Motorola Launches Intel Based 2 GHz Razr i Smartphone

September 18, 2012

Google’s Motorola Mobility in association with top chipmaker Intel has unveiled a new smartphone -the Motorola Razr i for Europe and Latin America. With a 4.3″ inch Super AMOLED Advanced screen, this phone runs on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and Motorola says it will be upgradeable to Jelly Bean. It is 8.3 mm thick, weighs 126g and is powered by a 2000 mAh battery, claiming up to 20 hours of mixed usage time. The Razr i has 40 per cent more powerful battery than the iPhone 4S, claims Motorola.

The Razr i is very similar to the Razr M unveiled earlier in September for USA consumers but its brain is an Intel Atom processor instead of a chip made by Qualcomm. The Razr i is the first phone to achieve a processing speed of 2 GHz.

Choosing Intel’s chips is unusual in the smartphone and tablet industry, where energy-efficient processors made by Qualcomm and Samsung using technology licensed by Britain’s ARM Holdings are widely favored. Intel dominates the PC industry but has been slow to adapt its powerful processors to work well in battery-sensitive mobile gadgets. But Intel is trying to spread its wings and is rushing to catch up.

Motorola claims the display of the phone to be 40 per cent larger than the Apple iPhone 4S and 15 % more than the iPhone 5. Motorola says the Razr i’s 8 megapixel camera is faster than most DSLRs, starting up under one second and being able to capture 10 pictures in less than a second. This phone is also capable of 1080p HD video recording. The phone also supports NFC technology.

The black version of the phone will be launched in select markets from the beginning of October including UK, Germany, Mexico, France, Argentina and Brazil. A white version will also be announced soon. Motorola has not revealed the pricing of the RAZR i yet.