Simple Technology Choices - Cell Phones - Verizon Motorola RAZR V3c Review

The Motorola RAZR V3c from Verizon

Ease of Use: Overall Rating:

Reviewed by Jamie Lendino 7/15/06

The Motorola RAZR, in its various incarnations, has been on the market for almost two years. The RAZR V3c is a newer version and the first to be offered on Verizon’s network. It keeps all the usual RAZR virtues intact, including its anodized aluminum housing, gorgeous looks and a beautifully thin design that you’ll barely notice in your pocket.

The V3c is ever so slightly thicker (0.57 inches vs. 0.54 inches) than the original, though we didn’t notice it until we put the two models back to back. The flat keypad works better here than it does on T-Mobile's PEBL, and poses no problem in normal use. Our phone exhibited a slight looseness in the hinge and the top of the keypad, but it had been tested before and had an unknown history. Other RAZRs we’ve tested all had tightly wound hinges with close tolerances.

Sound quality is clear and noise free, with slightly muffled treble. It’s not the clearest sounding phone we’ve heard, though it’s close. We were less enthused with the camera. It uses a new 1.3 megapixel sensor, which is normally superior to the VGA cameras on less expensive phones. But test photos were over-exposed, with blown out highlights.

Taking pictures and saving them required one key press each. Sending a picture to another phone was easy – just type in the number – but to send one to an email address, you simply have to change the input mode from numbers to letters (as opposed to other phones, which usually offer separate “send to phone” and “send to e-mail address” options). It wasn’t obvious, but once we learned that, it was simple to do.

On Verizon’s network, you get a totally revamped menu system with the RAZR V3c compared to Motorola’s usual confusing interface (like the one built into the U6 PEBL). The RAZR V3c uses a combination of icons and text for its menus, meaning that you don’t have to decipher cryptic graphics. Combined with the 4-way control pad and dedicated volume buttons, we found it easy to add new contacts, and adjust ring and answering settings without cracking open the manual. Nearly everything is clearly laid out, though we had one minor gripe: setting the preferences for the answering keys was buried under four sub-menus.

The beautiful looks and size of the RAZR V3c, not to mention its intelligently designed menus, make it a great choice.

Pros: simple to use, ultra thin, good call quality
Cons: dim external screen, poor camera

Details:

Motorola RAZR V3c
Carrier: Verizon
Price: $69.99 w/2 year plan
Dimensions: 3.9 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 3.5 ounces
Camera: 1.3 megapixel
Bluetooth: Yes
Card slot: No
Battery Life: 3 hours 20 minutes talk time

Ease of Use Rating: 4.5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars