Motorola DROID X2 Pro Reviews

The Motorola Droid X2 is a good phone, but I think that Motorola could have made it better in terms of physical design, photo capabilites, and user interface. If you are the type of power user who only cares about the specifications, the Droid X2 is indeed a very powerful phone. However, I think that most people are looking for more than sheer performance and specifications. If you like Motorola, I would recommend taking a good look at the Atrix (read our Atrix Review), which I would recommend over the Droid X2, except for its display size. Obviously, if you absolutely want to be on Verizon’s network, then your choices for a Tegra 2 phone are limited. If gaming is not a priotity, you should look at the Droid Incredible 2, also on Verizon. It’s not as fast, but it gets the job done for non-gamers.

With the nearly identical design to last year’s Droid X, the Droid X2 may not turn any heads. Of course the power of the Droid X2 will cause many heads to spin. The speed of the NVIDIA Tegra 2 is astonishing and combined with the Droid X2’s qHD screen bequeaths an experience unmatched by any other Android smartphone currently available. These hardware specs will appeal to the smartphone aficionado looking for a fast device, but if versatility is what matters, a two-year commitment is quite a long time to be without 4G/LTE.

We have nothing against Motorola, but the Droid X2 is not the company’s best effort. As the name itself implies, the X2 is mostly a rehashed 2010 phone, now equipped with a dual-core processor and a higher resolution qHD screen, but that screen lacks clarity compared to similarly priced phones from competitors like HTC, Samsung, and LG. Overall, however, it’s what the Droid X2 lacks that says the most about it: It doesn’t have 4G LTE connectivity, a front-facing camera, more RAM than its predecessor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), or a particularly stunning user interface. If any of these features matter to you, you should think twice before committing. The Droid X2 is a great 3G Android phone, but if you want to be on the cutting edge, keep looking.

Okay, we get that Motorola likes to have variety, but after checking out what the two handsets are able to bring to the table, it’s very hard to side with the DROID X2. Even worse, the DROID X2 is already behind the curve with its outdated customized Android 2.2 Froyo experience. However, it’s not all bad news with the DROID X2, especially when it’s the favorable one in terms of shooting photos and videos – but that appears to be its only strong offering.

Lack of excitement aside, the X2 does however play an important role in Verizon’s smartphone lineup. Namely, it’s a device for customers who don’t want 4G LTE connectivity and the (admittedly) poor battery life (and current $50-$100 price premium) that comes with it. If you aren’t in an area slated to get LTE this year, waiting for the Bionic (which boils down to essentially being an X2 with larger display, newer motoblur, and LTE) doesn’t really make all that much sense, and in that circumstance the X2 seems like a better purchase. Likewise, if you’re an X owner and already have a dock, case, extra battery, and are looking for much faster hardware to upgrade to (or perhaps have recently broken a Droid X), the X2 is an easy shoe-in. I guess it all boils down to each individual situation.

The big bump up in processor speed is nice, as is the cutting edge screen resolution, but once you get past the small improvements in the specs, you realize that the Motorola Droid X2 is a rather unimaginative and routine update to the original Droid X. That doesn't make it a bad phone by any means, but it does make it hard to get excited about. The Droid X2 is a faster version of a phone that launched a year ago, with the same features, same design, even the same operating system. If you liked the original Droid X and were about to buy one, the X2 has all that and a bit more. If not, you might find other, slightly more cutting-edge models to provide you more bang for your buck.

Motorola hasn’t made a bad phone, but it hasn’t made an outstanding one either, and right now that’s what it takes to stand out in the Android marketplace. With heavy hitters offering greater performance, better cameras and fresher software, it’s tough for the DROID X2 to raise its head above the crowd. Devotees of the original DROID X will find plenty to like in this incremental update, but this isn’t the class-leading smartphone it once was.

Verizon's Motorola DROID X2 has all the specs required for being a stellar Android smartphone. Its 4.3-inch qHD display, 8 megapixel camera, and dual-core 1GHz processor are all very impressive. On paper. The reality of the situation, though, is far less exciting. Add to that last year's design, minus a previously appreciated camera shutter button, and issues with lag and inconsistent performance and you can consider me unimpressed. For my $199.99 (on contract), there are much better devices out there.

The Motorola Droid X2 is big, beautiful, and powerful, but it's missing the high-speed network access it needs to lead Verizon's smartphone pack.

If you’re holding out for the ultimate Verizon phone—one with a dual-core processor and LTE 4G speeds—you might want to go with the Motorola Droid Bionic, which has been hotly anticipated since CES in January. But if you don’t have 4G coverage in your area, or you don’t want to pay a premium to use 4G, you’ll be happy with the Droid X. Gamers, in particular, will appreciate the large, high-resolution display combined with the power of a dual-core processor. However, if you plan on shooting HD videos with your phone, go with an HTC or Samsung phone—heck, even the iPhone 4. The X2’s video capture is probably the worst we’ve seen from a high-end smartphone.

We really want to like the Motorola DROID X2, much like how we accepted its predecessor with open arms, but when it doesn’t particularly set any new bars, it’s really difficult to side with it over the other competition. Sure it has that wonderful dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor under the hood and higher resolution display, but after those two distinguishable standouts, it’s basically unchanged from its predecessor. Obviously, we don’t recommend you moving up to this if you’re still sporting the original, but if you’re stuck with a feature phone and eligible for an upgrade, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t throw this into consideration.

The lack of 4G will be a turnoff for some, but the Motorola Droid X2's fast performance and good battery life make it one of Verizon's most solid Android phones.