It feels like it was forever ago that the original Motorola Droid launched on Verizon’s airwaves. And while it hasn’t actually been that much time, per se, there have obviously been plenty of Android-based devices that have launched, just on Verizon’s network. And since the launch of that original Droid, Verizon’s DROID line-up has seen some pretty good successes. One of which was the 4.3-inch packing display Droid X, also from Motorola. And now that the sequel is official, you’d think more people would be excited to get their hands on it. But, let’s face it, the Droid X2 isn’t a huge upgrade over what we had before, and that has me wondering why Motorola has essentially given up on the Droid X lineage.
So let’s kick around the Motorola Droid X2’s specifications, shall we? Just get that right out of the way. It’s got a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display with a 540x960 resolution. Around the back of the device you’ll find an 8MP camera, and along the side an HDMI output. There’s an 8GB microSD card preinstalled, and there’s 512MB of RAM. Inside, there’s a dual-core 1GHz processor and you’ll find that Android 2.2 is running the whole show.
But that sounds like an impressive device, doesn’t it? If we’re just looking at the Motorola Droid X2 by itself, and there aren’t any other available devices on Verizon’s network (or more impressive devices coming very soon) to compare it to, then maybe. But, we’re just comparing the device to the original Droid X, and even then the Droid X2 isn’t worthwhile. Even if we just look at the X2 and the fact that it looks exactly like the original, why would anyone want to upgrade? And then there’s the fact that the X2 doesn’t have LTE connectivity. And, at least to me, there’s a distinct final nail in the coffin: the fact that it’s launching with Android 2.2, and so that dual-core processor doesn’t mean anything.
Sure, there’s a “scheduled update to Android 2.3” coming in the “future,” but that’s ridiculous. This is a high-end device that literally needs Android 2.3 out of the box, just to make use of one of the bullet points you’ve got on the features list for the device. So Motorola’s launching the high-end successor to one of their most popular devices on Verizon’s network, but they’re limiting the handset right out of the gate. And, let’s face it, if we’re already waiting for a software update from the company, there’s no telling how long we’ll have to wait.
We’ve already talked about how a “minor upgrade” really isn’t worthwhile to customers. But when we discussed that, we were talking solely about how the X2 looks no different from the original Droid X. And let’s face it, that’s bad enough. To me, and I actually liked the Droid X, I wouldn’t consider the X2 because it looks like the original. When I upgrade, I want my device to look like an upgrade. Or at least different from what I’m upgrading from. And if I wasn’t upgrading from the original X, I wouldn’t pick up the X2 because of everything we mentioned above. This is a device that needs to launch with Android 2.3, and that’s game over for me.
But what do you think of the X2? Are you someone who already owns the Droid X, and is looking to upgrade to the newer version? Or will you be skipping this device in favor of something else? Let me know in the comments what you think.
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