Hands on with the 48-hour-battery-powered Motorola Droid Maxx

A gallery and video of the Maxx and its little friend, the Droid Ultra, too.

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[redleader]

That is actually RGB (theres equal numbers of each pixel and they're all adjacent), although the pixels aren't square, which is pretty common for OLED. It has to do with how they're printed and the relative brightness of each OLED compound.

 

[potato44829]

I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

 

[Wyrmaster]

I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

 

[Deleted member 1]

I have a Razr Maxx and I wouldn't trade it for anything but another Maxx. That battery life is everything. What use is a phone if it's dead most of the time? I don't want to live attached to a wall outlet.

 

[Deleted member 1]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":1k5hsmxf]

Wyrmaster[/url]":1k5hsmxf]I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

True, but I see only a niche market that needs a phone to last for 48 hours. Nearly everybody has access to a charger at least once a day.

Until that one time you don't and it turns out to be urgent. Regardless, 48hrs is a best case. If you are using all of the features of the phone it's not going to last the maximum amount of time. That's why you want the biggest possible battery. Then you don't have to think about it, and if you forgot to plug it in all weekend it's not an issue.

 

[pen_sq]

Considering that the Droid 4 hardly lasts until lunchtime, I believe 4-8 hours is what Moto really meant.

 

[Wyrmaster]

t1oracle[/url]":3iqsj0ia]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":3iqsj0ia]

Wyrmaster[/url]":3iqsj0ia]I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

True, but I see only a niche market that needs a phone to last for 48 hours. Nearly everybody has access to a charger at least once a day.

Until that one time you don't and it turns out to be urgent. Regardless, 48hrs is a best case. If you are using all of the features of the phone it's not going to last the maximum amount of time. That's why you want the biggest possible battery. Then you don't have to think about it, and if you forgot to plug it in all weekend it's not an issue.

This. I don't know what the battery life of the X2 is rated at, but in practice I end up plugging it in after 3-4 hours. I need a battery that will get me through a 10 hr day.

 

[Deleted member 1]

Wyrmaster[/url]":337x2nuh]

t1oracle[/url]":337x2nuh]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":337x2nuh]

Wyrmaster[/url]":337x2nuh]I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

True, but I see only a niche market that needs a phone to last for 48 hours. Nearly everybody has access to a charger at least once a day.

Until that one time you don't and it turns out to be urgent. Regardless, 48hrs is a best case. If you are using all of the features of the phone it's not going to last the maximum amount of time. That's why you want the biggest possible battery. Then you don't have to think about it, and if you forgot to plug it in all weekend it's not an issue.

This. I don't know what the battery life of the X2 is rated at, but in practice I end up plugging it in after 3-4 hours. I need a battery that will get me through a 10 hr day.

It's rated at 8hrs so you're getting roughly half the advertised time with your usage.
Source: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp ... a_id/63895

 

[ricera10]

pen_sq[/url]":3in6cf8q]Considering that the Droid 4 hardly lasts until lunchtime, I believe 4-8 hours is what Moto really meant.

Now that you mention it, I wish they had announced a Droid 5 because my 4 is getting too old. I was hoping they would, but it looks like high-end keyboard phones are dead.

 

[coder543]

The Droid line hasn't been appealing in a long time? That's news to me. The HD RAZR models last year were beautifully designed, with sturdy construction, good performance, and excellent battery life. The cameras were the only thing that were even moderately disappointing.

From all indications, these new phones will never lag because of how powerful that GPU is, in concert with a more than adequate CPU. These phones have unique voice features as well, and the camera should be much improved over the previous ones.

What more do you want from a phone? A phone that performs excellently, is attractive, and has good battery life sounds pretty good to me.

 

[coder543]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":saanzw4g]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

You can't just say two generations of phones are both dual core and dismiss it at that. Newer CPUs are tremendously better than older ones, and the GPU in this is tremendously better than last year's phones had. We have more than enough CPU power on android as it is. The more GPU, the better. The screens are a little lower density than your average 2013 superphone with a 5 inch 1080p display, sure, but these displays are still going to be fantastic, and a large, large portion of the world's smartphone market will be at or below 720p this year. It's hardly a low end spec, even at these pixel densities.

This is practically stock android, I will also point out. Motorola has gotten to the point where they're just adding little touches here and there that make stock android tremendously better. Motorola Smartactions is an excellent example.

 

[idreyn]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":dvj081f7]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

I have to imagine that Motorola is catering to the 99% of the population that looks at how usable and convenient a phone is when they buy it, not whether it has the latest and greatest tech specs. I would happily sacrifice a 1080p display and the highest benchmark scores to not have to plug my phone in halfway through the day...those things just don't make a practical difference for me or for most others.

 

[Eldorito]

coder543[/url]":3r8d4fzc]The Droid line hasn't been appealing in a long time? That's news to me. The HD RAZR models last year were beautifully designed, with sturdy construction, good performance, and excellent battery life. The cameras were the only thing that were even moderately disappointing.

From all indications as, these phones will never lag because of how powerful that GPU is, in concert with a more than adequate CPU. These phones have unique voice features as well, and the camera should be much improved over the previous ones.

What more do you want from a phone? A phone that performs excellently, is attractive, and has good battery life sounds pretty good to me.

This, I love my Razr HD. It gets S3 owners saying it looks good, it gets iPhone owners cursing the fact I've never run out of battery on it. It's as solid as a brick (and the backing is genius. I have a tiny scratch that isn't noticeable anyway thanks to the design and it feels much sturdier than plastic). The downsides are all software on it, it's a bit laggy and the lack of 4.2 update is disappointing. The camera improved with one software update, I kind of wonder if it's more a software issue than the camera itself. And the HDMI out went to hell with the 4.1 update.

Incredibly close to stock as well on the software, Google should look at adopting some of what Motorola did though (4.1 to 4.2 sees better settings options on stock, although I still prefer Motorola's).

 

[Chikahiro]

I'd love a Windows Phone with that sort of battery life. As is, this might be good for my mom who regularly forgets to plug her phone in. This weekend we unexpectedly spent a lot of time at the hospital, so it would've been HIGHLY appreciated.

 

[srs]

Now, if they could offer it on a carrier that isn't Verizon.

 

[foofoo22]

Wyrmaster[/url]":22bc5r39]I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

Funny what a difference a few years makes. The fact that one can say "I only use it for" a ton of neat functions shows how far we've come with these little devices. 6 years ago people would have been amazed, now it's a big yawn

 

[zee_jay]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":2x6b66e4]

Wyrmaster[/url]":2x6b66e4]I'm currently using the DROID X2, and I really only use it for fb, twitter, internet browsing and music while at work. Those 4 together mean my phone is constantly plugged in. To me battery life is a fairly night bonus.

True, but I see only a niche market that needs a phone to last for 48 hours. Nearly everybody has access to a charger at least once a day.

Yeah, you may have access, but the fact that you even need access that frequently sucks! And it's not like a full charge is quick, and wherever you need to plug in, you're sitting there within eye-shot of your phone for a much longer time than you'd care to spend. More battery life is always more awesome.

 

[Chemical Tribe]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":1ivhj59e]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

Because both 1080p and quad core are a waste of time, that's why. Focus on battery life, not pointless specs.

I don't know about you but that launcher looks pretty stock to me.

 

[Deleted member 174040]

Looked huge in the video.

 

[potato44829]

coder543[/url]":rl4au9uv]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":rl4au9uv]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

You can't just say two generations of phones are both dual core and dismiss it at that. Newer CPUs are tremendously better than older ones, and the GPU in this is tremendously better than last year's phones had. We have more than enough CPU power on android as it is. The more GPU, the better. The screens are a little lower density than your average 2013 superphone with a 5 inch 1080p display, sure, but these displays are still going to be fantastic, and a large, large portion of the world's smartphone market will be at or below 720p this year. It's hardly a low end spec, even at these pixel densities.

This is practically stock android, I will also point out. Motorola has gotten to the point where they're just adding little touches here and there that make stock android tremendously better. Motorola Smartactions is an excellent example.

"Practically", but does that mean I get prompt updates just like a Nexus device?

I don't find phones with "stock" useful unless they get "stock" updates.

 

[potato44829]

sprockkets[/url]":3tnusv7a]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":3tnusv7a]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

Because both 1080p and quad core are a waste of time, that's why. Focus on battery life, not pointless specs.

I don't know about you but that launcher looks pretty stock to me.

They've still thrown in a few small tweaks, but for me the problem is that they come so close to pure but they don't, which is more of a personal preference than anything else.

If you're going to do stock, do stock, and give it prompt updates. If you're going to do overlays, make them feature-rich, at least.

But don't give me a phone close to stock, with just enough tweaks that it's not a nexus or play-branded device.

 

[Chemical Tribe]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":1o6jwr88]

sprockkets[/url]":1o6jwr88]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":1o6jwr88]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

Because both 1080p and quad core are a waste of time, that's why. Focus on battery life, not pointless specs.

I don't know about you but that launcher looks pretty stock to me.

They've still thrown in a few small tweaks, but for me the problem is that they come so close to pure but they don't, which is more of a personal preference than anything else.

If you're going to do stock, do stock, and give it prompt updates. If you're going to do overlays, make them feature-rich, at least.

But don't give me a phone close to stock, with just enough tweaks that it's not a nexus or play-branded device.

Well that stuff on the homescreen is probably a widget that can be removed. At least in this case, Moto can't blame a skin or any lack of storage for upgrades. The Nexus device uses a Snapdragon, so drivers shouldn't be a big deal either.

There is only one reason though I want updates to be delayed, and that is, if I want 4.2, I want 4.2.2, when it gets stable, not when it still is being worked on. Same with ICS; I'm glad HTC waited for 4.0.3.

 

[Nekko]

I'm in the 'last year's razrs are pretty great, why are you complaining about a refresh?' camp. I have a RAZR M and I have no complaints. I get compliments on the look and screen quality and it lasts all day after a full year of heavy use. And it fits in my damn pocket. I'm more interested in their new little phone than either of the giant ones.

 

[Scipio Africanus]

redleader[/url]":1sy56phd]That is actually RGB (theres equal numbers of each pixel and they're all adjacent), although the pixels aren't square, which is pretty common for OLED. It has to do with how they're printed and the relative brightness of each OLED compound.

Yeah the Note 2 uses the exact same arrangement. Samsung calls it s-stripe. Some also speculate the blue subpixel is purposely made slightly bigger because the lifespan of blue on amoled displays is lower than green or red.

 

[pcgamer1206]

Is that $299 subsidized, or unlocked?

 

[coder543]

pcgamer1206[/url]":2xt0naxa]Is that $299 subsidized, or unlocked?

Subsidized. You don't actually think the droid mini is $99 with no contract, do you? That would be amazing though.

 

[Taantric]

Hardware is all well and good but I would caution people that Android and it's app ecosystem are the most intrusive, privacy busting smartphone tech on the market today. Not only is Google itself intimately aware what you do on your phone, what your location is, what times are important to you (Google Now) but also the apps, almost universally, require way over the top permissions. Pretty much expect any app to want to know your phone number, contacts, calendar, location and more than likely call log, account info, cross-site permissions for social web etc.


PS: Wow the reviewer sure had a lot of bling on. Is Mr T working for Ars now? Heh

 

[Deleted member 1]

The video nicely demonstrates how difficult large phones are to use with one hand, and also how intrusive the Ars mobile popups are...

 

[rjc730]

The Droid line has not been compelling in a long time, and like most other Android smartphones it has fallen in Samsung's shadow.

The above is not strictly true. Samsung is the undoubtedly the leader but the manufacturers who concentrate on low to mid range phones particularly in the Chinese market seem to be doing very well.

Just yesterday from Trendforce: http://www.dramexchange.com/WeeklyResea ... /3465.html

Huawei, Lenevo, Sony, Coolpad and ZTE all look to have increase market share and firmly be in the Top 10.

I couldn't find recent sales for Motorola, but from memory they are well out of Top 10 now at about 1.5 million units per quarter well below the 5million or so needed to make the list.

 

[YoungHov]

Aestethics count. These phones are kind of on the ugly side in my opinion

 

[SomeUKGuy]

YoungHov[/url]":125u8lhb]Aestethics count. These phones are kind of on the ugly side in my opinion

If you think that's ugly, have a look at the new Nokia 1020.

 

[Little-Zen]

but for a tiny loss of thinness you get significantly more battery life

Manufacturers take note: more battery life at the cost of 1 or 2 mm on a phone is a GOOD THING.

When we were all using "dumbphones", some of them would go a week of sparse use without a recharge. Not that I expect smartphones to be able to do that any time soon, but it'd be nice if we could call "two days of normal (not untouched, mostly idle in your pocket) use between charges" the minimum acceptable battery life these days.

 

[phoenix_rizzen]

coder543[/url]":13e2et2o]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":13e2et2o]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

You can't just say two generations of phones are both dual core and dismiss it at that. Newer CPUs are tremendously better than older ones, and the GPU in this is tremendously better than last year's phones had.

The Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC is a year old now, and the Adreno 320 GPU has been around just as long. Many of last year's phone (like the Nexus4 and Optimus G) include this SoC. IOW, these are "last-year standards" as mentioned in the OP.

We have more than enough CPU power on android as it is. The more GPU, the better. The screens are a little lower density than your average 2013 superphone with a 5 inch 1080p display, sure, but these displays are still going to be fantastic, and a large, large portion of the world's smartphone market will be at or below 720p this year. It's hardly a low end spec, even at these pixel densities.

I agree that 720p in a ~4" screen is just about perfect, and that 1080p in anything under 6" is a waste.

 

[LJ]

Standard Verizon Fare: the phone might not be as much hardware as the $299-list-price contract-free nexus 4, but gosh darn it's going to be listed as twice as expensive at $599.

In the mean while, Verizon will give you a great deal for $199 if you agree to a two year contract. And if you like that deal, they've got a bridge to sell you as well.

 

[Voo42]

The one reason I'm shortly considering an iPhone when upgrading phones despite my clear preference for android (prefer the ui, the customizability, have lots of apps already, use many Google services, Swype!!, etc) is the fact that the battery life on every Android phone I've ever owned was less than satisfactory.

I love my nexus 4 and it was a great value for the price when I got it but the battery life is really weak (knew that when I got it too, there just wasn't any noticeably better alternative around for me). And really I don't have any need for a quad core in my phone, I'm actually contemplating trying one of those custom roms
that disable one or two codes to see how much it helps with battery life - I can't think of a single scenario where I'd profit from for cores.


So yes this phone certainly has some appeal to me, now please just a nexus version of it when I upgrade next time..

 

[coder543]

phoenix_rizzen[/url]":30auzmej]

coder543[/url]":30auzmej]

Doctor Hoot[/url]":30auzmej]I still don't get the appeal of this, outside the battery life.

So you've got two phones with lower pixel densities then last year's flagships.

The processors are dual-core, so also last-year standards.

And it could have run stock android to compensate, but it doesn't.

Is there anything good about these phones? (Apart from battery life)

You can't just say two generations of phones are both dual core and dismiss it at that. Newer CPUs are tremendously better than older ones, and the GPU in this is tremendously better than last year's phones had.

The Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC is a year old now, and the Adreno 320 GPU has been around just as long. Many of last year's phone (like the Nexus4 and Optimus G) include this SoC. IOW, these are "last-year standards" as mentioned in the OP.

We have more than enough CPU power on android as it is. The more GPU, the better. The screens are a little lower density than your average 2013 superphone with a 5 inch 1080p display, sure, but these displays are still going to be fantastic, and a large, large portion of the world's smartphone market will be at or below 720p this year. It's hardly a low end spec, even at these pixel densities.

I agree that 720p in a ~4" screen is just about perfect, and that 1080p in anything under 6" is a waste.

it was rumored to be snapdragon 600 based, but the S4 Pro is still not a bad processor at all, and compared to the equivalent processor in the RAZR HD, it is a huge step forward versus last year's. But even Ars speculates that it isn't Krait 200 like the S4 Pro, but Krait 300, like the S600, which means it isn't last year's processor, like I said.

 

[coder543]

Voo42[/url]":1vj0wuis]The one reason I'm shortly considering an iPhone when upgrading phones despite my clear preference for android (prefer the ui, the customizability, have lots of apps already, use many Google services, Swype!!, etc) is the fact that the battery life on every Android phone I've ever owned was less than satisfactory.

I love my nexus 4 and it was a great value for the price when I got it but the battery life is really weak (knew that when I got it too, there just wasn't any noticeably better alternative around for me). And really I don't have any need for a quad core in my phone, I'm actually contemplating trying one of those custom roms
that disable one or two codes to see how much it helps with battery life - I can't think of a single scenario where I'd profit from for cores.


So yes this phone certainly has some appeal to me, now please just a nexus version of it when I upgrade next time..

This is practically a nexus, and iPhones don't get that good of battery life.

 

[Voo42]

coder543[/url]":11q1dd7c]
This is practically a nexus, and iPhones don't get that good of battery life.

So updates from Google, no custom skin and unlocked boot loader? (I really have no idea on that point, but that'd be surprising to me)

[image=http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7163/56332.png]about battery life and iPhones[/image]