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 ›
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Reality check
Normally, I am apprehensive about reviewing a phone. However after all the reviews on the Razr, I wanted to comment. First, people need to get real. There isn't an "all in one" phone. Sorry guys and gals, not there yet. Ten years maybe. You can't have a phone the size of a tic tac and expect it to sound like a Bose system. You want an mp3 player, Apple is waiting for you. Second, you are going to pay for new tech. Sorry, thems are the rules. You wait for the price to go down and new tech catches your eye. Choose your poison.
As to the razr itself, sure there are annoyances. The screen gets greasy. Sorry, large screen...deal. Poor call reception is 9 out of 10 times the carriers problem. Don't let them snow you into thinking it is the phone. With GSM 1900 capability, you should hear a pin drop. If you can't it is your carrier. Admittedly, the phone book is lacking. To be honest, most of just dial the numbers we want anyway right?
What most of these reviews are looking for doesn't exist yet. A smart phone with the dimensions of a credit card. Sorry, try Star Trek. The Treo phones are close, but still too bulky. With functionally being and issue, how small can you get really?
Razr can because it is a phone and not a Tricorder.
So with that, I ask to not make this phone into something it isn't. It is a pretty darn good phone if you get the right carrier.
Meets my needs just fine
I was skeptical at first about this phone since I've not been a fan of Moto, but boy am I pleasantly surprised! I don't have any need for Bluetooth or data transfer, so the lack of EDGE capability doesn't bother me. The speaker phone is handy, especially since holding a phone to your ear while driving is now illegal in my town. The phone gets great reception everywhere and the ringers are nice and loud, battery life has been very very long for me as I don't use any of the apps on the phone...I just talk on it. If you primarily want a phone just as a phone then you will be pleased, I love it! I have the Razr black w/ Cingular.
Pros: Reception! Call quality, battery life, clear speakerphone, MP3 ringers (they're loud too) are a plus, overall the phone is just great.
Cons: Weak vibrate mode, never been a fan of the Moto contact lists/phonebook
i love my new phone!!
I actually work for a cell phone company and after months and months of waiting for this phone to come out we finally got it! the second that i got to work i ordered it and i got it within a week, i previoulsy had the Nokia 3220 and i loved it but i missed the flip. There are some bad things about the phone but it mostly is all good.
Pros:
Video
Looks
Durability
Ring Tones Rock!
Cons:
Not Edge Capable
Some Dropped Calls
Overall it is a really good phone and i would reccommend it to anyone.
GREAT PHONE!
Pro's!
Great RF!
Bluetooth
Camera
Slim!!
Sweet looking!
I upgraded the software so now I have video recording!!!
Con'!
No EDGE!!!
BEST OUT THERE!
To begin with, i wanted to highlight that this is the most fashionable phone out there, and at least for me thats very important and awesome.
Pros:
- BLUETOOTH!
- Great camera (some older versions don't record video, but you cant update the software and make you v3 record video)
- Mp3 tones
- The biggest and clearest screen on a phone thats not a PDA (palm)
- Enough memory
- 2nd display
- It has skins so you can customize it all the way
- Great menus, very intuitive
- DESIGN! the thinest in the market! the size is perfect, very confortable to talk and listen
- key pad is great
- i could go on and on
Cons:
- i said before that memory was enough, but still a memory card could be nice and useful
so in conclusion, this is a great phone it has all de main features and extra features that you want on your phone, its just awesome, and now days is not THAAAT expensive as before.
Can't keep quiet
/RANT ON/
I read all the reviews here about the RAZR "after" I bought mine... Shame on me. I had a Nokia for 2 years before I upgraded (if you can call it that) and was impressed by the longevity of it. Numerous drops and even once left out in the rain and the Nokia kept on ticking. I have to say that my only regret in life is buying this RAZR.
Pros:
1. big screen
2. it has a camera (coming from a phone that didn't)
3. wireless headset for handsfree driving (awesome when driving a stickshift)
Cons:
1. buttons on the side are easily hit and settings changed while fumbling for it in my pocket.
2. you can't "turn off" the side buttons to prevent this.
3. maybe that's why I almost never hear it ring, but always feel it vibrate to tell me I have one new voicemail-but I hardly ever hear it ring, so I really think it DOESN'T.
4. it tells me I have a new voicemail before it tells me I have missed a call-the Nokia was backwards and I liked it better that way.
5. way too many dropped calls (several a day).
6. way too many missed calls (several a day).
7. way to many failed calls (several a day).
8. yeah, it's slim, but that makes it harder to hold on to, and it's impossible to hold it to your ear with your shoulder if your hands are full.
9. on a related note, if you don't have your ear in EXACTLY the correct position, you can't hear ANYTHING.
10. you only have 10 "last dialed" and "last recieved" numbers in memory, so if you don't stop what you're doing immediately and save a number into the phone, undoubtedly you will not be able to retrieve it the next day, cause it will be GONE! My Nokia had 30 and they didn't overlap so if the same person called you several times, it would only record it as one call in the list.
11. I agree with the fingerprint comments.
Finally, I swear, I've never felt like throwing anything against a wall more than this phone. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy...
/RANT OFF/
Terrible....
I bought this phone to replace a Moto V330 among the hype and good deals, and once the excitement of a new pretty phone had left....I was left with a silver paperweight....
Ever since i started using it it has been terrible...
Its awkward to hold against face, difficult to hear anything from the tiny speaker, totally fragile, terrible software.
As well it LAGGS horribly when u text with iTAP and is absolute nightmare when you try and use AIM...I literally have to wait 10-20 seconds for the words to show up when Ive finished typing (and god help u if you spell a word wrong along the way!!!) And whats more frustrating is spending 5 minutes entering in a message on AIM only to send it and have the phone pop up and say "Unable to send IM" GRRRRRR!!!! The signal strength is horrible!!! I loose calls all the time.
While the design is nice, sleek, and modern...dont expect it to stay that way...It scratches easily, and more frustrating is getting dust BEHIND THE SCREEN!!! I had to delicately take the phone apart and remove the screen to get rid of the dust...
And finally the charging port (mini usb) is also used for the Hands Free kit...so if u have to charge and talk at the same time...GOOD LUCK...unless u have bluetooth
The only good thing that i can say is that i only paid $50 dollars for the phone through T-Mobile....but I had to sign up for an extra 2 years to get it....Hopefully ill get a good return when I sell it on ebay....
Pros: Sleek
Nice Large Display
Lite
External Camera
Easy connectivity to Computer
Bluetooth
Cons: Flimsy
Sad Software
Small internal Memory
No Mp3 player
Awkward Design
Low sound from ear-piece
TERRIBLE lag effect
Bad signal strength
Bad side button placement
MISS ALOT OF CALLS!
I hate this phone!
I have had this phone for about 3 months. Design wise it is an excellent phone ... but why is it some of the most basic and necessary functions get overlooked by engineers in the functionality phase? The buttons on the side that cycle the phone through the Master ring volume/Alarm only/Off is so easy to inadvertently screw up that important calls are easily and often missed. All that would be needed is a means to disable these "STUPID" buttons on the side of the phone! Verizon has told me that there is no way to do this. BIG &$*#@%! mistake Motorola... I like the design of the phone and "all" the other functions... but what a "MAJOR" frkn' screw up! If there is a way to disable these buttons someone "please" tell me...
Because of this one really stupid problem with this phone I would not recommend it to anyone ... especially if you keep the phone in a purse or pocket. I have not yet found a case that would resolve this issue.
Surprising ... when I went to Verizon the clerk told me that many people have been complaining about the same problem... but I don't see it in the reviews. Guess people don't much like to write negative reviews... especially after laying out a couple Benjamin's for a phone their not happy with...
Sincerely "SICK" of missing calls...
ezfriday
This phone is outdated and overrated.
I played with one in the T-Mobile store, and it is a lot like my Motorola V300 except it has a video recorder, bluetooth, and it is super thin. Other than that the menu is identical, and so are most of the features.
Everyone has this phone. I don't think it is that hot of a phone. Yes it looks good, and Mariah Carey has one featured in her Shake It Off video, but let's face it, the phone is ordinary with the exception of its super thin form factor. Plus people forget that this phone is over 2 years old now. Cingular released this phone when everyone else was promoting the old Nokia 3595 as a super duper phone.
If you want a RAZR, get the CDMA version, it is at least new.
Thank you.
The Best of the Best isn't somtimes smart !
Well I am on my second replacement but with my first one was all messed up ! I had screen problems constantly I really like all the features on the phone and the style is awsome and the reception is great pictures are awsome and since I am kind of a vain person I use it alot.
