Razr2 V9 on AT&T Cell Phone Review - Conclusion
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Mark Brezinski Published on October 02, 2007 Comment on this |
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Who's It For
Business User
The Razr2 V9 has a good design that's appropriate for the office environment. It doesn't provide anywhere near the functionality a busines user would need, however, and those used to Blackberry or Series 60 devices will be appalled by the V9's software.
Budget Callers
As previously mentioned, the Razr2 has software on par with free phones. Budget callers aren't interested in what the phone looks like, so there's really no reason for them to pick up any Razr2.
Chatty Teenager
The V9 is probably the best fit for chatty teenagers. It looks great and has good battery life when it comes to calling. It also has a great keypad for texting. The initial price, however, probably means they'll need to pick up more after-school shifts at the grocery store.
Media Maven
Media mavens will understand our frustration in reviewing this phone more so than anyone else. They'll look at the capable hardware, the external screen with touch-controls that can't play video, and wonder exactly why the Razr2's carriers wasted its potential. For just $100 more they could buy an iPhone, and the V9 doesn't do much to dissuade them from doing so.
Conclusion
We can only imagine what Motorola thinks of the Razr2 situation. They produce great hardware along with an OS that takes advantage of it. They ship the phones off to the carriers and celebrate a great successor to the original Razr. The carriers then dumb down all the software to the point where the superior hardware is virtually meaningless. Purchasing the V9 is equivalent to buying a new home theater system to play VHS tapes with bad tracking you recorded in mono. We believe the price will drop within a few months, and the new Razr will be much better value then.
Even though the Razr2 V9 doesn't take advantage of its hardware in all cases, it still represents an upgrade over old Razrs. The external display is great, regardless of the lack of functionality, and the camera performs very well. The battery life is also greatly improved, except of course for the terrible browsing time. The phone also looks a bit better, and is better suited for an office environment.
Though we've mentioned it many times, the underwhelming software is an overwhelming problem. We're not just talking about the V9 not taking advantage of its hardware, however. If you even compare the V9's software to lower-end phones, even those also offered by AT&T, it most likely won't hold its own. How AT&T could have thought the software was appropriate for what they're pricing as a higher-end device completely escapes us.
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