Exclusive: Motorola Droid X preview
By Joanna Stern 
posted June 15th 2010 4:59PM
posted June 15th 2010 4:59PM
So here are our main takeaways:
- Hardware: From afar, the Droid X looks like the EVO 4G, but up close the differences are obvious. Its slightly longer and wider, and it has four physical buttons along the bottom of the screen rather than touch-sensitive ones like those on the EVO. In hand, the phone feels really solid and we were surprised at how light it felt, though we could really do without the hump on the back. And yes, the large thing fits in a jean pocket, but not without slightly bulging.
- Screen: Apparently the Droid X has a 4.3-inch, FWVGA 854 x 480-resolution screen, though we couldn't confirm that on the device itself. Regardless, it was super crisp and the capacitive screen was mighty responsive to taps and multitouch gestures. Our one concern is the mirrored trim around the screen -- it makes the whole face of the phone extra glossy.
- Motorola Blur / Android: We confirmed that the Droid X was running Android 2.1 with some new sort of Motoblur (perhaps Ninjablur) skin. We didn't get to configure Blur with our social networks and contacts, but it didn't seem as "in your face" as the original. There's also a new navigation bar along the bottom that lets you easily jump to different Android panes. We can't really make a call on how we feel about this new Moto skin, but it does feel like a major improvement and it absolutely didn't slow down performance. We should also mention that preloaded on the phone was a Blockbuster application and a DLNA type app. Those two pieces combined with the fact that there will be a separate HDMI dock available has us thinking multimedia is the focus here.
- Camera / Camcorder: The Droid X has a 8-megapixel camera, and records 720p video. But here's the thing about the camera: you have to tap to focus and it doesn't refocus until you actually snap the picture. In addition, the camera button on the phone was super stiff, so when we went to shoot a pic the entire thing shook and blurred the image. You can see what we are talking about in the gallery below. As for video recording, it was a bit laggy while we were shooting at 720p, but the video plays back smoothly, and in our opinion, crisper than the EVO 4G. Nevertheless, as you can see in the clip below, the white balance keeps on changing and the exposure fluctuates.
- Keyboard: Just like with the CLIQ XT, Motorola preloads Swype. However, we also noticed a "multitouch keyboard" option. Oh yes, you heard us. When we held down two letters simultaneously it recognized both. We could really go on and on about how excited we are about this, but just check the video below of it in action.
- Performance: Snappy! That's exactly what the Droid X is. The entire phone and transitions were super fast and responsive, keyboards popped up with virtually no lag and it tracks finger swiping more accurately than most Android phones we've seen -- it undoubtedly has its 1GHz ARMv7 processor (presumably an OMAP3630) to thank for that. If the specs on the model we saw are correct, the phone will come with 8GB of storage space. Obviously, we didn't have enough time to test battery life, but there was some sort of special battery management software on the phone.
Pretty promising, isn't it? We should know more when we get an announcement toward the end of the month, but in the mean time, we're really excited about what Moto's got going on here.
Updated: There have been conflicting reports on the Droid X's screen size. We're going with 4.3-inches for now.
Sam Sheffer contributed to this article.
It’s great seeing first-hand video of new products from you guys. However, how about you purchase some REAL video cameras. Ones that you can actually ZOOM IN WITH and maintain FOCUS.
There’s nothing more annoying than wanting to get a first look at a product and then having to see some lame-ass blurry video because you’re using some piece of crap fixed lens camera that loses focus because you’ve moved it in to get a close shot and you’ve passed the minumum focus distance.
Contact me if you need some suggestions on inexpensive real video cameras.
:-)
Any chance this beast will come to Europe?
I really envy you yanks... First you got the Evo and now the Droid X.
Question does anyone know what the pricing going to be like? Is it like what att is doing with the iphone allowing people who have the 3gs to buy the iphone 4 at the upgrade price opposes to the full price?
I have an upgrade coming in August!! Keep em coming Verizon!! So far this is the phone and only phone on my list to grab. Wonder when they will get the Froyo update though. Verizon has a tendency to make us wait for things like that.
Now I can watch a quick video or watch some Youtube on it without squinting like I do now with my phone.
If this comes out in a GSM flavour, I'm pre-ordering and importing it to South Africa. A perfect replacement for my not so dated Milestone!
Does the Droid X come to europe? please... sigh*
I don't mind the size of this phone. As a guy with larger hands, this could help eliminate some of the fat fingering when texting. I like the size of this device. Size does matter!
Moto and Verizon are moving dangerously into the world of bloatware with all of these "pre-installed" apps and skins
http://briefmobile.com/droid-x-to-have-many-pre-installed-apps
will this phone be compatible with gsm? it doesn't say if it has a sim card slot or not !
Finally, a phone on Verizon that is worth upgrading from the Droid! I'll be sad to see the original go, but as Jay Z would say, it's on to the next one.
there goes the incredible in my mind hello moto x
All this phone is is an Evo 4g minus the 4g capabilities and the front facing camera to allow you video conferencing. WEAK! Why can't Verizon ask a phone manufacturer to release one of these for their network. I'm starting to believe that Verizon is intentionally asking the phone manufacturers not to release this type of phone because it will kill their network just like what is happening to AT@T. Don't mind not having the 4g capabilities but not having the video conferencing ability is a deal breaker for me for a phone this size. Hurry up HTC, release a Evo on Verizon's network please.
The demo video showed scrolling through contacts very quickly. How many contacts were loaded? I have a client that has 2,000 contacts loaded into her HTC Tilt2, and it is slow as frozen molasses. Can the Droid X handle that many contacts?
Call me crazy, but you might not want to use ripped video files as a demo. RIAA might come a knockin...
That camera bulge is disgusting. I'll stick with my rooted evo. kthxbie
Was the first video taken in downtown New Brunswick, NJ? I recognize the surroundings. lol
Joanna is so darn cute. More video camcorder trial footage please!
Both of the videos I have watched from Engadget have included some of the most awkward people explaining the features of the phone... It's almost difficult to watch the whole thing seeing as that the term "snappy" is used to describe every aspect of the phone. Thanks but maybe next time try a take 2.
I'm a G1 owner and I'm looking to upgrade.. Although I am happy w/ TMO, I'm not really thrilled about the N1 and I'm unsure about the Samsung Vibrant.
Is synchronous voice and data usage possible on the Droid X? I love this ability on my G1.
@pappasand
Yeah I also have the G1, but it is time to move on.
Verizon is now the premier android carrier and T-Mobile just doesn't have much to offer now.
The only thing I would suggest is a one-year contract.
These phones are just advancing very fast & you and I both are going to eventually want Verizon's LTE (4G) service.
OMG! Test shots FAIL!
If this Droid has the Omap 3630 then it will easily beat the EVO. The applications are becoming more graphically intensive everyday, and Qualcomm's snapdragon really lacks in that department.
So wait a second... brand new Android phone and no Froyo? The phone looks slick, and sounds great, but I'm not sure I could buy it if it's not already running a month-old major update to its OS or will be shortly after its release.
What's wrong with a physical keyboard? I would find it very useful.
engadget has really gone down hill. was this filmed on a camera phone? why are you at an outdoor coffee shop? and i'd really like you to say "uhm" one more time, as it's not at all distracting. do, it, do it one more time.
OK so here's my story, and PLEASE don't take this as griping. This is a big issue for me and I want to make sure I make a smart move here.
I have had the iPhone 3GS and the 3G before that. I LOVE the iPhone 3GS - it does everything I need. I love how it incorporates my pictures from my Outlook contacts (I'm on Windows 7) and takes all my cover flow artwork from my mp3's. I love the simplicity of email. I love the availability of apps. I love the sleekness and the feel of it. Sure, there are DEFINITE drawbacks, such as AT&T, proprietary dictatorship by Apple, need I say more... Anyway, I bought the iPhone 4 and returned it. It, frankly, SUCKS. WAY too many issues, and not just the "death grip." It's really, REALLY terrible. Really. Terrible. REALLY. So I went back to a new 3GS that I just bought from AT&T upon returning the 4. But I'm still just chapped at Jobs' attitude and arrogance (the whole "non-issue" business, iron fist control, etc.) and want to really just ditch AT&T and Apple altogether. I'd like to move to Verizon and I love nearly everything about this phone...except Android, because I'm not really quite sure about it yet. The reason I say that is because I just last Friday dumped my 3GS and switched to Sprint for the HTC Evo. While I liked the Evo's feel and what not, it definitely has battery issues, connectivity issues, and 4G is NO-where yet. But I was concerned about some other things:
1) Outlook contact pictures didn't sync right to my phone
2) Didn't like have to manually manipulate what "mode" you want the USB connectivity to function as - whether to transfer files, sync, or simply charge, etc.. I feel this should do this automatically.
3) Album artwork didn't come over for everything
4) Push notification was not instant...required a fetch schedule of 15 minutes
So, in short, I returned that too, and went back to the 3GS that I still have. Call me fickle. I just want what works for me. But after heavily reviewing the Droid X all across the web, I am truly jazzed about it. I want to say "screw Apple and Steve Jobs" and move on. Totally willing to pay the ETF with AT&T for this. If it means a switch to a more stable phone on a more stable network and not made by an UN-stable man, then triple-yay. I run a business and really appreciate push notification sending emails to my iPhone. I appreciate being able to pull up my contacts and see their pictures. I appreciate being able to see all the artwork from my iTunes and have the coverflow work correctly. It's not all about aesthetics, believe me. I just want things to work as fluidly as they do for me on my iPhone 3GS. This is a bigger migration than I thought it would be: iOS4 (which is NOT better than the old iPhone operating systems, by the way) to Android. I appreciate the vast strides Google is making to surpass this behemoth of a bad apple, and to eradicate Jobs' mental monopoly over his Applemmings and sheep. Google has helped me, in more ways than Apple has, to become more productive with my business; I support Google. I support FREE enterprise. :-)
So...can anyone enlighten me on the following:
1) Have you had problems syncing contact pictures to your Android device?
2) Have you had problems with your album artwork syncing?
3) Do you know if Android 2.2 Froyo has plans to make the USB connectivity a more universal functionality?
4) Does anyone know if there is an iTunes-for-Android besides DoubleTwist or Songbird that will actually take all of my iTunes DRM files (including movies) and sync them flawlessly to my Droid X?
5) Anyone know if Verizon will be able to support simultaneous 3G surf and talk soon? I can do this now on AT&T and while some may discredit it, it has come in handy on more than a few occasions.
6) Is Froyo supposed to make the phone go even faster?
7) Will the phone eventually support 4G, does anyone know? Or does it not have a radio or whatever in it for that?
8) Does the phone do push notification of emails, or it only a 15-minute "fetch" type of download? There is a definite difference between instant push and scheduled fetch...and this is crucial for my business.
Sorry for the long-winded post and the laundry list of questions. As this will be my first Droid, I'm VERY excited and I LOVE what I see. I might just name it C3PO, but I don't want it always complaining that it needs an oil bath. :-)
A trembling canyon jumper,
Ryan
8gb rubbish.... this gets a big skid mark....... these smart phones need to packing 64gb plus micro sd
How are you getting full signal with the death grip? Oh, that's right, it isn't a POS apple device. So much for their slanderous video...