Motorola DROID 4 Pro Reviews

Tailored less for trend-seeking consumers and more for power users (or prosumers), Moto's QWERTY flagship hits a handful of high marks, offering up one of the best physical keyboards on the market, access to Verizon's 4G LTE speeds, a responsive touchscreen and suitable battery life to accompany the demands of on-the-go productivity -- all for $200 on a two-year contract. Clearly, this is not the OG Droid of old -- just take a glance at that redesigned shell -- that led many first-timers into Android's fold, but it doesn't appear Moto wants it to be anymore. In fact, there's no longer a need for the vanilla Droid line to push Andy Rubin's baby forward. That heavy lifting has now been relegated to Google's suite of Nexus devices.

There's no two ways about it: the Droid 4 is flawed. If you buy one, you'll be settling for a device without the best screen, the best battery, the best camera, or the best software on the market. I'd even argue that it doesn't have the best keyboard, as the Droid 3's layout made more sense. And yet, despite all that, this phone is still pretty attractive to the right buyer. I wish Motorola had put a little more effort into making the Droid 4 the best phone it could possibly be: a truly top-tier handset instead of the second-class citizen that phones with physical keyboards have become. Still, on most every count, the Droid 4 is good enough for the job. It's pretty simple, really: if you truly need a good QWERTY keyboard, a dual-core processor and LTE, it's your only choice right now. I do. I bought one. We'll see how things work out.

The Droid 4 has gotten almost everything right: it's sized right for a phone that includes a keyboard and feels very durable, has acceptable battery life, a fast processor, and a nice display. While the Gingerbread OS is disappointing, the device still functions well and provides all the features that the typical user needs.

The Motorola Droid 4 has somewhat of a captive audience: being one of the few QWERTY smartphones on Verizon, it's really your only choice if you want a keyboard, a dual-core processor, and 4G. If that doesn't sound like an endorsement, it would be because it's not. That one design advantage aside, the D4 is lackluster. It has decent specs, including 4G LTE, but there are other devices just as good in that department, and the Droid 4 offers nothing else particularly special to the user. I'm sure that it'll find a useful niche for some people, but if you can wait, I'd suggest holding out for the next generation device. A Droid 5 with a MAXX-like battery and AMOLED screen would be a much more worthy step up than a Droid 4 which is little more than a retread of old specs sold as new.

The Motorola Droid 4 is a good effort from our friends at Motorola and performs well at essential tasks. The Droid 4 is a signal hound, makes great voice calls, and is a solid data device on either 3G or 4G. The Droid 4's QWERTY keyboard is truly fantastic and the best from Motorola yet. The rest of the hardware is decent and offers a mix of materials and features that work as they should. If you're in the market for a QWERTY Android device with LTE 4G on Verizon's network, the Droid 4 is your best best. Though the third time is often the charm, in this case case, Motorola's fourth effort is by far the most charming Droid.

The Droid 4 has one of the best keyboards I've ever used on a mobile phone. It delivered excellent performance in games, and its call quality was even and clear. But the Droid 4's blurry display may deter some potential buyers. Why Motorola decided to revert to using PenTile displays is beyond me, but I hope that this is the last time we encounter one on a higher-end Motorola product. If you purchased a Droid 3 back in July of last year, the Droid 4 will feel like an incremental upgrade. The inclusion of LTE is nice, but the poor camera and the inability to remove the battery mean that you won't be missing much if you stick with the Droid 3. Verizon customers who can't stand typing on a touchscreen should love the Droid 4. For everyone else, though, a Droid Razr Maxx provides a similar experience with much better battery life, a better display, and a slimmer profile.

If physical keyboards are your thing, and you're in the market for an LTE handset, the Droid 4 is aimed squarely at you. Put simply, the keyboard rocks, and it's enough to make a diehard virtual keyboard user question his beliefs. Add in the blazing-fast speeds of Verizon's 4G LTE network, and you have a winner. But the Droid 4 isn't without its drawbacks. It's stuck on the ever-staling Gingerbread for now, with no clear indication of when the jump to Ice Cream Sandwich will come. Both the screen and the camera feel a bit dull, and the non-removable battery is a misstep on Motorola's part, especially since heavy usage quickly tax the phone's power reserves. But, if you can look past its weaknesses, you'll have an incredible phone at an incredible price.

Normally, newer devices gain a lot of attention for being fresh on the scene, as opposed to some other models that have been around for months. Yes, we adore that the DROID 4 is the supreme messaging device, and even better, its $200 on-contract pricing is much easier on the pockets, but there isn’t a whole lot of “fresh” associated with it. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is quickly approaching 3 months of life on Verizon’s lineup, but even now, it still feels like the newer device. Well, that’s partly all thanks to the fact that it’s the sole smartphone at the moment to offer Ice Cream Sandwich. Charming us with the most up-to-date Android experience isn’t the only tangible nicety going for the Galaxy Nexus, but in addition, it’s well complemented by a host of physical characteristics, like its beautiful display, to make it seem like the “fresh” device between the two. Indeed, you’ll need to shell out another $100 to pick it up at $300 with a contract, but trust us, you won’t be making a second guess with the decision.

The Droid 4 has one of the best keyboards I've ever used on a mobile phone. It has excellent performance in games, and call quality is even and clear. Sadly, the Droid 4's blurry display may keep some people away. Why Motorola decided to go back to using PenTile displays is beyond me, but hopefully this is the last time we encounter one on their higher-end products. If you recently purchased a Droid 3, then the Droid 4 will feel like an incremental upgrade. The inclusion of LTE is nice, but the inability to remove the battery and the poor camera mean that you aren't missing much. A Droid RAZR MAXX provides a similar experience but with much better battery life, a better display, and a slimmer profile.

Strolling down memory lane, it’s amazing to know that the DROID 4 is a descendant of the granddaddy Android device of them all, the original Motorola DROID, but in this day and age, the latest DROID-only branded device has seemingly passed on the flag to a newcomer. Sure, it’s $100 more in pricing than the DROID 4, but the $300 you’ll be shelling out on the DROID RAZR MAXX is undeniably worth every penny. Still, the DROID 4 is device to stick with if messaging so happens to be on the top of your list – though, its cousin isn’t too shabby as well in that area. In the end, the WOW factor accompanying the DROID RAZR MAXX is simply too much to contain, and that’s exactly why it’s going to be the dominant device for the foreseeable future.

The Motorola DROID 4 for Verizon has the best keyboard ever put on a horizontal slider. Nothing else comes close. If you are all about entering and editing text, it gets no better than Motorola's DROID 4. The thing is, people want more than that today, and the uninspiring 4-inch display on the D4 doesn't show off photos, videos, and web pages as well as higher end touchscreens do. For a business class phone like the DROID 4, we'd also have hoped for the inclusion of the same world roaming capabilities that were found in the DROID 3 and DROID 2 Global. But even still, the DROID 4 is a great weapon in the war on email, and it offers blazing 4G LTE data speeds. That will be more than enough for many folks.

There are two good reasons to consider the Droid 4: A solid keyboard and 4G LTE. If you want a phone that can tap into Verizon’s 4G LTE network (trust us, it’s like going from 3G to your home Wi-Fi) and you prefer a physical keyboard, then you can’t go wrong here. Motorola’s typical weaknesses, the screen and the camera, are still problems, but both can probably be overlooked for those who really want a keyboard and LTE. And for anything bad we say about the Droid 4, you will not find a better keyboard on the market. Sadly, at this rate, soon you may not find any other keyboards on the market. The smartphone with a slide-out keyboard is a dying breed.

Some will argue that the midas touch and allure of the DROID family has faded, as it seems as though the torch has been handed over to other more prominent devices like the DROID RAZR. However, when you think about it more, the original DROID family was never known for bringing killer spec’d hardware, but rather, it balanced things out with its quality performance and unyielding presence. Surely, it doesn’t blatantly come off as being a WOW device, however, we can honestly say that it packs along the best landscape style QWERTY keyboard on any smartphone out there. In our ever demanding society, we sometimes get lost in the hype and expectations surrounding certain devices. However, if there’s one thing we’re grateful about the Motorola DROID 4, is that it sticks to a very reasonable $199.99 on-contract pricing, which won’t break the bank like some of the premium priced 4G LTE smartphones out there. In hindsight though, Motorola has eclipsed the possibilities of what we expect out of a QWERTY packing smartphone, but deep down inside of us, we’re still yearning for that monster DROID-only smartphone that’s packing an eye-catching design, cutting-edge hardware, and a totally new experience to prove to everyone that it’s still a force to be reckoned with.

The Motorola Droid 4 gives you top-notch Android power, fast Verizon LTE, and the very best QWERTY keyboard you'll find on a phone.

The DROID 4 is the bulkiest device on the Verizon network here at its launch, yet at the same time it’s got the nicest keyboard Motorola has ever offered on a smartphone. If you’re so in love with the basic QWERTY DROID line that you’ve sworn off all other smartphones, it’s time to upgrade to this model. If you’re looking for the best Motorola device on Verizon, I’d recommend the RAZR MAXX. It doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does have a battery that’ll last you until kingdom come, and you’re working with essentially the same innards as this device otherwise. This device certainly deserves to have a spot amongst the high-end line of Android devices at its release, but will be forgettable within a few months at the dawn of the quad-core smartphone and the start of the Ice Cream Sandwich having Androids being released in bulk closer to the middle of the year. You’ve got the option of grabbing the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung on Verizon right now as well if you want the newest Android software – DROID 4 is still stuck on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – but that would require you to leave your beloved Motorola and go Samsung’s way, a very different beast indeed.

Like I said in my initial hands-on with the device, whether you'll be seduced by the $199.99 Motorola Droid 4's charms depends greatly on how much you crave a great QWERTY. Those still rocking original Droids, and who have been holding out for LTE plus dual-core processing, will want to make a beeline for this device. Even folks moving from aging BlackBerrys will like this phone's mix of features. That said, if you can spare an extra $100, and have kicked the keyboard habit like me, then the $299.99 Droid Razr Maxx should be right up your alley. But for those who prefer the clean unadulterated UI of Google's newest flavor of Android, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus just might do the trick for the same price.

Physical QWERTY keyboards may seem redundant to many thanks to the large touchscreen devices commonplace today, but for many typing on a physical keyboard is the only option. The keyboard on the Droid 4 from Motorola could do with being a bit larger but its back-lighting, pillow-shaped design and satisfying response and action make it an appealing option.