iPhone 4S vs. Droid RAZR Maxx: Which One's the Better Buy?

Reuters/Robert Galbraith
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 4, 2011.

By Vincent Funaro , Christian Post Reporter

January 23, 2012|4:02 pm

The Motorola Droid Razr seemed to make for a good competitor for the iPhone 4S last year as it topped out CNet's list for top smartphones of 2011.

The handset maker might be looking to recreate the magic from last year's device by re-releasing it as the Droid Razr Maxx.

So how does Apple's iPhone 4S stack up against this new Razr smartphone?

The original Droid Razr was promoted by Motorola as "the world's thinnest smartphone." This Maxx version comes in a little thicker since it incorporates a 3,300 mAh battery. This upgrade in power allows users of the device to enjoy 21.5 hours of talk time.

This is the main advantage of the Droid Razr Maxx over the iPhone 4S and the rest of the smartphone market. The 4G also drains battery life, but the extra juice helps to correct that problem.

The iPhone 4S's battery life is not that far behind since it packs a smaller screen at 3.5 inches, while the Razr has a 4.3-inch display. This helps, plus Apple's device still functions off of the 3G network that sucks less battery life out of the smartphone.

Both of these devices come equipped with 8-megapixel cameras that can shoot video in 1080p. The iPhone 4S runs on iOS 5, the latest in Apple software, and the Razr Maxx currently runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread but is expected to upgrade to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich within the first quarter of this year.

The iPhone can hold up to three different memory capacities including 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The Droid Razr Maxx includes 16GB of internal memory with an option to install an SD card that could add up to 32GB.

As far as hardware, the Droid Razr Maxx sports a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU. The iPhone 4S comes with a A5 chipset that is powered by a 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU.

Both of these devices are worth shelling out the money for. However, Verizon customers can pick up the 16GB version of the 4S for just $199.99. The Razr Maxx will retail at $299.99 so in terms of price the iPhone could be the better buy.