Motorola RAZR2 V9m
Average Ratings
Great phone, Features highly dependant on carrier
Motorola and carriers really switched up features with each version, so no 2 carriers' V9m's are really the same. All are excellent as phones (great call quality/reception) and in terms of build quality. Battery life is poor on all of them.
VERIZON'S:
+Very fast interface
+Vibrate AND ring
+Can set internal and external wallpaper separately
+Touch sensitive buttons give great feedback.
+Can control camera from front screen
=Black bars are better than red
=The color is unique, but not for everyone
-Interface is text-heavy and boring overall
-Can't read texts on the front screen
-Can't view missed calls on the front
-MP3 player isn't very advanced.
-Small menu fonts
SPRINT'S:
+Lots of great extra options not found on Verizon or USCC versions (world clock/stopwatch, ability to set ringer for "no caller ID")
+Color is sleek and also very businesslike
+Vibrate AND ring
+Can read texts on the front
+Choice of grid, tabs, or list menu form
+Can control camera from front.
=The menu is a tad bit busy
=The Sprint music app is a bit boring
-Can't rearrange the main menu
-UI is a lot slower than Motorola's and Verizon's (a bit ugly too)
-No brightness control
-Keypad lighting could be brighter and a more fitting color.
-Can't set external wallpaper separately. (same w/ USCC)
US CELLULAR / ALLTEL:
+Sleek/ business-like color
+Fastest interface out of all the V9m's
+12 icon main menu that you can rearrange
+Can customize phone appearance with 3 skins or make your own
+Large clean menu fonts
+Contacts list is very well laid out and uses window tabs for extra options. Now allows multi-letter search, easy to toggle between multiple numbers per contact.
+Picture gallery now lets you choose list or thumbnail view.
+Can read texts on the front screen
+Can view recent calls on front, and call them using speakerphone
+MP3 player is awesome, cool graphic equalizer
-No Vibrate AND Ring, only Vibe THEN Ring
-No external screen camera controls
Great upgrade from Moto E815!
I've had the Motorola Razr2 V9m from Verizon Wireless for a total of 14 days and I love it. So far, it's worked great for me. For the previous 22 months I was rocking the Motorola E815 (great phone). But it was time to move on after I had dropped it a few times and I figured I'd give the Razr2 a shot.
An initial warning, the price is a serious kick to the wallet. For the phone + an upgraded text service (necessary) + a $10 fee to transfer my contacts list from my old phone to this one = $350. But Verizon does offer a $50 mail-in rebate for the phone with a 2-year contract/upgrade. So here's what I think ...
CONS:
Cost
Difficulty getting used to new texting format
More of a process selecting a contact to text
Videos can be choppy
Battery life is quite short.
Menu screen not adjustable
Contact "groups" only hold a max of 15 people
Side buttons can be difficult to push
Smudges easily
PROS:
Very cool look
Slim
Sleek
Good color
Speaker/microphone very good
Easy to open with flip of the thumb
1-touch touch screen is an awesome addition
Easy to add music from PC (with use of software)
Large viewing screens (both front and main)
Easy access to battery/mini SD port
Ringtone/alarm volume is good and clear
Vibrate setting works well and can be felt easily through jeans, shorts, even my backpack
2.0 megapixel cam is very good for pictures
Great reception (Currently living in South Dakota, so getting good reception is an amazing thing)
More options for contacts information (i.e.- email, second phone number, full name, picture, etc.)
Finally. V9m USCC Version
I have been a Moto fan since the v710(US Celluar, not Verizon) and I have to say that I am finally happy to see a strong, reliable Moto phone.
I have had numerous moto phones including
StarTac / Timeport
v60
v810
v710
v3c /v3/v3xx
v3m
k1m (both project red and gray/red was better phone)
z6m
I have been in the business for 10 years and have had every major "top of the line" phone and I'm pleased to say that I am glad this phone is out.
Before I got this phone, I was using the z6m for uscc. It had great features and the concept was cool. However it glitched several times when using the music player, so after 2 handsets I replaced it with the V9m.
I knew that the battery life wasn't going to so great or even good at all but I decided to take a chance. At first, the battery lived up to its rep then after 2 weeks it got better. I put my phones thru really long and hard tests.
I have yet to have a dropped call or service outage (constantly with z6m), and this music player actually plays aac files. I did buy an extended battery and it made this phone worth it..very worth it
PROS:
Great UI /not like VZW or glitchly like Sprint
USCC verison allows you to check texts from front
Great 2mp camera
Music Player is loud
Durable and screens wont scratch up
2 huge screens and huge keypad
Doesn't freeze up like other carriers versions (I work for Verizon and have USCC service)
LIVE WITH:
Fingerprint magnet
Not black or any cool color(looks more like a blue teal in sunlight)
Constantly removing battery to get to memory card
CONS:
Micro USB port feels like its going to break
1 day battery life(Imagine life 6 months later)
No wap browser w/o paying for one
Only 9 speed dials
Overall, this phone is cool, sleek, sexy and very appealing. It lives up to it's name however an ext battery is a must. It will meet almost everybody's needs
Great Multimedia Phone
The Motorola Razr2 (V9m) is one of Sprintâs high-end, multimedia phones. It improves upon the original Razr by incorporating a faster processor, more memory, and a huge, external, touch-screen display.
Pros:
Huge, External, Touch-screen display
New, improved interface
Sleek design
Improved performance
Awesome Bluetooth performance
Cons:
Sprint Mobile Email issues
Battery Life
Application termination/load times
No Background Manager
No ability to make calls from the External Screen (which is available on the Alltel/US Cellular model)
The most noticeable feature on the Razr2 is the external screen. The screen is vivid, sharp, huge, and has touch controls for Music, TV, and Camera. If you enjoy Sprint TV, this phone is a blessing. Sprint made the decision to include TV, Music, and Camera on the front; but since you can start the camera with the side button, I don't know why they didn't drop it and include the ability to initiate calls.
Users coming from the V3m will notice a performance increase as well. The phone is more responsive, especially when making calls and texting. There are still slowdowns that seem to plague most Motorola devices, especially when starting and closing certain apps (Sprint Navigation, TV, Mobile Email, etc.).
The phone is an excellent multimedia phone, especially for people who enjoy Sprint TV; however, the battery life, load times, and lack of being able to make calls from the external screen are something Sprint/Motorola should try to address.
-VDubb
US Cellular V9m: Great phone with a pet peave...
US Cellular's version of the RAZR2 V9m does just about anything you want from a non-Blackberry. 2.0 mp camera (best so far), solid MP3 player, removable memory card, etc. Most of the reviews will tell you everthing there is to like, so I'll tell you what NOT to like.
1) The biggest pet peave about this phone is that, while in use (clamshell open), the large, exterior screen does nothing but backlight a huge advertisement for US Cellular. The large screen, which is touch-sensitive, seems like it was under-implemented to the point of being more of a gimmick rather than a useful function, and I wonder if the advertisement factor was the primary reason for its implemenation in the first place. Pretty sneaky, huh? This is even more frustrating when you consider the standard battery isn't that great, so sucking up yet more power to broadcast free advertising for my phone service really bugs me. Had I gotten the phone for free, I'd have no complaints here, but I paid around $300 for it. To save precious battery power, the exterior screen should completely deactivate when you open it up for use. No excuse, here. Had I known this before I got the phone, it may have been a deal-breaker. It's a matter of principle for me as I hate being cattled into forced-advertising for ANY company.
2) As mentioned already by some, I don't understand why they chose the ring-then-vibrate function without a ring AND vibrate. The way it's currently setup, it vibrates too long (about 2-3 rings), so when you finally get the audible ring, scramble to answer, etc, your caller has already hung up or been transferred to voice mail. Frustrating, but very minor complaint overall.
3) The side buttons are difficult to find and activate. Could have made them rubberized or slightly more offset from the phone's frame. It will be frustrating if you use speakerphone regularly. Again, a very minor complaint.
Other than the aforementioned issues, the phone is very, very nice. Good luck!
V9m the Good the Bad and the Missing
After A month I feel competent to review the phone.
Great:
Thin and light: It goes in the pocket easily.
Big Screen: I can read it without reading glasses - even in bright light.
Keying in data: I started with a V3m and traded up - data input time was less than half on the V9m.
Good:
Reception: It has way above average reception. The Sanyo 8400 has better reception.
2Mpixel Camera: Takes good pictures in good lighting. Digital zoom on video camera is handy. No Flash.
MP3 player: pauses on incoming call.
Contact list: Holds six numbers and lots of information.
The Bad:
Battery: Plan on recharging often. Daily or more if you are prone to long conversations or use Bluetooth.
No audio connection: Must use bluetooth 2 or speaker to listen to audio.
Vibrate mode: All ring modes must have audio or you will miss calls and alarms.
Calendar: Appointments occasionally ring and don't auto snooze. Nearly useless.
Calendar Data Input: Clear to understand but unwieldy.
Battery: Sorry to repeat myself, but it is really weak. Motorola must not have used their new line of Nanophosphateâ⢠lithium ion batteries.
Missing:
Voice dial on Sprint version.
Notification of calendar events
Accessibility: Can't shortcut frequently used functions like turn on/off bluetooth.
Have not tried:
Computer synch.
Bluetooth 2.0
Great phone, not so hot pricing. (Alltel)
Posted this originally in the forums, but some small things have changed. I allowed the phone to die completely before charging it, and the battery has become fantastic.
I do work for a company selling phones. We handle Alltel, At&t, and Sprint. I've done more than my fair share of testing different phones. Being with Alltel for our phone service for about seven years now, I've gone through my own good amount of phones for personal use.
I've done Samsung, LG, Kyocera, Nokia; you name it, I've probably at least tried it. When I switched to the V3m, I was content. Good phone and did all I needed it to do. Unfortunately, it got lost and replaced with a less than perfect V3a. Look identical, but completely different from one another.
I use this phone as a phone first. Though I do have to use the texting for my job, not my phone's primary function.
I got fed up with the V3a and bought the V9m. I love that you can't press the touch-keys without unlocking it, making accidents almost nonexistent.
Though it isn't important, the camera quality is great. With puppies, I love being able to snap a decent picture of them.
Call quality is amazing, so is reception. I never have less than three bars, even when I'm in the Southern boonies.
Bluetooth headsets work great. No problems using the bluetooth to transfer songs or contacts.
I like being able to check messages and calls on the outside. I don't have to open it. But when I do open, I like that it's easy to open with one hand (and I have rather small hands).
The outside screen is big. Picture when someone calls takes up almost the entire outside.
The ring volume is loud, vibration is stronger than anticipated. Then there's the option to use a micro SD card.
The only thing I don't like is that with Alltel you can't change the left soft key to not be Celltop, which I don't use and dislike. All in all, phone's not perfect and I won't say it is. I'm very pleased and recommend this phone highly.
Sweet
Feels great in your hand. Light but not too light. Amazing colors on screen. Decent program package from Sprint and very clear voice. If ya don't like it you'll need a PDA phone because your too darn picky haha.
Pros: good speaker sound, TV, music and camera while phone is closed, touch screen, 2 screens, slim, sleek, sexy, slides right into your pocket and when ya whip it out everyone says wow what's that!
Cons: Can't transfer files between phones??? Vibrate ring is pretty weak. Ya gotta buy the unlimited data plan because this thing does it all.
RAZR2 is Solid
I have owned several sanyos (okay), and samsungs (always end up sucking) and I have had Sprint for 8 years...and I have worked in wireless/IT for several years. This is the best phone I have ever owned. Some of the things I did to make sure my phone works. I updated the software. I conditioned the battery and I removed the animated background.
Pros:
1. The most solid feel of any phone I have ever used.
2. Mine has great battery life. I conditioned the battery for four charges and it can always go at least two days without a charge. It's actually the best of any Sprint phone I have owned.
3. The screen is sharp--on the outside and inside.
4. Text can be read on the outside (comes in handy).
5. Text and TV on the outside.
6. Looks awesome...lots of compliments.
7. Size. This is a mans phone. Finally a nice size phone for texting.
8. Easy access to read GMAIL from my phone. And with google maps I can zoom in to see my house.
9. Camera and video are awesome and the huge outer display can be used a a mirror.
10. Sprint TV and youtube work from this phone...but youtube needs more sites.
11. Functions great as just a phone when a phone is all you need.
12. Alarm is awesome...lots of options. I use it every day and it always works.
Cons:
1. Apostrophe when texting is in symbols, not at 1 key.
2. Wish it would play video in widescreen.
3. Collects fingerprints.
4. Cost
Bottom line: This is a cool looking phone, it's sizeable, but fits well in the pocket and the size makes it easy for texting. Unlike some other users, I haven't had problems with battery life, but I'm not watching full episodes of anything, just messing around on the net every day. I also use the gmail app and can even see and respond to emails with attachements. I did condition the battery correctly and I updated the software. Best phone I've ever owned times 10.
I own this and I love it despite the problems (Sprint)
I upgraded to this phone from a Samsung A920 and I love it. It has its pros and cons as usual.
Pros:
Good weight
Good feel
Excellent Speakerphone
Love the vibration when you touch the buttons on the side or front
Very clear when talking to people
Lots of options
Screens are very clear and easy to read
Cons:
Software is a little bit buggy
Sometimes is very slow to load apps
Software update problem
Pictures seem grainy when taken (Haven't looked at them on a PC. Might be able to clean up with Photoshop).
Draws fingerprints
I purchased this phone and had a lot of problems with it. I thought it was just the bugs, but my mom bought the same phone the next day and hers was better, so I traded it out today and it is much better. If you have one that is almost unusable due to the bugs, or you have to pull the battery frequently (at least 4 times a day), then take it back and get it replaced. Overall, this phone is very cool and I really love the touch screen on the front. I would definately recommend this phone to anyone.
