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| Motorola Droid Razr Maxx Vs Apple iPhone 4S(Photo: Mobile & Apps) |
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx packs 4.3-inch qHD display, dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, LTE connectivity and Android operating system. It has outgunned iPhone 4S in smartphones sales at the Big Red. Let us see how it fares in the smartphone comparison against the mighty Apple iPhone 4S.
Design and Display
Kicking off with iPhone 4S, it packs 3.5-inch LED-Backlit IPS TFT display with qHD resolution of 640 X 960 pixels @330ppi. The device has aluminum unibody casing. The phone is 9.3mm thick and weighs 140g.
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx sports a Kevlar body. It packs 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display with qHD resolution of 640 X 960 pixels @256ppi. The phone is 9mm thick and weighs 145g.
The Droid Razr Maxx packs AMOLED display but with older PenTile technology, while iPhone 4S is well known for its so-called "Retina display". Design-wise, Razr's Kevlar body is impressive but iPhone is at big with premium casing. So iPhone 4S is a winner in this round.
Processor and Memory
Apple iPhone 4S runs on dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor fitted on Apple-made A5 chipset. The device has 512MB of RAM and comes with 16/32/64GB of internal storage.
Turning to Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, it has dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex A9 processor fitted on Texas Instruments' OMAP 4430 chipset. It has 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Giving expandable memory option, it supports microSD card up to 32GB. Also, Verizon is bundling 16GB microSD card free in the package.
Packing more RAM and slightly over-clocked processor, Motorola Droid Razr Maxx wins this round.
Connectivity
Packing LTE radios, Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is an undisputed winner in this round. It also packs a dedicated HDMI port. The regular connectivity feature like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc. are all there on both these smartphones.
User Interface
Apple iPhone 4S runs iOS 5.1. The OS offers less customization options but it very easy to use. Siri - the popular voice assistant makes iPhone 4S stand in a different league than competitive smartphones. Reportedly, iPhone 4S is the best smartphone when it comes to app support.
On other hand, Droid Razr Maxx runs Android v2.3 Gingerbread, while the Ice Cream Sandwich update is believed to be around the corner. The Droid Razr Maxx offers some features that has been lacking in iOS 5.1 like video calling over cellular network, Facebook integration, homescreens, widgets, etc. while the Face Unlock feature is arriving soon with the ICS update.
Smartphone users have their own tastes. Some are addicted to Android, while others find iOS more suitable. So we call it a draw here.
Camera
Apple iPhone packs an impressive 8-megapixel iSight camera with LED flash support. The phone support Full HD video recording. There is also a front facing VGA camera in the device for FaceTime. However the video calling only works over Wi-Fi network.
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx also packs 8-megapixcel rear camera with LED flash support, which can record Full HD 1080p videos at 30fps. The secondary camera is 1.3-megapixel that can record 720p HD videos.
The rear cameras are identical in performance on both these smartphones. However, the secondary camera is better in Motorola's bet. Also video calling in iPhone 4S does not work over 3G network (though iOS 6 promises to fix that), giving Droid Razr Maxx an advantage in this round.
Battery
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is well known for its excellent battery performance. The device packs 3,300 mAh standard Li-Ion battery that can easily last two days on medium to heavy usage. On the other hand, iPhone 4S has 1,432 mAh battery that can last up to 8 hours on heavy usage.
Pricing
Verizon Wireless has recently slashed the prices of Motorola Droid Razr Maxx to $199 on two year contract. However, it you're looking for some bargain, the phone is available at $99 on Amazon Wireless for new users. On the other hand, Apple iPhone 4S (16GB) is selling for $199 on two year contract on the same carrier.
Conclusion
Offering larger display, more RAM, bigger battery and LTE connectivity, the Droid Razr Maxx turns out to be a better smartphone when lined up against Apple iPhone 4S. Looking at all its aspects, we can recommend it for long term usage. However, the charisma of the Razr Maxx is about to be matched by Samsung Galaxy S3, which is expect to hit Verizon's shelves next month.
