Motorola recently took the wraps off its Verizon-exclusive Droid Turbo and the robust, function-centric smartphone seems poised to give other handsets a run for their money.
The Droid Turbo hit the shelves on Oct. 30 via U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless for $199.99 on a two-year contract (32GB) or $249.99 on a two-year contract (64GB).
The Droid Turbo is quite reminiscent of Motorola's popular Moto X - only on steroids. While the Moto X is svelte and stylish, the Droid Turbo's design imparts a rugged look.
The 5.2-inch smartphone is made from either "Ballistic Nylon" with reinforced aluminum or "Metalized Glass Fiber" that has a DuPont Kevlar back cover, said to be five times stronger than steel, making the Droid Turbo durable. However, the use of these materials makes the device heavier and thicker, making it somewhat of an eyesore when compared to the Moto X.
So how does the Droid Turbo fare in the reviewer litmus test? Let's take a look at what the experts have to say about the newest smartphone on the block.
"With its excellent display, top-notch performance and outstanding battery life, the Droid Turbo is a real powerhouse with few limitations. And Motorola's smart approach to software provides a great overall user experience you won't find on many other devices," notes JR Raphael of Computer World.
"If you're not intimidated by the bulky case and additional heft from the giant battery, this is probably the Android smartphone for you. It's powerful, it's sleek and it has the best battery in the business outside of a few truly gigantic phablets," opines Zach Epstein of BGR.
"The Droid Turbo is the perfect size phone, and so powerful it would give Superman pause. If you're not thinking about getting one, you should be," says Jeremy Kaplan of Digital Trends.
"The Droid Turbo has a faster processor, more memory and storage, a higher resolution screen and much larger battery, but it doesn't exactly do anything that the Moto X can't - aside from being an all-out battery champion. There's no noticeable difference in performance, they both have the same software features and the cameras output similar quality images," wrote Andrew Martonik of Android Central.
"The Droid Turbo is sort of fugly, heavy and big, which is not what everyone wants in their smartphone. Kudos to Motorola for focusing on packing as much functional excellence into this hardware as possible, however, even when that required sacrifices in terms of device bulk," Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch thinks.
"If you want a super powerful, future-proof smartphone with all the benefits that good battery life bring with it, then the Droid Turbo will serve you well. However, it's probably the most bland and utilitarian smartphone design in Motorola's arsenal," says Gizmodo's Darren Orf.
If you're wondering whether you should purchase the Motorola smartphone, remember the Droid Turbo is a great phone for those on the lookout for a robust handset that offers great battery life.
