The first 3.6Mbps HSDPA phone on AT&T's network features stereo Bluetooth and a high-resolution screen. Is it the best RAZR yet, or is it time to put the RAZR to bed?
Review summary of the Motorola RAZR V3xx:
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 The Motorola RAZR V3xx is the pinnacle of RAZR phones -- as well it should be, given that Moto has had nearly four years to perfect this aging model. Its only competitor among the other RAZRs is the V3i, but only because we're fans of that phone's iTunes music app. We liked the V3xx's crisp and bright high-resolution screen, along with its clear-sounded calls, robust calling options, and solid video (although it's hard to recommend a phone for streaming video clips with true mobile TV around the corner). Otherwise, the V3xx features all our favorite options, like stereo Bluetooth support and compatibility with our downloaded Napster tunes. There is room for improvement, of course, especially with the phone's still-bland interface and music player. That said, if you're dying to jump onto the RAZR bandwagon at this late date, the V3xx is the one to get. Release: January 2007. Price: $100.
Pros: Excellent video support; high-speed HSDPA networking; very good call quality; wide range of calling features.
Cons: Keyboard, and the RAZR design as a whole, are getting tired; browser has trouble with layout on complicated pages; no accessories for multimedia.
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Full Motorola RAZR V3xx Review:
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Design:
It's a RAZR, so you know what it looks like. The RAZR V3xx has a little Cingular orange guy (poor little orange guy, we hardly knew ye) icon on one button near the 5-way key, which gives you Web access, and a Cingular Video button on the opposing side. There is a mysterious, glossy black rectangle on the hinge facing the user where customers in other countries get a front-facing camera for video conferencing, but not here in the U.S., unfortunately. The screen is the best we have seen on a RAZR by far: a 2.2-inch, 262,000-color, QVGA display that looks crisp browsing pictures and especially when viewing text. The interface is similar to older RAZRs, even dating back to the original RAZR V3 interface, but looks more polished, with better looking fonts, nice color gradients and smooth animations on icons and progress bars.
Our favorite: It's a nice RAZR
Our request: Re-imagine the RAZR; something cooler, thinner and lighter than the KRZR
Calling: Very good
The RAZR V3xx makes calls that sound clean and clear, with no static or digital distortion. Calls were dropped a few times on Cingular's network in suburban New Jersey (where we did not get HSDPA reception), but we ran our tests in lower Manhattan without incident. Reception was strong; we typically got 4-5 bars, and found the 3G network everywhere in New York. In Jersey, without 3G reception, we got just under 4 hours of talk time, though Cingular admits that 3G shortens the battery life slightly, even when you are not using the data capabilities. The phone has a wealth of calling options, including speaker-independent voice dialing, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone. Three-way calling required some light menu drilling, but was no problem to connect. The address book was comprehensive for a non-smartphone, with fields for e-mail, postal address, URL and unique ringer IDs. The contact list also supports live, while-you-type searching.
Our favorite: Speaker-independent voice dialing is one of our favorite features
Our request: Bring non-linear voicemail from the iPhone to other AT&T phones
Messaging: Good
The RAZR V3xx has more messaging options than other RAZRs we've seen, but its flat keypad holds it back. The keypad is mostly unchanged from the earliest RAZR models, with only a slight increase in the meandering ridge between the etched keys. Messaging isn't impossible, but certainly could be more comfortable with well-defined, discrete buttons and a bit more travel for each key. Instant messaging for Yahoo, MSN and AIM users is built-in, but the phone lacks an e-mail inbox, a curious omission. A separate Java app handles preset e-mail from Yahoo, MSN and AOL, but IMAP and POP support are lacking.
Our favorite: The improved screen means clear, legible type
Our request: Smooth, rounded, raised keys
Camera: Poor
The snapshots we took with the Motorola RAZR V3xx were blurry and faded, with generally poor color. Unfortunately, this has become the norm, as phone manufacturers dutifully cram a camera into every phone but skimp on the lens. Don't let the respectable 1.3-megapixel sensor fool you; images are almost unusable. The interface is convenient, with options that are easy to change with the five-way switch, though nothing helps the poor image quality. No editing is available, but should you want to sideload your pictures to your PC, or, heaven forbid, print your pictures, both options are available from the image browser.
Our favorite: Interface is easy to use
Our request: A much better lens, or omit the camera entirely
Video: Excellent
The video experience on the RAZR V3xx is excellent, but is strangely divided into two distinct programs. First, there is Cingular Video, which is accessible via a button on the keypad. This includes various short clips from HBO, Comedy Central and Fox, as well as others. Videos load quickly, and though they look slightly low-res, they run smoothly, without stuttering. The V3xx can display these videos full screen in landscape mode, which is accessible from the options menu. Second, you can download and subscribe to MobiTV, which offers longer streams than the clips you'll find on Cingular Video. MobiTV has network channels, news and comedy, as well as viral videos from iFilm, which are a fun distraction. Unfortunately, the MobiTV app does not support full screen viewing, so you'll be stuck watching a small window. MobiTV does have a nice channel guide, which lists programming for each of its 35 channels. Thankfully, both services support stereo Bluetooth audio. Had Cingular simply combined the two, you’d have a great experience that could act as a stopgap until the recently announced MediaFlo support is ready to go.
Our favorite: The channel guide in MobiTV makes browsing content easy and fast
Our request: Full-screen video everywhere you look
Audio: Good
Though the inclusion of Cingular Music on the RAZR V3xx is admirable, we still prefer the iTunes interface and music transfer from the V3i, even with its 100-song limitation. Still, the ability to use Napster and Yahoo Music on the phone was nice. Music transferring is handled entirely through these third party apps, or Windows Media Player, if you prefer. Stereo Bluetooth headphones were easy to setup and sounded very good. The audio player itself was a bit bare, we prefer more options, like an EQ or more playlist setup options. If you choose not to subscribe to a music download service, Cingular also packages streaming radio through MobiRadio and XM satellite radio. Both offer a good selection, though we preferred XM's channels, and both sounded the same, a bit digitized with some audio artifacts, but otherwise clean. The phone lacks dedicated music buttons, though, so expect some menu drilling to access tunes.
Our favorite: Loading our extensive Napster playlist onto the phone
Our request: Dedicated music buttons to start playing with one touch
Web browsing: Very Good
The RAZR V3xx surfs the Web on Cingular's 3.6Mbps HSDPA network, which is the fastest network available in the U.S. With no tethered modem support, we couldn't get more specific details about our actual browsing speeds, but in side-by-side tests against our Palm Treo 700p running on Sprint's EV-DO network, the V3xx easily bested the Treo downloading The New York Times homepage and our own infoSync World site. Of course, the layout for The Times was seriously jumbled on the RAZR, and scrolling took a long time with the simple 5-way button. Still, the fast download times made us wish that Cingular bundled tethered modem support for this device.
Our favorite: Very fast load times over the HSDPA network
Our request: Better layout handling by the browser
Accessories: Poor
To get the most out of the RAZR V3xx's music capabilities, you will need a microSD card, a USB cable and a set of headphones, preferably stereo Bluetooth headphones to take advantage of the A2DP support. Cingular bundles none of these with the phone; instead, you need to buy a separate accessory kit, or find each accessory a la carte. This is an unfortunate trend we've seen from the two largest mobile carriers, Verizon Wireless and Cingular, to keep accessories out of the box. We understand asking people to buy their own stereo headphones, but a microSD card and a USB cable should be included, at the very least. Also, since the law in many states requires you to use a hands-free microphone while driving, we'd like to see a mono earpiece/microphone included as well.
Price and availability
The Motorola RAZR V3xx is available from AT&T Wireless for $150 with a contract. A mail-in rebate of $50 is available, when signing up for a qualifying plan.
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