Motorola is trying to strike lighting twice with the DROID X2. It’s definitely a risk here putting a 3G only phone out with the world heading into the 4G spectrum. Let’s see if it lives up to its predecessor
Hardware & Design
The DROID X2 is same in design from the before DROID X. If you put both next to each other d you wouldn’t be able to tell the differences. Like before it has a 4.3 in LCD screen, 8 Megapixel camera with LED flash and 720 video recording. You have HDMI out no cable included, micro USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, no front facing camera and physical menus keys. The differences come internally with a 1.0 Ghz nVidia Tegra 2 processor and higher resolution display with qHD at 960 x 540 pixels.
The camera quality is just about the same as before with small improvement with pictures and video. Still images look decent but can come off bland and is the same with video whether indoors or outdoors. I’m not a big fan of the camera application I think it could use some work it’s not as simple or pleasant to use as other camera apps are but still better than stock.
The phone is still a thin phone with just the hump at the top of the device where the camera is. It feels comfortable when holding and won’t weight down your pocket. The hardware is still good here but Motorola didn’t take any chances here to shake things up design wise.
Software & Usability
The OS running on the device is Android 2.2 with “Don’t call me MOTOBLUR” interface on top it. It’s a greatly improved version over the original. You can still recognize android in as it skins over and improves in places where stock Android lacks. There are skins that you can apply for different scenarios like Work, Travel or Play. With the Tegra 2 chip inside graphics are smooth and crisp and I didn’t experience any lag when using it.
Call quality was on par with most Verizon devices in my area which is the Northeast in Boston. People could hear me well and I could hear them well and didn’t have any dropped calls. The speakerphone sound decent when not turned up the way. If it’s up all the way it will sound distorted. Battery life was impressive with the battery management software included that can extend the battery life up to 2 days solid.
Overall
The DROID X2 build wise isn’t to far from the original but with the Tegra 2 processor you definitely see the speed and response improvements and great battery life with the battery manager. But lack of 4G LTE and front facing camera makes it hard to recommend when now most phones are coming with those included. If you are in the middle of an upgrade and need a new phone and not ready for 4G the DROID X2 will work for you. If you already the first DROID X you can stay put as you’re not getting that much more than what you already have.
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