It it really, truly “impossibly” thin? With “unstoppable power”? A device ready-made for America’s “fastest and most reliable 4G network”? Hey, what do you expect Verizon and Motorola to say when they’re showing off their new powerhouse portable, a smartphone they’ve dubbed the DROID RAZR? As in: “DROID Strong” and “RAZR Sharp” (go branding!).
But yes, this thing’s awfully small, just 7.1 millimeters thick (or “thin,” as the marketing geniuses at Verizon/Motorola put it). It’s crafted out of kevlar fiber and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass, the latter a type of high-grade sheet glass found on dozens of smartphones since 2008, including various HTC, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung models (it’ll also be in Amazon’s upcoming Kindle Fire tablet). The phone also has a “water repellent nano coating” that Motorola/Verizon claim “protects the phone, and even the inside components, against everyday spills” (that’d sure be nifty…if it works).
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The DROID RAZR (tired of the ALL CAPS moniker yet?) runs Android 2.3.5 “Gingerbread,” supports Verizon Wireless 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi, of course, sports a speedy dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, has 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage (16 GB onboard plus a 16GB microSD card preinstalled), and employs a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display (meaning touch is integrated into the screen itself) running at qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution.
Motorola/Verizon claim it’s “the first smartphone capable of streaming movies and TV shows through Netflix with up to HD resolution.” Verizon throws a plug in for its “NFL Mobile” service (only on Verizon) as well, claiming the combination of the 4G LTE network and AMOLED display makes the phone especially attractive to football fans, and that the service is free to 4G LTE customers through the remainder of the 2011 football season.
Verizon also talked up several apps, including MotoCast, a freebie Motorola app that “lets you stream or download your music, pictures and more from your PC to your phone.” Also: Smart Actions, a task automation app with battery efficiency metrics and a webtop application for pairing the device with separately sold accessories.
If you’re looking for picture-snapping power, the DROID RAZR has an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of capturing up to 1080p HD video, on par with Apple’s just-released iPhone 4S. There’s also a front-facing HD camera. If you want to play the “mobile hotspot” game, the RAZR lets up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network simultaneously.
Battery life? Not rated, but Motorola/Verizon list a higher-end 1780 mAh battery.
You want one? It’ll cost you $300 plus saddling up for a two-year contract. You can lay hands on one in “early November,” and preorders begin October 27 here.
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Matt Peckham is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @mattpeckham or on Facebook. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.