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Motorola Razr M unveiled in Japan, to start selling via SoftBank in late October

With the high-end Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD still not ready for their releases, Motorola seems to be focused on making the mid-range Razr M and I available for as many tech users as possible.
By
October 9, 2012

With the high-end Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD still not ready for release, Motorola seems to be focused on making the mid-range Razr M and I available for as many tech users as possible.

We’ve seen the Intel-powered I making its way to the UK and Brazil lately, while the M has been released not long ago in the US as a Droid-branded Verizon device. Now the M is ready to land on Japanese shores, too, where it will be sold through SoftBank in “late October.”

With all pricing details still kept under wraps, we can only tell you that we’re expecting Japan’s third largest wireless carrier to charge its users a tad more than the $100 Verizon is asking for, with a two-year contract.

If you’re looking for an estimate, though, we can’t give you one, mostly because we have no real grounds of comparison. SoftBank has a very wide line-up of Android phones, but very few of these are available outside Asia.

In any case, the Razr M should be one of SoftBank’s fall stars, having a lot of points of interest for the regular Japanese tech consumer. The splash-guard coating and DuPont KEVLAR fiber will definitely catch the eye, not to mention the very thin profile and high portability of the sleek 4.3-incher.

The 960 x 540 pixel resolution display isn’t exactly groundbreaking (it isn’t even mentioned in today’s Motorola press release), but the dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 1 GB of RAM make for a more than decent hardware configuration even for hardcore gamers.

The Japanese Razr M will be made available in black and white versions. A more discrete SoftBank branding on the back replaces the prominent Verizon logo at the front. We can’t say we see many differences between the Droid Razr M and this Japan-bound model.

Motorola seems to have given up the “edge-to-edge display” marketing gimmick that didn’t exactly pay off in the States though, with the Japanese Razr M being advertised in a much more humbler way, as a phone with “an extremely slender bezel.”

SoftBank’s Razr M will come with 4G support for “blazing data speeds” of up to 76 Mbps in download, but also with compatibility for an NFC-like service called FeliCa for O-Saifu. As for the software, the phone will run Android 4.0 ICS upon release, with a Jelly Bean update promised for a “later date.”

Who’s happy that the Razr M is coming to Japan? Anyone unhappy about the waiting and the release/pricing vagueness?

[press]
Motorola Mobility Unveils Motorola RAZR M™, the Full Screen Smartphone that Fits in Your Hand

Impossibly compact with superfast speed and unstoppable power on the SoftBank 4G1 network

TOKYO – October 9, 2012 – Motorola Mobility Japan Inc. today announced the launch in Japan of Motorola RAZR M™, a full-screen smartphone that packs a 4.3-inch screen into a lightweight and compact design that fits in the palm of your hand. It will be available within the year exclusively from Softbank Mobile Corp.

Motorola RAZR M pushes its high-definition Super AMOLED Advanced 4.3-inch screen to the edge with an extremely slender bezel. The border you typically find on smartphones is virtually, in a word, gone. The big screen in a compact body makes it much easier to carry and type emails or text messages on Motorola RAZR M. You can also watch movies and YouTube™ videos and browse the Web using Chrome™ for Android on a wider screen.

With the blazing data speed of the SoftBank 4G network, you’ll forget what it’s like to wait as you download files or enjoy video chat and streaming media. And although it’s a light 128g, Motorola RAZR M still packs all the power of a 2,000mAh2 battery, so you can stay connected all day long. With Motorola Mobility’s exclusive SMARTACTIONS™, you can easily create rules that will automatically optimize phone settings based on time of day or location, so you get even more out of your battery. SMARTACTIONS can even learn from your behavior and make suggestions, so you spend more time doing what you want and less time worrying about your settings or battery.

Motorola RAZR M also brings the best Android™ experience with the latest Google services pre-installed, including the high-speed Chrome™ browser; Google Play™ with access to more than 600,000 apps, games and movies; and Google Maps™ with voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation.

Pick up Motorola RAZR M and be amazed at just how much can fit into the palm of your hand.

Motorola RAZR M Key features and specifications:

  • Compact design at 60.9mm(x) x 122.5(y) x8.3(z)mm (8.8mm for white color)
  • Superfast speed of SoftBank 4G (Download speed at up to 76 Mbps, upload speed at 10 Mbps)
  • Faster web pages loading and easier multi-tasking thanks to a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM memory
  • 8-megapixel camera with LED flash for 1080p HD video recording and 300,000-pixel front-facing camera for video chatting
  • FeliCa for O-Saifu® (wallet cell phone) compatibility
  • Built with protective materials like Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 for scratch resistance
  • DuPont™ KEVLAR® fiber(only for black color) and a splash-guard coating
  • 8GB on board, expandable up to 40GB with optional microSDHC card
  • Pre-loaded applications including Chrome for Android, Google Play, Google Maps™, Google+™, YouTube™ and more
  • Available in two colors: black and white
  • Long-lasting battery performance: High-capacity battery of 2,000mAh2, the SMARTACTIONS, the app that helps extend the smartphone’s already-long battery life
  • Bluetooth® Class 1, version 4.0 EDR
  • Interactive Circles Widget allows quick access to notifications, weather, time and more
  • Quick Settings on the home screen that make it easy to manage the volume profile
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and more Business-ready features like Security and encryption compatibility, the support for multi-VPN and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®

For more information on the product, please visit http://www.razr-m.jp.

Availability
Motorola RAZR M will be available on the SoftBank 4G network. For more details on timing and pricing, please go to www.softbank.jp.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Motorola Mobility Japan is a subsidiary of Motorola Mobility.

Media Contacts:
Kaori Makihira / Yohei Kawakami
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Japan
Office: (81) 3 5793 2365 / 2389
Email: tokyo.opr-motorola@ogilvy.com

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