Motorola Droid Turbo 2

Motorola’s DROID line is one of the oldest and most well-known lines of Android handsets still in existence. Their latest offering for Verizon, the DROID Turbo 2, has made some pretty bold claims. With a supposedly shatterproof screen and more than 2 days of battery life on a single charge, the device could be a real market changer.

But does the phone live up to the claims? We’ve dug through the best reviews on the net to bring you an in-depth summary of what to expect from this pricey but innovative new phone.

One of the first things noted by reviewers was the phone’s design. It seems that people either love or hate it. While the phone is light and thin, the metal bezel that protects the edges is a little thick. Engadget stated, “Hefty bezels encircle the 5.4-inch Quad HD screen, making the Turbo 2 feel wider than it actually is.”

There’s also the rubberized back plates which people liked the feel of but said looked bland or plasticky. It should be noted however, most reviews seem to have received the same model. If you don’t like the back plate, it can be changed as part of the MotoMaker system which allows you to customize virtually every aspect of the phone to fit your preferences.

While reviewers couldn’t agree on the look of the device, they all noted a feeling of sturdiness. Engadget called it, “so durable that it should be able to survive all but the most tragic of drops.” Android Headlines noted, “The phone feels nice and sturdy with a good weight to it.”

Heading around front, you’ll find a 5.4-inch Quad HD AMOLED screen. Android Headlines put it through its paces and declared, “It’s not quite as sharp or bright as something like the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge, but it’s still a great quality screen.”

Reviews all agreed that the screen touts what you’d come to expect from an AMOLED display–heavy contrast, rich colors and visuals that pop.

What makes this phone’s screen stand out is the exclusive ShatterShield technology. Motorola claims the phone is virtually impervious to the drops and dings of daily use.

Most reviewers put this to the test, with one even running the phone over with their car. While the screen survived, the chassis wasn’t so great.

PhoneArena’s results lined up with most, stating, “Even from a height of 5 feet, then coming into contact with concrete with the display impacting first, there’s no damage to it whatsoever.”

Powering all those pixels you’ll find a beasty octa-core Snapdragon 810 with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 430 GPU. This was another area where reviewers all agreed. Coupled with Motorola’s dual context processors, the performance on the handset sets the bar on the current flagship market.
PhoneArena stated, “we didn’t come across any moment when its performance stuttered or lagged with basic operations.” Android Headlines determined, “You shouldn’t have any issues with day to day use as the DROID Turbo 2 is well equipped to take on power users let alone the average person who just want to check a few emails, snap a few pictures, and browse the web from time to time.”

The phone runs Android 5.1.1. This puts it a version behind some flagship devices. Fortunately, the UI itself appears to be relatively untouched short of Motorola’s voice and gesture controls. However, the Turbo 2 is a Verizon exclusive in the U.S. and Verizon has loaded it with a bunch of preinstalled apps and other bloatware.

Motorola touts that the 3,750mAh sealed battery offers a generous 48 hours of mixed usage. While reviews found real world performance to be a bit shorter, there’s more than enough for even power users to push through a day. Android and Me stated, “while I didn’t quite get there in my testing, the battery is still impressive.”

Where the battery really shines is charging options. The included TurboCharge charger will net you 13 hours of battery life on a quick 15 minute charge. A full charge is just 80 minutes away.

If you prefer the convenience of wireless charging, both Qi and PMA standards are supported–though they don’t sport the speedy charge times of the TurboCharge charger.

Engadget summed up opinions well when they stated, “It’s one of the better batteries out there, but it’s no class leader either.”

You’ll find plenty of room for your apps, movies, games and whatever else you want to load on your phone with 32 or 64GB of internal storage and support for microSD cards up to 2TB.

If you’re looking to snap pictures of your travels or post selfies on social media, you won’t be disappointed. The handset sports a 21MP rear camera with a 5MP front-facing camera, both with f/2.0 focal lenses for improved low-light performance.

Reviews on the camera were positive–both in terms of functionality and image quality. Android Headlines declared, “Color reproduction was much better than I was expecting and on top of feeding you a great image, Motorola makes it extremely easy to use the camera too, as snapping photos is as simple as tapping on the display.”

However, many reviews noted inconsistent low-light performance. Some night shots were stunning, while others were dark or grainy. PhoneArena noted, “It’s a solid effort for Motorola, but still short when compared to the elites in the space.”

Overall, reviewers agreed that the DROID Turbo 2 lives up to its solid lineage. The points touted by Motorola and Verizon are far from gimmicks, delivering a sturdy phone with the power and battery life to keep up with power users. All of this in a customizable package and user-friendly UI that will please casual users as well.

PhoneArena provided an excellent summary of opinions, saying, “Without a doubt, if battery life and an extra-tough screen are of utmost importance in your decision buying process, the DROID Turbo 2 should be on your list.”