Droid Razr Maxx HD Vs iPhone 5

Droid Razr Maxx HD Vs iPhone 5

**Disclosure: I received the Droid Razr Maxx HD and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions

Most of you are aware that I am a Brand Ambassador for Verizon, representing ‘Boomer Voices’. I get to display that cool red badge on this blog. As part of the program I received the Droid Razr Maxx HD – ‘Max’ as I call it – to use for six months. I am free to explore ALL the options freely. Yes. I call that fun!

Before being invited to participate in the program I was already a Verizon customer. That was not one of the qualifications for participation.

‘Can you hear me now?’

I was very fond of that guy in their commercials who made that sentence a household phrase! Well done marketing department! I will remain a Verizon customer when the program is finished. They have great customer service. Seriously…

Time For An Update

I was a long time Android phone user before I became an iPhone 5 user. Why did I switch? The main reason for the switch was for simplification of everyday tasks. Because I am an iMac user having my phone ‘talk’ to my computer without a lot of intervention was a huge plus. However, with the advances that Android phones have made it gives me pause for consideration.

Speech Recognition Tasks

ChrisEngelsma / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Both iPhone 5 and Max have speech enabled tasks. I can tell you that iPhone 5 has had considerably more trouble than Max in this area. Personally I do not believe that Kansas City and Fairfax sound anything alike. I tried multiple times using extreme enunciation to get Siri to give me directions for the Kansas City airport and yet she kept insisting on going to the Fairfax airport. Big sigh…

Camera

marcp_dmoz / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Although Max has a great camera I am finding it frustrating to use in comparison to my iPhone 5. Zooming in and out is much easier on the iPhone 5. I also found that I could take multiple shots – one after the other – with more ease as well. Some may say it’s a user issue, and they may be right. But since I am the user and I need the camera to work when and how I need it to, then my choice is the iPhone 5.

Both allow me to backup my photos automatically. Very important!

GPS / Maps

Foter.com / Public domain

Both Max and my iPhone 5 have Google Maps installed. I use the app on both phones. As I noted earlier the main difference is that iPhone 5 has challenges with voice recognition.

Games

jenny downing / Foter.com / CC BY

I have tried a number of different games on Max and have found the same issue throughout. The screen sensitivity is just not adequate for the types of games I was trying to play. I like the hidden objects games. The issue I found was that the majority of the time my attempts at touching the object to ‘find’ it were not recognized. This is disappointing because Max offers so much more real estate I thought the experience would be better. I suspect that this fault falls back on the developers of those game apps.

Call Quality

splorp / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Call quality is where Max excels. My calls are much clearer than on my iPhone 5.

Google+ Hangouts

Foter.com / Public domain

I love Max for Google Hangouts on the go! The picture is clear and the sound quality is excellent. The only difference that other people see is that I appear in a smaller window than when I am on my computer.

Everything Else

• Max has widgets and lots of real estate. iPhone 5 does not.
• Max has a larger footprint in my pocket or handbag. iPhone 5 has a much smaller footprint.
• Max has eye-popping colors. iPhone 5 does not.
• Max does not have a one button silent mode that I have been able to locate. iPhone 5 has one button silent mode.
• Max takes more time to charge than does iPhone 5.
• Max has longer battery life than iPhone 5, especially since the upgrade to iOS 7.
• Notifications: Max gives me a blinking light so I know there is something that needs my attention. iPhone 5 makes a peep and then nothing unless you actually wake the phone and look. No blinking light to tell you there is something still waiting for attention. Max wins on this one.

So there you have it. My wish after this experience? Take the best qualities of both phones and make my ‘ideal’ phone. Surely there must be a way to do this. Is anybody with me on this?

Filed in: verizon Tags: featured