Motorola Droid 4 Review

The rapid pace of phone releases sure has added some anxiety among brands like Android. Is it possible to release a device today and introduce a superior version of it just a short time later? Well, it seems Motorola has been doing that on multiple occasions recently with release of four Droid phones in just over two years.

Motorola Droid 4, introduced  just 6 months after its predecessor,  has many of same features, like customized Android 2.3 software, pair of cameras and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. But what are the real improvements if any?

When we take a look at the first Motorola Droid, it was truly a phenomenal Smart phone and pushed the technology further by introducing Android to the consumers. Complete an advanced Verizon network and a smart keyboard, it was an instant hit with the masses. However, Android fans missed 4G to go with its dual-core processing. However with the Droid 4, Motorola hopes to makes the necessary amendments. The Droid 4 possesses the blend of Android, high-quality keyboard, dual-core CPU and Verizon 4G LTE.

Design

The design is clearly the same and is inspired by its current 2012 lineup. Sporting an identical black obelisk motif and rounded corners and beveled edges, what you see is an elegant and sleek design. You can use it in your work place or take it out to a nightclub. Measuring 5 inches in length and 2.65 inches in width, it is full half an inch in thickness. It weighs 6.31 ounces. The Droid 4 is definitely on the heavier side. When you slide the phone you will find a superbly engineered typing surface, with the keys tightly packed together, in five rows. Enjoy directional pad in the Droid 4, which is a welcome addition.

     

User interface

Perhaps the biggest downside with the Droid 4 is that it still runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and not Ice Cream Sandwich. However, it is not a bad attempt by Motorola to modernize the phone’s interface with its own UI- Moto Blur. So the combination of the basic Android UI with Motorola’s custom UI is quite pleasant. Though you’re given 5 home screens which are enough for the average user, you are not given the option to increase or decrease this number. However, the fancy animations on the UI are quite exciting.

Battery

Powered by a 1,785mAh battery, the phone can be easily used for 7 continuous hours on intensive gaming or movie playback. This is decent enough compared to other high end phones. For those using the 4G technology, you might see a serious cut down in the talk time compared to the 3G calls and data transfer.

Camera

The phone features 8MP camera in the rear and 1.3MP in the front, for your video calls. The phone is capable of capture 1080p HD video although the quality of the video is above average but not breathe taking. The phone is excellent in the outer environment but the photos seem to become dull in low lighting conditions.

Motorola Droid 4 Sample Photos

     

Motorola Droid 4 Sample Video

Keyboard

The keyboard has to be given special acknowledgement since you rarely see phones nowadays sporting a full QWERTY keyboard. The plastic keys on the keyboard have been intuitively spaced and slightly raised so that you know can identify each key easily. A soft backlight can be great for typing in dark ambiance. However, some of you will obviously resort to the capacitive touch screen for typing too.

Features

Packed with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, this phone is sure keeping up with the latest trends in the mobile market. Coupled with a 1GB of RAM, that sure is a cherry on the top. You can definitely be assured of a lag free experience, be it your daily usage or intensive gaming applications, those specs are certainly not going to let you down.

Entertainment

The phone has a generalized 3.5 mm jack for audio out and HDMI out too. So, you can enjoy those HD recorded videos on larger screens. The phone is preloaded with Netflix, which can provide you with internet TV out of the box. However, it is required for you to own a Netflix hardware too.

Let us take a look at the pros and cons of Driod 4.

Pros

• 1.2 GHz dual core processor
• Large display
• High quality Keyboard
• 1080 p video recording capability
• HDMI out
• 4G LTE ready

Cons

• Weaker battery compared to cousins
• Limited customization of home screens
• Hefty design
•  Keyboard slide may wear out

To conclude, users of the Motorola Droid 4 have plenty to smile about. It is an excellent blend of a 1.2GHz dual-core processor along with an excellent keyboard, which will certainly attract the consumers from the corporate world, who need great speed along with superior customer care.

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Category: Reviews