Those who already know and dare we say love the slim Razr design will not be disappointed by the think 15mm waist of the Maxx which tries to retain the minimalist ethos that the V3 started. But this V6 is more than just a re-hash of the pre existing Moto models, for a start the innards now boast support for the 3G HSPDA data standard providing a speedy link back to the office.

The Quad band mobile measures 53 x 104.5 x 15.5 mm and weighs 105 grams with battery, it is very similar to the V3 Razr in style and retains the large and easy to operate keypad. Only slight modifications make it stand out, there is a touch more glass is use with the V6 and the styling is more hard edged which some will like. The 2 screens are both very good and the front screen may be chemically toughed to resist kryptonite (joke) but it attracts greasy finger prints like some kind of mitt magnet and as such we spent nearly all day cleaning it.

However those not familiar with the Motorola user interface are in for a bit of a shock as it takes some getting used to. Moto persist with the slightly unusual menu structure and odd menu options which mean you have to save files to the phone before being able to Bluetooth them and some functions you are after seem to be either buried 5 levels down or in the most illogical places. But if you are already a Moto convert then this will not even register on your radar and instead you are likely to look for the new extras.

Perhaps the one that stands out is the 3G data and HSPDA system which can deliver a stinking 300kbps+ and even more if the phone is used as a modem with a laptop. The main use of this power is with the onboard browser which makes the most of the smallish 240x320 pixel screen which while bright enough is just to wee for real hardcode web browsing. That said out brief tests showed that it was very quick when flying around various website including those that we used to get our flight information from. The same goes for collecting email and other bandwidth intensive applications.

Connectivity is provided by Bluetooth and USB port but there is no WiFi which shouldn't be a major issue to likely V6 customers. Motorola have equipped the Maxx V6 with the A2DP Bluetooth stereo headset profile, which enables a wireless transmission of stereo audio to suitably equipped Bluetooth headphones. This feature is appearing on many more devices and Bluetooth headsets however the poor internal memory (50Mb) limits the use of this feature out of the box. Instead you need to rely on the ability to add more storage using the MicroSD slot, sadly true to form Moto have gone and stuffed this up too by putting the card slot under the battery!

The Moto madness continues as they persist with ignoring (and not licensing) T9 predictive text, so all Maxx users will have to adapt to using the iTap system which is significantly different and made us fell like we were using a Tomy my first mobile.

The Razr Maxx V6 has a 2 mega pixel unit which is a bit poor by current standards and a web camera resolution VGA one inside the lid that is used for video calling. You can use the Maxx as a camera by pushing a button on the outside of the case which fires up the outer LCD screen which acts as a kind of viewfinder so you can take a picture of yourself.

Battery life is the subject of some fairly wild claims on behalf of the V6, Motorola pitched that you'll get some 360 hours on standby and 5 hours talk time, our tests proved that this is probably a pipe dream unless you live next to a base station and do not use anything extra on the phone. realistically we killed about 35% of the phones battery in a 24 hour period, although we were using the data services heavily and Bluetooth switched on this would equate to somewhere between 3 - 4 days for a normal user.

As a phone the Maxx does work well, there are a range of ringtones from the annoying musical ditties to more sombre ringtones and you can of course download you own. Perhaps as a function of the loud hands free speakerphone the ringer on the V6 is very loud and combines with a more than adequate vibrate function. RF performance was pretty good too with almost every call nice and clear without artefacts, only one call dropped over the 24hrs and this was during an airport transfer.

We have to admit to finding the Moto Maxx V6 a mixed bag, it is a good phone in essence but the menu system and iTap puts us off a bit, what should win us over is the high speed data but with a small screen and lack of a QWERTY keyboard rather kill that idea. What the Razr Maxx lacks is what makes a Blackberry a Blackberry and we have to question why you would want high speed data on what is ultimately a Fashion phone. Plus if you want a Fashion phone you can get one with easier menus and longer battery life from companies like LG and Samsung.

Is the Motorola Razr Maxx V6 the phone to convince us that a Moto mobile could be our daily companion? in a word no it is just too confused and trying to be all things to all people, in this process it ends up lost combining high speed data with a sexy glass screen?

Published - 01/04/2007

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