Razr2 V9 on AT&T Cell Phone Review - Intro
The Razr2 V9 is AT&T's version of Motorola's latest Razr cell phone. The major carriers are offering different iterations of the device. So far, we've reviewed the Sprint and Verizon versions and found them to be disappointing, to say the least. Will AT&T's take on the Razr2 fulfill the phone's potential? As this burning question has undoubtedly pushed you to the very edge of your seat, we'll answer it right now to avoid any posture-related discomfort: no, no it won't. Again, the AT&T version fails to fulfill the potential of the phone; the software that AT&T loads on it doesn't take full advantage of the hardware.
But despite these repeated inabilities to take advantage of its hardware, the Razr2 still contains many improvements over the old Razr. The most prominent new feature is its external screen, which is as good as the main display we see on many phones, and has a touch-sensitive area in its lower quarter. AT&T's V9 only offers music functionality on the external screen, unfortunately. The buttons provide pseudo tactile feedback by vibrating the phone slightly when a touch button is pressed. The V9 also has much better battery life than the old Razr, though battery life for Web browsing is downright abysmal.
The V9's price will be another sticking point for some. The phone costs $399 with a contract from AT&T, or $499 without one, meaning that both the Sprint and Verizon versions are less expensive and offer similar functionality.
Tour & Design - The Razr2 V9 is certainly a good looking phone, and we found it to be sturdy; it should stand up to rough treatment.
Audio Quality - Here we test the V9's audio quality. It does well on all our tests, producing clean, accurate sound.
Imaging - The V9's 2-megapixel camera takes surprisingly good images, but the camera software is just south of mediocre.
Making/Receiving Calls - The Razr2 V9's keypad makes dialing a breeze, and its call management software is one of the phone's strongest features.
Messaging - The messaging features on this phone are really inconsistent. The phone integrates MMS and SMS, which is a great step forward, but the Web-based e-mail client is bad, even for Web-based clients, and is inexplicably hidden in the Games & Apps folder, as opposed to the Messaging section.
Organizer - If all you need is rudimentary organizational features and don't make plans outside the business day, the V9 should suit your needs adequately.
Multimedia - The V9 handles music well, taking advantage of the external screen to make controlling music easy. It doesn't handle video nearly as well.
Software - The software on the V9 is sparse, and the phone isn't nearly extensible enough to make up for these shortcomings.
Battery Life - The V9 performed well on our battery tests. This is one of the Razr2's best qualities.
Connectivity - The Razr2 V9 is a quad-band GSM phone that supports Bluetooth 2.0.
Hardware - Hardware is where the V9 is blessed. Its external screen is better than most phones' primary screens.
Other Features - The only additional feature the V9 has is the ability to act as a tethered modem.
Value & Comparisons - The V9 is a great piece of hardware that's been afflicted with suboptimal software.
