Reasoning & Early Review of Raxr Maxx HD

[Rob262]

This is my review of the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD and how I made my decision to use this particular phone. I purchased this phone at Best Buy for $150 with two year contract on Monday, January 14, 2013. My wife was already on Verizon (an individual plan). We were very disappointed with our experience at a Verizon store, both at time of purchase and with several issues that arose after purchase, so I was determined to seek another vendor for both purchase and post purchase service (very pleased with Best Buy, this is not rocket science). We simply changed her plan to a ?shared data plan? and added my new line. I had previously been using a Motorola Droid 3 on Page Plus (prepaid Verizon MVO). Prior to Page Plus, I was on a two year contract with Sprint and used a HTC Evo 4g and then a Motorola Photon 4g. My wife uses a Blackberry Bold 9930. Based on several factors (predominately using my cell phone for work calls, work email, texting to family members and friends, not a big user of my phone for video or web surfing, Motorola?s support of the Motorola Photon 4g with updates, RIM?s continued support of their phones) my decision on which phone to use with Verizon came down to a decision between the Blackberry Bold 9930 and the Droid Razr Maxx HD. While some will find this an unusual dilemma, it was a very hard decision for me (I had a Blackberry Bold when Verizon first picked the phone up years ago and loved it. I find nothing wrong with the Blackberry Bold 9930?s OS). I also have grown weary of the android/manufacturer OS ?updates? that can create additional problems. All that said, I picked the Droid Raxr Mass HD and am currently in my 14 day return / exchange window. The memory combined with the battery were the deciding factors for my choice. I have only had the Droid Razr Maxx HD for three days now. However, I am very pleased with the phone.
Pros:
-Verizon network is unquestionably the best
-Razr Maxx is thin, yet has big battery (sick of extended batteries that are thick, sick of carrying car/phone chargers)
-phone has been ?on the market? for over two months (while not as long as I prefer, one can read other?s reviews on phones performance)
-Excellent call reception (my number one priority) ? people have stated that I sound very clear; I can confirm that people on the other end of my cell phone conversation sound clear
-Love the green notification light at top of the phone
-very good screen resolution
-like the basic GOOGLE interface on the Razr Maxx HD (I actually liked Moto Blur on my Droid 3, but generic android is better). LIKE, LIKE the three circle widget on the home screen (date, time, battery). Granted there are widgets in the market which would allow one to replicate the utilities, it was a great idea by Motorola (I am assuming it was their idea).
-Like that one can swipe all the way to the left in APPS and set Favorites (This allows you not to avoid all the apps Verizon preinstalled on the phone).
-I like that one can left swipe from home screen and easily see Quick Settings.
-Speakerphone works great. (I use this majority of time).
-phone has ?quality? appearance (not made of industrial plastic, or any other cheap material)
-everything regarding phone has worked ?out of the box? (with one hiccup*). I say this because I once purchased a phone when it first ?came to market? and there were numerous issues with said phone. (issues that was characteristic of the phone in general, not just my specific phone). THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLUS TO ME ? NO SUPRISES OR ISSUES SO FAR.
I have only experienced one ?hiccup? with phone. I tried to view a video via YOUTUBE and the buffering was reminiscent of an old Blackberry (an endless running circle). I then tried several other YOUTUBE videos and viewings were hit and miss. So I GOOGLED the issue and found that someone with the Droid Razr had experienced this same issue, some time ago. A person in the forum thread suggested downloading Adobe Air (this was debated, as to usefulness). So I downloaded Adobe Air and have not had an issue with buffing of YOUTUBE videos since the download (could just be a coincidence, who knows)
Only negative I have found with the phone is the applications preinstall on phone. (I rooted my Droid 3, still ran stock rom, but froze all Verizon preinstalled apps. This improved the battery life dramatically).
While it has only been three days, I can say I am very satisfied with my purchase. I am running version 4.0.4 (version that phone came with). I have no immediate plans to update OS, as everything works great at the moment. My phone is currently using a 64 gb memory card (save podcasts, songs, pocket, etc). I plan to update this review in the future.

 

[Bank of Dad]

Did you format the memory card? If so, how did you do it?

Thanks for the review.

 

[kmf1]

To format the memory card go to Settings>Storage>Erase SD card.

 

[mkoronka]

Rob,
Your review could have not come at a better time for me. January 28 I can upgrade from a Sammy Charge. The Charge has been pretty good all except for one feature it came with-the telephone. I am on my third Charge and all to some degree has had the same problem. They go digital on me, on my end it is a loud fax like squeal at full blast, on the other end people cannot understand what I say. I have had this Motorola Razr Maxx picked out for about a month now and have come over to this end of the forum to gain knowledge and issues before the 28th of this month. I was most glad to see your review tonight and wish to thank you for your time in doing it. It made me feel good about my choice.
Mike

 

[Rob262]

Thanks kmf.
Bank of Dad I did not format my memory card, as I transfered my card from my Droid 3 to my new DRMHD. I did format the memory card when it was new and I first placed it in Droid 3.
I am rather unusual, in that I like alot of memory, as opposed to most people who prefer alot of data. As I previously stated, I store everything on my memory card (Spottify songs, Pocket (formerly Read It Later) articles / links, podcasts, etc. I have found by utilizing storage, I just do not need alot of data (other than for communicaitons). I have never had a phone with this much memory ( I think the Droid 3 had 7-9 gb on board plus the memory card slot).
BTW, this link should assist you
Memory Card Formatting - DROID RAZR / RAZR MAXX by MOTOROLA

 

[tjrssibelle]

Just in case you didn't know, you can disable the preloaded apps through app setting, this will stop them from running in the background and remove them from the apptray
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[Megaroad]

Just in case you didn't know, you can disable the preloaded apps through app setting, this will stop them from running in the background and remove them from the apptray
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

I don't think you can disable most of the verizon apps.

 

[Rob262]

UPDATE:
I have now owned the Verizon Droid Razr Maxx HD for three weeks (minus a day or two). I am happy to report that the phone has exceeded my expectations. I will admit on the front end that my expectations were simple. All I wanted was a phone with no ?issues? (whether OS, reception, WIFI, battery, speaker volume, random rebooting, etc). One would think this would be the standard (no issues from the start), however, my experience with cell phones has made me cynical / weary. I have a Honda Accord and a Sony Vaio laptop and neither one has had any issues. So I always wonder why cell phones seem to be plagued with problems (yes, I know they are mini computers). Four features of this phone have pleasantly surprised me. The first is the speaker. I will admit that I am not a fan of having a cell phone speaker on the back side of the phone. I listen to podcasts and Spotify songs (saved on my memory card) quite a lot. This phone has the best speaker of any cell phone I have previously owned. Whether listening to music or podcasts, the speaker sounds loud and very, very clear (An unexpected bonus). The second is the call clarity. When I refer to ?call clarity? I am talking about a phone conversation and the voice clarity on both ends of the conversation. My last phone was a Droid 3, which I considered to have good ?call clarity?. This phone blows the D3 out of the water. When I am talking to someone on this phone, it is as if that person were standing across from me. Their voice is that clear over this phone. As stated in my initial review of this phone, callers tell me that my voice sounds very clear to them (no issues). Amazing. Third, I have grown to enjoy / like the convenience of being able to swipe left from the home screen and see Quick Settings / Go to all Settings. This is something I never thought would be such a convenience when I purchased the phone. Fourth and finally, I like the thinness of the phone. Since this phone does not require a bulky extended battery, I like to place it in the shirt pocket of my button down shirts. This phone can also easily be placed in front or back pant pockets. No problem. I attribute this to the battery. I have had thin phones before, however, when you add the extended battery it feels like you are carrying a bulky phone that does not feel comfortable at all in the pocket (this was my experience with both the HTC EVO 4g and Motorola Photon).This sounds like such a simple thing. Personal preference. I like this feature. Several additional items to note. I have not updated the phone?s OS. It is still running 4.0.4. I have plans to update in future. I have @15 apps that I downloaded / installed from the Google Play. I have purchased and used a Seidio Surface Case for my phone. I like that the case has a kickstand in the back (the Motorola Photon had a kickstand standard; this would have been a nice feature for the RMHD). The case allows the phone to maintain its thin appearance. I am pleased with this case. It is my hope that this updated review will assist anyone who is considering purchasing this phone. I will update my review in a month or two.

 

[Rob262]

tjrssibelle is correct. This is the first Verizon phone I have ever owned that would allow you to diable most all of the preloaded garbage apps. The only one I find that still runs is "backup assistant plus" (when I go to settings,apps, running.

 

[Who?]

Paragraphs paragraphs paragraphs.

 

[Megaroad]

UPDATE:
I have now owned the Verizon Droid Razr Maxx HD for three weeks (minus a day or two). I am happy to report that the phone has exceeded my expectations. I will admit on the front end that my expectations were simple. All I wanted was a phone with no ?issues? (whether OS, reception, WIFI, battery, speaker volume, random rebooting, etc). One would think this would be the standard (no issues from the start), however, my experience with cell phones has made me cynical / weary. I have a Honda Accord and a Sony Vaio laptop and neither one has had any issues. So I always wonder why cell phones seem to be plagued with problems (yes, I know they are mini computers). Four features of this phone have pleasantly surprised me. The first is the speaker. I will admit that I am not a fan of having a cell phone speaker on the back side of the phone. I listen to podcasts and Spotify songs (saved on my memory card) quite a lot. This phone has the best speaker of any cell phone I have previously owned. Whether listening to music or podcasts, the speaker sounds loud and very, very clear (An unexpected bonus). The second is the call clarity. When I refer to ?call clarity? I am talking about a phone conversation and the voice clarity on both ends of the conversation. My last phone was a Droid 3, which I considered to have good ?call clarity?. This phone blows the D3 out of the water. When I am talking to someone on this phone, it is as if that person were standing across from me. Their voice is that clear over this phone. As stated in my initial review of this phone, callers tell me that my voice sounds very clear to them (no issues). Amazing. Third, I have grown to enjoy / like the convenience of being able to swipe left from the home screen and see Quick Settings / Go to all Settings. This is something I never thought would be such a convenience when I purchased the phone. Fourth and finally, I like the thinness of the phone. Since this phone does not require a bulky extended battery, I like to place it in the shirt pocket of my button down shirts. This phone can also easily be placed in front or back pant pockets. No problem. I attribute this to the battery. I have had thin phones before, however, when you add the extended battery it feels like you are carrying a bulky phone that does not feel comfortable at all in the pocket (this was my experience with both the HTC EVO 4g and Motorola Photon).This sounds like such a simple thing. Personal preference. I like this feature. Several additional items to note. I have not updated the phone?s OS. It is still running 4.0.4. I have plans to update in future. I have @15 apps that I downloaded / installed from the Google Play. I have purchased and used a Seidio Surface Case for my phone. I like that the case has a kickstand in the back (the Motorola Photon had a kickstand standard; this would have been a nice feature for the RMHD). The case allows the phone to maintain its thin appearance. I am pleased with this case. It is my hope that this updated review will assist anyone who is considering purchasing this phone. I will update my review in a month or two.

Glad you're liking it. It's a very good phone.