Motorola Droid RAZR review

The Motorola Droid Razor: A Revolutionary Design and Software

This is Neil Ipatel with The Verge, and I'm excited to introduce you to the Motorola Droid Razor, the thinnest 4G LTE phone on the market, and the thinnest smartphone overall. This device boasts an impressive thickness of just 0.28 inches (7 mm) thanks to a stainless steel frame inside and a Kevlar back plate. Not only is it incredibly thin, but it's also remarkably light and strong. You can easily feel the device's sturdiness in your hand, with no flex or give whatsoever.

Design-wise, the Droid Razor follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, the Droid X2 and Droid Bionic. The classic Motorola hump at the top of the device houses the camera elements, but what sets this phone apart is its incredibly slim profile. Measuring about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Sprint, which has a slightly larger screen, the Razor's 4.3-inch display is impressive, if not slightly compromised by the large bezel surrounding it. While the iPhone may offer more compact designs, the Razor's QHD Super AMOLED display is certainly a notable feature.

However, in practice, the Droid Razor falls short of its promise. The screen suffers from noticeable jaggies and image distortion when scrolling or browsing, particularly compared to the QHD LCD display on the Droid X2. While the iPhone 4S boasts an industry-leading Retina display, the Razor's Super AMOLED is still a step behind. Nevertheless, the device's design continues to impress, with a stainless steel frame and Kevlar back plate that provide both strength and durability.

One of the standout features of the Droid Razor is its Smart Actions feature, which allows users to monitor various settings and states on their phone and take action based on them. As demonstrated by the host, this feature can be set up for a variety of scenarios, such as when the battery level falls below 10%, GPS and Wi-Fi are automatically turned off. The process is incredibly easy to use, with intuitive menus and straightforward setup options. This feature is particularly useful for power users who want to optimize their phone's performance and efficiency.

Another notable feature of the Droid Razor is its Android skin, which runs on a custom version of the operating system. Unfortunately, this skin has become increasingly bloated and overrotted with each release, resulting in slow animations that can be downright boring. While Motorola has made efforts to streamline the interface, there's still room for improvement. Nevertheless, the Droid Razor remains an impressive piece of hardware engineering, demonstrating the capabilities of smartphone design.

As Neil Ipatel concludes, "it's really the software that counts." And indeed it is. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which will soon arrive at Verizon with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, promises to be a major leap forward for smartphones. With its sleek design and cutting-edge features, the Galaxy Nexus has all the makings of a revolutionary device. As we wait for its release, the Motorola Droid Razor remains an exciting and impressive addition to the smartphone landscape.