Motorola Razr2 V9m on Verizon Cell Phone Review - Intro
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Alfredo Padilla Published on September 12, 2007 Comment on this |
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Motorola is rolling out versions of its new Razr2 on all four of the major U.S. carriers in an attempt to capture the higher end of the market, which other Razrs have ceded. Verizon's version is called the V9m and, despite some significant hardware upgrades, we found very little new under the hood. The design is still attractive, and audio quality was solid. The 2-megapixel camera produces much better photos than the older Razr V3m, and also does a slightly better job than Sprint's version of the V9m, probably due to software differences. On the other hand we found Verizon's music software to be less than intuitive and are disappointed by the limited browser and organizer. We feel this handset could have been so much more if greater effort had gone into upgrading the software. We know Motorola has a Java/Linux operating system that can be used on the Razr2 V9m, and we wish Verizon had gone with this upgrade. As it is, it feels like a great handset that's let down by weak software.
The Razr2 V9m is currently available from Verizon for $249.99 with a two-year contract or $349.99 without. Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Alltell also offer versions of the handset.
Tour & Design - The Razr2 V9m is a little bigger and thicker than older Razr models, but it's still a good looking handset with very good build quality.
Audio Quality - The Razr2 V9m performed well in our audio tests, with solid scores across the board and only minimal issues.
Imaging - The Razr2 V9m's camera is a big step up over previous Razrs, but average for a 2-megapixel shooter.
Making/Receiving Calls - The V9m's keypad is easy to dial on and the call options are fairly standard.
Messaging - The Razr2 V9m lacks a real e-mail client but it's SMS/MMS support is good.
Organizer - The V9m lacks true organizational functions, with the address book, calendar and notes applications just providing the basics.
Multimedia - We found the Verizon music player to be poorly designed, but faster to launch than Sprint's version. Video playback is very basic, and we wish they had found a way to use the external display to watch videos.
Software - The V9m uses the same old Motorola OS with BREW interface; we would have liked to see a more significant upgrade here.
Battery Life - The V9m provides a significant upgrade in battery life over previous Razr iterations.
Connectivity - EVDO provides fast data access and Bluetooth support is solid.
Hardware - The Razr2 V9m's keypad and controls are well designed and we love the upgrades to the main and, especially, external display.
Other Features - We weren't able to use the V9m as a modem and it doesn't support GPS or push to talk functionality.
Value & Comparisons - At its current price point the Razr2 V9m is probably not a good buy. Wait for the price to drop.
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