Ask A Guy Anything: Razr Maxx Edition

[Dovahkiin]

I figure I'd throw this thread up in case any Rezounders (Rezoundians? Rezoundans?) want to switch phones or use up that remaining upgrade on their family plan, but thought buying the same phone twice just didn't feel right.
As the title says, feel free to ask anything you couldn't find specified in reviews or were just curious about. I'll try to answer as best as I can. If this thread takes off, MrSmith should start a Gnex version.
Some small details:
- I've had the phone for 3 days
- Use it as a daily driver
- Still have my Rezound

My body is ready to answer your questions.

 

[jimbl]

Which do you like better? I'm not looking to change, just curious.

 

[MrSmith317]

Only question I have is "Are your eyes bleeding yet"? I played with the Maxx for about an hour the other day and I won't be picking one of them up...the screen was just not what I expected.

 

[experiment 626]

How much of a compromise is it going from the Rezound's camera performance(one of the best on Android) to the RAZR's ? I love my Rezound but really wish I had better battery life, even with the extended battery, on LTE.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Which do you like better? I'm not looking to change, just curious.

Looking at both from a stock starting point, the Rezound is a little better. It feels like starting it up and customizing it just seems more intuitive, whereas the R.M. (Razr Maxx) sort of expects you to be used to the Motorola way of working things. Not that it's not fully functional, but it isn't too welcoming at first.
As far as form factor though, I kind of like the feel of the RM in my palm a little more, but I do have bigger hands, so that plays into it as well.

Only question I have is "Are your eyes bleeding yet"? I played with the Maxx for about an hour the other day and I won't be picking one of them up...the screen was just not what I expected.

If you focus and look for it, you're gonna notice slight pixelation on brighter colors. However, this ain't the Bionic's pentile or the X2's version. I think the screen is pretty good, and the Super Amoled definitely makes the colors a little richer. Brights are brighter, darks are darker. You know the drill. Although the crispness and clarity can't match the Rezound.

How much of a compromise is it going from the Rezound's camera performance(one of the best on Android) to the RAZR's ? I love my Rezound but really wish I had better battery life, even with the extended battery, on LTE.

The camera is very workable. The shutter speed isn't the same as the Rezound's, but I haven't found myself missing a photo opportunity and capturing a blur just yet. I tried taking pictures of my daughter at the carnival. She's a year and a half old, so getting her to stand still is a part-time job.The pictures came out pretty well, with little noise and very deep colors. The trade off is that I lost a little bit of the focus I get from the Rezound. Video quality is also very good, there's no jelly effect or constant auto focus issues. I noticed that the start/stop time on the Razr's video camera is a bit faster than the Rezound's, but I wouldn't hinge a purchase decision on that feature. It's much, much, much better than the Bionic's camera, so don't think you're getting stuck with the same crap they packed in that one. So to recap, the shutter speed is a little slower, but you're getting a few benefits from that trade off.
And again, the picture quality is pretty solid, and the color tones are better represented in the Razr's camera than the Rezound, but the Rezound has better focus, so you're getting a decent increase in sharpness.

 

[anon(94115)]

so with the bigger battery, is there any extra heat given off? Just always wondered that one...

 

[Dovahkiin]

so with the bigger battery, is there any extra heat given off? Just always wondered that one...

Good question. I thoroughly tested this out on Day 1 when I downloaded like 30 apps I had on my Rezound that I wanted back.
The back doesn't get too hot. I can't say never, but from my use, the back was pretty much normal temperature throughout every single heavy download/browsing session. Hell, the Rezound's back got hotter than the RM's does. However, there's a small area on the screen near the middle where the temperature starts to get pretty damn hot after heavy use. I'm assuming that's where they crammed in most of the hardware goods. This only became a problem after downloading the 30 or so apps. The heat wasn't an issue much after that.

 

[MrSmith317]

Good question. I thoroughly tested this out on Day 1 when I downloaded like 30 apps I had on my Rezound that I wanted back.
The back doesn't get too hot. I can't say never, but from my use, the back was pretty much normal temperature throughout every single heavy download/browsing session. Hell, the Rezound's back got hotter than the RM's does. However, there's a small area on the screen near the middle where the temperature starts to get pretty damn hot after heavy use. I'm assuming that's where they crammed in most of the hardware goods. This only became a problem after downloading the 30 or so apps. The heat wasn't an issue much after that.

Is that due to the Kevlar backing? Now I'm curious because the Gnex doesn't get hot, it gets warm but it has a similar backing to the RAZR/Maxx.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Is that due to the Kevlar backing? Now I'm curious because the Gnex doesn't get hot, it gets warm but it has a similar backing to the RAZR/Maxx.

I have no idea, but I never considered that point. Not even the camera area (non-kevlar) gets too hot. Whoever designed it did a solid job at heat dissipation. Well, aside from the spot on the screen getting hot.

 

[MrSmith317]

I have no idea, but I never considered that point. Not even the camera area (non-kevlar) gets too hot. Whoever designed it did a solid job at heat dissipation. Well, aside from the spot on the screen getting hot.

I wonder why the screen gets hot on the RAZR but not the GNex. I mean the Rezound I know was because of the SLCD, but the RAZR and GNex both have LED screens... maybe that's where the heat is going on the RAZR..??

 

[Dovahkiin]

I wonder why the screen gets hot on the RAZR but not the GNex. I mean the Rezound I know was because of the SLCD, but the RAZR and GNex both have LED screens... maybe that's where the heat is going on the RAZR..??

It's not even the entire screen, it's one little segment that gathers all of the heat. My innards are begging to open this phone up and feed my curiosity. An iFixit video will suffice.

 

[MrSmith317]

It's not even the entire screen, it's one little segment that gathers all of the heat. My innards are begging to open this phone up and feed my curiosity. An iFixit video will suffice.

Phone snuff? No thanks. lol

 

[Dovahkiin]

Phone snuff? No thanks. lol

You know, I just saw one of the guys twisting and bending the back cover of a Razr. I understand the whole kevlar thing, but damn. Also, think of it as an educational autopsy.

 

[humpagardengnome]

Dovakhin & Mr Smith:
1. My SLCD spikes and gets nasty hot in a hurry using mhl/hdmi video out. What's it do onthe LED screens?
2. What kind of internal temps. are you guys seeing when you notice the warmth?
3. What's been the highest internal temp. you've seen on the LEDs?

Dovakhin: Out of curiousity, since you really seemed to be leaning toward a slider. What didn't you like about the D4 in your hands? Specs, build quality, both??

Mr Smith: What was the name of the rom you tossed on your GNex, you mentioned it in a post last week?

Pizzadude: I never noticed how hot the Rez gets when streaming video out. I think it may have been an accumulative effect from usage that fried up the internals. I'm gonna monitor my usage closely. I think you may have been onto something about that cooking my last Rez internals.

 

[MrSmith317]

Dovakhin & Mr Smith:
1. My SLCD spikes and gets nasty hot in a hurry using mhl/hdmi video out. What's it do onthe LED screens?
2. What kind of internal temps. are you guys seeing when you notice the warmth?
3. What's been the highest internal temp. you've seen on the LEDs?

Dovakhin: Out of curiousity, since you really seemed to be leaning toward a slider. What didn't you like about the D4 in your hands? Specs, build quality, both??

Mr Smith: What was the name of the rom you tossed on your GNex, you mentioned it in a post last week?

Pizzadude: I never noticed how hot the Rez gets when streaming video out. I think it may have been an accumulative effect from usage that fried up the internals. I'm gonna monitor my usage closely. I think you may have been onto something about that cooking my last Rez internals.

1) Dunno I don't have an MHL but I'll look into that
2) Warmth is the key word. Hardly any appreciable warmth on the GNex
3) I'm not sure but it's nowhere near the heat that came off of my Rezound.
The ROM I'm currently running is Paranoid Android. It's a Phone/Tablet hybrid ROM and pretty dang cool.

 

[Dovahkiin]

Dovakhin & Mr Smith:
1. My SLCD spikes and gets nasty hot in a hurry using mhl/hdmi video out. What's it do onthe LED screens?
2. What kind of internal temps. are you guys seeing when you notice the warmth?
3. What's been the highest internal temp. you've seen on the LEDs?

Dovakhin: Out of curiousity, since you really seemed to be leaning toward a slider. What didn't you like about the D4 in your hands? Specs, build quality, both??

1.) Good question. I haven't tested this out yet, but I plan to within the coming days. I gotta get my hands on a mini HDMI cable.

2.) I haven't bothered to check the temperature, but it wasn't anywhere near extreme enough to have me worried. My OG Droid and Rezound got a little hotter in similar situations. I wasn't bothered too much by those either, though.

3.) My highest temperature was after redownloading 30 or so apps that I had on my Rezound. So constant screen time + constant 4G activity = pretty warm on one certain spot on the screen. The fact that the heat was concentrated on one spot leads me to believe it's something internal gathering up the heat, not the screen itself.

Extra Question: Even though the RM was $100 more, I was pretty swayed by the battery life, superior screen, slimmer build, and the fact that the phone is slated for a Q2 ICS release, whereas the D4 was Q3. In the end, it was the Mrs. that insisted I "get with the times."

 

[dpham00]

which has a better radio?

 

[Dovahkiin]

which has a better radio?

Overall? Or anything in specific?
Both phones are very solid. I took both into my sister's lounge, which is like a twilight zone for signal. On the Rezound, I got steady but very slow 3G. On the Maxx, I got very spotty 4G, so you pick your poison on that one. The Maxx seems to pick up 4G (although pretty slow speeds) in areas where my Rez only got 3G. In normal conditions, data is steady and strong.

Call quality-wise, I haven't had a dropped call or interference of any kind on either phone. The Maxx call volume is a bit higher than the Rez though, regardless of how high you set the volume yourself. So if you consider that enough for a win, then the Maxx wins out.
Call quality was never an issue with either of these phones, and I can see why. They both function very well.

 

[dpham00]

thanks, more of just curiosity. Most that have had the Razr /maxx and rezound said that they were close in performance. Just wanted to get your input as well. I wasn't looking for a phone, but since verizon is ending unlimited data if you sign up for a subsidized phone, then I am looking at what is on the table.

 

[jimbl]

Is the speaker better on the Razr? My wifes Droid 4 has a superior speaker. Not that that is a game changer, just curious again.