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Motorola Unveils The DROID RAZR for Verizon – Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger.

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Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha took the stage just moments ago to announce their new pride and joy, the DROID RAZR. The device boasts the world’s thinnest profile measuring in at just 7.1mm thin and weighing only 127 grams. It’s not only thin and light but it’s also built to take a beating thanks to its stainless steel core, laser-cut kevlar fiber outer body, tough Gorilla Glass display, water resistance with Splash-guard technology and carbon fiber accents.

So what’s powering this device? For starters, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. The device also features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, 8MP camera with 1080p video recording, 1800mAh battery promising 12.5 hours of 3G talk time and takes full advantage of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Of course, the DROID RAZR also features full compatibility with the newly announced Motorola ACTV.

On the software side, it will be running on Android 2.3.5 and Motorola is putting emphasis on their “Smart Actions” for extended battery life. These Smart Actions allow for the device to automatically turn off Bluetooth when you get home, underclock the CPU when battery is low and promises 30% better battery life than similar devices without it. According to Sanjay the most important software feature is their Motocast software for storing personal media to the cloud. All your music, pictures, videos can be accessed through Motocast.

The Motorola Droid RAZR will be priced at $300 with pre-orders starting on Oct 27th for Verizon Wireless and a launch in November. The device will also be available worldwide in North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa.

Full press releases below:

Motorola Mobility Unveils the New Motorola RAZR™: Impossibly Thin Meets Head-turning Innovation

With an ultra-thin, lightweight design and mind-blowing features, Motorola RAZR is about to make heads turn

Oct. 18, 2011

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Oct. 18, 2011 – Say hello to the jaw-dropping new Motorola RAZR, brought to you by Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI). Impossibly thin at 7.1 millimeters with sexy curves to boot, this beauty will be available in North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa starting this November. Boasting a gorgeous sculpted glass face, diamond-cut aluminum accents and a hyper-vibrant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display for incredibly vivid images. Motorola RAZR also sports KEVLAR® fiber (yes, that KEVLAR) and Corning®Gorilla® Glass to help the screen stand up to scratches and scrapes. In fact, every part of Motorola RAZR is protected by a splash-guard coating – even the electrical boards inside. This work of art is a force to be reckoned with.

If that’s not enough, pop the hood and find a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor with an impressive 1GB of RAM, all powered by Android 2.3.5. You’ll fly through tasks up to two times faster than single-core processor phones. Stream or download music and photos from your home or work computer with the easy-to-use MOTOCAST app1. Watch movies on a screen that sports a wider range of colors than most LCD HDTVs. And for that inspiring filmmaker in you, use the 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture for crisp, clear, cinematic-quality images.

“Motorola RAZR is an iconic brand, and one that originally revolutionized the mobile device industry by turning a functional necessity into an object of desire,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO, Motorola Mobility. “Now we’ve done it again with a head-turning, ultra-thin smartphone that offers users breathtaking speed, innovative apps and revolutionary accessories.”

Close to Home, Wherever You Go
Your favorite music playlists, from classic rock to heavy metal. Pics of every vacation, from road trip to romantic getaway. With Motorola RAZR it’s all at your fingertips, all the time. With the free preloaded MotoCast app, you can stream content from your computer straight to your pocket (or purse) so your personal content is always within reach. Whether you’re across the street or across the country, you can rock your playlists or breeze through photos instantly – without hogging your device’s memory. And, because you don’t have to upload to a third-party site, you’re saving time while gaining peace of mind. That’s right – your files stay safe because they stay with you.

Life Has Never Looked Better
“Super AMOLED Advanced display technology.” It sounds futuristic because it is. Whether you stream or download your movies, hyper-vibrant colors make watching flicks on-the-go just as thrilling as watching at home on your HDTV. And zero motion-blur keeps the action smooth, so you can focus on the story, not the screen. Capture the excitement of your own life with the 8-megapixel rear camera and 1080p HD video recording, or chat with a friend using the front-facing HD video camera. No need for clunky, expensive camera equipment.

Work Smart. Not Hard.
Featuring government-grade encryption for protecting your email, contacts and calendar, this device has been deemed “Business Ready” by Motorola’s enterprise experts. Even your strict IT manager will be impressed. Hassle factor? Zero. Plus, Motorola RAZR is equipped with the Motorola Smart Actions app that lets you automate everyday tasks and enable better battery life. Smart Actions can turn down the ringer when you step into work, change the Bluetooth and GPS settings when you get home to save battery, or send a text to someone if you miss their call. It’s the simple things in life that make all the difference.

Accessories Unlock a World of Experiences
Motorola RAZR is powerful on its own, but when combined with Motorola’s accessories (sold separately), you unleash a world of possibilities. Use the new Motorola Lapdock 500 Pro or Lapdock 100 to let loose Motorola’s revolutionary webtop application, giving you the power to edit documents and browse the Web with a desktop-class Firefox® browser – all while powering the device. Or, plug your Motorola RAZR into the HD Dock or HD Station to connect to your HDTV, speakers and other productivity peripherals for large-screen entertainment. And now, you can control your content, browse the web, and use your Android apps from the comfort of your couch with the Smart Controller. The built in touch-pad lets you zoom, pinch and rotate content just like a touchscreen. Best of all, no more running for your phone when a call comes in, you can make and take calls while your phone is docked. You can also connect a navigation dock for GPS and directions, battery pack for extra life, Bluetooth®-enabled keyboard for efficient typing, and the elegantly designed, almost-invisible Motorola ELITE SLIVER headset for discrete, hands-free talking. You’ll have the brains, brawn and beauty to make the impossible possible.

Verizon Wireless and Motorola Announce DROID RAZR™ by Motorola: DROID Strong. RAZR Sharp.

Impossibly thin with unstoppable power on America’s fastest and most reliable 4G network

Oct. 18, 2011

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Today, Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) and Verizon Wireless announced DROID RAZR™ by Motorola, the world’s thinnest 4G LTE smartphone. A true marvel of design, this smartphone packs strength and smarts into a stylish package offered exclusively from Verizon Wireless.

Measuring 7.1 mm thin, made with KEVLAR® fiber for strength and Corning® Gorilla® Glass for scratch resistance, the DROID RAZR is ready to face the elements. Speed limits are just an illusion with a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and Verizon Wireless 4G LTE. DROID RAZR customers can expect to rip through the Web with speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G.

“DROID RAZR by Motorola combines style, performance and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network into one innovative device,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “These are two iconic brands that separately symbolize the best technology available today. The combination will provide an unsurpassed wireless experience for customers.”

“DROID RAZR by Motorola is a testament to the innovation and design possibilities that stem from a strong partnership between Motorola Mobility and Verizon Wireless,” said Sanjay Jha, Chairman and CEO, Motorola Mobility. “We set out to design the best smartphone on the planet and delivered DROID RAZR which is thinner, smarter, stronger than any device on the market.”

Not only does DROID RAZR by Motorola deliver heart-pounding speed, but it has a mind-bending 4.3-inch hyper-vibrant display with more colors than most LCD HDTVs. The Super AMOLED™ Advanced display with qHD resolution dishes out beautiful images and smooth action so on-the-go movies and TV shows aren’t a blur, whether customers stream from Netflix™ or rent from Android Market™. It’s the first smartphone capable of streaming movies and TV shows through Netflix with up to HD resolution.

DROID RAZR customers can take advantage of the Super AMOLED Advanced display and 4G LTE speeds to stream videos with NFL Mobile, only from Verizon. Fans can stay up to date on news, schedules and scores from their favorite teams on the go. NFL Mobile is included at no additional charge for 4G LTE customers for the remainder of the 2011 season.

If cutting-edge visuals are its beauty, apps on DROID RAZR are its brains. Enter MotoCast™, the free Motorola app that lets you stream or download your music, pictures and more from your PC to your phone. The Smart Actions app helps automate everyday tasks and optimizes battery efficiency by letting customers create rules, such as automatically setting the phone to vibrate during work hours or dimming the display at a specific battery level. The revolutionary webtop application allows customers to combine the device with separately sold accessories, like the Lapdock™ 100 or HD Station, unleashing the power to edit documents and browse the Web with a full Firefox® browser on a larger screen – all while charging the device.

Additional features:

  • Powered by Android 2.3.5, Gingerbread
  • 1GB RAM for a fast user interface and multi-tasking
  • 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video capture and image stabilization technology for crisp and clear videos
  • Front-facing HD camera for video chat over 4G LTE, 3G or Wi-Fi
  • 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot capable so customers can share 4G LTE speed with up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices
  • Water repellent nanocoating protects the phone, and even the inside components, against everyday spills
  • Remote wipe, pin lock and government-grade encryption for email, calendar and contacts as well as voice and video chat conferencing
  • Use Quickoffice® to view, create and edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on your mobile device from anywhere at anytime
  • Bluetooth 4.0 low energy
  • 32 GB memory: 16 GB on board and 16 GB microSD card pre-installed (actual formatted capacity is less)
  • Powerful 1780 mAh battery

The DROID RAZR will be available in early November for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement at all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at:www.verizonwireless.com; as well as at authorized retailers. Customers can visitwww.droiddoes.com/droidrazr to pre-order DROID RAZR beginning on October 27. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

 

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

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61 Comments

  1. This is the best phone until tonight’s event.

  2. they will rue the day the went back to $299. anyway! no NFC no go.

    1. They’ll be laughing all the way to the bank, more like it.

  3. I AM CONFLICTED!?!

  4. I think I’m in love.

  5. Moto’s phone sounds Amazing(and more appealing than the Nexus to me).

    1. The one that hasn’t officially been announced?
      I am excited too but need to wait and see a presentation tonight.

    2. I think it looks like a great device. If I wasn’t so determined to get a Nexus phone, I would pick the Razr up in a heartbeat.

      1. I really want the nexus prime too, but Kevlar, carbon fibre and gorilla glass…that’s almost too cool to pass up!

    3. If the RAZR launched with Ice Cream Sandwich, it would be a REAL tough choice..

    4. Except the probability of a locked bootloader.

  6. Ummmmm…all I have to say is that Samsung better bring it tonight or this will be my new phone.

  7. Please let us know if its loaded with verizons bloatware. I’m still way more interested in the Galaxy Nexus. This is still a great device with the specs and all, no idea when ICS will be available?? that will hurt.

  8. If the bootloader is unlocked, I may consider it. NFC isn’t too important right now as support is still limited. It’s still in the gimmick realm.

    1. well, dont forget it just a software update away. you`ll be locked in for 2 years then next year it`ll be an NFC explosion…i cant risk it :)

      1. You’ve got a point there =p

  9. Motoblur + Gingerbread + Lack of hardware keyboard = no go for me

    1. Totally agree with motoblur and gingerbread, i hate my keyboard on my OG droid as i never use it.. This will be my second choice though if something goes horribly wrong tonight.

      1. Don’t forget about the Rezound. I’m thinking 1. Nexus 2. Rezound 3. RAZR

        1. The only way I would consider the Rezound is if the Battery life is good. Since it’s HTC, i doubt it will be good.

          1. You had me at fruit pies.

        2. The Rezound is the same old tired design that HTC loves shoving down peoples throats. It’s your personal opinion but It doesn’t even appear on my list. Sense is great and all but I’m talking in terms of design. It is stale already it is time for HTC to use a new design or form factor.

  10. Its about time Moto goes to AMOLED…Pentile LCD’s suck!!! This may be a great alternative to those folks (like me) thinking a 4.7″ phone is creeping up to the “too big” category.

    1. FYI…..AMOLED is Pentile in some versions. GS was Pentile….G-Nex/Nex Prime will be Pentile….

  11. @jayrock. I agree, no NFC its a no go. Even though support is limited, it will get better. I don’t understand why MOTO wouldn’t put NFC in this phone. All new Android phones from now on should have NFC as far as I’m concerned.

    1. NFC would make it thicker so RAZR brand wouldn’t make any sense.

    2. But you can only use NFC at a handful of retailers. Not really a make-or-break I wouldn’t think. At least not until sometime next year.

      1. Chris any word on if this thing has a notification light? I depend on that thing way more than I probably should!

        1. It wasn’t mentioned. Motorola devices generally do though, right? We’ll have some hands-on video uploaded shortly so I’m thinking we could see it there…

  12. Does anyone know if this phone will be able to take screen shots??????

  13. It’s.nice to see Moto stepping back in thering.

  14. $300… so i take it that means about £400 in the uk lol. ive always been a hardware keyboard fan, but this is seriously making me consider switching

  15. I’m interested in the SAMOLED diplay tech here. I wonder if this is manufactured by Samsung and how it compares to the Galaxy S2 HD variants being announced.. Pentile vs. RGB matrix, etc. I would have loved for my new Sprint Epic Touch to have qHD.. WVGA is the only negative aspect of it.

  16. Most impotant questions unanswered:
    Locked Bootloader?
    Motoblur?
    The same ol’ crappy update policy?

    1. For the Record, Motorola gets out updates much faster that other handset makers. Thunderbolt is still on Froyo, and so are many Galaxy S devices =p

      1. My wife’s Galaxy S device (Continuum) is still on Eclair. Go Samsung.

        1. It’s the carriers, people! T-Mo and Verizon have each had a 2.3 leak for their SGS, AT&T has had two, and yet they won’t push them to the customers. Not sure about Sprint, but Europe’s been solid 2.3 for half a year!

          Compare the Contiuum to the Backflip/Cliq/Cliq 2/Charm/ etc…

          Lastly, Cyanogen’s on Samsung’s payroll!!!!

      2. Depends on where you are. The Droid 1 got Froyo in August 2010, IIRC.
        The international twin, the Milestone, got it starting with April 2011. And that update was buggy as hell.

    2. You can see Motoblur in the screenshots.

  17. I can’t find the info…does this thing have micro-HDMI out?
    Is it a proprietary charger like the damn Xoom or is micro-USB?

  18. Sharp looking device, if this is what they would have put out instead of the bionic, i’d have been all over this. But with the nexus and Vigor (Yes, I am always going to call it the vigor), I’m afraid the Razr just isn’t that appealing to me.

    I am in complete agreement with GawkerR.S., Nexus is my first choice (the nexus phones always get the most ROM community attention) unless some kind of deal breaker is presented, in which case the VIGOR is my second choice (my wife’s unrooted Incredible 2 still impresses me, I think HTC knows their stuff, just boring looking hardware), and if something ain’t right there, I’ll stick with the devil I know (moto) and pick up this very sharp razr.

    I so envy iphone people, no choice to make, the church of jobs just tells them what to get and they get it, none of this annoying choice stuff to conflict themselves with….

  19. Build quality sounds superb..I like it

  20. The title sounds like that Audi commercial

  21. No removable battery makes this a no go for me, no matter how much I think I want it.

    1. Agree and not to mention that lte kills battery so a removable battery is a must, otherwise I would get an iphone if i wanted a battery I couldn’t remove.

    2. With the battery not being removable, does that mean the memory card can’t be updated as well?

      1. It has a micro sd card, so I’ll assume it can be.

  22. Here is a question I have been constantly fighting with myself about… I have been very loyal to moto android devices, have had moto since the OG droid (droid 2, x1, x2) Love the look, feel, and over all build quality of moto over others.

    Now I am also very much a advocate of vanilla android device ala rooting or a nexus device…

    What do people think now that Moto is soon to be owned by google… Do you go RAZR even though its Motoblur filled etc, and we hope google will give it “special” treatment/support since moto is now their child or do you go Galaxy Nexus, since it is a nexus device, even though its a samsung and not owned by google

    1. The Googorola deal still won’t close for at least a few months, and it will no doubt be several more months after that before any projects that might be affected by Google’s control will come to fruition. Besides, we know that Motorola will be run independently, so it’s anyone’s guess whether the acquisition will ever lead to vanilla phones or unlocked bootloaders.

      I think it’s always best to make purchasing decisions based on the facts today, not hopes for the future.

  23. Wow This actually turned out to look be pretty nice, looks like it could be a good device for any1 on verizon, i would take over other droids. But i am still content with my Sprint Galaxy S2 (though i am paying close attention to the launch of the Galaxy Nexus and ICS tonight :] )

    1. Absolutely correct. 3 things here: Moto has never been famous for the quality of their camera sensors…in fact, they tend to be truly awful. Secondly, bootloaders! Samsungs are unlocked, and Moto makes it their business to lock everything down tight. Finally…I truly hate that bulge at the top. Slight bulge at the bottom aides in one handed operation, as it rests against the bottom fingers to prevent slipping. Top-heavy bulges make dropping the phone easier. I guess that’s why they have to bring on the Kevlar!

  24. The phone is not as attractive at I thought it would be : /

  25. I’m wondering about the screen too.. . Is the manufacturing facility for amoled in brazil all done and finished? And now samsung have enough to distribute the screen to other manufacturers?

    Hmmm maybe this is a samsung made screen and with google buying motorola mobile division, samsung couldn’t say no to google to have their screen on a motorola device..

    I don’t like this design! The corners are just ugggh, yea it looks different but the curved corners not really nice looking.. Imo

  26. Just read a live blog, claimed the Bionic had an AMOLED 840×480 screen. (She had just reviewed it days ago…) Girl thinks shes a tech writer? I facepalmed so hard… But anyways, anyone know the resolution?
    Edit: nvm found it.

  27. Beautiful.

  28. What’s up with that app dock?

    Looks similar to apple’s app dock used in the iPhone and their computers.

    Is it possible to change the moto one from the options?

  29. if this had stock android it would be my new phone, but my next phone will be rezound/nexus (nexus if verizon gets it for sure but its never a for sure thing with verizon)

  30. actually if theres no nexus for verizon i might go iphone 4s i dont ant bloatware again

  31. Wow, very very impressive. The first non Samsung phone to have a Super Amoled screen, super thin and still a big 1780mAh battery. Awesome construction too. Just like the Galaxy S II and Nexus Prime,it totally kills the pathetic iPhone 4S.

  32. Wow I’m amazed at just how good this looks. Kudos to you Motorola. I’m not buying this but I have to give credit to them. This and the Nexus will be the cream of androids crop.

  33. Well, since Google now owns Motorola mobile the locked bootloader could change in the future.

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