Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx inbound

Motorola is going to launch the Droid RAZR Maxx smartphone at the end of this month in the US, according to CNET, which could hopefully result in it making its way to the UK shortly afterwards.

The Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx is largely identical to the original Droid RAZR, but the Maxx suffix is a nod to the fact that it has a much higher capacity battery installed inside, to give users longer periods between charges.

At 3300mAh, the battery is twice the size of its processor and should give the Droid RAZR Maxx the ability to last at least a full day with heavy usage before you need to rustle up a charger.

The rest of the specifications, which include a 1.2GHz dual core processor and a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen, remain the same as they were on the original, although perhaps the most impressive feature of the phone is the fact that its 8.9 millimetre thick frame has not been made fatter by the inclusion of a bigger battery.

Photography fans will be pleased with the eight megapixel camera on the rear which is complemented by full HD video recording. Meanwhile, 16GB of storage space will be plenty for most people and the front-facing camera can accommodate those who are convinced that video calling is a worthwhile activity.

Although the Droid RAZR Maxx is launching in 2012 there will be no Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software onboard as standard and you will instead have to wait for Motorola to publish an update at some point in the future.

Expect to pay a little more for the Droid RAZR Maxx than you would for its slightly older sibling when it arrives in the UK. It could be around £500 on its initial release, but this could quickly slide south after a few weeks, depending on how well it sells.

This week other upcoming smartphones have started appearing in leaked images ahead of the Mobile World Congress next month. The Sony Xperia U is the latest model to emerge online and according to the Xperia Blog, it could well be the handset which was codenamed Kumquat and publicised last week.

The Xperia U which was caught on camera will reportedly feature a 3.5 inch screen with a resolution of 480×854, along with a dual core 1GHz processor and a five megapixel camera. Android 2.3 will be the platform that is preinstalled, although since Sony has said Android 4.0 will be added to its 2011 catalogue of Xperia handsets, this will hopefully come in the form of an update for the Xperia U this year.

The Sony Xperia U is essentially shaping up to be a smaller, less powerful version of the Xperia S and it could find itself quite a nice niche in the market, thanks to its solid specifications and slender frame. All will be revealed at MWC 2012 in Barcelona, so check back for updates when next month rolls itself around.

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