Motorola had an unveiling event in New York yesterday afternoon (US time); it was slightly overshadowed by the Nokia/Microsoft event in the media. Also the unveiling was rather US-centric as the three new models are all aimed at Verizon’s LTE network. At the event, simulcast over YouTube, three new smartphones were shown and demonstrated; the RAZR HD, the RAZR HD Maxx and the RAZR M. It is only the RAZR M smartphone which will be hitting these shores, but with a few differences…
Motorola focuses upon the screen of the RAZR M as a major selling point. On the US web site the RAZR M is subtitled “The full-screen phone”. The press release says the smartphone is “pushing screen space to the edge”. This is probably where the company got the name for what will be the UK variant of the RAZR M; in the UK it will be called the Motorola EDGE.
Here’s some Moto-blurb from the press release describing the new smartphone “Motorola RAZR M packs a big screen into a phone that fits in the palm of your hand. The Super AMOLED Advanced 4.3-inch display spans from edge-to-edge. The border you typically find on smartphones is virtually, in a word, gone. Even though it’s smaller in size, you still get 40 percent more screen than the leading competitor*. You can type emails and texts easily with a wider keyboard, watch YouTube videos and movies on a wider screen and browse the Web with Chrome™ for Android without squinting. All on a long-lasting battery that is 40 percent more powerful than the competition*.” (* = iPhone 4S)
Intel inside UK's Motorola EDGE
The UK variant of the RAZR M will have its CPU changed from a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon to a currently undisclosed Intel chip. The Motorola EDGE will be unveiled at a joint Moto-Intel event in London on 18th September. A Motorola spokesman told Pocket Lint that “The form factor will stay the same” but we aren’t sure what other hardware specs will change alongside the CPU choice. The US version has pretty nice specs to back up its 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU such as; 1GB RAM, 8GB onboard memory, hot-swappable micro SD card, 8 MP camera with 3MP front facing video cam, NFC, 4G LTE compatibility and 20 hours of battery to “keep you mobile all your waking hours”.
It will be very interesting to see what differences the Intel version brings when we get to see it on 18th September. As the “form factor” will remain the same I will list it here: Super AMOLED 4.3-inch screen with 960 x 540 pixels, Gorilla Glass, virtually non-existent side screen bezel, aluminium frame and (ugly) Kevlar backplate.
This new range of Motorola “Premium Materials and the Best of Google” smartphones are all supposed to be made available with Android ICS with an update to Jelly Bean promised for before the end of 2012. These are Motorola’s first new products since the finalisation of its acquisition by Google. Is this a great new start for Motorola?
