Motorola RAZR V3x Phone Review:

A RAZR revving to 3G speeds would surely be top of everyone’s wish list. But having reached iconic design status, how does the RAZR handle a 3G refit, and is it still slim and sexy?

When our 3G Forum is awash with rave comments about the Motorola RAZR V3 we were a bit surprised. We’re not knocking your taste – the V3 remains a feat of sublime engineering and a design icon – but a year and a half on from its release it has somehow lost some of its lustre.
This is because it has become as ubiquitous as the Apple iPod, no longer the aspirational and premium handset it was at its unveiling. Every man and his dog owning one has diluted its desirability and Motorola has used basic devices (how about a hot pink version?) to keep the V3 fresh. In reality, all these colour makeovers can’t hide the fact that its specs are somewhat antiquated – it possesses only a VGA camera and 5MB of internal memory.
Motorola appeased the feature-hungry by launching the V3i, a spun-metal model with a 1.23-megapixel camera and expandable memory, but that was hardly enough to get us feverish with excitement. The obvious evolution for the RAZR is 3G; back in January, our esteemed editor predicted that a 3G version would land in our laps sometime this year, and he’s spot on. Just in time for Christmas, the V3x is poised to make the RAZR form covetable once again.
Cramming all that 3G trickery into the trim RAZR form without compromising the trademark gossamer chassis was always going to be impossible. Motorola has done a commendable job of maintaining the handset’s sleek presence despite being around 5.7mm thicker. The new V3x feels muscular rather than bloated but you don’t lose the trademark RAZR feel. Apart from the expanded waistline, the remaining dimensions are identical give or take a millimetre; the tactile, nickel-engineered keypad is the same size, with cancel and video calling keys the only additions. The handset also flaunts more overtly curved edges than its predecessor.Along with the meatier torso, the V3’s feature set has had an overhaul in line with its 3G status. The camera has been hiked to two megapixels with flash and an auxiliary VGA lens included for video calling. The display now resonates to a 240x320-pixel resolution and a TransFlash memory card slot (up to 512MB) augments the 64 MB of internal memory sitting under the back lid.
It’s worth mentioning that our review sample was a prototype so there may be software changes before final production, but we were more than able to make an extensive appraisal of the phone. The handset was also 3 flavoured so we browsed and downloaded content from the increasingly slick Today on 3 portal. As far as we know, the phone will also be available on Vodafone 3G.
Motorola’s video streaming track record has been exceptional, and the V3x follows suit. The fast-paced action of Premiership highlights is a great way to assess how a 3G handset handles video streaming duties. The V3x tackles this expertly with only a suggestion of digital noise and pixelated drag. Similarly, music videos are rendered just as impressively – Madonna looked striking in her pink leotard, dancing in her Hung Up video. The new, improved display obviously helps enhance the video experience.
A VGA camera lens sits on the inside hinge ready for video calling. We made a video call to a Nokia 6680 handset and the call quality was adequate. Mug shots were portrayed quite nicely but were afflicted with the video-calling syndrome of pixelation and blur. And we recommend using the supplied stereo headphones to listen in on the conversation.
Music playback is left to the embedded Windows Multimedia Player. We downloaded full-length tracks from Today on 3 in WMA format and the sound quality was pretty decent. You get bass boost facilities that add a nice dollop of low-end thump and the overall fidelity is very listenable. With an optional 512MB TransFlash card (around £30) you should be able to stockpile an impressive library of tunes. The V3x also has an Aeroplane mode so you can listen to your tunes offline, and its Bluetooth supports wireless stereo sound with Bluetooth headphones.
Motorola’s photographic proficiency has always been a bit shaky but the V3x is the first Moto handset to carry a two-megapixel lens. Despite Moto’s reputation, this phone was extremely adept, especially at close-ups. A macro switch is easily accessible on the hinge below the screen and we found the lens focus on detailed shots impressive. There was little blur and very keen detail. On normal compositions the quality was equally consistent – colour depiction was strong with sharp contrast. A dedicated side key fires up the camera and you can control settings such as zoom (8x digital), exposure, lighting conditions and colour style using the five-way navigation pad. An LED light can be used for a flash effect.
All the major manufacturers have produced leading handsets this year – Samsung with the D600, Sony Ericsson and its W800i Walkman phone, Nokia’s Symbian N70 and Sharp with its 3.2-megapixel, camera-toting 903. Now Motorola joins this esteemed company with the V3x. It has just done enough design tinkering to maintain the RAZR identity and in the process made 3G a sexy, slinky proposition. What a great way to end 2005.
This review covers the above mobile phone only and does not address the performance of any 3G Network. The score is based on a 3G mobile phone checklist.
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