Motorola DROID X2 Review

Motorola’s DROID X was a joy to behold. As the predecessor of the Motorola DROID X2, people naturally have high hopes for the newly released phone. On paper, the DROID X2 improved in terms of its new qHD screen and its new dual-core Tegra 2 processor.

Design and build quality

 

 

The good points:

• The DROID X2 has a very solid build quality.
• Despite the plastic exterior, it is rubberized so it is still comfortable to hold
• The weight of the device is not too heavy and not too light, unlike the too-heavy EVO and the too-light DROID Incredible 2.

The points to improve:

• One function button is not aligned with the other three. This could be an isolated case, though.

 

Motorola DROID X2 Display

There are a lot of disappointing things to be said about the display of the Motorola DROID X2. It is one of its biggest pitfalls, and you’ll understand why as soon as you see it.

 

The good points:

• Motorola DROID X2 has a 540×960 pixel PenTile display that is qHD scratch resistant.
• The screen is also anti-reflective

The points to improve:

• The DROID X2 has a low resolution with large pixels. As a result, the images on the screen are not as sharp as you would like.

 

 

• The combination of the 540×960 resolution and the PenTile display does not end up well for the device as the screen turns out to be very low-end
• The grid lines between the pixels are very visible and hinders with the text and images. It’s super easy to spot.

 

 

• Color reproduction of the screen is the worst, with an abundance of banding. Do not expect the colors to have a smooth transition because the only thing you will get from this device is a gradient of colors. The banding is not visible only when you view the display at an arm’s length, at the very least.
• The automatic brightness of the screen lacks actual brightness. Using maximum brightness makes the screen extremely bright, but the only other option remaining is to have a dim screen.
• Aside from the faulty brightness, the Motorola DROID X2 also has poor viewing angles. Don’t even think of looking at the screen from another angle because the colors look like they suffer from the rainbow effect.
• It has display ghosting because the display has an uber-slow response time. The images on the skin drag around as you try to perform an action. Annoying.

 

Battery Life

The good points:

• The battery life of the Motorola DROID X2 is exceptional even with the fact that this is a dual-core phone.
• It can last about 9 hours at full brightness and with average usage.
• It can last a full day with average brightness (about 50%)

 

But then again, considering the horrible display of the phone, the good battery life can be attributed for this sad trade-off.

 

Performance

The Motorola DROID X2 is easily a poorer device in terms of performance when compared with other dual core phones. Despite running on Android 2.2 and a 1Ghz dual core Tegra 2, the phone’s performance is still lacking in many aspects.

 

The good points:

• In terms of connectivity, the Motorola DROID X2 has a good reception.

 

 

• WiFi is also stronger than other smartphones, notably the EVO 4G and the DROID Incredible 2
• The device is capable of hotspot

The points to improve:

• The DROID X2 regularly loses its connection even when the signal is strong
• News feeds on social media sites update only when you are connected to WiFi.
• The Tesseract LWP stutters constantly on the Motorola DROID X2, even with the dual cores
• There is a lag time of 1 to 2 seconds when you try to unlock the phone quite some time (or at least 1 minute) after locking it
• There is also a lag time – a full second! – when you try to scroll through the home screens.

 

 

Software

The good points:

• Some widgets of NinjaBlur perform well and has good visual aesthetics
• It has an 8mp rear camera that is capable of shooting HD videos
• It has an average camera that will get an “okay” rating, but if you are keen on getting high-quality photos, this is not the phone for you

 

 

The points to improve:

• NinjaBlur is a sad piece of UI that gives a disappointing performance. The widgets don’t perform reliably. An example is the Social Status widget, which lets you post or update your status, but it does not reflect on the feed of the widget. It would still require you to download the app itself to view the entire feed, or to add the Social Networking widget

 

 

• The camera lacks clarity, so some photos turn out to be less than average
• Lighting of photos is inconsistent, as with most other devices

 

The verdict

 

 

Despite its many quirks and faults, the Motorola DROID X2 is something that you can still slightly like. That is if you can forgive the ultimate fail that is the display and the other issues mentioned above. Sadly for the DROID X2, its predecessor had been a well-loved device in many aspects, so its failures in many regards will come highly criticized, mostly because people had high expectations from it.

 

Here is a quick run through of the things to expect with the Motorola DROID X2:

 

The good points:

• Build quality of the phone is good
• If you like a phone that can get super bright, then you would be delighted with the maximum brightness of the DROID X2
• Exceptional battery life, especially if you are just a moderate power user.
• Browsing experience is smooth most of the time

 

The points to improve:

• Again, the display. The qHD, PenTile display. The quality is very poor, with terrible viewing angles, color reproduction, and too-bright and too-dim brightness.
• In spite of the Tegra 2 processor, the device is still slow and has quite a handful of performance issues. It is not as responsive as you would expect it to be – it is sluggish and you will surely encounter a lot of legs. It is surely not a device for the impatient ones.
• Some issues with syncing especially when you are not connected to WiFi
• NinjaBlur seems to be a half-finished project. It is not very functional and seemed to focus more on the aesthetic aspect. Some of the widgets lack functionality and would be a waste of space, entirely.

 

The device can be purchased for only $200 with a two-year contract. The issues with the DROID X2 are largely subjective – some people had little problems with the display, let alone the other issues. It is not an entirely terrible phone, overall, but a lot of things can still be improved to make it a better device.

 

So if you are planning to purchase the DROID X2, try everything first to ensure that you are okay with everything. The Motorola DROID X2 would benefit from an update from Gingerbread, so we could all still hope that those issues mentioned would be addressed soon, particularly in terms of performance. At least there is still hope for improvement.

Have you tried using the Motorola DROID X2?

What can you say about it?

 

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