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Is the RAZR i the fastest smartphone ever? Motorola says yes.

Slated for launch in Europe and Latin America this fall, the Motorola RAZR i, which uses an Intel Atom chip, is said to be the smartest smartphone in existence. 

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Motorola Mobility
The Motorola RAZR i is powered by an Intel Atom chip.
  • By Matthew Shaer

Last summer, Google acquired Motorola Mobility, in a deal worth a reported $12.5 billion. Now Motorola Mobility has partnered with chip-maker Intel to release a new Google-Motorola-Intel hybrid device dubbed the Motorola RAZR i. In size, shape, and hue, the RAZR i greatly resembles the recently unveiled RAZR M (more on that phone, and the RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD here). 

Witness the sleek black chassis, the 8-megapixel camera, and the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, which Motorola calls "edge-to-edge" – meaning, in this case, that there's very little border to the display. Almost all the exterior details match the RAZR M. The difference between the RAZR M and the RAZR i, of course, is the Intel Atom processor. According to Motorola, the Atom will allow the RAZR i to hit speeds of 2.0 GHz, the fastest ever on a smartphone. 

By way of example, Motorola says the camera app would launch in less than a second. 

"Intel’s goal is to provide compelling technology options that translate into great user benefits and experiences," Intel exec Erik Reid said in a statement today. "RAZR i is a great proofpoint in the collaboration and we’re thrilled to be working with Motorola to bring this edge-to-edge experience enhanced with Intel Inside to people around the world."

Of course, as Natasha Lomas notes over at TechCrunch, the RAZR i isn't the first Intel-powered Android smartphone. There was the oddly-titled Orange San Diego, which was priced for £200 in the UK, or roughly $300. And there's the ZTE Grand X IN (how about that mish-mash of upper-case letters and actual real words?). But Lomas rightly singles out the RAZR i as the first Intel phone from a "recognizable mobile maker." 

And when it comes to smartphones, brand matters a great deal. 

No word yet on when – or if – the RAZR i will launch in the US. But Motorola has set an October launch for "European and Latin American markets including the U.K., France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico." 

Tempted by the RAZR i? Drop us a line in the comments section. And to receive regular updates on how technology intersects daily life, follow us on Twitter @venturenaut.

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