Motorola Droid Turbo hands-on: First look

Introduction

This is the Motorola Droid Turbo - Motorola's strongest claim at the high-end throne yet. Built around the strong foundation of the Moto X (2014), Nexus 6 and Motorola's previous Droids it pools together a premium build, pure Android with exclusive features and impressive battery life.

Motorola Droid Turbo

The Motorola Droid Turbo is everything we were hoping for with a 5.2" display of QHD (1,440x2,560px) resolution and massive 565ppi density, a top of the line Snapdragon 805 chip, 3GB of RAM, 21MP main camera. To add a bit of character the Droid Turbo comes in Ballistic nylon or Metalized Glass fiber reinforced with DuPont Kevlar fiber and a water-repellent nano coating.

Think of this as the powerful middle ground between the Moto X (2014) and Nexus 6 - smaller but also much, much bigger. Here are the highlights Droid Turbo's crossbreed specs:

Motorola Droid Turbo at a glance:

• Dimensions: Ballistic nylon: 73.3 x 143.5 x 11.2mm; Metalized fiber: 73.3 x 146.5 x 10.6mm; Weight: Ballistic nylon: 176g; Metalized fiber: 169g
• Display: 5.2" AMOLED touchscreen, 1,440 x 2,560 resolution; around 565ppi; Gorilla Glass 3
• Chipset: Snapdragon 805 chipset: quad-core Krait 450 @2.7GHz; Adreno 420 GPU; 3GB RAM
• OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• Camera: 21MP main camera with 2160p@24fps video capture, dual-LED flash
• Front camera: 2MP front-facing camera with 1080p video capture
• Storage: 32GB/64GB built-in
• Connectivity: LTE Cat. 4, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS + GLONASS; microUSB 2.0
• Battery: 3,900mAh, Motorola Turbo Charger
• Misc: DuPont Kevlar on the back, infrared

Motorola is going for the gold this year. It brought us a new, truly flagship Moto X, its first Nexus (which braves crowded phablet realm) and now it tops both (in a way) with the Motorola Droid Turbo. And while "turbo" monikers are outdated, the word perfectly describes the fire-breathing nature of this device.

What the Moto X (2014) lacked, the Droid Turbo has in reserve. Snapdragon 801 is still worth its salt nowadays but Snapdragon 805 is the new champ. Motorola isn't taking its chances with mediocre battery life here - the potent 3,900mAh capacity promises insane, Droid Maxx-worthy longevity.

The Motorola Droid Turbo comes with nearly stock Android, ensuring a snappy performance. It should offer timely updates (that is if Verizon obliges), but it's starting a lap behind the Nexus family with 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

Motorola Droid Turbo

There's every chance that the Droid Turbo might sway Moto X (old and new) onlookers and shift their affections towards Turbo's direction. Hopefully Motorola won't keep the Droid Turbo confined to just one carrier in one country, otherwise they will be left with just looks of envy.

Wishes not withstanding, the Motorola Droid Turbo will make its way exclusively to Verizon customers starting October 30. It will cost $199.99 for the 32GB and $249.99 for the 64GB with a two-year commitment. There will also be a monthly option at $25 or $27 per month on Verizon Edge, respectively. The 32 gig model will come in Metallic Black, Metallic Red, and Black Ballistic Nylon while the 64GB will launch only in Nylon garbs.

Now we need to show you the Motorola Droid Turbo and believe us, you want to see it. Next up is a look at the hardware.