Motorola & LG launch high-priced RAZR MAXX & Optimus 3D Max in India

Both Motorola Mobility and LG have expanded their smartphone offerings in the Indian market and come up with some interesting handsets. While Motorola has expanded its RAZR range by launching RAZR MAXX and announcing RAZR V, LG has done the same for the Optimus family by officially launching Optimus 3D MAX and Optimus L7 (the handsets have already hit the market a couple of days ago). Let us have a look at the devices.

Motorola RAZR MAXX (Rs 31,590)

This handset features a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (540×960 pixel resolution) display and runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system (the company will provide an over-the-air upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich). It is powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, has 1 GB of RAM and the internal memory amounts to 16 GB, expandable by an additional 32 GB with the help of a microSD card.

It also features an 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and can record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second (fps). Plus, there is a front-facing 1.3 MP camera that can record HD videos (720p) as well. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi hotspot) and 3G. The smartphone also features a micro USB 2.0 port, a microSD card slot and an HDMI port.

The handset measures 130.7mm x 68.9mm x 9mm, and weighs 145 gm. It is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery that is supposed to provide 17.6 hours of talk time (very hard to believe, but the company claims so) and more than 600 hours of standby time, making RAZR MAXX the longest-lasting smartphone as of now. The handset is available in black and you will also find A-GPS support.

The smartphone sports the same design as the original Motorola RAZR (remember the sleek KEVLAR back) and comes with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass and a splash-guard coating. It also comes with 'Smart Actions', a feature that allows users to automate the phone's settings. For example, you can set your phone to the mode that turns off ringer automatically when you get home from work; or set it to turn off e-mail while you sleep; or dim the screen when battery life gets below 30 per cent.

The company has also announced that Motorola RAZR V (another member of the RAZR family) will be available in the third quarter of 2012 and will run on Android ICS out of the box.

LG Optimus 3D Max (Rs 28,990)

This device features a 4.3 inch 3D LCD capacitive touchscreen (480×800 pixel resolution) display and runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system (upgradable to Android 4.0 ICS). It is powered by a Cortex-A9 dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and has 1 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB and it can be expanded up to 32 GB with a microSD card.

The device also comes with dual 5 MP auto focus cameras (at the rear) with LED flash that can record full HD 2D videos (1080p) and HD 3D videos (720p) at 30 fps. Plus, there is a front-facing VGA camera for video-calling. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi hotspot) and 3G. The smartphone also features a micro USB 2.0 port and a microSD card slot. Additionally, you will also find A-GPS support and Near Field Communication (NFC).

The handset measures 126.8mm x 6.4mm x 9.6mm and weighs 148 gm. The device has a 1,520 mAh battery and the company claims that it will provide up to 4 hours of talk time and 422 hours of standby time. The handset will be available in black.

LG has also provided a 3D converter in the smartphone that can convert the 2D content of any media (videos, pictures, etc.) to 3D. A 3D video editor is also included, which allows users to edit their video footage in 3D and a 3D 'hot key' for easy switching between 2D and 3D views.

The company has also launched Optimus L7, a mid-priced smartphone running on Android ICS and priced at Rs 18, 900.

Although the original Motorola RAZR was well received (we even named it one of the hottest smartphones of 2011), we don't see any special feature in RAZR MAXX that will woo customers. Also, the world has moved on to Quad-core smartphones. So we doubt whether a dual-core phone will find any taker, especially when it costs nearly Rs 30,000. This one will primarily compete with Sony Xperia S (for 30,990), Samsung's Galaxy Note (for Rs 32,700) and Galaxy S II (for Rs 27,900).

The Optimus 3D Max, on the other hand, may lock horns with HTC EVO 3D (for Rs 24,999) and will only attract a niche audience who are looking for that something extra in the 3D space. Still, 3D is not really a game-changer (at least, not now) and most buyers are happy with the power-packed Galaxy S III and iPhone.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)