Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Motorola’s Razr i: A Razr M With Intel Inside

Motorola is taking its Razr M smartphone, seen above, swapping out its Qualcomm processor with an Intel CPU and selling it abroad as the Razr i. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Motorola and Intel’s plan to build Android phones with Intel processors is finally coming to fruition.

Things got off to a slow start back in April when Intel attempted to build a handset on its own, producing the dull, low-end AZ210. The device, which launched in India, Russia and the United Kingdom, garnered an almost unanimous “meh.”

On Tuesday, Motorola announced an Intel-powered phone of its own that looks like it will be the complete opposite of the AZ210. The Razr i, as it will be called, is essentially a Razr M with a powerful new Intel 2GHz CPU packed inside.

Everything that made the Razr M so compelling carries over to the Razr i, including 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, a microSD card slot for expanded storage, a 4.3-inch display that runs to the edges of the handset, and the Razr line’s signature Kevlar back. Like the Razr M, the Razr i features an 8-megapixel camera that can shoot up to 1080p video. Unfortunately, the Razr i also has the same PenTile display with a low 960×540 resolution.

On thing that isn’t clear at this point is whether the phone will ever see a U.S. release. The Razr line of Android phones, including the Razr M, has so far been exclusive to Verizon in the U.S. On Tuesday, Motorola said in a statement that the Razr i would launch in October in “select European and Latin American markets including the U.K., France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, with more to be announced.”

So far, no Intel-powered Androids have launched in the U.S. But given Intel’s stated plans, we wouldn’t expect that to last indefinitely.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/09/motorolas-razr-m-gets-an-intel-chip-and-becomes-the-razr-i/

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