Motorola RAZR maxx Ve Review

It has nearly been two years since Motorola gained fame by introducing the RAZR series of mobile phones. The first CDMA model, the V3c, was the thinnest phone currently being sold by Verizon at that time. Despite the sleek size of the V3c, the overall features and construction leaved much to be desired. The V3c was eventually replaced by the V3m, which added music playback capability. Then last year the KRZR K1m was introduced, which was a more modern version, but the features were still lagging behind other models by LG and Samsung.

We are pleased to say that Motorola has now moved forward with the introduction of the Razr Maxx Ve. The Maxx has upgraded features, which include a 240x320 Pixel QVGA Internal Display, large 120x160 pixel external one, 2MP Camera with AutoFocus, Touch-Sensitive music playback control, MicroSD slot, and Mini-USB port. Even though these features have been showing up on other phones for the past year, this is the first time they have all come together on a thin body of a Razr. That is what truly makes this phone unique. The overall size of the Maxx is 3.88”H x 2.09”W x 0.59”D and with a weight of 3.88 oz. This is roughly the same size of the standard Razr, but the weight has gone up 0.5 oz.

The retail package includes:

The all-black construction of the Maxx is reminiscent of the StarTac phones from years past. It is defiantly not a stylish eye-catcher like the brushed metal LG VX8700, which we recently reviewed. Despite this, the Maxx is well built and feels like it should hold up over time. The back of the phone (where the battery cover is located) has a rubberized texture to it. This makes holding the Maxx easier than the slippery VX8600 and Chocolate. The flip opens easily, but does require both hands. With the Maxx placed in your pants pocket, you will hardly notice it there, but the weight and height is still slightly more than we would of liked.

From left to right and top to bottom: LG VX8700, Motorola maxx Ve, LG enV

Located on the front flip of the Maxx is an impressive 120x160 Pixel 65K Color Display, which is capable of showing wallpaper, date & time, signal strength, battery level, and message alerts. Despite the size of the external display, we were dissatisfied that Text Messages cannot be viewed on it, while the 2-year-old VX8000 can. There is no reason we can think of as to why this feature was not included on the Maxx.
On the top part of the flip is the 2MP AutoFocus Camera with Flash, and on the bottom is the Touch-Sensitive music control buttons. All of this is located under a piece of clear plastic that loves to show off fingerprints.



Located on the left side of the phone is the Volume Up/Down buttons and “Smart” multi-function button, as well as the Mini-USB Data & Charging port. On the right side is the Voice Command button.

Removing the battery cover can be tricky, since there is no release-button to press. Instead you must slide the battery cover off and on. Once the cover is removed, you can access the MicroSD card slot. Even though the battery cover must be removed to gain access to the memory card, this is still easier than the VX8700, which also requires the removal the battery. Still, we prefer having the memory card accessible from the side of the phone, without having to remove battery covers, which may wear-down and possibly break over time.


When opening the phone, the hinge works smoothly, without any sound or loose feeling in the hinge. The inside of the flip houses the 240x320 Pixel QVGA 65K Color Internal Display. At first, we were surprised to learn that the display was only 65K Color, where most other phones in this price range are 262K Color. However, after using it side-by-side with the VX8700, we can say that there is no noticeable loss in color when viewing the same images and wallpapers on both phones. In fact, we were more impressed with the Display on the Maxx, since it allows 6 different levels of brightness. With it turned up to the highest level, the display is much easier to see outside in direct sunlight than most other phones, and due to it being QVGA, images and text are clear and defined, with no jagged edges.

Located on the hinge below the display, is an innovative 2-step AutoFocus button for the camera. It functions in the same way the a real digital camera works, that you press the button down half-way to focus on the subject, then press all the way down to capture the image.

On the bottom flip is the black plastic keypad with teal blue backlighting, which automatically turns on or off depending on the surrounding light level. The 5-way Navigational Pad is located at the top and is a comfortable size to use with your thumb. By default, it provides one-touch access to the Main Menu, Mobile Web, V Cast, Get it Now, and Calendar, but the software allows you to choose from 18 choices for these shortcut keys. On either side of the navigational pad is the Left & Right soft key, Camera, Clear, Send, and End keys. On the bottom is the numeric keypad. The numbers are large and are well spaced out. We were glad to see this keypad design, since it is easy to use for dialing and text messaging. All of the buttons have raised plastic lettering; so it provides an excellent textile feel over the VX8600 and VX8700.

User Interface

Interface:

One major disappointment on the Maxx is that it still uses the same outdated Verizon UI, which most people are becoming tired of. We would have loved to see a FlashUI interface used, but it looks like we will have to wait until the Motorola RAZR2 V9m comes out for this feature. Despite the lack of any pretty graphics or animations on the Verizon UI, it is still relatively fast and easy to use. To access the Main Menu, you press the center round button on the navigational pad. From there, the Main Menu is categorized into Get it Now, Messaging, Contacts, Recent Calls, and Settings & Tools. This menu organization is standard on all Verizon phones, regardless of the UI that is on the phone.

Phone book:

The phonebook now allows up to 1000 contacts to be stored, each with the First and Last Name, Mobile 1, Home, Work, E-Mail 1, Group, Picture, Ringtone, Mobile 2, Fax, and E-Mail 2. The Picture setting allows you to designate a picture to be displayed on the external display when a saved contacts calls, while the Ringtone setting allows you to select a specific ringtone to be played. Both of these features allow easy identification of the person calling. Any time you want to access the saved contacts list, you simply press the Right Soft Key located on the top of the keypad. This will show all of the saved contacts in alphabetical order. You can either scroll through the list, choose the “Go To” field and type in the person’s name. This will search through the list and display any matching results. There are a total of 99 Speed Dial locations, which any of the contacts may be assigned to. After one is assigned to a speed dial location, you press and hold the location number for it to dial. This is the first phone that requires this method for speed dialing. Most phones require you just to press the speed-dial location and then the Send key. Because of this, we decided to check with the User Manual. On page 72, it says that for Speed Dialing “Enter the 1 or 2 digital speed dial number, then press the Send key. For 1-touch dialing, press and hold the speed dial number.” Based on this, it appears that there is a software bug that does not allow traditional speed-dialing, but only one 1-touch dialing, where you have to press and hold the numbers.

Organizer:

The Down Button on the navigational pad will access the Calendar. The current date is highlighted, and you can select any date, month, or year by using the control pad. Once a date is selected you can add multiple events. Each event allows you to enter in the Appointment Name, Start Date/Time, End Date/Time, Time Zone, Recurrence, Alert Tone, Vibrate, and Reminder. After an alert is saved, and the date & time is reached, the phone will play the alert tone and show the event information in the display. This is an easy and convenient way of keeping track of meetings, appointments, important tasks, or even to remind you when your favorite TV show is about to start.

The Voice Command option has become one of the most useful features on modern cell phones. By pressing the Voice Command button on the right side of the phone, or Call button on a Bluetooth earpiece, you are given several choices: Call Name or Number, Send Message, Lookup Name, Play Playlist, Go To Menu, Check Item, and My Account. The most usefully of these commands is the “Call name or number”. If you say “Call”, you can then say the name of a stored contact, or speak the digits for the phone to dial. When used with a Bluetooth earpiece, you can use the voice commands to call any person or number without having to pick up the phone.

The Speakerphone quality on the Maxx has been improved over the previous Razr models. It is activated by pressing the Smart Button located on the left side of the phone. While using the Speakerphone, there are a total of 8 volume settings available. The voice quality in the speaker remains excellent until the volume is turned up to the highest setting. In doing so, we could start to hear some distortion and rattling in the sound. Overall, we were quite pleased with the Speakerphone quality, considering the horrific quality of speakerphone that is used on the Chocolate, VX8600, and VX8700. Another nice plus is that the Speakerphone on the Maxx can be left on (it does not need to be activated for each call like on the VX8700), and it can be used with the flip closed. The only other phones with a speakerphone as good as the Maxx are the KRZR K1m and A990.



There is a total of 84MB of Internal Memory, which is almost twice as much as the VX8700. The phone’s software uses 14MB, which only leaves 60MB for downloading and storing applications, ringtones, wallpapers, music, games, etc. However, most users will agree that using a MicroSD card is recommend for any phone to allow MP3 music playback, and transferring of pictures and videos. The Maxx currently supports up to a 2GB MicroSD card, and it is possible that a software updated may allow the use of a 4GB card this year.

Messaging:

Like all other camera phones, the Maxx is capable of sending and receiving Text, Picture, and Video Messages. Pressing the Left Soft Key will access the main Messaging menu. The available options are New Message, Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Voicemail, E-Mail, Mobile IM, and Chat. Selecting the New Message option will allow you to either send a Text, Picture, or Video Message. When choosing Text Message, you begin by typing in the phone number or E-Mail address of the recipient. You can also select to send it to a person that is already stored in the contact list. After doing so, you then begin to type the body of the message. The Maxx (and all other Motorola phones) use iTap predictive word entry. When you begin to type a word, the software tries to predict what word you are typing. This works a majority of the time, but unknown words are a problem and must be entered manually. Sending a Picture or Video Message is no different than a Text Message, except that you can select a Picture or Video file that is stored to be an attachment. Picture and Video messages can be sent to other camera phones or to any E-Mail address. We found that Text Messaging on the Maxx is simple to use and the keypad is spaced well so that wrong buttons are not pressed accidentally. However, if you are a heavy text message user, you may want to consider the LG enV, since it has a QWERTY keypad.

Connectivity:

Bluetooth v1.2 will allow up to 20 pairings and supports the following profiles: Headset, Handsfree, Dial Up Networking, Serial Port, Stereo Headset A2DP/AVCR, File Transfer and Object Push for images and videos. For call testing, we paired with a Jabra v250 headset and were able to use it up to 30 feet without any static. For Stereo Bluetooth A2DP we used the LG HBS-110 stereo earbuds and were also able to get up to 30 feet of static free music. However, the music control buttons on the HSB-110 would not work with the Maxx, despite the fact the Maxx says it is AVRCP capable. Since then, we have learned that the AVRCP on the Maxx is only compatible with Motorola brand Stereo Bluetooth devices. This is unfortunate that you cannot use the AVRC control with other brand stereo headsets.

Internet:

Like most other Verizon Non-SmartPhones, Internet browsing is limited to the included WAP 2.0 browser. Pressing the Up button on the navigational pad will start the browser and activate Verizon’s Mobile Web service. The main page will load in 5 seconds while in an EVDO coverage area. From here, you can choose News, Weather, E-Mail, Sports, Entertainment, VZW Services, and Shopping. There is also an option to enter in a specific WAP or HTTP address. Since this is a WAP browser, it will display WAP sites without problem, but going to a normal HTTP site can pose some difficulty. First, the site will take longer to load (up to 30 seconds) and images and text may not be displayed and formatted properly. Also, embedded items, such as Java and Flash, will not work. Because of these limitations, it is recommended to only visit WAP or HTTP site that do not have a lot of graphic content. If you need the ability to use a mobile device for viewing standard HTTP sites, then a SmartPhone will suite your needs better.

Streaming Video can be viewed using the V Cast video service. Unfortunately, the Maxx still uses the older V Cast version 3, which takes up to 30 seconds to connect. Other phones have been able to download a version 4 update, which only takes 5 seconds to connect. Hopefully there will be a version 4 update for the Maxx as well, since version 4 is a major upgrade. Once connected to V Cast, there are four menu choices: News, Sports, Entertainment, and Weather. Most video will take 10 seconds to buffer before playback. Video quality is lacking, but this is due to the limited speed of the EVDO network. If you are looking for better quality streaming video, you may want to consider the LG VX9400 or Samsung U620 that uses the newer MediaFLO Verizon TV service. This service is currently only available in a limited number of cities, but more areas are planed to be added each month.

Camera:

One main feature of the Maxx is the 2MP Camera with AutoFocus. The only other phones that have an AutoFocus system are the A990 and enV. Both of those cameras work by pressing the Capture button, which will focus and then take the picture. The Maxx allows you to focus the same way that a real digital camera works. Once the Camera button is pressed on the keypad, the screen will work as your viewfinder. You then press and hold the rectangle button located on the hinge half-way down, which will focus the camera on the subject and show a green square on the display. Once the subject is focused, press the button all the way in to take the picture. When the picture is taken, you can choose to Save, Send, or Erase it. Pictures can be saved to the phones internal memory, or to a MicroSD card. The startup time of the camera is only 2 seconds. Using the AutoFocus takes 3 seconds for it to focus-in on the subject, and then another 3 seconds to save. The overall picture quality from the Maxx is quite good, and in some cases better than the more expensive A990. Pictures taken outside by the Maxx tend to be the most problematic depending on the location of the sun. If the sun is to your back, and you are taking a picture of something in front of you, the image will be taken without problem. However, if you are facing towards the sun, and too much sunlight is entering into the lens, it will cause the Iris to close, and image will be too dark. For most outside pictures, this should not be a problem. Images taken outside have full saturated color and show clear edges with good detail. Still, the A990 is our favorite for outside picture taking.

For pictures taken inside, the Maxx starts to beat the A990. This is because the Maxx is capable of focusing better inside (in lower light) and the Auto White Balance is able to differentiate between different types of lighting environments (fluorescent, incandescent, halogen); where the A990 has trouble with the Auto White Balance and would sometimes cause the image to have a orange tint to it. Using the Flash on a cell phone is often an oxymoron, since it can only be used up to a few feet and is never bright enough. We were pleased to see that the Flash on the Maxx is the first one that is bright enough to use regularly. When using the Flash, it first turns on at half brightness to allow the AutoFocus system to focus on the subject. Then when the image is taken, the flash increases to full brightness. Images taken with the flash are the best that we have seen by any phone offered by Verizon. Colors are vivid and the picture is in-focus and sharp. Another nice feature is that when the camera is activated, you can close the flip and use the front display for taking self portraits.



Available Camera Options include:

Pressing the camera button twice will activate the Camcorder mode. The AutoFocus feature is not available for video recording. To begin or end recording, press the round center key and use the display as the viewfinder. Video options include Brightness, White Balance, Duration (Short, Medium, 15 sec for Video Message, Long Max Memory), Resolution (320x240, 167x144), Flash Video Light, Color Effects, and Storage Device. Even though we used the higher 320x240 resolution for video recording, the overall image quality was lacking. This feature is intended to be used for quick videos, not for recording your vacation. It would be nice if the Maxx was capable of recording VGA 640x480 videos, but no Verizon phone has that feature yet.

For a detailed comparison of the picture quality from the Maxx, A990, enV, and VX8700, please visit our new Verizon Camera-Phone Comparison

Music:

Music playback on a cell phone is nothing new, but the Maxx does it surprisingly well. Once MP3 files are placed into the “My_Music” directory on your MicroSD card, you can insert the card into the phone. Then go into the phone’s Main Menu and select Get it Now, Music & Tone, and My Music. From here, music is categorized by Genres, Albums, Artists, and Playlists. Once a song begins playback, the main Internal display will show the current song information. Closing the flip will activate the External display and the blue backlit touch-sensitive Music Playback Control buttons. You can use the front buttons to Rewind/SkipBack, Play/Pause, and FastForward/SkipAhead. If you press and hold the “Smart” button on the left side, it will deactivate the touch sensitive buttons and show a small ‘lock icon’ on the display. This is useful if the phone is in your pocket and streaming music to a Bluetooth headset, so that you cannot accidentally press one of the buttons. The overall sound quality of MP3 playback was clear and loud. Even at the highest volume, there was no distortion coming from the speaker. This is a welcome change from the VX8700, which has the worst MP3 playback that we have recently heard from a phone. Even though the Maxx provided good music playback, its main caveat is that the speaker is located on the back of the phone. We found that flipping the phone over, thus placing the speaker on top, provided for the best quality sound.



Software:

Qualcomm’s BREW format is used for all downloadable applications. There are only two demo games included on the Maxx (Pac-Man, and Texas Hold’em), but both expire after only a few uses. Any additional games or programs must be downloaded using Verizon’s Get It Now service. The most popular and useful download offered is Verizon’s VZ Navigator GPS application. It allows you to enter in your destination, and it will plan driving directions based upon your current GPS location. There are also pre-selected Airports that you can choose as well. While in use, the display is shows a current map and turn-by-turn driving directions, while a voice will speak the directions to you. We have used this service on several instances and the directions are very accurate. Even if you happen to miss a turn, the program will recalculate the route and display a new map.

The Maxx also includes a Calculator, Notepad, World Clock, and Alarm Clock with 3 independent alarms.
The Notepad allows you to type in a quick note when you don’t have a paper and pen. You use the keypad to enter any information, such as an Address, Phone Number, Name, or a reminder message to read later.
There are a total of 3 independent Alarms. Settings include On/Off, Alarm Time, How Often, and Alarm Sound. The Alarm can be easier to use than the Calendar Event settings, since the Alarm does not require as much information.
With the World Clock, you can view the current time in any Time Zone.

Performance:

Just like with the previous Razr models before it, the Internal Antenna on the Maxx is located in the very bottom of the flip. We found the RF reception to be admirable, and equal to other Motorola and LG phones. The call quality in the earpiece was also quite good, despite the side tones being a little louder than we would have liked. (A Side tone is when you hear your own voice in the earpiece). Even with the volume turned up, there was no distortion in the earpiece speaker, and there was also no noticeable background sounds or interference. We are more pleased with the overall sound and voice quality provided by the Maxx’s earpiece than the one used on the VX8700. The only phone to have better sounding call quality is the A990, but it is only slightly better, and many would say it’s not worth the difference in the price.

The Maxx comes with a standard 900mAh battery, which is 100mAh greater than the battery that comes with the Chocolate, VX8600, and VX8700. We were able to get 3.5Hr Talk Time or 10 Days of Standby on a full charge. Our 3.5Hr of Talk Time is the same as the published talk time given by Motorola, but our 10 Days of Standby time is shorter than Motorola’s claim of 13 Days Standby. Despite this difference, we are glad to see that our Talk Time matched the one published by Motorola. Often time, manufactures rate their times much higher than the truly are in “real world” conditions.

Conclusion:

The Motorola Razr Maxx Ve is a true performer, once you get past its boring all-black exterior and outdated UI. The construction of the phone feels to be made well, and reminds us of our beloved StarTac.

The External Display is one of the largest that we’ve seen on a recent phone, and with 65K color capability, wallpapers look quite nice. The 2MP AutoFocus Camera worked amazingly well a majority of the time, as long as too much sunlight doesn’t enter into the Iris. For inside and Flash pictures, the Maxx cannot be beaten.

The Internal QVGA Display is also one of the best we’ve seen; despite it only having 65K color. When compared with the 262K Color VX8700 and A990, the color difference is not noticeable.

The keypad is nicely laid out with large keys and plenty of space between them. This type of design is much easier to use than having tiny keys that are cramped together, such as on the Chocolate.

Ringtones and MP3 music playback sounded excellent on the Maxx and had little distortion at high volumes, but for MP3 playback we recommend turning the phone over so that the speaker is on top.

Bluetooth was able to give us up to a 30 feet range for headset and stereo A2DP playback, but AVRC will not work with all brands of stereo headsets. Call quality in the earpiece was clear and had no distortion. Motorola is known for their good call quality, and the Maxx is no exception.

The Mini-USB connector is a nice plus, and the Maxx is one of the few phones to actually have one. If you hook the Maxx up to your computer’s USB connector, the phone will be able to charge the battery directly from it. This also eliminates having to purchase a pricy proprietary cable for connecting the phone to your computer.

Our only real disappointment that we have with the Maxx is that the phone is using the outdated Verizon UI. For the past year, other phones offered by LG have been featuring the newer Flash UI, then the Samsung U740 and U620. It is truly unfortunate that Verizon did not implement a newer UI for the Maxx. If they did, this would truly be one remarkable phone, but unfortunately the software seems to be holding it back. Other than the dated software, the Maxx is one of the best phones that we have tested recently by Verizon. Between the Maxx and the VX8700, the VX8700 may have a prettier appearance and newer software, but the Maxx is an overall higher quality device with superior call quality, better camera, less distortion in the speakerphone, and cleaner MP3 music playback.