Motorola Droid X
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 25, 2010 by Eric M. Zeman
Motorola swings for the fences and hits a home run with the Droid X. Verizon Wireless' new flagship device delivers on almost every feature, making it one of Motorola's best-ever phones. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Some what disappointed
I know from reading the reviews and comments from other who own this device that they love the phone based on there experience with it, but I have to admit I'm somewhat disappointed.
I had to have this phone replaced not once but twice, so within 60 days I have gone through 3 devices.
Don't get me wrong, when the phone works and does what it's suppose to do, it's great, but that's been the problem for me, the phone doesn't always do what it's suppose to do.
PROS:
Big screen
Keyboard (one of the best on a touch screen phone)
Call quality is great, although I wish the ear piece was louder. Hard to hear the other person if there is a lot of back ground noise.
Videos on the phone is great.
CONS: (here is where I have experienced the problems)
Screen freezes up where I can't even turn the phone off
Speed: INCONSISTENT! At times the phone is super fast, other times it takes forever. I have experienced where it has literally taken 10 minutes for an attachment to download or for the page to load, and this happens when I'm in great 3G coverage.
Camera: disappointing. for a 8 mega-pix, the picture is decent, but not great for an 8 mega-pix,(comparing it to the same setting on the HTC incredible which take amazing pictures) and the button to take photos is a pain in the you know what.
Battery: bad (but then which battery isn't on an android device)
Contacts: it seems like every time I create a new contact to add to my list, the phone merges it with an existing contact if the names are similar (is anybody else having this issue?)
Touch Screen: when it's works it great, but again, inconsistent, other times there is a lag time of up to 5-10 seconds.
Overall I am somewhat disappointed for all the hype. When the phone works, it's on point, but I have experienced a lot of inconsistencies. If not for the inconsistencies I would love the phone
Droid X
So my inlaws have this phone and I got a chance to play with it. Here's my consensus. It's an all right phone... but it isn't great. Below is my detailed list, but lets just say I wouldn't trade my iPhone for it. The phone is pretty, and looks shiny but thats it.
PROs
Big Screen with good resolution
Nice onscreen keyboard
Lots of good free apps
CONs
Android is so slow on this device
It hickups and freezes all the time
Not as many apps as iphone (lets be honest here)
links aren't responsive
sometimes i have to click 4-6 times to get it to answer
difficult to bring everything over from my laptop to it even with a USB cable
All in all, if your in the lookin for a new phone, stay clear of the Droid X. I'd recommend the droid incredible by HTC. I'm not a motorola fan, and for good reason. The cheap feeling and cheap workins make this phone pale in comparison to all of the droid designs HTC has come out with.
Very solid device
I have had the phone for about a month now and I wont waste time listing all the pros they are fairly obvious, great screen, great call quality, solid os, decent camera for an 8MP, and so on. I will point out the very few cons I have found
Cons
Speaker could be a little louder, and thats just personal opinion, all in all there is nothing you could want to do with a smartphone that the Droid X cannot handle, and if you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at jcoke60@gmail.com I have found lots of little tips tricks and hacks to make the phone even better for the power user like myself.
Camera Sucks
I had this phone from the original release date and was extremely excited to get it. It went downhill very quickly after I got it. This was my first android phone. As soon as I put the backup assisstant on from my blackberry it doubled my contacts... that was the first annoyance... soon after i found that if you want to take outdoor video or pictures with that new "8 megapixel" camera you have to almost do it blind because you can barely see the screen outside. Yes i turned my contrast down because having it automatically adjust the contrast using the light sensor made the battery last only about half a day. :( also the droid is somewhat uncomfortable in your hand. I turned off the orientation because my thumbs were clumsy on the landscape keyboard. issue after issue with the phone power cycling and doing wipe after wipe i was fed up and traded it in for the Fascinate.... the Fascinate is so much better but the one thing that i can see the droid x being better is in the processing speeds.
pros:
hdmi port out if you ever use it.
nice processor
dual flash LED
Cons
Power Cycles
Cannot see large screen outside
battery sucks
double contacts from backup assisstant
problems loading youtube account
sinc contact issue with google
poor camera for 8 mp
slow when taking pictures
motorola ui
odd shaped
understocked
all in all the Fascinate was easier to get. And way more user friendly. 6 axis is amazing. size is perfect. beats droid x in every way
Droid X better than some give credit
I waited a full 30 days to review this phone, and I am still as impressed today as I was in the first few hours.
My biggest worry was the battery, and in the first 2-3 days it did seem to drain rather quickly. I downloaded task killer, only to remove it a few days later. I read an article on the Android operating system and how it manages battery usage and software and the article was correct. There is absolutely no need for Task Killer on an Android based phone. I use my phone from about 3pm until around 8am almost non-stop and I have only had one instance where I had to connect to a charge, and that was in the first 3 or 4 days on owning this phone. I can go 15-18hrs and still have 10% or more battery, using You tube, Slacker, the phone, text messaging, the camera and 7 email accounts the phone has yet to completely die. I did run it until I thought it was going to die before charging, maybe this helped, maybe not.
The display is a phenomenal, coming from a BB Curve it should be, but having several other Droid based phones in the home, this display is phenomenal! There is a quirk with the screen lock since the 2.2 update, the screen lock slide and sound slide lost their color, and they now have to be slid almost all the way across the screen to activate or deactivate them.
Software, wow the Android market place is chock full of time savers, games, time management tool, and apps from ballistic programs to retro clocks and cameras. Soon these types of phones will replace, and in some instances have replaced the desktop/laptop PC, other than the ability to be able to send large PDF files(and I am sure that is right around the corner), I have not found a thing I can do on a PC that I cannot do on this phone.
The screen size shines with Opera Mini, web pages are easy to read, pictures look like they should. This to me is the real winner, aside from all the functions of a phone, If I need data, I need it fast, this phone and Opera give me that.
Outstanding phone...
Switched from an N97 to this about a month ago on a "loaded" plan, so I've gotten to put the phone through its paces.
Pros:
- Signal and call quality are excellent.
- Battery life is exceptional for a Verizon smartphone (a little over a day with mixed data/location usage)
- Screen is big, bright, and responsive.
- Multitasking is handled extremely well, even in situations with multiple apps running simultaneously.
- Camera and video perform very well at proper distances from subjects
- HDMI output is nice, but feels like more of a novelty
- Hotspot feature works extremely well (kills battery however)
- I'm a gamer, so the emulators on marketplace were icing on the cake. They all run at or near 100% speed
- Marketplace has a great selection of apps
- Google maps is fantastic
- Voice dialing/texting/searching is fantastic
Cons:
- Though not an issue for me, its size will turn some people off
- The camera button is questionably responsive (uses a 2 stage input for focus/shutter)
- The physical Search/Menu/Back/Home keys feel out of place, would rather have had touch
- Screen is NOT as responsive as iPhone 3GS. I have compared them side by side, and it is noticeable.
- App opening/closing is occasionally a little jerky, hoping Android 2.2 smooths out the interface a little.
- Marketplace can be dangerous, users should be aware that Google's monitoring/regulation is nearly non-existant, and malicious apps and gross copyright infringements run rampant here.
Ultimately, this phone suits my every need. Despite the list of cons, the only one that truly bothers me on any level is its performance vs iPhone. Though extremely close in nearly all aspects of performance, the iPhone has nailed that 1:1 input:response feeling that Droid X feels just barely shy of.
That said, if you're with VZ, and are looking for the best web/app/maps/email device, I suggested Droid X wholeheartedly.
Coming from iPhone... smooooth transition
I have been a long time iPhone owner. Started with the first version, picked up the 3G, then the 3GS, and even bought the iPhone 4 before returning it after a week. Sure, the screen was nice but what else was I paying for? A quirky antenna issue that also seemed to effect WiFi? I needed to switch to Verizon anyhow.
I was very nervous about the switch. I had used the Nexus One as a temporary work phone and I thought the screen was not very responsive compared to the iPhone, and the Android market was lacking.
The Droid X has made me a happy guy. I've had it for 3 weeks now, so I feel comfortable giving a review. The real estate on the screen makes typing very easy, and eliminates the need for the physical keyboard. The Android market has come a long way in a short time, adding many awesome apps. My few issues with this phone's OS are eliminated with a few apps from the market. There are many home screen launcher apps that can increase home screen performance, better audio players, better web browsers, better messaging apps... you name it. The great thing about an open system is that it doesn't restrict you to the same apps. I didn't like the stock email apps, so I downloaded K-9 email and haven't looked back. On to the pros/cons:
Pros:
Speed. There was some lag with the stock home screen, but now that I've switched to LauncherPro, it's super smooth with scrolling the app drawer and home screen.
Screen. It's very clear (not iPhone 4 clear, but close) and with its size makes watching video on it an enjoyable experience.
Form factor.
Android. I'm a believer. It's made the transition very easy.
Cons:
Battery. The in-the-box battery performs slightly worse than the iPhone 3GS battery. WIth above average use, I have to completely recharge by mid-afternoon. I picked up Motorola's extended battery and it performs at the iPhone 4 level.
Poor game selection.
Definte Beast of a phone!!
I have had many smart phones in my time, and also was a Droid user and i must say this is a definite upgrade from my droid.. from top to bottom screams BEAST!!! The man reason i upgraded was the screen 4.3 is massive yes but you will get used to this fast and the pay off for having a large phone is well worth it. The camera with 720p set up is very nice considering you have a hdmi output on this to share with the family or what not so not everybody is going to huddle around your phone you can pop it up on a big screen and share with the world.
Pros:
- 4.3 HD screen
- HDMI output
- DLNA - lets you play videos, pics, and music through another DLNA product ie ps3 or xbox 360
- battery life is good, better then my droid by far
- 8mp camera with dual LED flash and HD 720p video taking
- ability to not have a lock screen if you don't want to
- light weight (lighter then my droid)
- did i say huge screen! =0)
Cons:
- Not a overly huge fan of Ninja Blur
- Speaker not super loud, but i was told that the 2.2 update is going to fix that problem
- not many complaints at all actually
Still buggy
Pros
Fast
Big Screen
Cons
Email app doesn't work
Haunted at times
This phone has a lot of raw possibilities. With time maybe it will mature into a great phone but for now there are enough flaws to keep it from being included into with the best of the best.
First, the included email app doesn't work. I was not able to set up two different accounts to work although the same settings work perfectly on other phones. Verizon's help desk was not able to help.
Second, my phone is haunted. When plugged in and charging, you can watch the screen as apps are sometimes opened and closed. The phone has even dialed out by itself and sent gibberesh text messages. Verizon says this is a software glitch and reset my phone and lost my contacts. Not sure if the reset has fixed this yet.
I can say the phone is fast. When connected to wifi it really moves!!
I am hoping update 2.2 will fix the shortcomings. If it does, this phone deserves a higher rating.
Droid X in my hands is a glorious thing
Recived my Droid X last night. Came with 80% battery life.... Wont write a paragraph.
Pros:
Extremely fast
Lots of apps to choose from
Android market at tip of fingers
Full modification of home screens.
Great speaker for music. Gets loud.
Easy to use
Has tutorial with video
Big but not akward at all.
Proximity sensor.
A setting where if the phone is upside down it goes to vibrate ( for work )
Live wallpapers are the ish.
Cons:
The camera takes a few to load.
Battery is not that bad at all. Got the phone it was 80% used it for 6 hours ( hard usage, downloads, mods, etc.) before needed charging
All in all.. The best phone out .
Side note. Camera is 8mp but it defaults to 6 so just change that setting and your set. GO AND GET ONE.
