more opinions from people that have the Razr or the Maxx if they feel that the Razr has a good display at a lower brightness setting. Thanks for all your help !

Anonymous

Could this lead to “extended” battery that dont add an inch of thickness to already available phones? Like say, the Bionic?

Anonymous

Like, for my example, my thunderbolt’s extended battery which is bigger than a small child.

Besniknov

Like a revamped bionic -______-
http://twitter.com/shehippie CrazyOldBroad

I’m guessing it will come out next month in different colors? LOL I think I will keep on loving my Rezound! =)

Anonymous

Really? No regrets? My friend’s suggesting I get a Rezound as opposed to the Maxx. I keep saying I like my stuff HUGE! As in screen size.

EC8CH

you should cheer up… nice curtains though

Anonymous

OMG!!!! That is so my computer! Definitely not me, though.

Awesomeness, E!

Tyler

If you like big screens, you may want a Galaxy nexus. It has a beautiful 4.65″ amoled hd display and it looks great. Battery life and camera are so so but if you can get over those things its a great phone.

Ec8ch

I are lovin’ phones

EC8CH

ru me?

Jim McClain

this new evi is great, anyone else try it yet?
Blueethernov13

It is a pure shame that they release this phone 2 months after they release the Droid Razr…You people paid the same price for a phone with wayyyyy less battery power 2 months ago….Its getting ridiculous….They just easily could have let the BIONIC sell for 2 more months and then release the DROID RAZR MAXXX…

Jim McClain

well it is what it is,crying wont help a bit
Anonymous

Some of that would actually be pretty stupid
The Bionic was delayed for ages, and thats a damn shame, but you don’t let a device that was supposed to be out half a year earlier release and then suspend development on whats already in the works just because some folks on a blog, most of which wouldn’t have bought it anyway, want to feel like they weren’t hypothetically being screwed on something they were never gonna buy.

EC8CH

If the RAZR ditched the buttons and the VZ logo on the front, it would be one sexy device.

Anonymous

I actually prefer the buttons. I have a Streak 7 with Honeycomb on it, and I like using the dedicated buttons so much better than the on screen ones.
Anonymous

Meh- the styling on the phone does nothing for me, I hate their beveled corners theme. That said, I do think the MAXX is a more balanced device than the RAZR which was just thin for the point of being thin.

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Nagini

What kind of drugs are you on, Kellen?

Anonymous

Right? I just texted someone about his flutterbee hands!

http://www.droid-life.com Kellex B

Anonymous

Sad faces get me every time. I’m sorry K.

My eyes CAN’T KEEP UP WITH YOUR HANDS! It’s that home-grown coffee, yes?

EC8CH

still hasssss…. VZNAVIGATOR

your finger almost pressed it just then

http://www.droid-life.com Kellex B

I already created my special little app folder in the drawer too to free my eyes of such devilish icons.

Anonymous

Out of curiosity, would Motorola or Verizon offer a battery replacement program if after two or so years the battery wear is significant enough to not hold a charge for long enough (i.e. more than 12 hours)?

I wish the original RAZR’s had this battery… the phone would be even more epic than it already is. Moto hit a winner here.

Barnaby

Probs not, what incentive would you have to purchase a new phone then in just over a year?
http://AndroidTaskForce.com Chris Gustafson

If you have extended warranty, they’ll just replace the whole phone. So you’ll get a new battery and phone.

I know you can send the XOOM in and they’ll replace the battery, so they may do that for the RAZR/RAZR MAXX as well.

A.M.

Let’s all hope this phone sells tremendously, so that thin 3300 mAh batteries become standard fare.

Michael Forte

Yeah, if a phone is that thin with that big of a battery, I couldn’t care less if the battery was non removable.

Anonymous

Not so fast. Do you want a super wide phone? Because that is what the RAZR is. It’s a Bionic that was run over with a steam roller. Personally I like a thin phone, but not if it’s gonna be extra wide to compensate.

Tim242

Not so fast! The Bionic is 2.63 (67 mm) The Razr is 2.7 (69 mm) That is hardly run over by a steam roller. Side by side, you can’t even see the difference.

Anonymous

You must admit the bezel on the RAZR looks really wide though. I want thinner phones with higher capacity batteries but not if it means stretching the other dimensions.
Tim242

They didn’t stretch the dimensions. As pointed out, a measly 2 mm isn’t enough to tell the difference. It is the same width as the OG Razor, with the smaller battery. What makes the Razr not so great, is the huge bezel around the screen, especially on the sides. The actual width of the phone is not the issue. It is the same width as the Thunderbolt.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Tim242

And as wide as the Nexus.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Anonymous

The Nexus isnt wide, its tall
Tim242

And wide. It is 68 mm wide. The Razr is 69. Not a noticeable difference, even side by side.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Anonymous

I haven’t even noticed the bezel in actual usage. Try one for a week and tell me if it really bothers you; my guess is it’ll be like the difference between a full HD and a qHD screen with the same tech (non-existent in actual usage).

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Kirk/1386021939 James Kirk

they should just recall all the original razr phones and give everyone a razr maxx for their troubles. It would definitely in-store confidence in their brand for the motorola consumer, which i used to be one with the og droid, but nor anymore.

Anonymous

Seriously, this is probably the most exciting thing Motorola has done this year. If this pans out, in 2012 any manufacturer who has a phone of similar size and a battery not as big is missing the mark.

Tim Swann

because the “hump” doesn’t exist on the MAXX, it actually looks better. Slap some stock ICS on there, and you have a perfect phone!

Barnaby

Needs NFC, then we can talk perfect
crash_davis

a phone loaded with crapptastic bloatware and locked boat loader is perfect? i want to be able to be so easily impressed

Anonymous

Not everyone is a bootloader queen
Anonymous

Craptastic bloatware? more like 4 apps that you can hide, and some you can delete.

Anonymous

I actually like the hump; makes it easier to hold with the screen off, easier to pull out of a pocket, and sits nicer on a desktop.
TC Infantino

I agree with you about the hump, This one looks much better than the regular Razr, but they did leave out some important features. If they had brought the Razr they released in China to the US then I would consider it an almost perfect phone. The Razr HD (or whatever they call it) that they released in China had a full HD screen, and an even better camera. Unlock the bootloader, bring an HD screen and the Maxx battery and you would have a perfect phone.

Phoneman67

The china phone had a 4.5 screen also. now that would have been a great phone for motorola.

Anonymous

Can you get this with a bundle deal at CostCo, or anywhere else besides Verizon stores? The guys in my store are Apple fanboys and I hate dealing with them. This phone might just have to make me give up my Bionic. I might wait for ICS on it though.
Anonymous

In the photo, the metal Moto bar at the top looks black now instead of silver. I got excited for minute. Hate that silver badge.

Michael Forte

Hey, I just noticed that. I agree, it looks much better black than silver.

Anonymous

It’s silver in the video =!
Anonymous

{duplicate comment removed}
I’m Kick-Ass!

You guys are joking right? You sound like Paris Hilton

Anonymous

It is metallic black, i have one in my hand now

Anonymous

Seriously? Sweet! LOL! It’s the little things that make me giggle.

EC8CH

that’s not funny, you can crush a guy’s self esteem doing that.

Anonymous

Well, that should teach you guys not to have little anythings!
http://www.droid-life.com Kellex B

It is black metal on the MAXX.

reyalP

Not a big fan of the Moto Droid X, X2, Razr shape but this is a nice thin phone with excellent sized battery. If I owned the razr I would be returning that sucker for this.

Anonymous

That’s exactly what i did 2 weeks ago. Buying it tonight after work, c’mon 7pm.

Jim McClain

i think this is a better phone than the gnex, and I have a gnex

fartbubbler

I dunno. I have the GNex too, and I just can’t see going back from ICS now that I’ve had it. I really love 4.0

Jim McClain

i love ics too,and love the gnex shape better, but this is a better phone,,,speaker,battery,radios and camera,

KevinC

not screen!

Jim McClain

not much of a diffrence on the screen, none that you would notice unless your face was stuck on the screen

fartbubbler

yeah, I agree about the build, radio, etc. and especially the battery. When moto phones start coming stock with ICS (and without buttons) I’ll be interested to see how much they “blur” the experience.
Tim242

Radios? No. The signal bars on the Razr are inflated. At -93 dBm, it showed all bars.

Anonymous

We all know your experience by now, but there have been some who record a higher dBm for the RAZR than the GNex in their coverage areas. I haven’t seen anything definitive (statistically), but it’s not all people looking at the bars (which denote a cellular signal and not 3G/4G, to the best of my knowledge).
I’m Kick-Ass!

“We all know your experience by now…” LOL

Samsung KNOWS display technology
Moto KNOWS wireless

Rcolt1911

Agreed, and what about that unlockable bootloader on the GNex…

fartbubbler

I dunno. I have the GNex too, and I just can’t see going back from ICS now that I’ve had it. I really love 4.0

Jim McClain

did you get the cruzerlite cover yet?

fartbubbler

on order :)
you?
fartbubbler

on order :)
you?

Jim McClain

ordered the first day it was on here, arrived today,I have the extended battery and its cover,, it fits like a glove, really fast shipping
fartbubbler

ya th cruzerlite’s look so cool

Ahku Droid

Now all I need is a nod from the CyanogenMOD team saying they are going to support it via a bootstrap. CM9 on this would be sexy.

Here’s to hoping someone at Moto “leaks” a bootloader unlocker.

Anonymous

Moto said they would do that with the ICS update, but I’m not holding my breath. Funny thing is, I haven’t felt the need to even root my RAZR at this point.

Ahku Droid

At the very least, I am going to root it so I can transfer my app data with Titanium Backup. Also, depending how happy I am with Smart Actions, I may also install SetCPU for familiar control.

Thank you for the info.

Joshuarossi76

Is the system version the same?
Michael Forte

Man…if only my G-Nex had a 3300 mAh battery and was that thin still.

Tim242

Get the extra standard battery. It comes with a nifty little charging case. 3700 mAh of juice. It’s magical!

Twitter: AlwaysAndroid

I just can’t understand Motorola’s thought process right now. Did they realize that a non-removable battery was was getting complaints from the extended battery crowd? It just makes no sense why they would release the EXACT same phone two months later, just with a bigger battery. Terrible marketing strategy.
http://twitter.com/JoshFischer81 Joshu Fischer

Definitely interested in seeing some battery life measurements. It’s hard to believe they fit all that battery in there. But if they did, other companies need to start looking at this phone as an example of lots of battery in a small (read: thin) form factor.
Anonymous

Such a great move from Motorola, just wish they had come out with this first instead of the original. 3300mAh battery is insane.
Jim McClain

this would have been a lot bigger deal if they would have released this phone with ICS,,would have sold out

Anonymous

The masses neither know nor care what ICS is. I would love to see that on here (as would everyone else who reads DL), but as a sales generator it really is a non-factor.

QtDL

Wow. Difference in thickness is pretty minimal. Keep us updated on how long the battery actually lasts.
fartbubbler

and I suppose we have to take Moto’s word for it, that the battery is that big. Cuz we can’t actually see for ourselves, ya know?

Anonymous

I’m sure there will be a teardown and we will know for sure

Hans Kwazneski

Why would anyone NOT take this over the RAZR?? The difference in thickness is minuscule!

Way to screw over more customers Moto!

Anonymous

If anything it looks more balanced.

Mark

Feels more balanced to me. Love this phone!

http://www.droid-life.com Kellex B

And it runs identical software too, meaning there are ZERO differences other than the battery.
Anonymous

I still have to play with this one, but I don’t feel “screwed” I love my phone.

Jim McClain

really I cant see any difference is size
Anonymous

that looks like a nice phone
Jim McClain

looks likes its just an ICS update from being perfect

fartbubbler

and un-skinned, and un-locked.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1027037089 Micah Roy

and a two stage shutter button

Anonymous

Honest question: Why do you want a two stage shutter button? I’ve found the tap to focus does the equivalent, and phones with two stage buttons generally don’t lock white balance/exposure, just focus. So why is this a feature you’d like?

Anonymous

Can’t wait to see some battery life tests on the MAXX.

http://twitter.com/GRZLA Grizzly Atoms

Galaxy Nexus or RAZR MAXX? Upgrading next week, need solid advice. Leaning towards the GNEX due to support and no blur.

Jim McClain

i have the gnex and love ics, but the maxx is a better phone

Barnaby

Based on what? battery alone does not make a phone….hehe rhymed

Jim McClain

guess you didnt notice that the speaker sucks, camera is a joke, and radios suck, now all this I believe can be fixed with software upgrades,,, guess we will see someday
Jordan Webb

Coming from a Bionic, the camera’s awesome and I don’t have any issue with the radios. Might be a little on the weak side in fringe areas, but I don’t really live in the fringe.
Barnaby

Plus they have updates coming down the pipe to fix “fringe” signals
Anonymous

Reasons to go with a Maxx:
-Better build quality (metal body, water-resistant, Kevlar etc)
-Much better RF/reception/voice quality
-Better speakerphone
-MicroSDHC slot
-Huge capacity battery
-HDMI out (less to fiddle with than MHL)
-Arguably better quality 8m camera
-Webtop (if you care about it)

Reason to go with a G-Nex:
-ICS
-Bigger screen
-720p screen
-No bloat + updates direct from Google
-NFC
-More internal storage
-Faster camera shutter
-More comfortable formfactor for most hands due to narrower shape
Anonymous

actually same storage. I believe that the razr maxx has 32gb built in while the original has 16 gb
Anonymous

Reasons to go with a Maxx:
-Better build quality (metal body, water-resistant, Kevlar etc)
-Much better RF/reception/voice quality
-Better speakerphone
-MicroSDHC slot
-Huge capacity battery
-HDMI out (less to fiddle with than MHL)
-Arguably better quality 8m camera
-Webtop (if you care about it)

Reason to go with a G-Nex:
-ICS
-Bigger screen
-720p screen
-No bloat + updates direct from Google
-NFC
-More internal storage
-Faster camera shutter
-More comfortable formfactor for most hands due to narrower shape
Barnaby

you tha man
I’m Kick-Ass!

Good analysis. I would add G-Nex also has removable/replace battery and is not locked down like a bank vault.

But I like the MAXX better personally. I had reception problems with the GNex in NYC and suburbs.

Seems like Moto and iFone are the only handset companies that understand that build quality counts. HTC formerly knew this.
Anonymous

Reasons to go with a Maxx:
-Better build quality (metal body, water-resistant, Kevlar etc)
-Much better RF/reception/voice quality/speakerphone
-MicroSDHC slot
-Huge capacity battery
-HDMI out (less to fiddle with than MHL)
-Arguably better quality 8m camera
-Webtop (if you care about it)

Reason to go with a G-Nex:
-ICS
-Bigger screen
-720p screen
-No bloat + updates direct from Google
-NFC
-More internal storage
-Faster camera shutter
-More comfortable formfactor for most due to narrower shape
Tim242

In my house, they both showed -93 dBm. The razr showed full bars, the nexus showed 2. Inflated signal bars does not equal better RF.
I’m Kick-Ass!

But I’m not making calls from your house.

I’ve owned both and the Moto has better radio quality, hands down.Maybe software can change this but Samsung already has a rep for iffy quality radio reception and GPS.

I get the feeling that Motorola knows a thing or two about wireless communication devices.
Tim242

You are not very smart. 2 phones side by side at my house showing the same dBm, would show the same results anywhere. WoW

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Nick

The motorola radio is better than the gnex one. However, this doesn’t really matter. Why? Because the gNex radio isn’t crap by any means. When I go hiking out in the boonies with my friend, I’ve got the gNex and he has the Razr. Does the razer show more bars? Yes. Does the razr have a stronger signal? Yes, by about 3-4 dBm. Do both phones make calls, send texts? Yes. Does either phone use data? Sadly, no. The razrs radio is slightly better than the gNex’s, but it won’t amount to any difference.

Honestly, with these phones, if you want to buy one, the ONLY thing you should do is go to the store, hold and play with both of them. Both phones are excellent choices, and either phone will make you a satisfied customer.
Tim242

That sounds like great advice!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I’m Kick-Ass!

OK that’s it. We’re done testing! 2 phones from Tim242 mobile home trailer measure the same signal. Well that’s definitely enough statistical analysis for me!!

Verizon should do all their testing at Tim’s. In fact, just let Tim do all the testing. WoW

Sent from Tim242′s Galaxy Nexus
Tim242

My point is, if the radio was really better, it would show more dBm. Why are the signal bars so inflated on moto phones? -93 dBm = 5 bars? At least I have tested, in stead of just spewing nonsense.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I’m Kick-Ass!

Because signal quality depends on more factors than the ones in and around your hovel.

You have to test under multiple locations, weather, interference, terrain etc.

Sitting in the squalor that is your home and coming up with two similar signal strengths means very little. Certainly not enough to conclude that the radios are “equal”.
And everyone already knows the bars mean almost nothing on any phone. It’s not a standard.

Now stop making this thread so skinny!
Tim242

At least I brought actual experience to the conversation. All the people screaming about moto having such superior radios are just spewing fanboy BS. I’ve had both phones in hand, and the only difference was the amount of bars shown.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Ahku Droid

I’ve been struggling with the same question. It all comes down to where you live and how much traveling you do. Motorola has been making radios for 80 years and is the industry leader with connectivity in remote areas. Having this battery size in such a small form factor is pretty nice. The GNex is open and hacktastic, so you will always be up to date and have the most customization. It has NFC, vanilla ICS, and a better screen. However, if your signal is weaker and the battery drains too fast for how you use it, it may not be the best fit.

Personally, since I live in the suburbs, I decided to pick up the RAZR MAXX soon. Also, reading the other article today about an alpha ICS ROM for the previous Droid RAZR gave me hope a work around is not out of the question.

http://twitter.com/GRZLA Grizzly Atoms

I live in a fully covered 4G area, and always have a full signal.

Ahku Droid

Do you already have a 4G phone? Which one? If you are referring to a 3G full signal, I am pretty sure it runs on a different transmitter and frequency than 4G, so they are unrelated. Also, if you put devices next to each other from varying manufacturers, they will all have different abilities regarding RF reception. Typically Motorola wins out. I live in an area with close rolling hills and lots of valleys so signal strength is more important to me. It depends on your geography how important this is.

hkklife did an excellent rundown, but I would say it comes down to battery life, form factor, your hatred of Blur (though I am putting ADW Launcher EX with an ICS theme to avoid it), and if you are willing to bootstrap another ROM to it when one is finalized.
http://twitter.com/GRZLA Grizzly Atoms

I have a ThunderTurd, and rarely does it drop 4G coverage. I live in Dallas, TX one of the first markets to get 4G.

Tim242

I had both phones at the same time. Added a line to compare. They both showed the same dBm in my house, -93. Nexus showed two bars, Razr showed full bars. Inflated bars does not equal better radio.

Ahku Droid

I have compared various devices using *#*#4636#*#* from the dialer to check, though admittedly on older models. I agree you cannot rely on the signal bar. I am referring to historical numbers and personal experience with friends’ devices over the past 2 years. I tried to test both 3G and 4G in the VZW store for the G-Nex and RAZR, but each time I go, one of the phones is always out of juice.

Did you run a test in 3G only as well, or just 4G?
Tim242

That test was in 3G. The test in 4G showed -110 to-117 dBm in my house. I’m in a fringe area until they expand. They were on par.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Ahku Droid

Thank you, that was helpful. I wish the reviews included tests like this.
I’m Kick-Ass!

It’s sorta simple.

If you’re a developer and like/need to tinker with ROMS and build and test apps – get the GNex

If you have concerns about radio reception quality and battery life – Get the RMAXX