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The Droid Razr M is a light, snappy little phone. It's a pleasure to whip across its multiple home screens, and those Circle widgets are just plain adorable. However, there's a lot of competition from other 4G ready handsets, even from within Motorola. Should consumers be waiting for the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD, or should they dive into the M?
We liked
If there's one thing we love about the Droid Razr M (and there's certainly more than one), it's the satisfying agility of this phone. Small enough to be carried comfortably, yet it packs a screen that's colorful and plenty big. Still, it's not too large that its cumbersome in the hand. Its 1.5 Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM provide snappy performance, even if you go crazy with the Widgets and app icons. It runs Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich beautifully, and we're looking forward to seeing what it can do with Android 4.1: Jelly Bean.
Call us tacky, but we grew to like the handset's unusual two-tone appearance. You have to stand out from the sea of iPhones somehow. Finally, Verizon's 4G LTE network did not disappoint, which is essential since it's the exclusive carrier for the Droid Razr M and its upcoming bigger siblings.
We disliked
Lets get back to that 4G network and how you'll pay out the nose for it. A 1GB a month data plan for $90 is not cheap, but, sadly, that's become the going rate for 4G service from the two largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon. We wish we could get rid of unlimited talk time and put that money towards more data. 4G service will having you burning through your gigabytes quickly.
The fidelity of the camera and screen's resolution were also disappointing. High-quality streaming videos were blurrier than we would have liked, and the indoor pictures taken by the Droid Razr M were nothing to write home about. Finally, since the battery just barely makes it through the day, the option to swap in a fresh cell would have been really nice.
Verdict
The Droid Razr M is a jack-of-all-trades kind of phone. It's overall performance and premium make it a winner; it's just surprisingly snappy and sturdy for how affordable it is. The combination of ICS and Motorola's own UI is both functional and attractive.
We'd recommend the Droid Razr M to consumers who want a balanced, affordable 4G phone with a premium feel. You might forget that it's in your pocket, but keep an eye on that data use. Those overage fees add up.
