IntroductionMotorola’s RAZR is an icon of cellphones, technology, and design in general. The V3 and all of its brethren collectively became the second most successful mobile handset in history, and the word “RAZR” has become synonymous with “thin flip phone” in gadget parlance.
But the RAZR eventually grew a little long in the tooth, and Motorola’s dominance in the cellular world eroded over time. After a legion of “four letter phone” offshoots - KRZR, ROKR, RIZR, PEBL, FONE, et al - Moto finally released the long awaited sequel to the RAZR: The RAZR 2.
RAZR 2 dropped on nearly every major US network at the same time, and while there are differences from carrier to carrier, the new RAZR’s overall look and feel is the same across its variations. RAZR 2 is thinner but heavier and taller than the original, and its traded those razor-sharp edges for rounded corners and curvier lines throughout. The new RAZR is also built like a tank - it feels luxurious and nearly indestructible in hand.
But in a world where handsets let you do everything from watch TV to parse RSS feeds to find your way when you’re lost, is Moto’s new RAZR too little too late? I took the Sprint variant - the RAZR2 V9m - for a spin to find out.
Design
Just 11.9mm thick, the RAZR 2 V9m is one of the thinnest clamshell handsets currently available, and thinner than the RAZR V3m by more than 2mm. The V9m is 103mm long by 53mm wide and weighs in at 117g, which is a surprisingly big number for a RAZR. But this RAZR doesn’t feel heavy in a bad way - instead it feels solid like a luxury class product should. The handset sports a stainless steel internal frame and hinge, which accounts for both that weight and the feeling that the handset could stand up to a pretty good lickin’ and keep on tickin’.
In find this RAZR much more attractive than the original, as well. The combination of rounded corners and hardened glass on some exterior surfaces is modern and sexy. And while some folks find the V9m’s pearly gray a little drab, I think it looks understated and classy (RAZR2 variants from other carriers are available in other colors).
A clamshell phone, the front panel of the V9m features a huge 2” external display with three touch sensitive controls along the bottom edge that provide haptic (vibrational) feedback when you press them. The lens for the two-megapixel camera is center mounted along the top edge of the panel. There’s a volume rocker switch and softkey along with a usb/charger port the left spine of the handset and a camera key on the right spine. Removing the battery cover on the back panel of the handset provides access to the microSD memory card slot as well as the battery. While it’d be nicer to have an externally-mounted memory port, at least it’s not hidden behind the battery itself.
Flip the V9m open and you’ll find a familiar, if updated, layout: screen on top, buttons on the bottom. The main display is larger than the external screen, though barely, at 2.2 inches. The button layout is a flush mounted, etched metal affair, with font faces that echo the futuristic vibe of this newest RAZR. A 12-button dialing array is topped with a navigational layout built around a shiny circular D-pad flanked by two softkeys, speakerphone and back keys, and call and cancel keys.
While all of the buttons on the inside of the V9m are flat, they offer better tactile feedback than most other flat/etched keypads I’ve tested. The buttons here have a bit of a slippery feel to them, but they have pretty good travel. Brushed metal on the D-Pad makes it rather nice to use, even without looking.
I give MOTO a general thumbs-up on their RAZR redesign. Obviously the original was a huge hit, but I never really liked the way it felt in hand. RAZR 2 fixes that issue by rounding over sharp edges and using pearly glass and a stainless steel hinge to give the handset the feel of a fine object from the near future.
