The countless comparisons between feature-rich Android handsets and Apple’s iPhone won’t likely taper off any time in the near future. But believe it or not, aside from being slabs of electronics that make phone calls, access the internet, and feature app stores, there’s really not a whole lot that a phone like the Droid X and the iPhone have in common.
Android is a geek’s operating system while Apple appeals to the masses. Put an iPhone in the hand of just about anyone and they’ll respond by following Apple’s explicit instructions (Hey, you! Slide to unlock!) and tapping one of the available colorful, clearly labeled squares to see what happens.
The Android interface—and the Droid X’s slightly tweaked interface, in particular—presents itself a bit more aggressively. There are still little boxes– some clearly labeled, some not—but they’re scattered among the Droid X’s seven available home screens, nestled in between dynamically updating widgets that take up large sections of certain screens. And that red robotic eye in the background? It moves. It moves as puffs of smoke pass over it, almost like it’s saying, “Yes, I am a robot, and yes, I am watching you.”
So when I say that the Droid X is Verizon’s iPhone, I don’t mean that it’s a brain-dead-simple-to-use, cute and fun lifestyle phone that appeals to everyone. It is, however, the most advanced and feature-filled phone available on Verizon and those who are willing to put some time into learning how to use it won’t be disappointed. Those who are already comfortable with Android will absolutely love it.
Size
The Droid X is an unapologetically large phone. It doesn’t need to apologize, either, because large though it may be, its size is one of its most valuable advantages and it doesn’t detract from the device in any discernable way. It’s still plenty pocketable and the 4.3-inch 854×480-resolution screen is downright gorgeous, making surfing the web, reading e-books, and watching videos much more pleasurable than on phones with lower-resolution screens. It’s not comically large, in other words. Its size makes perfect sense.
Speed
Aside from the large screen, the 1GHz processor found inside the Droid X is really what ultimately makes the phone appealing since it powers through all the transitions and animations within the interface and associated programs without much trouble at all. Everything feels snappy and polished.
Storage
The device comes with 8GB of built-in storage space plus an included 16GB microSD card for a total of 24GB. The microSD card can be replaced with a card up to 32GB in size, for a total of 40GB. The card slot is located underneath the battery plate and the battery must be removed in order to access and swap out memory cards, unfortunately.
Call Quality
Voice calls sound good on both ends thanks in large part to the Droid X’s three built-in microphones. There’s one on the front, one on the back, and one on the top. They work in tandem to block out background noise while picking up what the caller is saying and passing it along over the network. I didn’t experience any dropped calls or missed calls in the Boston area.
Web
Full versions of websites will fit in the entire area of the screen when held vertically but the text is much too small to read without zooming in on a particular section. However, when turned horizontally, you’ll still get the full width of the page without having to scroll from side to side or zoom and you’ll be able to make out the text on most sites without much trouble. I found myself browsing the web while holding the phone horizontally most often, which made it easier to enter URLs using the big onscreen keyboard as well. The horizontal configuration only works when the phone is turned to the left, though, which is kind of odd.
Web pages consistently loaded quickly over Verizon’s 3G network, though I found larger files such as YouTube clips to churn for a few extra seconds before kicking into gear. Loading up the Android Market always seemed to take a while longer than expected for some reason.
Apps
You’ve got the standard Android Market apps and games available to you along with a third category labeled “Verizon” that contains various V Cast media applications and some more popular selections such as Twitter, Qik, Shazam, and Slacker Radio.
Text Input
The Droid X comes with two great options for text input: the standard on-screen keyboard is responsive and features letters that pop up from underneath your fingers as you type them, similar to the iPhone’s keyboard. This keyboard is multitouch-enabled, though, which means it’ll recognize more than one key press at a time.
There’s also the Swype virtual keyboard, which takes some getting used to but ended up being the keyboard I used most often. Aside from the gesture-based text input, I like that I could enter numbers and symbols using the Swype keyboard by holding down their corresponding main keys instead of having to switch to an alternate selection of keys.
Camera
Also one of the better features of the Droid X, the 8-megapixel camera takes above-average photos and HD videos. They’re not quite on par with what you’d get with a decent point and shoot camera quite yet, but they’re better than what you’ll get out of most phone cameras and can safely replace most people’s Flip camcorders if needed. The best part is the hardware camera button that pushes down halfway to focus and then the rest of the way to take the picture, similar to how most actual cameras work. The dual-LED flash works okay, although if you’re too close to whatever you’re shooting it’ll have a tendency to get washed out and if you’re too far away the flash won’t provide adequate illumination.
Battery Life
One of the things I was initially most worried about due to the constantly updating home screen widgets and app alerts, the battery actually provided impressively long life given the size of the phone. With light usage, I was able to go about 24 hours between charges. Heavy users will want to recharge the phone every night but I never ran into a situation where the battery drained more quickly than expected. There will also apparently be an extended battery available that will add about a millimeter of thickness to the phone, which won’t be a big deal since the camera already protrudes out of the back by at least that much already. The standard battery works pretty well, though.
Media
The Droid X plays back a wide range of audio and video codecs, with HD video content looking very nice on the phone’s big screen and audio content sounding decent-but-tinny over the phone’s speaker and much better through the standard-size 3.5-inch headphone jack connected to a quality set of noise-canceling headphones. There’s a built-in Blockbuster app that allows you to rent movies for $4 a pop, too, although the movie I rented took what seemed like an eternity to download, even over Wi-Fi. You can safely leave your digital media player at home and use the Droid X when you travel, though. It covers all the entertainment bases nicely.
Conclusions
Best phone on Verizon right now? Yes. Better ones coming around the bend? Possibly. If you can’t wait another minute to get into a new phone, the Droid X is a great bet provided you’re savvy enough to keep up with Android or persistent enough to learn all its ins and outs. The Samsung Fascinate, which is due to hit Verizon shortly, seems as though it might be a tad more user friendly as Android phones go thanks to its custom interface. It’s apparently got a crazy high-quality 4-inch screen, too, though we’re not quite sure when the phone is due to come out or how much it’ll cost.
You certainly won’t be disappointed with the Droid X, though, if you’re looking for an Android phone. It’s a great showcase of the platform’s capabilities and arguably one of the best, if not the best, Android handset to date. Is it better than the iPhone? That depends. Is cheesecake better than pancakes? They’re two different yet delicious food items with “cake” in the name that each taste better to certain people under certain circumstances.
The Motorola Droid X will be available July 15th for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year contract with Verizon.
More on Techland:
Two Minute Video: The Motorola Droid X is Verizon’s iPhone
Verizon Makes Motorola Droid X Official, Launching July 15th