Now that the powerful new Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD has been shown to the public, we're here to compare it to its predecessor, the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx. Is it a true HD revolution, or just another fork in the road?
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: release dates
The original Droid Razr Maxx was unleashed upon the public as we rang in the New Year in January 2012. While Motorola has not given an exact release date for the Droid Razr Maxx HD, it has said that the phone is headed for a fall release, just in time for the holiday rush.
This means the Droid Razr Maxx was allowed less than a year of relevancy before the arrival of its successor. The poor thing.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: android operating system
The original Droid Razr Maxx launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, and eventually received an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Ironically, that's the same OS that the Droid Razr Maxx HD will launch with when it arrives in the fall. Don't worry, Motorola has promised that the phone will receive an update to Android 4.1: Jelly Bean before the year is over. Android OS designer Google owns Motorola now, so a patch shouldn't be too hard to facilitate.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: processor
The brain of the cell phone! The Droid Razr Maxx packs a still-pretty-punchy dual core 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The Droid Razr Maxx HD ups the ante with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: memory
The Droid Razr Maxx and the Droid Razr Maxx HD both pack 1GB of RAM.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: display
Here's where the Droid Razr Maxx HD starts to set itself apart from the Droid Razr Maxx. The Droid Razr Maxx HD boasts a 4.7-inch multitouch screen with a 1280 x 720 resolution. That blows the 540 x 960 screen on its predecessor clean out of the water (hence the HD moniker).
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: storage
Here's another big upgrade: the Maxx HD comes with 32GB of internal storage, with the possibility of an additional 32GB via MicroSD card. The original Droid Razr Maxx has the same SD card option, but has onboard storage of only 8GB.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: camera
Getting same-y again, both phones feature a primary 8MP video camera that shoots in 1080p. For front-facing chat cameras, but use a 1.3MP camera that capture in 720p.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: network
Both phones are ready to rock on Verizon's 4G LTE network.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: dimensions and weight
Thanks to that big screen, the Droid Razr Maxx HD is slightly bigger than the Droid Razr Maxx, and a tad weightier. The Droid Razr Maxx HD measures 131.9 x 67.9 x 9.3 mm and weighs 157 grams. The slightly smaller and lighter Droid Razr Maxx is 130.7 x 68.9 x 9 mm and 145 grams.
Droid Razr Maxx HD vs Droid Razr Maxx: battery life
Great battery life was one of the main selling points of the Droid Razr Maxx. While no one has had enough time with the new Maxx HD to test the battery, both phones feature a massive 3300 mAh lithium-ion battery.
The battery life of the first Droid Razr Maxx wowed us, after ninety minutes of our patented TechRadar battery test, its charge was at 90%. Compare that to 60% on the HTC One X, 74% on the iPhone 4S and 84% on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and you should be impressed.
While the beefier hardware of the Maxx HD might take a chunk out of that, don't be surprised if it scores highly as well.
