Motorola Droid Razr Maxx (Verizon Wireless)

Pros: Android 2.3 Gingerbread,
Excellent call quality,
Screen is bright and clear,
Very fast 4G LTE data performance,
Dual-core 1.2 GHz processor,
16GB internal memory, and 16GB microSD card included,
Thin and lightweight.

Cons: Phone takes up to 3 hours to fully charge,
No ICS (yet).

Summary: I was one of the first users to have the original HTC Droid Incredible; in fact, I pre-ordered it from Verizon before it came out and had it a day before it was released in stores, so I had the earliest model with the beautiful AMOLED screen (as opposed to the Super LED). My experience was very good with my Incredible: I had the slim extended battery from Seido (battery life still sucked), my Incredible worked smoothly with no bugs, the 8mp camera was pretty decent, it had plenty of space, and its 1gz processor was always fast enough to run anything I wanted. I saw a lot of Verizon android phones come out over the past 2 years that were sub-par to my Incredible. As a power user, I needed something that improved on battery life, had at least the same screen quality, had a dual core processor (to fight obsolescence), and had plenty of space. This phone has outperformed all my expectations.

BATTERY: First of all, the battery life is this phone's biggest selling point. During my first day of use, I turned OFF the wifi and used 4gLTE (which is FAST!) because I have the unlimited plan for Verizon. I spent much of the day downloading all my old apps and setting up school email and personalizing all my settings. I also got engaged to my girlfriend on the same day, so one can imaging all the texting I did and picture messaging of the ring and all. We went out late to celebrate and I used it lightly while out showing off my new phone and its features and when I got home, I still had 25% battery! Just as the reviews report, the battery on this thing really out-does itself. What is even more impressive is I do not have a lump sticking out of the back due to an extended battery.

SCREEN: I have no problem with it. It is a beautiful display and is slightly better than my old Droid Incredible AMOLED display. The best part about it is I do not need to turn down the settings like brightness and screen timeout like I did to conserve on battery. Some reviewers have compared this screen to the beautiful screens of the Samsung Droid Nexus and iPhone4s, which both have 300+ pixel/inch density. Sure, you MIGHT notice a difference if you were to put them side by side on same photo. However, I do not notice anything in terms of a lack of quality or really see any pixels. Coming from my old Incredible (which has the same AMOLED tech), this has a very slightly better pixels/inch and remains beautiful to look at and easy on my eyes. Also to note, it has a Corning Gorilla Glass screen. This is the same glass screen covering as the iPhone4s and makes it extremely hard. I'm still using a screen cover because I do not want to chance anything.

PROCESSOR: The Razr MAXX has a 1.2gz dual core processor. My old Incredible had a single core 1gz snapdragon processor, which ran things smoothly. After using the Razr Maxx, I can tell the difference. The same games, apps, and video feel like they run like butter. The Droid Incredible would have a very slight lag before it ran something fast and smooth. The Droid Razr does not have that lag. There are other phones that have a dual core 1.5gz processor; honestly, there really should not be any difference in performance that one notices.

CAMERA: Wow, great camera on this thing. I proposed to my girl friend at the local Botanical Gardens and the camera takes amazing photos both close up and far away. Digital zoom is excellent and the best part is NO SHUTTER LAG! When you press the snap button, BAM! That's the picture you get! There is no holding the phone steady as you wait for it to capture the photo. I can't be more pleased.

SMART ACTIONS: Great job Motorola! Take a moment to check out the Smart Actions features. This allows you to program your Droid Razr Maxx (or regular Razr) to automatically change settings or launch applications. When I showed this to my fiance's brother, who is a big iPhone user, his eyebrows raised and he was impressed.
For example:
- I set my phone so when I arrive at my work's address, my phone will automatically go into vibrate mode.
- I set my phone so it makes all text messages/email notifications quiet during my sleeping hours during work nights
- My phone automatically puts the screen dimmer and turns off sync when battery reaches below 25%
- My phone now notifies me to charge it at night if it is below 25% battery life
- *This program does pretty much whatever you want. If you have done programming, you might know what a "macro" is. It is a macro creation tool. In short, it allows you complete automatic control over your phone. It is EXTREMELY easy to use, especially if you choose from the large sample list of tasks.

SPACE: Advertises as a total of 32gb. Need I say more? The system reserves 8gb for its own use, it leaves 8gb of internal memory for user use, and it comes with a 16 gb MicroSD card. In reality, the user gets 24 gb of space, which is pretty good.

KEYBOARD: Has a standard android software keyboard. I prefer the Swype keyboard, which comes preinstalled on it. Make sure you check it out, it is the FASTEST keyboard to use out there (Faster than iPhone or other keyboards on the Market). To use it, when you go to type in a text field, long press the field until a menu pops up, select on that menu "Input Method", then select "Swype". Swype allows you to drag your fingers through all your letters of words instead of individual presses. Quite fast once you get used to it (which does not take long).

SOFTWARE: Currently runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This is one of the latest versions and it runs very smooth. The Razr Maxx will be upgraded in 2012 to Android 4.0, which will pretty much make this into a whole new phone. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich (codename) will redefine how Android and raise the bar for competition (iPhone, Windows phone). I will not explain how important this will be for the Droid Razr, so if you are interested in this be sure to Google Android 4.0's new features and changes/reviews.

**My advice, before you're will buy the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX, I suggest you have to check for best deal at: Androidphone4g.blogspot.com/p/motorola-droid-razr-maxx.html

In summary, if you are trying to decide to get this phone versus another, get the Droid Razr Maxx. I do not think you will be disappointed.