Spec ops: Motorola Droid Turbo review | Technobubble

Wait, didn't I just review a Motorola smartphone?

It wasn't that long ago when I was putting Motorola's new Moto X through its paces. Now I find myself testing yet another Motorola device, Verizon's Droid Turbo.

So how does Motorola follow up on a great smartphone such as the second-generation Moto X? By bumping phone specs that's how.

While its older sibling emphasized solid performance wrapped in a great design, the Droid Turbo seems more like a tactical nuke in a smartphone arms race.

Although it uses a 5.2-inch Gorilla Glass display just like the Moto X, for example, it bumps up the resolution to Quad HD levels at 2,560 pixels by 1,440 pixels — or 565 pixels per inch. This results in crisper, more vivid images and video that would make you want to lick the screen. Twice. Viewing angles are excellent as well, which is great when you're sharing your screen with someone next to you or using it while juggling a bunch of other things at the same time.

On the downside, the ballistic nylon back that came with my review unit isn't as aesthetically pleasing as the bamboo back for the Moto X review unit I tested. As a result, it doesn't quite have the same impact as its smartphone sibling in terms of design. Don't get me wrong, "ballistic nylon" certainly sounds cool, especially in comparison to the cheap plastic backs seen in other phones. It just doesn't leave as strong an impression as the Moto X bamboo.

Meanwhile, the brains of this Android KitKat phone also receive an upgrade in the form of a 2.7-gigahertz quad-core CPU and an Adreno 420 graphics chip for faster performance. The Droid Turbo's RAM is also beefier than the Moto X at 3 gigabytes.

The other big change is the switch to a larger 21-megapixel rear camera from the Moto X's 13-MP shooter. This is combined with a bump in aperture from f/2.25 to f/2.0 to allow more light in. The camera performs well in daylight and surprisingly outperformed my iPhone 6 in terms of a more balanced exposure during situations where I was shooting images featuring scenes with bright sunlight and dark shadows in the same frame. Just like the Moto X, however, performance is not as good in low-light situations. It does better than the Moto X but it served up darker photos and videos with a tad more grain than the iPhone. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Droid Turbo also does not have an expandable microSD slot.

One metric where the Turbo does not disappoint, however, is battery life. Thanks to a larger battery, getting through a day of heavy phone use is something the phone handles with aplomb. It does get a bit toasty, however, when used for more taxing activities such as navigation or even video watching. Other downsides include the lack of an expandable memory card slot though it bumps up internal storage to either 32 gigabytes or 64 gigabytes. Its single-speaker setup also pales in comparison to the Moto X and the HTC One M8. As a Verizon exclusive, you won't be able to get it if you use a different carrier as well.

Overall, the performance upgrades won't be enough to coax Moto X owners to jump ship. If you're in the market for a new Android phone, however, the Motorola Droid Turbo's pumped up specs and great battery life make it a viable option, especially for power users.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5