Today we’ve got a tough war between the Motorola DROID RAZR HD and the Google Nexus 4. The DROID RAZR HD became available on October 18th on Verizon’s network, while the Google Nexus 4 will be available on November 13th and be compatible with virtually any GSM network around the world. Both devices have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s our job to point those out to you. Let’s get this thing started with some specifications.
Specifications
Motorola DROID RAZR HD
The DROID RAZR HD is the successor to the popular DROID RAZR released last fall. It was one of the thinnest phones we’ve seen, packing LTE connectivity as well. Motorola has added some nice upgrades to the DROID RAZR HD, and even bumped the battery up to a 2530mAh capacity, which makes for great battery life. Although the DROID RAZR HD is packing some older spec’s, it’s still a great device, and if you’re looking for a phone that can last all day on a battery draining LTE network, the DROID RAZR HD is a good choice.
Pro’s
- Battery; the battery size was bumped up to 2530mAh which is larger than just about every other Android phone with that screen size, except the DROID RAZR MAXX HD.
- LTE; If you need LTE on your device, this is a great device to pick up. Unfortunately, Google left LTE out of the Nexus 4.
- Motorola’s Skin; Not even sure they have a name for it anymore, but their custom skin is almost like stock Android. Which is a good thing for those who love pure Android phones like the Nexus lineup
Con’s
- Only available on Verizon; it’s a shame that only Samsung and Apple are able to bully the carriers into putting the exact same phone on all carriers in the US. Motorola should have put this on Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile as well
- Older processor; It’s running some old hardware inside which means you won’t see much of a difference now. You’ll see the difference in about 6-9 months when software upgrades should be on their way
Google Nexus 4
The Nexus 4 is the fourth Nexus phone, following the Nexus One, Nexus S, and Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus line of products basically has one goal, bringing stock Android to as many people as possible. Hint the super low price tag. The Nexus 4 will be the first device to run Android 4.2, aside from the Nexus 10, which includes features such as Photosphere, Enhanced and Improved Google Now, Actionable notifications and more.
Pro’s
- Android 4.2 including photosphere, miracast, gesture typing, quick settings, Day dream, project butter, and Google Now improvements
- Updates come directly from Google, and are almost instant!
- Insanely cheap, at least from the Play Store in the US; $299 for the 8GB and $349 for the 16GB
Con’s
- Not available with LTE connectivity, as of yet. Which means no CDMA carrier compatibility either
- Storage; you’re stuck with just 8 or 16GB of storage which actually works out to about 6GB and 13GB usable. No Micro SD card slot to expand storage either
Winner….
Like usual it depends on use case. But the Nexus 4 should be the winner. Due to the fact that it’ll be supported by the manufacturer much longer than the DROID RAZR HD will be. If you’re in an area where you have to have Verizon, because they are the only ones that have service there, then I guess you don’t have a choice. But if you live somewhere the carrier doesn’t matter and there’s service from all four of the major carriers, do yourself a favor and pick up the Nexus 4. I guarantee you’ll love it. Oh and you won’t have to bother your carrier or LG about “where is my upgrade?” it’s all handled by Google and you’ll get it within days of it being released. Sounds good right?