Motorola DROID RAZR M

“The Motorola DROID RAZR M for Verizon Wireless shows how blurred the lines between mid-range and top shelf smartphones have come to be. In terms of performance, the little Moto outdid all the current US heavyweights. Only its screen prevents it from being dubbed as a proper flagship. Like all recent Motorola smartphones, the DROID RAZR M is superbly put together and good looking. Ergonomics have been taken to a completely different level for a device with a screen this size. Up until the RAZR M's arrival one-handed operation on a smartphone with 4+ screen was considered a hard task, but the compact fella handles like a much smaller device. While we can live with the uninspiring (but still pretty good) screen of the DROID RAZR M, given its price tag, we can't say the same about the software experience. Verizon's involvement in what is otherwise a pleasant blend of Motorola customizations and pure Google is way too intrusive. We do not recall dealing with so much bloatware in the past - that includes Verizon devices too. Motorola and Verizon are asking the highly-acceptable $99.99 for the DROID RAZR M. A quick look at Amazon Wireless however, and you can snag the device for cool 50 bucks with a two-year commitment. You will get a lot of smartphone for the money, even considering the handset's software woes.”

“Overall I was pretty impressed with the Motorola Razr M. The handset is a fast performer, with a decent display and software that’s helpful while not being intrusive. At $99 the phone is a great deal for anyone looking to pick up an inexpensive LTE handset on Verizon. If you don’t need a new phone for a few months, Motorola’s Razr HD and Razr HD Maxx are also headed to Verizon later this year -– with 720p displays — that might be worth waiting for.”

“The Droid RAZR M is a solid smartphone: it features great build quality, snappy performance, fast data, comfortable dimensions, and a bright display, and it does so at price that doesn’t break the bank. It’s not without its faults, I would have really loved to seen a higher resolution display and better camera, but for the most part, there’s a lot to like here. But at the end of the day, the RAZR M just doesn’t arouse the emotion that other smartphones do, which is exactly the same problem that earlier Motorola smartphones had. Its build, while solid, doesn’t match the fit and finish of the iPhone 4S or the HTC One X. The M lacks the wow factor and funky software tricks that smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III offer, and though Motorola’s user interface isn’t intrusive, it’s not the same as the stock version of Android available on the Galaxy Nexus. If you want the best smartphone Motorola currently offers, you would do better with the Atrix HD, provided you can switch to AT&T. But if you are upgrading from a RAZR or RAZR Maxx from last year, and plan to stick with Verizon, the RAZR M offers a nicer display, faster processor, smaller size, and that all-important promise of an upgrade to Android 4.1, making it a suitable update to last year’s models. Of course, with the RAZR HD and RAZR HD Maxx (both of which feature 720p HD displays) expected to arrive before the end of this year, your patience may be rewarded.”

“It's not the revolutionary Google-Motorola mashup we've all been waiting for, but, when judged on its own merits, this phone is awesome. The build quality is better than many flagship devices. It's fast, and the reception and speaker are amazing. The hardware is an entirely new class of budget phone, and, while it won't get the press, I feel that this is just as game-changing as the Nexus 7 was. All other budget phones should be compared to this. This is how you do cheap. The software is pointlessly different and ugly, but it isn't broken. Everything works, it's fast, and, for the most part, it makes sense. This is all mostly a side effect of how little they've actually changed. This is the lightest skin out there, and probably the second best thing to stock Android. The screen sucks, but you get used to it. It's a budget phone anyway. That's one of the first things you give up. How is this only $100? Sure, it's small, but it's feels more premium than phones that cost twice that much. Motorola has its component cost percentages right: Spend some money on the materials. Other manufactures should take note. If you need a budget phone, or a small phone, buy this.”