It’s been a big year for Motorola. While I haven’t been able to cover all of their device this year, I have the original Moto X, reviewed the Motorola Droid Ultra and recently reviewed the Google Nexus 6 by Motorola. Having had good and great experiences with these devices, I was looking forward to reviewing the Motorola DROID Turbo. As usual, take a glance at the specs and what we’re working with.
Motorola DROID Turbo Specs:
Display: 5.2” 1440p Quad HD (2560 x 1440 resolution) AMOLED, 565 PPI
Cameras: 21 Megapixel rear-facing camera (records 4K video) / 2 megapixel front-facing camera
Processor / RAM: 2.7 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 / 3GB RAM
Memory: 32 GB (all versions) / 64GB Ballistic Nylon version only (no expansion slot)
Battery: 3,900 mAh / Qi Wireless Charging / Turbo Charge
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0/ Wi-Fi / Lightning / NFC /Voice over LTE (VoLTE) / Nano SIM
OS: Android KitKat 4.4.4
Features: Water-resistant / Up to 48 hrs battery life / Moto Assist /
Build and Design
The Motorola DROID series is known for a few things. It’s exclusive to Verizon Wireless, It has a offers great battery life (for smartphone standards) and has more of a rugged build and design. The DROID Turbo follows of these traits, although you have an option of getting a red color which is a bit more pleasing to the eye and less rugged looking. I have the ballistic nylon finish. I got it, not only for the grip, but because it offers the most storage capacity.
The ballistic nylon is this woven finish, which is actually a pretty design. But you can feel how sturdy the texture is. Even though the DROID Turbo has a 5.2 inch screen, it’s only 5.65 inches tall, so it actually sits comfortably in your palm. The screen has great color production, and quad HD is always nice too look at.
The layout is pretty similar to other Motorola devices. On the right side you have the power/ standby button with a volume rocker under it. The SIM card tray is in the volume rocker.The bottom has the micro USB charging port. YAY for the Turbo charger!! The top has the headphone jack (more to the righ side. On the DROID Turbo has a 5.2 inch AMOLED display, that you won’t tire of looking at. There’s also a 2 megapixel front facing camera. On the back, you have 21 megapixel camera with 4x zoom and that can record 4K video.
Experience
While the display of the Droid Turbo is very clear and nice to look at, it isn’t the brightest. On days where I was outdoors a lot, I would need the brightness at maximum levels (this is when the battery life is clutch).
The Turbo has a 2.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 3GB RAM which equals powerhouse status. So as you may have figured, opening apps and running back and forth between them is exceptionally quick and lag-free. Running a near stock Android KitKat 4.4.4, I enjoy the features that Motorola puts on their devices. I am still hoping for a quick update to Android Lollipop. Moto Assist, Moto Actions, Voice, and Display are really great features that make your phone work for you. It’s great that once these features are set up, they work within the system and without you having to turn them on/off.
As for entertainment, its nice to be able to watch videos and movies on such a pretty screen. The one speaker sounds really nice. At least is facing you, so I’m glad to see that companies are getting the idea. It’s no BoomSound though.
Camera
I was impressed when I heard the Droid Turbo would have a 21 MP camera. Motorola never really had a great camera. Nothing to “wow” me. The camera interface on the Turbo is clean. If you swipe to the right you get your settings and when you swipe left you get zoom.I like the colors on the pictures. The camera isn’t too strong in low light conditions (although it does okay).
Battery Life
Like I said before, the DROID series is known for their above average battery life. Motorola claims, the DROID Turbo can go up to 48 hours without needing to recharge. They claim also that charging it for 15 minutes (with the Turbo charger), you can get up to 8 hours of use. That’s great for those who last-minute charge before leaving. I’m guilty of that sometimes. Good to know that you can count on the phone for longer. You know about my battery pack rule (always have one).
When I tested the battery on multiple days, I got 25 hours, 28, hours, and 30 hours of use. While it didn’t live up to the claims, it’s still over a day of use. And it’s way more than other smartphones out there.
Verizon Wireless Service
Without a doubt that Verizon has great coverage in New York City. I was even at the Krispy Kreme in Penn Station (midtown Manhattan) which is underground and the Turbo had great service while other carriers didn’t have service at all down there or not enough to get stuff done. With four mics, the person on the other end of the line can hear me clearly.
Pricing and Availability
The Motorola DROID Turbo is available exclusively on Verizon Wireless.
- $199.99 with a 2 year contrack
- $24.99 per month with Verizon Edge
- $599.99 Full price
Overall
If you are making the switch or are on Verizon Wireless, you have the choice of the Droid Turbo. While it’s slightly faster than the Moto X, superior battery life, and slightly better pictures you won’t really notice the difference unless you play with them side by side. If battery life is your main thing, the Droid Turbo is great for everyday use. What’s great about it is that while it does have a great battery life, it doesn’t skimp on other specs such as display, camera and overall performance. The phone is sturdy, but I am not sure how the woven nylon will take the test of time. Some may not like that the phone is thicker than others. But I prefer a thicker phone with better battery life.
