SINCE the launch of the original Razr, this iconic phone has seen its svelte 13.72mm slimness go through rather drastic changes. It was at its fattest when it was the V3x, which saw it balloon to almost 20mm, losing the original sleekness that made the first Razr so popular. But fortunately its next incarnation, the V3xx, slimmed down to a more manageable 14.99mm.

And now comes the new MotoRazr2 V9, which at just 13.3mm, is even slimmer than the first model.

While the V9 retained the Razr line of phones' distinctively cool style, I found its looks decidedly more masculine with its black finish and a front that's dominated by a glass piece and an external screen. Instead of a tiny, perfunctory screen found on most other clamshells, the two-inch external screen on the V9 is almost as big as the internal one at 2.2 inches.

In fact, both screens have a high 320 by 240 resolution and support 262k colours. But I noticed colours on the external screen are duller, so it's still best to view photos on the internal one.

Even better, three touch-sensitive buttons below the external screen let you access music, photos and videos without opening the phone. A nice touch: these buttons give off a short, light vibration when pressed, which provides a welcome tactile response that's usually missing from touch screen buttons.

Under its hood, the V9 doesn't seem much different from some of the older Razr phones. Like the V3xx and maxx V6, the V9 is a 3.5G (3.6 Mbps) phone. I was expecting at least a 3-megapixel camera in the V9, but it only has a 2-megapixel one.

Still, it takes pretty decent photos, but the white balance was slightly off in some of my indoor daylight shots, so I had to make some manual adjustments. I also liked being able to change camera settings directly from the four-way button.

Overall, I enjoyed the V9. Not only did it turn heads and up my cool factor with its good looks, it is truly quite useable too! The menu is very responsive and there's virtually no lag. Smaller hands may find it difficult to use the broad phone with one hand, but on the flip side, the generously sized keys make it easy for larger fingers.

A minor detail: the phone has only one shared micro USB connector for file transfer, charging and headphones. This means that I can't listen to music while charging the phone; or use other headphones with a standard 3.5mm jack. To get around this, I would recommend getting a Bluetooth stereo headset.

FINAL SAY

As usual, Motorola doesn't disappoint with phone design and quality. My only grouse was its weight. At 125g, it is considerably heavier than the V3xx which weighs 107g. It is also almost as heavy as some PDA phones!

» MotoRazr2 V9
» $718 (without operator plan)
» Available at all authorised Motorola dealers

By Melvin Seah, a freelance writer who works in the IT industry.