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Droid Turbo 2 Review

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The Droid Turbo 2 boasts a shatterproof screen that actually lives up to the claim, long battery life and a plethora of important features that solve real problems for real users.

When you drop the Droid Turbo 2 the screen doesn’t crack, at least our Droid Turbo 2 review unit has not cracked. While the screen is resilient, it is not impenetrable: after landing on a sharp surface some pixels under the screen came away damaged. This is something Motorola covers under warranty, though.

The Droid Turbo 2 is available on Verizon for $26 a month or you can buy it outright for $624. Some users may be able to buy it on a contract, but those are the options for new customers.

There are two must-have features for a great smartphone: battery life and a great camera. The Droid Turbo 2 is close to delivering. The battery life is great. However, the camera is inconsistent. Sometimes the camera takes amazing photos, but other times the results leave us wanting more. If Motorola was able to deliver a camera that consistently took great photos this would be an Editor’s Choice winner.

What We Like

  • Amazing battery life
  • Shatterproof screen that looks great.
  • Water resistant design
  • Micro SD card slot
  • Quick Charging & Wireless Charging

What We Don’t Like

  • Inconsistent camera results
  • No Android OS Marshmallow yet

Droid Turbo 2 Review: The Bottom Line

Read our Droid Turbo 2 review to find out why we like this phone.

Read our Droid Turbo 2 review to find out why we like this phone.

The Droid Turbo 2 solves two major problems with many smartphones — poor battery life and broken screens. Even under heavy use the Droid Turbo 2 battery life lasts more than a full day and the screen stands up to drops on hard and soft surfaces.

Motorola delivers a very solid smartphone experience with a fairly stock version of Android 5.1.1 and special Motorola software including automatic adjustments, reactions to motion, voice control and smart display options.

Even with an inconsistent camera experience this is a great smartphone that many users need to consider.

Droid Turbo 2 Display: Shatterproof, But Not Indestructible

 

The Droid Turbo 2 features a nice display.

The Droid Turbo 2 features a nice display.

The Droid Turbo 2 display is a sharp looking display with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution display that looks very nice with bright colors and deep blacks. The 5.4-inch display is easy enough to see outdoors and in bright lights.

Unlike the glass on most smartphones, the Moto ShatterShield uses a 5 layer design, including plastic that can withstand drops and scratches. We’ve dropped the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 on multiple surfaces without a dent or scratch. One of the drops to a sharp edge damaged the pixels under the protective layers. The screen still works, and if this happens to a regular user it is part of the warranty.

The phone includes a four year shatterproof warranty that covers shattering and cracking of parts of the display. This doesn’t cover the cosmetic damage to the phone body. The body of our phone shows some scuffs, but it is still usable.

Droid Turbo 2 Design

The Droid Turbo 2 design doesn’t copy the iPhone 6s’ aluminum design or the glass back of the Galaxy S6. Instead Motorola opts for a mix of metal and other materials to deliver a look that stands out.

The Droid Turbo 2 design is resilient and there are customization options.

The Droid Turbo 2 design is resilient and there are customization options.

While some users may not appreciate the more industrial look of the Droid Turbo 2 or the Verizon and Droid logos, this is a well-made phone that feels solid and includes an option to customize the materials and colors on Moto Maker.

This is a thicker phone than most, but it also allows for a large battery. It’s still thinner than the iPhone 6s with a batter case or a protective case.

I love the look and feel of the ballistic nylon back of my Droid Turbo 2 review unit and the black front does a good job of concealing the sensors. You may want to skip the white front, which is not as flattering to look at. The phone isn’t waterproof, but it is water-resistant, which takes some concerns out of using this phone without a case.

Droid Turbo 2 Camera

The Droid Turbo 2 camera can take nice photos, but it isn't perfect.

The Droid Turbo 2 camera can take nice photos, but it isn’t perfect.

The Droid Turbo 2 packs in a 21MP camera that can take amazing photos, but it is not consistent. The rear facing camera delivers some great photos and even delivers beautiful depth of field in some cases, but in low light or even just dim light, the quality bounces between good and poor.

I love the ease of opening the camera with a flick of my wrist and the speed that the camera focuses and takes the photo. You can judge the quality of the camera yourself with the photo gallery below.

There is a 5MP front facing camera that takes nice looking selfies, though some results may be washed out. There is also a front facing flash that can deliver great looking selfies in low light.

Droid Turbo 2 Battery Life

The Droid Turbo 2 battery life is amazing. While I need a Mophie case to get my iPhone 6s through a busy day, the 3,760 mAH battery on the Droid Turbo 2 is more than enough to get me through a busy day of work.

Droid Turbo 2 Impressions - 8

The Droid Turbo 2 battery life beats the competition.

Users will also enjoy TurboPower, which can charge up enough for 13 hours of work in 15 minutes with the included charger. This saved me when I realized I was low on power and needed to head to the hospital to visit my Grandpa. I plugged the phone in, got ready and had enough power for the day.

Motorola also includes wireless charging with support for PMA and Qi chargers, so you can charge this phone almost anywhere.

Droid Turbo 2 Performance

With 3GB of RAM and an Octacore 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor the Droid Trubo 2 is fast and it is ready for the apps you want to run and the tasks you ask it to complete.

The front facing speakers are surprisingly loud and deliver a good range of sound. They aren’t perfect, but the sound is better than many competing devices and it is easier to watch a YouTube video without cupping your hand to hear what someone is saying.

Call quality is adequate, but I do miss the crisp clear sound of a FaceTime audio call that my iPhone delivers.

Droid Turbo 2 Impressions - 7

Users can expand storage with a Micro SD card if there isn’t enough room on the 32GB or 64GB phone they buy.

Droid Turbo 2 Software

The Droid Turbo 2 runs a fairly stock version of Android 5.1.1 — but it includes a lot of Verizon apps and Verizon pre-loaded apps right out of the box. Google is up to Android 6.0 right now, which we expect the Droid Turbo 2 will get through a software update in the future.

Droid Turbo 2 Impressions - 9

Motorola leaves most of Android alone and, instead of mucking with system settings and styles, the company delivers useful apps like Moto Display. This delivers a quick look at important notifications and includes features that can automate a do not disturb mode based on your calendar. The Droid Turbo 2 also responds to your voice at any time and does a good job of understanding what I ask of the phone.

I particularly enjoy the Motorola Loop app that serves as a hub for my house. It connects to my Nest thermostat, Hue lights and allows me to control these. The app also knows where I am and can share that with another user. The app includes a weather feature that lets me know when it will ran and how long that will last. It’s a surprisingly useful hub for my connected home.

Is the Droid Turbo 2 Worth Buying?

Ultimately at the end of the day you want to know if the Droid Turbo 2 is worth buying. It is not a perfect phone but, if you need amazing battery life and a screen that will survive drops that would knock other phones out of commission, it is a phone you cannot ignore.

There are a lot of Verizon apps pre-installed on the phone and you cannot delete them all, but with a Micro SD card slot at least you won’t run out of room as quickly on older devices.

Ultimately you need to decide if a screen that won’t shatter and battery life that won’t stop are more important than consistent photo quality and sleeker designs.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Deanskorando

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