Motorola Droid Razr Maxx Review

The Droid Razr Maxx looks like a slightly beefier version of its older brother, the Droid Razr. In fact, a head-on shot makes the two phones look pretty much identical. If you were to hold the two phones side-by-side, however, you'd quickly notice the difference in thickness and weight between these two smartphones.

The Droid Razr Maxx measures 0.35 inches thick while the Droid Razr measures 0.28 inches thick. In addition, the Droid Razr Maxx weighs a bit more than its brother (5.1 ounces versus 4.48 ounces). With its slightly heavier form, the Droid Razr Maxx has a mid-range weight compared to other phones available today.

The Droid Razr Maxx and the Droid Razr feature the same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced qHD (540 x 960) display with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. Just as we liked the Super AMOLED display on the Droid Razr, we have found the Droid Razr Maxx's screen to be colorful, vibrant, and have excellent viewing angles.

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As far as the placement of hardware ports and keys, the Droid Razr Maxx and the Droid Razr have an identical configuration. Below the Droid Razr Maxx's 4.3-inch qHD display, you'll find four traditional touch sensitive backlit buttons (Menu, Home, Back, and Search).  The front-facing webcam is at the top of the phone just below the A in the Motorola logo.

Like the Droid Razr, the Droid Razr Maxx has a thicker area on the back of the device near the top. The difference between the thin and thick points on the Droid Razr Maxx isn't as pronounced as on the Droid Razr, but it's still evident. You'll find the 8MP camera and flash as well as the microUSB port, micro HDMI port, and headset jack in this thicker area on the back and top of the Droid Razr Maxx.

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Also like the Droid Razr, the Droid Razr Maxx has a door on the left side of the phone that opens to reveal the Micro-SIM card slot and microSD slot. The right edge of the phone houses a power button and volume rocker. The back of the phone has the same soft finish and zigzag pattern as found on the Droid Razr.

One of our complaints about the Droid Razr was that it lacked a removable back plate as well as a removable battery. Unfortunately, Motorola didn't change this design with the Droid Razr Maxx; this new version of the phone may solve some people's concerns by offering a longer battery life, but it still lacks a user-replaceable battery which is a feature we miss on any phone regardless of battery capacity.

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