Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, and Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black)

by Motorola

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches ; 3.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0009FCAJA
• Item model number: V3 Razr
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (265 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #923 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #45 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Unlocked Phones

Product Description

Amazon.com Hands-On Review

When the Motorola RAZR V3 was launched last year, I think most everybody, including Motorola itself, was quite surprised by how popular the handset turned out to be, considering the asking price. Its slim profile and sleek silver colored metal body proved to be just too much of a temptation for the world, and people the world over jumped through hoops and over hurdles just to get one for their very own. Everybody was a movie star with one of these!

Black is beautiful.

Until, of course, Motorola gave 50 exclusive RAZR V3 BLK handsets to some real movie stars at the 77th Annual Academy Awards in February, 2005. All of a sudden, the silver RAZR lost some of its shine. But once again, it is time for the masses to rejoice. Motorola is making the RAZR BLK available to all.

Of course it isn't just the color that makes the RAZR V3 BLK such a desirable handset. One reason that people love it so is its size. It weighs only 3.35oz (95g), which is pretty light for a phone that has a largely metal body. At 3.86" x 2.17" x .57" (98mm x 55mm x 14.5mm) in size, it is actually thinner than most candy bar style phones on the market. It can be slipped perfectly into a shirt, suit, or pants pocket, as well as a purse, without being noticed.

There is so much more to the RAZR V3 BLK than its physical being, though. Certainly the primary purpose of any phone must be making phone calls, and in spite of its small stature, the RAZR V3 BLK managed a full 7 hours of talk time in our tests - a very respectable showing. A related bonus is the fact that you can charge the RAZR V3 BLK directly from your computer's USB port with the same type of mini-USB cable that you probably already have for your digital camera. That's one less power adapter to pack in the suitcase. Support for all 4 GSM frequency bands means that the RAZR will work in San Francisco and New York just as well as it will in Paris and London. The handset's internal antenna also proved to be quite capable, offering up very good reception in weak signal areas.

Of course some compromises had to be made to get all of this functionality into such a small package. The keypad, for example, is a very thin metal unit that offers less tactile feedback than most, though it makes up for that somewhat by looking fantastic in the dark, thanks to its cool blue back light. While quite usable, it might take a bit of getting used to. No compromises were made with the main display, though: a nice 2.2" 65k color TFT unit, with 176 x 220 pixel resolution. The external display is also color, though only a 4k CSTN type.

The Motorola RAZR V3 BLK is thin and definitely in.

The built-in VGA camera proved itself to be one of the better ones on the market, offering good contrast, color, and focus in most situations. The RAZR's polyphonic sound system also works quite well, and even allows you to use MP3 files as ringtones. So if you have a few dollars to spare in your quest for looking like a movie star, Motorola has got just the thing you need. Luckily, the RAZR V3 BLK has the brains to back up the beauty.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

Pros:

• Thin
• 7 hours of talk time
• Quad-band GSM
• Good antenna reception

Cons:

• Expensive
• Unusual Keypad
• Your friends will try to steal it

So if you have a few dollars to spare in your quest for looking like a movie\ star, Motorola has got just the thing you need. Luckily, the RAZR V3 BLK has \ the brains to back up the beauty.

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

Product Description

The Moto Razr V3 is expertly crafted to deliver exceptional performance. Inside the ultra-thin design are advanced features like MPEG4 video playback, Bluetooth® wireless technology, a digital camera and more. And with the precision-cut keypad, minimalist styling and metal finish, the V3 looks just as beautiful as it performs. The real difference is in the details. See who’s calling, in color, without opening your phone — the large internal display is complemented by an impressive external display. The precision-cut metal keypad reacts to the lightest of touches. And the features you can't always see are equally impressive, like quad-band GSM — for global calls where GSM network coverage and roaming agreements are present.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 175 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent reception + sound. Short Talk-Time. Lousy Camera., June 18, 2005

By 

redhill (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, and Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I've been using a black RAZR for 3 months and here are my thoughts:

THE GOOD
========
- FREE!! with a T-Mobile 1-year family plan

- Better reception than my previous, 3 yr-old Nokia handset (6610)

- Can use the same phone when travelling in Europe, Asia. Just need to get a pre-paid SIM chip locally.

- Can be charged from laptop using included USB cable.

- It's BLACK.

THE OK
======
- Passable voice quality. (Maybe it's just because it's GSM technology, and coverage is not fantastic in outside of cities.)

- Slim profile, though a little heavier than my previous handset

- Nice colors in screen. Great ringtone sounds. Though these are pretty standard nowadays.

- Decent bluetooth range. Paired this with a Jabra BT800 headset and I can run into the coin laundry with my ear piece and still connect with the phone in the car outside.



THE BAD
=======
- Short battery life. 7 hours talk-time as advertised is a imaginary. Phone starts to beep after 2-3 hrs of talking.

- Organizer (calendar, alarm, notes, contacts) doesn't sync correctly with Outlook.

- Oily screens!! The inside and outside screens and the metallic keypad get oily fingerprints after every use (is it just my skin?!) Looks yucky and kinda destroys all the aesthetics.
Tried wiping now and then but notice minor scratches start to accumulate. (My clothes are not always cotton and I don't usually carry eye glass cloth.)

- Low camera resolution. Other new phones have close to twice that resolution. Pics always kinda dark.

- Camera doesn't take video.

- No MP3 or radio. Some of the newer Nokia and Sony models are close to iPod Shuffle capacity already.

177 of 198 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black (RAZR) is Beautiful, May 12, 2005

By 

NOIR X (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, and Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

The Black RAZR V3 is the wireless phone I have always wanted. It's that simple.

Before having bought mine, I would read commentary from people who would cite all of the features the RAZR doesn't have: "I could buy the (insert model number of cheaper, but still expensive phone which does 100 different things--all of them poorly) and get more for a lot less money." When I would research a model recommended by these self-proclaimed gadget freaks, I'd find that it's dimensions make keeping it in a pocket an awkward and uncomfortable proposition; I'd find that the pictures it takes are not nearly of comparable quality to those taken by even a modest digital camera; I'd find that the lo-res video it can shoot serves no practical purpose; I'd find that web-browsing, game-playing, Instant messaging, streaming television content, all suck up battery-life and ultimately make the device useless for the unlikely purpose of placing and taking phone calls; I'd find that the phone casing is composed of cheap and flimsy plastics which make me wonder how long it wll last; I'd find that little attention had been paid to how the phone's design will contribute to, or detract from, user comfort. After my investigation, I concluded that for all the money I would save by buying "Phone X" over buying a RAZR, I would still have paid hundreds too much for a filmsy hunk of cutting-edge technojunk. (Don't take my word for it. Look around on the Net for comments about the RAZR around the time of its inroduction and see the recommendations from consumers that people choose the Motorola V600 instead. Then look at the consumer reviews of the V600 on this site.)

The RAZR has a camera, a web-browser, Instant messaging capability, and a whole array of other features all of which are listed in the product description. To the extent that the RAZR does these things adequately I will offer little, if any, comment--mainly because I don't care about them. That to which I can and will attest is that the RAZR exceeds my expectation on how it serves AS A PHONE.

Using my own criteria, a wireless phone should draw and hold a signal; It's earpiece should deliver clear sound at a volume which can compete with background noise; it's mouthpiece should pick up the users voice clearly; it should be compact enough to allow for placement in clothing pockets without creating prominent bulges; it should be solidly built out of durable materials which are not prone to scratching; it should have decent battery life. And yes, anything for which I pay hundreds of dollars should be designed with aesthetics in mind: there are far too many wireless phones which look like disposable children's toys, or like awkward, all-purpose, button-riddled gadgets.

Using the above criteria, the RAZR V3, particularly the Black model, is close to perfect. The sound from the ear piece could certainly be louder, but I have yet to have a caller's voice drowned out by the noise of busy New York City streets. The people to whom I'm speaking have reported to have heard my voice loudly and clearly. Battery life could be longer, but then, the same could be said about many wireless phones which are bulkier and have larger batteries. I have used the phone on both T-Mobile and Cingular networks and found that it draws a strong signal on both; it has never dropped a call. I found the speaker phone to be loud and clear despite my expectations to the contrary. Is the much-lamented Motorola phone book program clunky? Yes it is. But the RAZR's voice-dialing works well, making it possible to avoid scrolling through the phone book if one hates it that much.

I'll try to boil it down with a somewhat clumsy analogy: Complaining that the RAZR doesn't do enough in the way of tech-gimmicks to justify its price (which is considerably lower that it was when it was introduced) is like complaining that an exotic sports car isn't worth the money because it doesn't have a cup holder, a GPS system, and DVD player like the Minivan you've been looking to buy. That ridiculousness ignores the engineering that makes the sports car a superior performer on the road, and the attention put toward making it sleek and aesthetically pleasing. The RAZR's performance has made concern over signal strength a thing of the past. and its design is unmatched--not just for it's ultra-compactness, but for the solidity of it's build. That makes it worth what I paid for it. And my inability to speak to the quality of other phones on the market put them out of consideration.

Besides, as they say, black is beautiful.

That the RAZR cannot serve as a business-card scanner doesn't trouble me. For those who need to have whichever feature-laden mobile gadget is most desired at the moment, buy a Samsung MM-A800, clip it on you belt (you'll need to), and earn yourself the right to say your phone can do just about everything--poorly.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Form over Function, May 21, 2006

By 

Deanna Breglia (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Motorola RAZR V3 Unlocked Phone with Camera, and Video Player--International Version with No Warranty (Black) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Don't expect this phone to work any better than a Motorola V551. I wrongly thought with the price as high as it was that I'd have perfect reception and no dropped calls. Nothing has changed.

Don't get me wrong, this matte black phone is slim and sexy and lightweight fun and easy to slip into a pocket. But those are it's biggest draws.

Some other cons include:

-The large square screen and key pad get dirty easily from holding the phone up to your face. I don't wear make-up, but if I did, I can imagine that I'd always be taking a toothpick to all of those little crevices between the keys on the flat keypad all the time. As it is now, I'm constantly wiping the screen and keys.

-The battery life is not long and if you're going anywhere overnight, remember to bring your charger.

-The operating system is the same as other newer model Motorola phones, so don't expect a big upgrade there either.

If Cingular is your provider, the sim card from your current phone will work in this unlocked version nicely. However, make sure you've saved all of your numbers and info on the card and not on the old phone before you take the sim card out of the old phone, because it doesn't slip into this phone very easily. Once it's in, it is difficult to remove.

If you have some extra money to spend on a new phone and you don't mind the same reception problems as cheaper phones, then this is the phone for you.