Motorola RAZR V3
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 11, 2005 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of Motorola's iconic RAZR V3 high-end clamshell GSM phone for Cingular and T-Mobile. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Solid...
I've had my V3 for a few months now and I think it's a great phone. Excellent RF performance, sleek design, and not to mention it's quad band with decent features. Makes an excellent primary or back up phone.
PROS:
-Excellent RF performance (on par with my work horse phone, the Nokia 3595)
-Sleek design (I really like the slim design coupled with the aluminum faceplate and battery cover)
-Excellent battery life (I usually recharge once a week unless the phone is being heavily used)
-Beautiful main display
-Customizable (It is a Moto afterall...there are so many things you can do with Motos)
-Decent feature set: bluetooth, loud speaker phone, usb sync (love the fact it uses a mini usb port), camera w/video recording, mpeg4 playback, etc.)
CONS:
-Not too fond of the keypad (buttons are too flat for my tastes and it smears/smudges easily)
-Questionable durability (I've had friends that have dropped their V3s with horrifying results...I have a hard plastic case and it definitely helps)
-No EDGE (GPRS speeds just don't cut it these days)
-Not enough memory
Remember that it's a new model..
I've had the Razr for 3 months.I think it's a very classy phone.I just experienced issues with it within the past week.It was telling me to insert SIM for no apparent reason--never dropped 'er, got it wet,and then it was shutting off and coming on as if it were possessed.I got the battery changed and must now wait and see.I'm not a huge fan of the loudness (not loud enough) of the phone and wish it could be louder,both through the earpiece and speaker,but that is mainly only when I am driving at high speeds.And the internal screen is a bit difficult to see in the sun at no matter what angle you hold it.And the keys can be awkward at times.Otherwise,I like everything else about it and understand that it's still a pretty new phone so the quirks must be worked out.The service is great,I've had minimal dropped calls--that stuff is all relative to the area that you are in--whether it be the service in that particular area,or the phone in that area--it is not the model of the phone being bad.You just have to learn which phones/services accommodate the areas that you live in.
Have had a lot of problems with mine
I purchased my Razr back in Sept. 2005. I started out with a silver one. Had it for about a week then returned it since it started turning itself on and off. They didn't have another silver one in so I opted to get the black one. Another big mistake. Had that one for about a month and a 1/2 only to have it freeze up on me and start turning itself off and on again. Mind you, I hadn't dropped this phone at all. I then had it replaced via the warranty dept through Cingular. After I received that replacement, got another black razr only to return that one a month later. Once again, had problems with that one this time it was the battery. Worked fine one day then for some unknown reason, it stopped working. This time, I asked the lady at the warranty dept if they could replace this with another color since I've had no luck with the black razr. She checked into it and they were able to send me the Pink Razr. This is my 5th Razr. I hope this time I have no problems. I've had this new one for about a week and the other day it seemed like it was going to start giving me problems. The light on the keypad wasn't working right, it would come on and off sometimes it wouldn't come on at all. But I'm going to give it another try. If this one bombs on me, they're going to have to replace it with another phone altogether. I do like the phone, the menu is kinda boring though. Motorola phones have always been that way though. I seem to get bored quite fast with their phones. The way they put the phone together is probably the only Pro's I'd give it but it's not worth the money spent. Even if you were to get the phone for free, don't do it. I'd go with another phone.
Great phone for the most part
Pros:
Metal exterior (sustains a few drops)
Thin (Fits well in pocket)
Nice and big, feels like a phone
Huge screen
Call quality is good
Hasn't dropped a call yet in 3 months
Battery life is decent
Speakerphone works well
External display is beautiful
Cons:
Laggy when using mobile internet (I hate that)
Ear volume is low (Especially while driving)
My opinion:
To me, the selling point of this phone is 90% looks. The way it functions is EXACTLY the same as another Motorola phone. My old V220 almost identical with camera and everything.
The different is the metal exterior which is nice. It feels VERY solid and doesn't seem to scratch easy. Reception is very good, works well on 1 or 2 bars easily.
Buy it for the look but don't expect much more in terms of added features or a great camera. People swoon over it and I pretend it is of divine origins. However, it's really a typical Motorola phone wearing hot black leather.
I got it for $99 from Cingular and couldn't be more pleased. However, paying more than that I might have been a little let down.
Love it
I am 13 and i just got a pink razr phone. I love its size and screen. I carry this phone around in my soccer bag all the time and it never has broke or anything. But one reason i didn't make it 5 stars is because i have heard that they fall apart they get bad service and the key pad stops working. That isn't the case with my phone thought. I have had mine for about a month and it is wonderful!
Razr is the best phone ever.
I've had the razr for little more then a month now and I have to say, it quite possibly is the best phone ever. If I was a 8th grade kid, i definatly would want this phone. Sleek styling, big screen, crystal clear camera.... the works. I have used my friends A-900 and i have to say, it was like talking on a piece of driftwood. there was no microphone lip so it was confusing to talk on, and quality was bad. the razr on the other hand fit what i was looking for. i wanted a camera that i could whip out if i caught a fish and take a quick picture, i got that with the razr. The razr is all you could ask for with a phone. It also is compadibal with blue tooth (on T-mobil and verizon) and has many downloadible upgrades (ringtones, wall paper, games, ect)
____________________________________________
PROs: Clear big screen
Nice photo quality
Blue tooth (if ur an obnoxish business person)
nice large #'s on keypad
self explanitory on most programs
good reception and sound quality (with no droped calls, so far but that has to do with the carrier)
Cons: when i am three waying or four waying the sound can kind of echoe, causing it hard to hear (minor problem)
If your hands are sweaty and you use the keypad, then close the phone, the screen becomes moist, like a mirror in a shower room, but it can easily be taken care of
Bottom Line___ the razr is the perfect phone from teenagers to adult business men, it has features for everyone. But be careful, you might be using your warenty sooner then you think if you drop this phone too hard
I can't GIVE these phones away.
Poor service, poor durability.
I was selling these for 29 bucks... or atleast TRYING to. Alot of people like to look at them... the giant screen is nice, and sound quality is good. The durability and overall performance is horrible though. I average 4 out of 5 of these with problems when i sell them.
If you want a good quality phone similar to the RAZR in special features it provides... Go with the Z520. Much better performance, has infared and bluetooth.. and its LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE!!!
To me... the RAZR is a joke.
RAZR V3 - hard to get around
Just got this phone as a replacement with T-Mobile. Was with the Samsung T-509 but decided to "trade up" to the RAZR. Hmmmm.
Menu options leave a lot to be desired
I feel like I have to be a phone techie to get around everything
Deleting a contact took a call to T-Mobile support
Entering a contact may take the same maneuver as if you don't put in an email address it won't save the contact?!
Phone is big and not really in a good way
Screen is nice
Keypad takes getting used to
Voice recognition is outdated - same as my old Nokia 6360 from back in the day
Expensive
Reception is much better than the T509 at least from my home
I'm going to give this puppy a week and then decide. It may go back they way it came.
it got stolen after 2 weeks
it had good signal everywhere, but i didn't like the feel, too light, too flat, too metallic, no buttons. i prefer cushy buttons that i can feel so i can text blindfolded. the menu was confusing and annoying, the phone book wouldn't allow you to put two numbers under one name, the calendar wouldn't let you put appointments in with an address. it had a nice screen and was pretty but i never really felt like it was mine because it was so cold. shows up grease and fingerprints like crazy. and it got snatched in the subway last night, so watch out.
great PHONE
I have had my razr v3 for over 6 months and i must say, it is a great phone. I think alot of the reason people hate on this phone is because there are phones that do all these fancy things like MP3's and have web access. The RAZR doesnt have a bunch of fancy gizmo's and gadgets, but it does what its designed to do. Its a great phone, lightweight, compact, crisp, loud and very stylish. The only reason i didnt give it a 5 is because its only flaw, it is somewhat delicate. I have dropped mine several times and there is no dmg, but i have heard stories about some breaking easy. Great phone overall.
