Motorola RAZR V3 / Reviews

Sexy form... CHECK. Innovative construction... CHECK. Exclusive price tag... CHECK. In a sea of flip phones and candy bar phones that all look alike, the RAZR V3 is the Ferrari of mobile phones and stands out as such. If you're looking for a feature rich phone, then the V3 is not for you as a V600 will provide the same features for far less. But if you want a high-quality constructed phone that screams, "look at me, I'm a sexy b*tch," then the V3 is up your alley.

Actually, a better analogy would be: The Acura NSX of mobile phones. Like the NSX, I feel the V3 is a marketing tool for Motorola. It's their way of saying, "We're known for inexpensive phones, but, look, we can build stylish, well-crafted, high-end phones too!"

Unless wireless technology improves from GSM, the V3 is a phone that I can definitely keep for more than 2 years. The styling, design, and construction is just that good (I upgraded from a trusty and reliable, yet mediocre Nokia 3360 TDMA phone).

There's been quite a debate about the construction of the V3 and the best explanation that I've heard is that the bottom backside (below the battery cover) and the lower front is plastic for the antenna. It certainly makes perfect sense to me (unless the metal frame IS the antenna) as all the other areas are cold to touch (in this weather) while those areas are usually room temperature. Furthermore, it would be misrepresentation on Motorola's part to advertise it as such. Regardless, this phone may seem flimsy, but it's very solid -- there is no comparison w/ my old Nokia 3360 and my girlfriend's V551.

Mikey's likeys:

1- The mini-USB port. This is great for single-point access for data and charging -- it's simple and should be a mobile phone standard!
2- The Bluetooth connectivity. Coming from a wired hands-free setup, my Bluetooth headset (a Jabra BT250) is a godsend. I can leave the V3 charging in my home office and still be connected in the living room. (SIDE NOTE: stay away from from the D-Link Bluetooth USB adapter for PC connectivity and get the Belkin F8T001 adapter -- read my review on the D-Link for details)
3- Quad band. Doubtful that I'll ever use this feature/benefit, but those two words will certainly impress all around you.
4- The speakerphone. I've been a non-believer of mobile phone speakerphones, but I've got to admit, the V3's speaker phone is the bomb. It's loud and clear (but not loud enough for the car). My girlfriend tells me that I sound better w/ the V3 speakerphone than w/ my old Nokia 3360 and wired headset setup. When I don't have my Bluetooth headset, I'm spoiled w/ the speakerphone.
5- The internal display. Going to the V3 from the Nokia 3360 is a leap of spacial proportions and after a couple of weeks, I have found myself to be spoiled w/ large internal display. And not only that, the V3 has an ATI IMAGEON graphics accelerator! All other phones (excluding PDA phones) pale in comparison in this regard.

Mikey's no-likeys:

1- No memory expansion. I don't see myself using up all 5MB of internal memory, but an SD/MMC card expansion slot would be nice. Maybe Motorola (or somebody else -- maybe myself) will come out w/ a mini-USB adapter for this purpose.
2- Poorly written owner's manual. I have found that the owner's manual is more like a reference manual and sometimes leaves you figuring things out on your own. It does not explain how to use many common features that owners (especially ones new to Motorola phones) use. Instead, it lists all the features and expects you to put 1 and 1 together. It's like the "C++ Reference" vs "Learn How to Program in C++ in 21 Days." Maybe Motorola's technical writers are just to technical?
3- Drops and dings. Like any "Ferrari," I'll probably go into a week-long mourning the first time I drop or ding the phone. I'm hoping there will be [good] cases available to protect my V3 while it juggles around w/ keys in my pocket. (SIDE NOTE: I have heard that Cingular / Lockline is not insuring this phone, but my Cingular sales guy was hesitant sell me the phone unless I bought the insurance)
4- No EDGE. My girlfriend's $99 Motorola v551 has EDGE. Shame, shame, shame Motorola. Bad Motorola. Bad, bad, bad. Alas, it's akin to buying a $160k Ferrari 360 Modena and having a cheap $20 factory stereo system (or paying $90k for an Acura NSX and it's only 290hp).
5- Internal display colors. I was all hyped up to hear about 260k colors, but Motorola's specs after some detective footwork is 65k colors, but up to 260k colors in MPEG-4 video playback. Very, very, sneaky and mis-leading indeed.

Wishlist:

1- I wished there was a PocketPC smart phone version of this phone. PocketPC + V3 form factor = perfection.

Regarding multiple numbers for one name in the review below -- you can set the phonebook to display only primary numbers by:

1- setting the primary number for all the names that have multiple numbers (you don't have to do this if a name only has one number);
2- set the address book view to "Primary Contacts" in Phonebook Menu >>> Phonebook Setup >>> View;
3- voila, only primary numbers are displayed.

The way Motorola has implemented this is not very intuitive as Nokia's implementation (refer to my owner's manual dis-like above), but I have found Motorola's implementation to be a little more robust.

UPDATE: It's been nearly three weeks since I've bought this phone and no buyer's remorse.

Read original review at Amazon.