Motorola Razr V3x - blue (Unlocked)

CNET Editors' Rating 7.3/10 Very good Editorial policies >>
Average user rating from 35 users 7.5/10 Very good Read user opinions >>

Product Summary

The good: The Motorola Razr V3x has a stylish and sturdy design, decent call quality, and a generous feature set that offers two digital cameras with a flash, stereo Bluetooth, and a speakerphone, as well as and support for (European) 3G networks.

The bad: The Motorola Razr V3x isn't compatible with U.S. 3G networks. Also, the volume is a tad low, the internal memory is limited, and its memory card is in an inconvenient location.

The bottom line: Despite some minor complaints, the Motorola Razr V3x is top of the line for the Razr family. It's just too bad it isn't for use in the United States.

Specs: Combined with: With two digital cameras / digital player; Weight: 0.3 lbs See full specs >>

Price range: $139.99

See all products in the Motorola Razr series

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Kent German
Reviewed on: 01/23/2007

Photo gallery:
Motorola Razr V3x

Just because you may be tired of the Razr, that doesn't mean Motorola is bored of it as well. In fact, Moto has done all it can to capitalize on the success of its famous thin phone by introducing a gallery of new versions for almost every niche. The latest model to fall into our hands, the GSM Razr V3x, made its worldwide debut more than a year ago but never made a formal entry into the U.S. market. And that's a sad thing, as the V3x is the most satisfying Razr we've seen to date, with a several feature and design improvements. The 3G Razr V3x supports only the UMTS band used in Europe, but if that's not an issue, you can get an unlocked model in the States for around $250. A final word of warning though: you may not want to get too excited, as the HSDPA Razr V3xx will be out soon for Cingular Wireless. Razr enthusiasts will notice immediately that the Motorola Razr V3x looks a bit different than the original Razr V3. Though it's also available in a selection of colors (black, silver, pumpkin, pink, and blue) the V3x has a camera flash, a larger hinge, and a slightly more appealing look. We're not sure why we like the design better, but it did catch our eye just the same. At 3.9 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches, it's also a tad taller and wider than its predecessor (3.8 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches), and it weighs a full ounce more (4.4 ounces). Though thin-phone purists may shun the fatter profile, we didn't mind it at all, as the extra girth makes for a much more solid feel in the hand. We also like the rubberized covering on the front and rear face.

The postage-stamp external display is the same size as the Razr V3's, but with a 65,000-color resolution, it's more in line with the Razr V3i's. The display shows the date, the time, battery life, signal strength, and photo caller ID. It goes almost completely dark when the backlighting is off, but a flick of one of the side-mounted controls will activate it again. Alternatively, you can change the backlighting time for a longer shine. Just above the display is the 2.0-megaixel camera's lens in its usual location, but this time Motorola included a flash, a feature that's sadly absent from the other Razr models. Completing the exterior is an arc-shaped LED on the bottom of the front flap that flashes when you receive a call.

The Motorola Razr V3x's exterior camera has a 2-megapixel resolution.

Shortcuts for the camera and the voice dialing feature sit on the right spine, while a volume rocker and the Motorola "smart" key are placed on the left. All the side-mounted keys are easy to use, but be advised they can be pressed accidentally while the phone is in a pocket or a bag. Also on the left spine is the mini USB port, standard on all Razrs, which serves both as a data connection point and the charging jack. The MicroSD slot is located somewhat inconveniently behind the battery cover, but we like that you don't have to remove the battery itself as well. Just below the battery cover on the bottom of the rear face is the V3x's exterior speaker.

The Razr V3x has a large speaker, but its memory card slot is hidden behind the battery cover.

The internal display shows a solid 262,000 colors and measures 2.2 inches (240x320 pixels). Though some colors appeared a tad washed out, the display did a great job overall of showing photos, graphics, and games. On the other hand, Motorola's outdated menu interface continues to wear a bit thin. You can change the backlighting time and the brightness, but not the font size. Look below the display and you'll discover why the V3x has such an oversize hinge: Situated almost in its center is a second digital camera. Since it's used for video calling, the camera is only VGA, but that shouldn't be a problem. There's also a small macro switch for taking close-up shots using the main camera on the V3x's front face.

The Motorola Razr V3x's interior camera is next to the macro switch.

As with the more recent Razr models, the Razr V3x has a refined keypad that's easier to use than that of the Razr V3. Though the dialpad resembles one large touch pad, tactile ridges between the individual number keys make it easier to dial by feel. The keys also have bright backlighting for dialing in the dark. The ridges also surround the navigation array which consist of a four-way toggle with a central Menu/OK button, two soft keys, a clear/back button, Talk and End/power keys, and dedicated shortcuts for the Web browser and video-calling functions. And speaking of shortcuts, you can program the toggle to give one-touch access to four user-defined functions. The Motorola Razr V3x offers a powerful feature set that outstrips Verizon's 3G Razrs, including the V3c and the V3m. But before we address the flashy extras, we'll tell you the basics first. The V3x has a 1,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for six phone numbers, three e-mail addresses, three Web addresses, three street addresses, a birthday, a nickname, and notes. You can save callers to groups and pair them with a photo or one of 30 polyphonic ring tones. You also can save a special number for video calls, but keep in mind that feature will work only when you have access to a compatible UMTS network. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calculator, and a date book.

On the higher end, you'll find full Bluetooth for connecting to a stereo headset or for exchanging files, PC syncing, voice dialing, a speakerphone, USB cable support, a sound recorder, and POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail. The V3x also supports Motorola's Screen3 technology, but that feature is carrier-dependent, unfortunately.

The Razr V3x is stocked with multimedia applications such as the aforementioned dual digital cameras. The primary shooter takes photos in four resolutions (2-megapixel down to 240x320 pixels) and includes a variety of editing applications, such as three quality settings, an 8x zoom, three color modes, five lighting choices, an exposure adjustment, and five shutter sounds (plus a silent option). The main display works well as a viewfinder, or you can use the external screen to take self-portraits when the phone is closed. And as we mentioned earlier, the flash is a welcome addition to the Razr family, even if it does take a lot of clicks to use.

The Motorola Razr V3x had decent photo quality, though colors weren't quite sharp.

The camera function defaults to the exterior lens, but it takes just two clicks to switch to the internal shooter. For that camera, three resolutions (640x480, 320x240, and 160x120) are available and editing options are similar to the other camera's. The zoom, however, is limited to 4x. For saving photos, the V3x has a somewhat stingy 64MB of internal space, but you can use a MicroSD card for even more room. As is the case with Moto phones, a handy meter keeps track of how much memory you have left.

Video is a big theme of the Razr V3x. Both the internal and external cameras record clips in three quality settings (Good, Better, and Best) with sound. Editing options include much of the same choices found in the still camera with the addition of such features as auto repeat, spatial audio, and bass boost. Clips meant for multimedia messages are capped at 20 seconds; otherwise you can record for as long as the available memory permits.

If you'd rather listen to some tunes, the Razr V3x also comes with a simple audio player for playing your favorite music. The interface is rather basic, but it does the trick for short stints. You can organize music by playlist, song title, artist name, album, or genre. Features are limited to repeat and shuffle modes, so equalizer fans will have to look elsewhere. The music player shares the same memory space as the camera.

You can personalize the Razr V3x with a variety of wallpaper, screen savers, and color themes, as well as alter sounds. If you want additional choices beyond what's included with the phone, you can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gaming options were limited for such a high-end phone. You get just two Java (J2ME) titles--Crazy and Escape--so avid players will have to buy more. We tested the Motorola Razr V3x in San Francisco using Cingular's service. The phone is a tri-band world phone (GSM 900/900/1900) so it will work in the United States, but as we said earlier, it supports the 2100 UMTS band, which is used only in Europe. Voice calls, however, were mostly clear, and voices sounded natural. Callers could tell we were using a cell phone, but they didn't report any significant problems. As is the case with most Razrs, the volume was a tad low, but overall, there was a slight improvement over that of other Razrs.

Bluetooth calls were satisfactory, though speakerphone calls were a tad muffled. The speakerphone on the Razr line as a whole has had mixed success in our experience, and the V3x is no exception. We weren't able to test the video calling or streaming video quality, but music sounded decent if a bit low in volume.

The Razr V3x has a rated battery life of 2.2 hours talk time and 9.5 days standby time. The standby time is about average, but we were expecting more juice from a promised talk time. Video talk time is rated at 1.5 hours. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Razr V3x has a digital SAR rating of 0.13 watts per kilogram.