Motorola Razr V3i user reviews (black, AT&T)

Pros size, compatability with Mac, iTunes

Cons poor overall build quality (see below)

Summary I've had this phone for 6 months now and am currently on my second handset replaced under warranty. The overall design of the phone is nice and the customizability of the menus is great. As I use a Mac, Motorola is the only company that I've found that can sync both contacts and calendar events. That's where the good stops.

The initial problem was that when talking to someone, the earpiece volume would drop off completely. The person I was talking to could hear me saying "Hello? Hello?!" but I could not hear anything. Off to Motorola it went and 2 weeks later I got it back with a new screen and a 10 page diagnostic report saying everything was fine. Problem solved...until my second call and the same thing was happening. I thought it was a fluke but the problem prevailed. Back to Motorola and two more weeks with a loaner phone. This time they sent me a brand new handset! Happy with the warranty coverage I thought my problems were over.

Wrong. This time a new set of problems. About 1 out of every 3 calls gets dropped. Usually, the phone will shut off completely and turn on again when it's ready, not when I push the power button. When it reboots, the phone says "No Signal" until it finally finds a signal again.

I'll be taking my "new" phone back to the dealer on Monday and back to Motorola in Quebec it will go for another round of tests.

Given that this is the third Razr I've had (I had a black Razr before upgrading to the V3i) I used to count myself as a Motorola guy as I had huge success with the old Motorola V60. It seems that Motorola reliability has really gone down hill, especially with the Razr. Depending on what my phone dealer says, I will look into changing to a Samsung model like the D600.

Pros The screen is spectacular, and iTunes is great if you get passed all the restrictions. It also has a improved camera over older VGA models, but is still unable to compete with Sony Ercissons.

Cons Lacks features like: radio, camera flash, ability to hold more songs(restrictions), phones internal memory is a little too small. Other than that this is a really geat phone.

Summary This phone produces some of the best pictures I have seen from any phone, and the screen is so large you can't miss a beat. Also it is very light weight, and allows you to take your music and phone and leave the Ipod behind. One great feature is the phone ability to have expandable memory unlike some of the Sony series phones. This is a great phone with a few draw backs, but should still please anyone looking for a mp3 capable phone without sacrificing looks and style.....ie the Motorola ROKR

Pros good quality video, nice quality sound,stable battery, usb charging

Cons poor camera quality, very fragile, pron to scratches, needs a cover, no fm radio ..

Summary If you want to give a style statement then it could be your choice..
It is fully loaded and provides a full screen view.. But its camera gives a blutd image and the sharpness is not present..
If you are a music man then its a good choice.. The internal speakers are nothing less than spectacular anr run upro 2 hours...
But there is no FM radio..
Overall it is a phone which is true value for money and a good deal...

Pros Great design and color, good sound.

Cons Too expensive.

Summary Cingular released this phone last week. I went to two different stores to play with live displays to make sure they acted the same way. I'm definitely going to get one, but I'm shopping around for the best price. Authorized Cingular retailers usually sell them for much less than the corporate stores.

1. MAJOR improvement in speaker sound. The low volume of the original Razr was the main reason I've never had one, even after the price plummeted. The v3i sounds great. You can even hear it with the phone away from your ear. The sound is also very rich. It's not tinny like other phones.
2. Looks quite a bit sturdier than the original, which I always thought looked very fragile.
3. Great color with the gun metal gray. The logo also illuminates when you're on a call and it's not overly bright. I'm assuming this can be disabled but I don't know that.
4. Good camera for pictures and video, but it's obviously not a substitute for a good digital camera. The 8X zoom only works for the stills. The video is limited to 4X. Also, the full screen is only for pics, not for video.
5. Voice Signal voice command software works great. You press a button and it asks for a command. It recognizes numbers very well. You say numbers continuously, not one by one with pauses in between. The one thing is the version that is loaded on the v3i is an older version. Verizon's v3c has an updated version and has one-step commands. Verizon's also has quite a few more commands. Nevertheless, it's a great, convenient feature to have.
6. I easily paired my bluetooth earset and the performance was good. The voice commands also work with a press of the earset button. Another plus is that the commands work with the flip closed. The v3i has Class I bluetooth, which supposedly gives a longer range, but this won't work unless your earset is also Class I.
7. The biggest drawback is the price. Even if you don't want the bundled accessories, the local Cingular stores price it at $319, which is too steep. Needless to say, they haven't sold very many. Even the store reps think it's priced too high. I expected a price around $200 at the highest.
I do plan on buying one, but I'm shopping around.