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.
This comes close to Dell Streak territory.
How likely is it to have FroYo on launch?
If it's running 2.1 why does it have the welcome widget from 2.2?
Hopefully we'll hear less about the EVO
Such a hot nice phone. SIGH just wish AT&T would get phones like this. but I'm stuck till my contract is over waiting till next year when it ends so I can move to Verizon. AT&T is missing out on all new hard ware just hate em so much. LOVE MOTOROLA FOR OTHER CARRIERS.
This phone is gargantuan . The tip of my fingers would barely be able to reach the side!
Moto is worse than the Obama Administration on keeping secrets.
Im still glad I got the incredible, but can't its good to see even more high powered android phones coming out.
No front cam. Such a shame.
And the hump is awful.
@TareG the hump looks ridiculous
why does it have tips widget from 2.2 if it is 2.1?
that's a beautiful phone, but I wouldn't get it because of 2 reasons:
1) It's way too big, my EVO is about has big as I would go. The other day I went out for a long walk, and decided to take my EVO to listen to my MP3s. I even wish my EVO was bit smaller.
2) VZW has the worst plan and cost the most. Spring's deal is the best in the US right now. I save almost $50 a month, and get to roam on VZW's network.
@Tony Montana
Er, this is barely taller than your Evo, just as wide and thinner.
Also, you're roaming on VZWs 1x network, not its 3G.
Jesus people, some like larger cellphones. After using an EVO I'd never want to go back to a smaller phone, even something the size of an N1. Don't judge until you've actually had experience with one
Does it have a front facing camera?
the next gen phones are too big... You can't fit them in your pockets.
@desenfoque
Yes you can unless you wear emo pants
umm those pictures and video suck compared to the evo lol engadget epic fail on spreading more anti-sprint propaganda surprised you dont mention you think the iphone is still better
i want a phone which is sexy like this but with qwerty! the droid 2 doesnt look nearly as good (maybe the final version will look better)
Intimidated?
Is it just me or are we going backwards in terms of phone size? Soon we'll be toting around boxes like we did in the 80's.
Where the front facing camera ??
Is it just me, or are, based on looks, these all look alike?
I am sure I could get excited about the individual specs, but these Android phones are beginning to look boring and clunky. They are all the same slabs.
@dogma
Um, aren't all Android, iPhone, and WinMo smartphones just slabs?
damn i hope phones don't keep on getting bigger and bigger, this is pushing it!
i know i'm going to get slaughtered for this but i am just really not feeling this phone... its way huge and really unattractive... i'm not saying the hardware is'nt fantastic but i would not want to be seen with that in my hand >_
That's siccccc I love my evo
Anybody willing to take my DROID overclocked with Froyo and Seidio Extended Battery with the belt clip off my hands!?
@Caprice Dates
how much? and also can i use the droid only with wifi, like not with a plan because i am on att, but i really want an android phone, but i cant switch
@greentea
Droid = CDMA ATT = GSM
= Not compatible
I haven't seen that this blows the doors off the Incredible. The Incredible just fits the phone pocket in my purse. I doubt this would. So you can probably write off the geek girl market for this one.
That's one thing I would have to say that Apple gets right. They market stuff that women would buy. The iPod sold like hotcakes when it came out because it looked like an accessory you could wear. Androids haven't made it there yet. iPhones are getting there now that they are much slimmer and are starting to come out in colors other than black.
These phones are cool but not pretty yet. I still have to hide it in my purse. I'd like to see someone come out with one that you could wear on a hip holster without looking like you've borrowed it from your boyfriend/husband.
@technomom I have been saying that for a long time, EVO is made for Kings, and iPhone is made for queens including the gays. iPhone looks more fashionable, EVO and this new Droid look more utilitarian and business like, very masculine. iPhone is definitely more feminine,
@Tony Montana
you are totally delusional.
@Tony Montana
I highly doubt that a girl is going to approach saying..... " Oh, gosh that phone makes you look so masculine! I'm finding you so attractive now because of that utilitarian, business like, and masculine phone that you have!" What a stupid comment, Tony!!!
@Tony Montana
I completely agree with you. IPhone is a girl phone.
@Tony Montana HAHAHAHAHA Awesome dude!
@pspitts
You heard it straight from a technomom, what more evidence do you need?
Wow. It IS as big as a calculator!
@cpd5c45
Wow, you're right. I just grabbed my TI-86 and did a rough comparison.
The phone looks about 5.2 inches long judging by its side-by-side with the EVO. Looks about the same width as the EVO, so around 2.6 inches wide. And with that hump we're talking probably about 0.7-0.8 inches maximum thickness.
That's still about 2 inches shorter than the TI-86, but it's up into the graphing screen. It's only about 0.5 inches smaller widthwise, and with the hump, it's the same thickness.
So, of course, I had to put my graphing calculator up to my ear to see how it looked. It looked like about a third of my entire face was missing...also, it looked hilarious, as one would expect.
Maybe Moto could just contract TI to supply their casing and pass the savings on to us.
@SemisolidSnake
The Droid X's dimensions are 2.5"W x 5.0"H x 0.39" D and weights 5.47 oz, less than the Droid and Evo.
@SemisolidSnake
Texas Instrument is already supplying the chip set. I'm still wait for the andriod app that allows me to take pictures of my calculus homework and the chip solves the problem. :)
That's bordering on too big to carry around, not to mention the battery drain from the powering the screen.
As an EVO owner: Go Android!
Love that all of these power handsets are coming out for the platform.
Time to sell the incredible. As much as I like this phone, I'm not waiting for a q.c. issue to effect it and my moto Droid was very solid.
Very nice looking so far. I'll be interested to see the announcements coming up!
Too big, way too big.
@PhishyKris no way, it's a Smartphone not a cell phone. The integration between phone and pc is well on the way.
That is one big fugly phone, looks like a tv remote!!!
@Trashbat It probably can be used as a TV remote! These "smart" phones are being made into everything except phones!
Damnit I was all set to pay the ETF on the few months left on my Verizon contract to jump ship and get the Dell Streak when it comes out. Now I'm not sure what to do. I hope they do a side by side on these two phones eventually. BTW I'm all for bigger screen sizes. I got bigger hands and bigger pockets so these phones make more sense for me.