MOTORAZR2 V9

The famous RAZR is back -- again. This time it's been completely redesigned from the ground up. Aptly dubbed the MOTORAZR2, the V9 edition boasts HSDPA connectivity, a stunning metal and glass finish, and touch sensitive music controls that disappear when not in use.

Aesthetically, the MOTORAZR2 is once again a pretty stunning device. It's been built using a combination of plastic, metal and glass and feels extremely solid. The downside is that it's larger and heavier than we expected. Despite this, the design is wonderfully sleek and stylish, although the gloss finish does attract plenty of fingerprints. The keypad is once again a flat layout, but tactile feedback is impressive and the controls are well laid out.

A real highlight is the touch sensitive music controls, which only become visible at the bottom of the external display when the music player is opened. They are very responsive and are naturally helped by the large 2in display -- by far the best external display we've reviewed on any flip phone. The 2.2in internal display is also noteworthy for a flip handset, displaying bright, vivid colours and generally being a delight to view.

Unfortunately, Motorola's bland user interface, while speedy and easy to use, doesn't do the wonderful display justice. The V9's main menu design pales into insignificance when compared to some crisp offerings from rival competitors. Despite this, the general user experience is solid, and the keystroke lag when messaging and browsing menu items of some previous Motorola units has been completely eradicated.

Motorola claims the MOTORAZR2 V9 uses CrystalTalk technology, a feature that automatically accounts for background noise and adjusts the audio to match the ambient volume. We did notice its effects, though sometimes our callers complained of volume fluctuating regularly. On the whole though, voice quality was above average.

The V9 includes a 2-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, but no flash means night-time photography is out of the question. The quality of pictures is fairly standard, though the outstanding display is excellent for browsing through photos and pictures. The camera's location on the front of the handset means it doubles for use during video calls and the "See What I See" feature means users can stream live video while a call is in progress.

The included music player supports a variety of audio formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ and WAV. There's no standard 3.5mm headphone jack, but sound quality is decent if not outstanding thanks to the inclusion of spatial audio and bass boost settings. There is no equaliser though, which is a disappointment.

The MOTORAZR2 has 45MB of built-in memory but Motorola includes a 512MB microSD card in the sales package, its slot located beneath the rear battery cover. MicroSD cards come in sizes of up to 4GB, which can be used if you require extra storage.

The V9 is well equipped in terms of connectivity as it boasts HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0 (with the A2DP profile for wireless audio streaming) and USB 2.0 -- conveniently you are able to use it as a USB mass storage device with the supplied micro USB cable. We were disappointed a standard mini USB connection wasn't utilised though -- accessories like Motorola's aren't compatible.

Battery life is average, rated at up to 200 minutes of talk time and 300 hours standby on a HSDPA network.