Motorola RAZR MAXX review

That bigger battery has had an impact on the svelte dimensions of the original RAZR, but not as much as you might think. The original handset was amongst the skinniest around, which is a good place to start from; it measured just 7.1mm deep for most of its width, with a bump at the very top that extended out to 10mm. The new phone has a more consistent depth, from 9mm at the bottom to 10mm at the top. It certainly feels a little chunkier than before, but it impacts more on its appearance than how it feels in your pocket or hand. Apart from a slight rise in weight, from 127g to 145g, the other dimensions remain identical.

The top-mounted ports are still great, easy to find, with a rubbery, scratch-proof surround

That statement goes for the rest of the phone as well, with the same internal components, display and operating system. The question then is, how well has the RAZR aged in the last six months comared to the competition. The OLED display, with its 960×540 resolution appears identical to that used on more recent handsets, such as the HTC One S. It provides a respectable amount of detail, but is now outdone by the 1,280×720 screens on some new handsets – including the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3. The camera is still a good eight-megapixel snapper, but lacks the lightning fast 4fps burst mode of HTC’s recent efforts.

The processor is dual-core, rather than quad-core, but we’ve yet to be convinced of the need for those extra cores anyway. We still like the macho styling on the RAZR, and the tough feel – backed up by the Kevlar rear panel and splashguard coating – is in keeping with the new, highly-practical, larger battery.

Just as tough and cool-looking as ever, it’s an unashamedly macho smartphone

One aggravation is that Motorola hasn’t got the Android 4.0 update ready in time for the release of this handset. Original RAZR owners are still awaiting the new OS, pencilled in for the annoying vague ‘Q2’ of this year, and RAZR MAXX owners will have to wait till the same date. Having that update out for the MAXX’s release would certainly have made it feel a far fresher launch, and make it easier to compare to other current handsets.

If you want the nitty-gritty of how the RAZR feels to use, then best have a look at our full review of the original. It’s not quite the cutting edge handset it was, but it’s far from over the hill. There are better phones out there now, but if you’re looking for a new Android handset and battery life is the most important consideration, then the Motorola RAZR MAXX is undoubtedly the phone for you.