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The Motorola Razr Maxx is certainly a decent phone, but it doesn't quite manage to hit the heights of the competition around it – the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S.
We liked
The battery life is excellent. The Motorola Razr Maxx exists for one purpose - to offer users a top-end smartphone that will last more than a day - and it manages it with ease.
OK, so you won't be getting a week out of it like you did a Nokia 3310, but in today's world where top-end phones limp to the charger at the end of the day, the Motorola Razr Maxx offers a refreshing change.
The Super AMOLED display is also a great feature, which enables excellent video playback and gaming. And thanks to the battery, you can do both of these for longer.
The dual-core processor makes Android Gingerbread flow smoothly, and we're fans of Motorola's smart actions app.
We disliked
The styling certainly won't suit everyone, and the wasted real estate around the screen makes the Motorola Razr Maxx look like a bigger and more cumbersome phone than it actually is.
And thanks to that stonking battery, the handset has lost the wafer-thin appeal of the original Motorola Razr – making it aesthetically less desirable.
We've become used to seeing top phones offer up seven home screens, so we're puzzled about why Motorola has stuck with just five - especially on a phone with a large display that begs to be filled with widgets.
Final verdict
The Motorola Razr Maxx enters the market at the same times as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X, which both overshadow Motorola's effort - perhaps a spec boost could have been included alongside that bigger battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is now on par with the Motorola Razr Maxx when it comes to pricing, but offers a better, 5 star, experience.
The Motorola Razr Maxx does beat these next-generation handsets when it comes to battery life – its possibly only saving grace when faced with the stiff competition.
If you're not too bothered about styling, slicker interfaces and extra features and just want a phone that will see you through a few days, then the Motorola Razr Maxx is probably the one for you.
