Motorola DROID RAZR M review: Affordable luxury

A tiny retail package

Like previous members of its family, the Motorola DROID RAZR M comes with a basic retail package. Inside the handset's small and stylish retail box, you will find a charger, a microUSB cable, as well as a tool for removing the SIM card.

The DROID RAZR M's retail package

Once again you will have to make do without a pair of headphones out of the box. Given the phone's acceptable price tag, you will likely have some spare change to grab a pair on your own, though.

Design and build quality inspection

The Motorola DROID RAZR M looks quite similar to its predecessors, despite the slimmer guise. The chromed earpiece and Kevlar coated back hark back straight to the original. Having that in mind, we must note that the newcomer is a handsome looking fella.

A nice new touch to the handset's design is the presence of visible bolts on its sides. They give the DROID RAZR M an industrial look, as well as an added sense of craftsmanship, which is rarely seen in this price category.

The RAZR M is a looker

The Motorola DROID RAZR M is available in two colors - peal white like our review unit and black. The latter is definitely the more understated version.

Build materials are nothing short of superb. The Motorola DROID RAZR M is a blend of Kevlar, Corning Gorilla Glass, and high quality plastic. Even the pickiest user will hardly find something to complain about here.

We already mentioned our positive impressions of the compactness of the Motorola DROID RAZR M body. They smartphone measures 122.5 x 60.9 x 8.3 mm and tips the scale at 126 grams.

Like we told you, the display of the Motorola DROID RAZR M is a familiar sight. It is the same 4.3" PenTile Super AMOLED unit, found in the original DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX. Contrast and sunlight legibility are phenomenal.

The PenTile matrix however does not befit the rest of the hardware. A ColorBoost unit would have been a much more welcome sight.

The display is slightly let down by its PenTile matrix

Above the display you will find the usual bunch of sensors, the earpiece and front-facing camera, as well as a tiny but handy notification light. There's nothing but the earpiece and a Verizon logo below the screen.

The view above and below the screen

The microUSB port, microSIM, and microSD card slots are located on the Moto's left side. The card slots are both under the same cover. On the right side, you will find the power/lock key, as well as the volume rocker.

The view on the left • the volume rocker and power/lock key on the right

The unprotected 3.5mm audio jack is located on the top of the Motorola DROID RAZR M. There's nothing on the device's bottom.

The view on top • nothing on the bottom

The 8MP camera, its LED flash, and the loudspeaker are located at the top of the DROID RAZR M's splash resistant back. The usual set of Verizon logos can be found adorning the soft-feeling Kevlar as well.

The view on the back

With a combination of a 2000mAh battery, a latest generation silicon, as well as an energy efficient display with fairly modest resolution, we expected the Motorola DROID RAZR M to do well in our battery test and for a good reason.

The smartphone managed an endurance rating of the almost unbelieavable 55h. This means that you will need to recharge your Moto every 55 hours if you use it for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, as well as video playback every day. Motorola made a serious commitment to great battery life at its RAZR event and it's great to see the RAZR M deliver.

Handling the Motorola DROID RAZR M is a pleasure. The edgeless display allows for easy one-handed operation, while the grippy Kevlar coverd back makes accidental drops unlikely. You will find nothing to frown about here.

Handling the phone is a pleasure

Overally, the Motorola DROID RAZR M receives nothing but high marks for desgin and build quality. The same goes for the device's battery life. The screen could have done without a PenTile matrix, but is still adequate for the phone's price range.

Following next is a look at the software talents of the entry-level DROID RAZR.