Motorola Razr i review

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An Intel Atom processor and Android Ice Cream sandwich on board mean that the Motorola Razr i is squaring up to the Samsung Galaxy S3

Can the Motorola Razr i take on the likes of the iPhone 5, Samung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X? It's certainly going to try and with popular models such as the Razr and Motorola Razr Maxx laying the ground work, the latest model has got plenty to live up to.

Motorola Razr i: Build

While the Razr phones of old have been stylish and distinctive, the Razr i is the sensible, high quality smartphone that wants to please everyone, not just early adopters and Android fan boys. Thin, light and every inch the rugged iPhone rival, we can see the advantages of a tough phone which looks attractive.

The back of the Razr i features a rubber surface which adds extra grip and the front of the Razr i has an impressive edge to edge Gorilla Glass screen which sits within a hefty yet slim bezel. SIM and MicroSD slots sit behind a secure plastic panel on the left of the Razr i while volume, camera and standby switches sit on the right.

The largespeaker on the reverse of the Razr i is loud and works well for radio when placed screen side down. Dimensions-wise, the Razr i manages sleek measurements at 122.5 x 60.9 x 8.3 mm.

Motorola Razr i: Features

The 4.3 inch edge to edge screen is the stand out feature in such a small, light body and the 2Ghz Intel Atom processor and Ice Cream Sandwich OS support a decent 8 megapixel camera which can snap 10 shots per second.

Motorola hasn't skinned Android with any bloat-ware and the 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage keeps the price down - the money has been spent on general build and the most powerful single core processor to appear in a smartphone.

The MicroSD card slot can accomodate a 32GB MicroSD card but not a 64GB version, meaning the maximum storage you can get is 40GB, behind Apple and Samsung smartphones which can manage 64GB out of the box - for a price.

Motorola Razr i: Screen

The 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Advance screen is bigger than an iPhone 5 screen, despite a slightly lower 960 x 540 pixel resolution. The pay-off is worth it and the screen itself is bright and responsive - it feels like you're holding a slim tablet at times because the bezel is so small.

HD movies and photos looked good and, importantly, there's enough space for the Android control buttons to sit at the bottom of the display without infringing on the action.

Motorola Razr i: Performance

Motorola is betting a lot on a single core Intel Atom 2Ghz chip rather than a quad-core version and the results prove that the Razr i can hold it's own. The AnTuTu Benchmark app gives an overall performance rating of 6107 against a 5312 score for the Sony Xperia P which boasts an identical price tag and smaller screen.

The camera is a good 8 megapixel snapper made better by the HDR options and though low light isn't the best in class, snapping ten shots in a second and selecting the best is genuinely useful and edges towards options found in premium compact system cameras.

The only performance downside is that our Wi-Fi connection dropped a few times in the week of testing while sat near a private router but Bluetooth, Android Beam and NFC features all combine to form a feature packed smartphone. Call quality is typically high for Motorola too.

Motorola Razr i: Battery

The 2000 mAh battery beats iPhone 5 and all rivals at this price point. In action, you'll get a day and a half of active use with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. We used the Razr i with Spotify and Google Maps regularly over a two day period and noticed a substantial difference against our regular iPhone 4S.

Motorola Razr i: Verdict

The Razr i is the clearest sign that Motorola is really taking on rivals in 2012. A big step up from previous Motorola smartphones and a jack-of-all-trades that manages great performance at a bargain price. Build isn't quite Apple quality but it's smart enough to satisfy Android fans who want a slim smartphone without comprimising on screen size.

Motorola Razr i release date: Out now

Motorola Razr i price: £339