Yesterday, Motorola Mobility launched three new smartphones – the first to come from the manufacturer since its acquisition by Google earlier this year. The new devices focus heavily on battery power, with one offering up to 32 hours of use on a single charge.
Quite overshadowed by Nokia’s unveiling of its Lumia 920 and 820 Windows Phone 8 smartphones, the Motorola Mobility event saw the launch of three new Android smartphones: the Razr M, Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD.
Razr M
The Razr M is the smallest of the new batch, but its edge-to-edge display gives it 4.3 inches of Super AMOLED screen with virtually no border, prompting Motorola to spin it as ‘the full-screen phone’. By comparison, the Razr M display is 40pc larger than the iPhone 4S, which means more viewing space and a wider keyboard for users.
Swipe-by-swipe tutorials on how to use the phone indicate that Motorola is targeting the Razr M at smartphone newbies, and the price will likely entice them, too, with the device going on sale with the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network in the US for just under US$100.
The Razr M also comes with an 8MP rear camera, 1080p video capture and battery-saving technology Motorola has dubbed SmartActions.
Razr HD
Battery power – a weak point with many smartphones – is a clear focus of Motorola’s new range, and the Razr HD offers up to 10 hours of video playback, or six hours of online browsing. It also packs a 4.7-inch HD display which Motorola claims has 85pc greater colour saturation and 50pc more pixels per inch than the iPhone 4S.
Droid Razr Maxx HD
But the battery power of both the Razr M and Razr HD – and every other smartphone on the market – is left cowering in the wake of the super-powerful Droid Razr Maxx HD. If Motorola’s tests are to be believed, this smartphone can run for up to 32 hours – offering 13 hours of straight-up video playback, or eight hours of web browsing – making the Droid Razr Maxx HD the longest-lasting LTE smartphone out there.
More to come?
As well as powerful batteries, all of the new Motorola smartphones are built to last with Corning Gorilla Glass displays and DuPont Kevlar fibre available on some models. Showcasing the best of what its new daddy can offer, the Motorola devices come with everything you’d expect from an Android smartphone, with Google’s Chrome, YouTube and Maps apps pre-loaded, and Voice Actions for Android enabled. Each device runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, upgradeable to 4.1 Jelly Bean.
European release information is not yet available, but Motorola Mobility is planning a press event in London on 18 September. Invites say ‘Let us take you to the edge’ with the hashtag #motoedge so whether this will reveal more details on these three smartphones or reveal something else up Motorola’s sleeve remains to be seen.
