Motorola Droid Turbo review: Power robot

Introduction

Motorola Droid Turbo for Verizon Wireless is the latest product of a long and prolific partnership between the storied manufacturer and the largest wireless carrier in the United States. Over the years, Motorola and Verizon have released a number of groundbreaking devices. They include the ultra-thin (for its time) Droid RAZR, through the RAZR MAXX, which had 3,300mAh battery back when 1,800mAh was standard, all the way to the Droid RAZR M that impressed with thin display bezels a year before anyone else.

Motorola Droid Turbo official photos

The Droid Turbo is reaching for the crown of the most capable Android smartphone to launch in 2014. Its specs leave no room for compromise - a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC, a 5.2" QHD AMOLED display, a 21MP camera, and a 3,900mAh battery come straight from the dreams of every Android junkie. The same goes for the device's innovative build materials that include Ballistic Nylon and DuPont Kevlar reinforced by Metallized Glass Fiber.

Key features

• 5.2" QHD AMOLED display (2,560 x 1,440 pixels); 565ppi; Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 2.7GHz quad-core Krait 450 CPU; Adreno 420GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset; 3GB of RAM
• 21MP camera with dual-LED flash; 2160p@24fps video capture; 2MP front-facing unit with 1080p video
• 3,900mAh battery; bundled Motorola Turbo Charger
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat with stock UI; planned Android 5.0 Lollipop update
• 32/64GB of built-in memory
• Cat. 4 LTE support; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS/GLONASS; microUSB
• Gesture controls via built-in IR sensor
• Available voice control and active notifications
• Active noise cancellation with four microphones
• Quality build materials that include Ballistic Nylon and DuPont Kevlar reinforced by Metallized Glass Fiber
• Splash-resistant; internals with water-repellent nanocoating

Main disadvantages

• No stereo speakers (the entry-level Moto G has them)
• Lack of memory expansion slot
• Rather limited retail availability
• It is a bit on the thick side
• Some might find the design a bit dated

As you can see, the Motorola Droid Turbo is anything but lacking in top shelf specs. As a matter of fact, the smartphone is arguably the best-equipped Android smartphone available at the moment - it blows competitors away with a combination of powerful internals, a humongous battery, and the sharpest display available at the moment.

Forward thinking, water-repellent build materials meet the top-shelf specs of the device. Ballistic Nylon debuts on a smartphone, while DuPont Kevlar, a long time Motorola Droid landmark, has been further enhanced by the addition of a material called Metallized Glass Fiber.

Of course, having such a long list of hardware specs has come at a price. Motorola Droid Turbo is noticeably thicker than the typical 2014 Android flagship. We will surely be keeping a close look on its handling and ergonomics.

Motorola Droid Turbo live photos

Will the Motorola Droid Turbo live up to the hefty expectations set by lengthy feature set? Read on to find out! As always, we will kick the review off with unboxing of the device, followed by a close look at its design and build.

Editorial: You may notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include some of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written away from our test labs. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the device in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!