One of the biggest selling points of the iPhone 4 was that it was the ‘world’s thinnest smartphone’, according to Apple at least. This was later contested by Samsung who said that their 8.5mm Galaxy S2 was slimmer than the 9.3mm iPhone 4 – although the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) argued otherwise, claiming that the larger lip on the Galaxy S2 meant it was not uniformly thinner.

This battle between Samsung and Apple through the relatively irrelevant ASA was part of a larger war between the two companies, involving patents, smartphone designs and wireless technology. But it highlights something that Motorola have known for many years – a lot of people want a very thin phone.

The reasons for this are quite obvious. As a great many people keep their phone in their trouser pocket, they will feel more comfortable with a thin, lightweight phone that will neither weigh them down nor cause an unsightly bulge near their gonads.

Motorola has been aware of this since the middle of the last decade, when they were enjoying enormous success with their ultraslim RAZR series of phones. These were 2005′s equivalent of the iPhone – a must have gadget that people were willing spend larger sums of money and great lengths of time to get their hands on.

Despite having some excellent phones since, like the Droid/Milestone and the Atrix, Motorola has never quite managed to replicate the success they had with their RAZR phones all those years ago. The recent feud between Samsung and Apple at the ASA may have been part of the inspiration for Motorola’s latest Android smartphone though, as it seeks to revive the earlier ethos that served them so well with the RAZR handsets.

Motorola is even cashing in on the brand name, no doubt hoping that many people have fond memories of their old flip phones and that this will draw attention from a lot of would be consumers looking for a new mobile phone contract.

This latest model is called the Motorola Droid RAZR XT910, or the Motorola RAZR for short. While the name and the very thin body are quite like the earlier RAZR handsets, there are obviously many differences here to the flip-phones of yesteryear.

Firstly, this new RAZR runs on Google’s Android – arguably the best smartphone operating system in existence. Although launched at the same time as the Galaxy Nexus, and although Google has recently put a lot of its weight behind Motorola, this phone does not come with the new Ice Cream Sandwich update for Android.

Instead it runs on Gingerbread, with Motorola’s own interface on top. This interface has great looking and comes with plenty of excellent social networking integration, for the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Also included are standard Android apps such as YouTube and Android Market, where you can download thousands more apps and games.

In terms of hardware the Motorola RAZR is quite similar to the current Android King, the Galaxy S2. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor with 1GB RAM – although the RAZR outperforms the Galaxy S2 on many benchmark performance tests.

It also comes with 16GB internal storage with a further 32GB on offer with microSD, making this yet again another excellent multimedia device. The RAZR also comes with a fantastic camera and, while the 8 megapixel 1080p camera may not sound all too special in today’s day and age, it does offer something unique with its 480p video at a very high frame rate of 120 frames per second.

Motorola have used some of their expertise in ruggedness that they acquired while developing the Motorola Defy, as the RAZR is made from Kevlar and has extra resistance to splashes of liquid. This makes it one of the most powerful and most durable Android smartphones in existence, and able to withstand a lot more drops and bumps than the iPhone 4S.

The RAZR is one of the many smartphones that is available with free gifts such as PlayStations and laptops. If you are stuck for what to buy people this Christmas, you could always use these free gifts as presents.

As for the thinness – the new RAZR is even thinner than the RAZR phones of several years back. It is thinner than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy S2 and is even thinner than Japanese phones like the NEC Medias. For the record, the Motorola RAZR measures just a mere 7.1mm in thickness, making it almost undetectable in even the tightest of trousers.

Related items

• Motorola RAZR to get Official Ice Cream Sandwich Update
• Unlock iPhone 4S – Quickly, Easily and Legally
• Cheap android smartphone 2012
• War Nokia N8 vs iPhone 4, Who Has Superior?
• Sony Ericsson W8, Walkman First Android Phone