The release of the Motorola RAZRTM i marks a distinctive new addition to the smartphone market. While the RAZR line has been relatively quiet over the past few years, the RAZR i promises to provide more competition to market leaders like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III. With a large screen, and an emphasis on durability and increased power through an Intel Inside chip, the RAZR i is recommended for anyone looking for a high quality phone for under £400 Pay As You Go. Here’s our review of the Motorola RAZR i.
Motorola RAZR i Review
The Motorola RAZR i measures around 4.3 inches across, and has a 540 x 960 pixel display on an edge to edge screen, which offers an AmoLED resolution. The sharpness of the colours produced, particularly for darker blacks, is impressive, a contender for the iPhone 5 or the Galaxy III screens. Front and back cameras offer a good quality for everyday photo taking, with the 8MP rear camera generally being better for interior photography.
Where the RAZR i really stands out compared to other phones in the same price range, is in its interior chip architecture and power. The Intel Inside chip used for the phone provides a power level of 2 GhZ, with 1GB of RAM, and options for upgrading memory capacity beyond the standard few GBs available with the phone. The RAZR i runs on Android 4.0, which is upgradable to Jelly Bean 4.1 expected to follow as an upgrade. Like other Android phones, the RAZR i is built around a capacity or downloading multiple apps, rather than being full of native programs.
The interface for the phone has been tweaked, though, from other Android phones to feature some intuitive widgets and shortcuts. By focusing on an all touchscreen interface, the RAZR i also places more of an emphasis on touchscreen typing and navigation than previous Motorola smartphones, a concession to the larger screen. In terms of connectivity, the RAZR i offers a range of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options, with average download speeds at about the level of the Samsung Galaxy S III.
For making calls, the RAZR i’s interface allows for extra apps to improve social networking and data storage over standard contact lists and voice recognition. In this way, the RAZR i shares the emphasis made by other Android phones to provide basic calls with the option to add in multiple networking apps and messaging programs. The long battery life of the RAZR i helps here to make the phone more durable for extended periods between recharging.
If you want a phone that’s going to come in at a mid range price, and that offers the best of Android’s interface and apps, as well as a well-engineered screen and physical toughness, then the RAZR i is going to be a good option. The option to sync up data, and to download and run video and audio files relatively quickly using the Intel Inside chip also means that the phone is able to handle more advanced entertainment uses. There are a few issues that will hopefully be resolved with future models, though, from some difficulty with inserting the SIM tray, to a few video playback stuttering problems, but overall the RAZR i is a strong addition to the smartphone market that should please fans of Android looking for a powerful phone for under £400.
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