Motorola RAZR2 V8 Review

After 3 years, the original Motorola RAZR is still in the shops, and that's a rare achievement in the mobile industry. The RAZR spawned various follow-ups, including a range of 3G phones, but now a new milestone has been reached with the launch of the RAZR 2 V8. The V8 is even thinner than the original RAZR, at just 11.9mm thick, and when opened it's astonishingly thin. Yet it's heavier than the original, which gives it a really substantial feel. Part of the reason for the heaviness is the use of stainless steel in the casing. The phone also uses premium materials such as chrome and chemically hardened glass. Although it looks similar to the RAZR, it feels more upmarket, like Nokia's premium 8800 Sirocco. The keypad is larger than that of the original RAZR, and the keys are more tactile too.

Motorola RAZR2 V8 Classic Features

Quality metal casing and appealing design
Really thin, measuring 11.9 mm in thickness
Large internal and external displays, touch-sensitive keys on the outer display
CrystalTalk for excellent voice quality
Talking Phone with SMS and Email readout
Quad band with EDGE Class 12
Ample-to-abundant onboard memory: 420 MB or 2 GB
2 megapixel camera with video recording
A lot of useful extra applications
Full Exchange server synchronization
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support
Very good Opera 8.5 browser pre-installed

Motorola RAZR2 V8 Weak Point

No 3G support
No memory card slot
No brightness settings for the external display
The handset is easy to slip off the hands
Large size when opened

Nokia 6500 Classic
Motorola RAZR2 V8 review photos

Motorola RAZR2 V8 has a truly graceful silhouette, but the 11.9 mm of thickness get to be appreciated even more considering the clamshell form factor. Clean shape and rounded edges make the slim handset look solid, yet elegant. It does manage to impress at first sight, but more on that after the jump.The V8 is also the first commercially available Linux-based phone. Linux is an operating system used on computers (especially webservers and workstations) so putting it on a mobile phone isn't an obvious move. However, the result is a fast, responsive system that supports multitasking well (so you can play music whilst using other phone functions, for example). We have no complaints about it.

Another new feature in the V8 is Motorola's new CrystalTalk technology. This is a mix of hardware and software improvements that are designed to enhance voice clarity and reduce background noise. Does it work? In a word, yes. The V8 offers call clarity that beats previous generations of Motorolas and puts it up there with the best from Nokia, Samsung or Sony Ericsson.

Summing up, the RAZR2 V8 is a really interesting phone - far more than just a slimmed-down V3. The external touchscreen is a really nice concept, the CrystalTalk feature works well, and the media player is excellent. Connectivity is good and so is memory (provided that you choose the 2 Gbyte version). Battery life is fine. Good enough to buy!

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GadgetWebZ

Saturday, January 12, 2008