Customer Reviews

Motorola RAZR V3 Pearl Gray Phone (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

To be fair, I upgraded to the Razr from a Nokia 6101, so all my opinions are based on a comparison. In 3 words, there is none. This phone feels sturdier in my hand, is more user-friendly and has a louder earpiece than the Nokia. It comes with about 30 preset ringtones instead of Nokia's 5 or so (each lamer than the last) so I won't waste hours online trying to download a better one. The screen is larger and brighter, the battery cover is easier to remove, and the camera takes better pictures. What really bowled me over though was the text messaging program. Nokia has a "predictive" dictionary that nevertheless requires you to type out the whole word, and 5 times out of 10 "predicts" the wrong one. Moto's dictionary predicts the word before you finish typing, giving the option to skip to the end, and even displays 5 or 6 other options at the bottom of the screen to choose from. Brilliant.

This phone has probably made me a Moto customer for life.

The Motorola Razr V3 is a wonderful piece of technology. T-Mobile works great with it. I get great reception basically everywhere. Not only is the Razr a good looking cell phone but it also has amazing battery life. The speakerphone is nice and loud. Overall the Razr is a user-friendly camera flip-phone with a pleasing appearance.

I keep waiting for at least one of the numerous complaints to happen to my phone, but alas, I keep waiting (thankfully!). I have dropped it, twice, from a short distance however, but it did not break right away like other people have claimed. The interface is great, Motorola has one of the better ones. It has all the options I want on it although there are a lot of them and it can be confusing at times. However, if you use the manual you'll get the most out of it. It sounds great and has good reception. I also like that it is wider then most phones so I don't have to press it to my ear. I can hear fine with just a corner of the phone to my ear which is a lot more comfortable. As for T-mobile service, I have been with them for 4+ years and have never had a complaint. They have they the best plans and the best customer service.

I just got this version of Razr V3 (a myfaves model) as a replacement for an older silver V3. This phone restarts (reboots) when it is receiving, reading, or deleting certain text messages. Motorola and T-Mobile cannot figure out why. This is my second pearl gray of this model, both exhibited the same problem. I am receiving a third from T-Mobile soon, hopefully that one will work.

First of all, the main photo from above is not a T-Mobile phone, it is obviously the V3m (made for Verizon or CDMA version) easily distinguished by the protruding 'bulging' camera -- all other gsm versions are flushed. T-Mobile Razrs has been crippled by the carrier and they also erased the most essential features that came along with this fine phone; like there are no options whatsoever to display either an 'analog clock' or 'mm/dd/yyyy calendar' on the screen (similar to the one pictured above and another one I have). They've also replaced the rear battery door cover from metal to flimsy plastic, somehow T-Mobile does it to all their Motorolas!

Second, I am a die-hard Razr phone fanatic, not because the phone looks sleek and slim and what have you, but most and above all, the designed ergonomics featured on this phone is excellent. The phone is very compact, the only place I seem to put it at most times is in my rear jean pocket and it hardly gets in the way. It is extremely user friendly, the keypads not only look great, but functions very and with ease. Since then, there has been a handful of updates and newer models to the Razr line, but until I have the few extra hundreds to spare, I don't mind and continued using similar ones that I can get for free.

Although it is under the 'weak' T-Mobile GSM network, nevertheless, reception pull from this phone is still excellent. Not to pound on the carrier, but the original 'aluminum silver cladded' version that was given to me previously from Cingular Wireless (now at&t) was on a completely different level and the best Razr yet - it came readily 'unlocked' and the phone had an array of network options available should I plan on traveling internationally. The software version from my Silver Razr was and still up to par with today's standards.

In comparison to the two, it is basically the same phone, but there are some additional differences from T-mobile's programs (other than the obsolete VGA camera) compared to my silver version - for example, on this phone:
- There is video capture
- Updated shortcut, a quicker and faster way to "scroll to find names" on phonebook contacts.
- Multiple entries can display under ONE name in contact list.
- Press and 'hold' the # key to put phone in vibrate mode vice versa (uniquely, there is a small "phone vbrate" symbol on that key also)

This phone could have easily gained 5 stars, but the carrier disabled most of the essentials and with the absent of a 'metal' battery door making this just a tad above other mediocre phones.

I bought the RAZR v3 a year ago because of its stylishness. I have to admit I was swept up in the trend.

A couple things were disappointing right away:
-Lack of features. The V3 really is a basic phone. You can't even search the phone book by more than the first letter. It lacks any of the fun little goodies other, similar phones have.
-Poor reception. I'd drop calls or get no reception in places where my friends with T-mobile (but different phones) came in loud and clear.
-Poor speaker quality. Using the phone in anything but a silent room was almost impossible. Even at the loudest volume, the speaker was too quiet when out and about. I had trouble hearing in restaurants, at concerts, even just sitting in the car with the window down. The microphone volume was low too, as many of my friends complained about how quiet I was.
-Speakerphone. It was so quiet, it was basically unusable.
-Voice record, but no customizable ring tones. Honestly, why include a voice recorder if you can't set them as ring tones? Granted, that is a rare feature.
-Lack of smaller stuff, like stopwatch.

I did like the look, and it was easy to navigate. The navigation was very customizable, and I really liked the ability to reset the functions of the soft keys.

However, this all wasn't even the worst of it. About three months later, my first wall charger broke. I figured I had shorted it out or something, so I just bought a new one (at $30). Fine and dandy. Another 4 months down the road, THAT charger broke. At this point, I'd started hearing from my friends with RAZRs (they'd become ubiquitous by now) that their chargers were going out too. So I spoke with Motorola, who "hadn't heard any formal complaints on the problem" and only warrantied their accessories for 14 days. I spoke to T-mobile, who said they couldn't do anything about it, because they could only warranty products for the duration of the return policy. So I was forced to buy ANOTHER charger, at $30.

One month later, that charger went out. I kept my receipt from the purchase, and brough it back in, but T-mobile gave me the same story, maintaining that no one else had ever had the same problem. They wouldn't do anything for me except offer a 10% discount on a new charger (needless to say, I was very unhappy with this, and about fed up with the RAZR).

I finally got the drivers for the RAZR online and started charging it on my computer with a mini USB cable. This, however, was much slower. I noticed that the RAZR's battery started buzzing (for lack of a better word) when I was charging it, and hardly holding a charge.

I'd been very careful not to drop the phone up to this point, but the first time I did drop it (admittedly, a fair distance, onto linoleum) the screen cracked in half. I dropped my little Nokia brick 50 times and nothing ever happened to it. Its durability was obviously awful. The coating had started to chip off and there was dust under the screen that I couldn't do anything about. This made it so I could barely see the screen- the dust issue has affected every single RAZR I've ever seen.

I finally lost my RAZR a few days ago, and was really glad to be rid of it. I'd never buy a Motorola again- not only did I have such issues with the RAZR, but my previous phone, a little Motorola flip phone (can't remember the model number now) crapped out after 8 months. I'm just an average cell phone user- I expect my phone to last at least the year before I can upgrade to a new one. I've had Nokias and Samsungs that last forever and have far better features for the price- I'll stick to those brands from now on.

All around, the RAZR was a huge hunk of junk, and convinced me to never buy a Motorola again.

I received this phone as a Christmas gift and almost wish Christmas had never come. This phone is truly a disappointment. The battery lasts only one day after maybe an hour of sporatic conversations. There is an annoying delay when you press any menu button. You forget what you wanted to do by the time your request comes up on the screen. Both screens seem to keep smudges eternally. It is nearly impossible to wipe it clean without a chemical of some sort. When saving a number, you can't see what state it originates from as with my previous non bluetooth phone. When placing a three way call, you can still hear the other person on the line and they can hear you dialing the number. There is an abundance of media players and on demand functions that I will never use. The camera does not come with a light, so forget about taking pictures anywhere but outside on a bright and sunny day. This is my first and last Motorola. I haven't dropped it yet, but I can't wait until the day that I do.

All I've ever expected from a cell phone is decent reception, a watch, an alarm clock, and a halfway interesting game to occasionally stave off boredom.


Until I bought a RAZR, I had always used the standard Nokia brick offered by T-Mobile, And I was always content with it. Then I discovered the RAZR.

The RAZR has everything I want from a phone.

Exceeding that, it's so compact that I don't even notice it's in my pocket. It has a speakerphone that I can use while closed and sitting on the seat of my car instead of holding while driving. I didn't even know it had a camera until I bought it.

Be warned, this item is actually being sold by Tiger Direct. Mine looked like a refurbished unit and it was branded T-Mobile.

The status on the order showed it was shipped on December 30th, but the tracking number (eventually) showed it was not really shipped until January 6th.

When you put this item in your shopping cart, Amazon will probably recommend that you also purchase a CD with Motorola phone tools and a USB cable. I took their recommendation but that didn't work out very well for me.

One of the selections on the phone tools software is labeled 'Update phone software'. That sounds like a good idea and harmless enough doesn't it? Unfortunately, if you select that item, your phone software will be updated to the latest version, but your phone will now be relocked and won't work until you enter a 'Subsidy code'.

Tiger Direct phone support (9 - 5 PST Mon - Fri) is a good way to waste 20-30 minutes on hold (my average hold time). Eventually, they told me to email the IMEI number from the phone.

After emailing TD the IMEI number and a few days waiting, they informed me they were not able to give me the code and I would have to return the phone (at my expense) for a replacement.

Luckily, the Amazon guarantee allowed me to return it for a refund instead. I still have to pay the return shipping but at this point, I'm happy to be able to do that.

Bottom line: this is a refurbished phone and though unlocked from T-Mobile, not exactly reliably unlocked.

I bought the Razr for my mom and she loves it! Brand New, works great! Very Satisfied Customer :)