The Motorola DROID Turbo could be the best phone we've reviewed this year. It's packed with the same specs as the flagship and huge Nexus 6 — except the enormous size. The DROID Turbo comes with a 5.2-inch Quad HD Display, a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, and the Adreno 420 GPU, meaning that this thing is not messing around. Make sure to check out the full review of the Turbo!
While I’m not a huge fan of the Droid line, this is my most favorite Droid device ever. It’s not just because it lacks a Verizon stamp, it’s more than that. This is the phone the Moto X 2014 wishes it could be. Here is a full review of the best Droid device ever made—the Droid Turbo.
Usually, I start my reviews by talking about the design before I dive into the major hardware. But let’s clear something out first: this is not meant to be a pretty phone like the Moto X. It was built for function before form. Honestly, that doesn’t faze me at all. It is somewhat large on the hand but it doesn’t have an all too massive display, only 5.2 inches but it is completely sufficient.
It is a rather chunky device at 8.3mm, a thickness rated for the Kevlar edition; which has a great look but has the Verizon stamp. If you vouched to buy the special edition 64GB Ballistic Nylon edition, the thickness will grow to a massive 11.2mm but you’ll get rid of the Verizon stamp.
It definitely has one of the most interesting textures around as well. It is right on par with the OnePlus One Sandstone black edition but this one just looks a more cooler. The only downside is the nylon, which makes a lot of weird cracking noises.
Specs
This is the real reason why you’d want this phone. First of all, the display may be the same size as the Moto X 2014 but it packs a whole lot more pixels and has a 2560x1440 resolution tightly packed in at 565ppi. This is an absolutely crazy number, probably one of the sharpest displays around. The only phone beating its PPI is the LTE-A edition of the Galaxy S5 with 5.1-inch Quad HD display. Plus, the screen is Super AMOLED, which means it is incredibly vibrant.
There is a slight color shift similar to the one found on the Moto X and Nexus 6. This could only be experienced at very extreme angles. The color temperature and fine tuning seems to be fairly similar between the three devices and quite frankly, it’s all good for watching videos, browsing through rich content, and even going through home screens. Plus, the extra front-facing speaker does help out when watching videos.
Hardware
On the inside, the story gets even better—a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 chip with 3GB of RAM Adreno 420 GPU. The Ballistic Nylon edition gives 64GB built-in flash memory. It is also available in 32GB for the other models.
The back side has a 21MP camera without any type of OIS. But it has dual LEDs and the ability to record 4K UHD videos at (strangely) only 24fps.
Battery
To run the entire show, the device is equipped with one of the largest batteries in all of mobile technology. It comes with a 3900 mAh battery with a huge capacity that gets the device up and running for over a day a half of moderate to extreme usage.
Software
Past Droids were filled with Droid things and bloatware. This year, Motorola and Verizon are doing things differently. Perhaps Verizon has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. This is running almost Stock form of Android. In this case, the Android 4.4.4 KitKat with subtle additions of Moto Voice and Actions. To put it in a short way, it basically runs the same software found on the Moto X and Moto G. The beauty of this is that it makes the device lightning fast. The amount of bloatware here is minimal and thankfully can all be disabled or uninstalled. So your experience is basically Stock Android, which means that your updates will come a lot quicker than the other Droids in the past.
Performance
Going through the menus, you can’t tell that it’s a Droid. The only giveaway is the startup boost animation that could be entertaining for those who are 5 years old. But all Android functions seem to operate exactly similar to Stock Android KitKat. Add that software with incredible hardware and you get an outstanding performance. Simple tasks like browsing the web, playing video games, multi-tasking, and watching 1440p videos through YouTube is dealt with without a sweat. Its performance is pretty darn well on a day to day basis. I have not found anything that could stress the phone out. It is packed with the best specs at this time.
I honestly enjoyed using this phone. All that power, battery and capacity in a smaller size of the Nexus 6 with equal specs. It’s nice to pick up a smaller phone that’s as good or even better in the case of battery life and speaker phones.
Also, it’s packed with the same software found on the Moto X, including Moto Actions, Voice and Ambient Display; all the features I loved on the Moto X so you’re not sacrificing anything.
Camera
The 21MP camera is not packed with OIS or any neat tricks. It’s just a large megapixel count camera with two LED flashes and like the usual, not exactly the best. Its photos have a lot of great detail and good composure, but it’s not just the greatest in terms of dynamic range. It takes relatively good photos—just not the best. But you get 4K UHD video recording at only 24fps.
Battery Life
It’s safe to say that a 3900 mAh battery can last a heck of a long time. The Droid Turbo (on average) got 7-8 hours of on-screen time with extreme usage: mobile hotspot, browsing the web, watching YouTube videos non-stop, Netflix, and every single thing you can imagine. It still got the phone through an entire day. Going back to moderate usage, the phone could probably be used for two days straight. If you are slightly worried about the battery life of the Turbo, I really wouldn’t be. With its included turbo charger, you’ll get a substantial charge in just mere minutes.
The Droid Turbo is literally one of the best Android phones around. It has a beautiful display, amazing hardware, and a near Stock form of Android with features like the Moto Voice and Moto Actions. The downfall, however, is that it is a Verizon-exclusive phone. There are rumors of a GSM variant though.
If you’re on the Big Red network and you want something like the Moto X but desire the specs of the Nexus 6, the Droid Turbo is exactly what you’re looking for. It is one amazing phone. I just wish it was readily available for other networks.
