Motorola RAZR maxx V6 review: HSDPA flip take two

Motorola keeps reusing its trustworthy old RAZR V3 design in almost all of its current models. Probably most of the users will agree that this is not a bad thing at all, as those are one of the finest, most beautiful phones on the market. RAZR maxx V6 is no exception to the rule.

Motorola RAZR maxx V6

Key features:

• Large display
• Touch sensitive buttons for music controls
• HSDPA support (3.5G)
• GPRS and EDGE, both Class 10
• Bluetooth with A2DP profile (for stereo headset)
• microSD card slot
• 2 megapixel camera
• Video calls camera
• Pleasant light effects when the phone is ringing

Main disadvantages:

• Touch sensitive keys are hard to use
• No FM radio

Longer, thicker and heavier than the original V3 RAZR, the maxx V6 is a completely different story. It boasts HSDPA (3.5G), EDGE, stereo Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera, memory card, a larger display and very modern design. So, the V3 just cannot compete. But there is another phone on the market which we can easily put next to the Motorola RAZR maxx V6 and that is Samsung Z560. Equipped with almost the same functions and extras, those two phones are major opponents.

Motorola RAZR maxx V6 and Samsung Z560

The typical slim-shell

With its dimensions of 104 x 53 x 15 mm and weight of 105 g, Motorola RAZR maxx V6 gets a place in the perfect middle of size and weight for a high-end clamshell phones. The Samsung Z560 is a bit smaller and weighs less but if we look at them in terms of design, the new Moto surely gets more applause. We can't practically think of any fault in the design of the phone.

Comparison between Motorola RAZR maxx V6 and Samsung Z560

Motorola RAZR maxx V6 held in hand

As hard as it can be

The phone's plastic and metal construction is very nice and solid. It did not produce and creaks or plays and its clamshell closing mechanism works just perfect with a very recognizable sound when you close the flip. As in most of the cases with clamshell 3G phones, the video calls camera is in the middle of the construction and is visible only when the flip is open.

Motorola keeps reusing its trustworthy old RAZR V3 design in almost all of its current models. Probably most of the users will agree that this is not a bad thing at all, as those are one of the finest, most beautiful phones on the market. RAZR maxx V6 is no exception to the rule.

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The top part of the closed phone has a great 65K colors display and above it is the 2 megapixel camera with two LED flash. Just beneath the display are the touch sensitive keys which serve as music control. There are the Play/Pause, Forward and Backward functions. Below them there is a Motorola logo and when the phone rings, the logo glows in blue accompanied by glowing blue lines on both sides of the display. Those light effects are really nice and add a nice feel to it.

The front side

The back of the phone hosts the battery cover with a silver Motorola logo on it and the loudspeaker below it. Under the cover you may find the Motorola BZ60 Li-Ion battery with capacity of 940 mAh, which according to the manufacturer will last for 375 hours in stand-by mode and 3 hours of talk time. Regrettably, we can't comment on those figures as we used the phone heavily and the battery performance in normal every-day will prove different. Besides the battery, under the battery cover you will also see the memory card slot. It is hot-swappable but you have to remove the cover first. The SIM card bed is under the battery as you may have guessed.

Motorola V6 back panel • battery cover off • SIM card bed • battery

The left side of the clamshell has dual volume key on it and a button which opens a simple menu on the external display which controls some basic functions. A USB port is located on the left side. It is the usual miniUSB port that Motorola puts in almost all of its models.

Left side of the phone

The right side features a camera release button and an eyelet for a wrist strap. The top and bottom sides of the body are bare.

Right side of the phone

Top and bottom sides

When opened, the phone reveals its fantastic 2.2" 256K colors TFT display with resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. Above it are the speaker grills and a Motorola logo. The other part of the open phone consists of the keypad. Between the two parts, in the joint, is the VGA video calls camera.

The phone open • speaker grills and logo • VGA video calls camera