Apr 10

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shatterproof Screen Smartphone Lifestyle Review
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shatterproof Screen Smartphone Lifestyle Review

Android Marshmallow 6 is now available for Motorola’s DROID Turbo 2 with a huge 3,760 mAh battery. The Turbo 2 has a bigger and brighter 5.4” Quad HD AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 810 2GHz octa-core CPU and many other premium features over the original DROID Turbo. It is designed to fit in the hand well, charge wirelessly and speed through downloads via access to Verizon’s upgraded 4G XLTE network.

Overview

Motorola’s DROID Turbo 2 Android Marshmallow upgraded smartphone is a whiz of consumer electronics engineering. The Turbo 2 comes with access to Verizon’s exclusive 4G XLTE wireless services. It is even better than the original DROID Turbo smartphone that came before it. Its huge battery is sealed in between layers of shatterproof glass on the front and a soft touch back. The phone is surrounded by a nice aluminum band, has a 21MP camera with 4k video recording capabilities.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shatterproof Screen Drop
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shatterproof Screen

Disclaimer: I am a VZWBuzz Ambassador. I received a Motorola DROID Turbo 2 at no cost for review. I have not received compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos are courtesy of Motorola – Lenovo unless otherwise stated.

VZWBuzz Ambassador Badge

The soft backing provided a nice surface to grip the phone and it means there is less resistance for Verizon’s 4G XLTE cellular signal, wireless charging and Android Pay transactions through NFC. This version of the Turbo 2 does away with the ballistic fibers for a smoother finish.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Smartphone Touch
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Smartphone

The feel of its shatterproof glass was nice throughout testing. I did not add a screen protector or a case, the smartphone felt strong enough au naturel. The DROID Turbo 2’s edges have all been softened and are a nice upgrade from the original Turbo.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shattershield Five Layers
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shattershield Five Layers

Screen brightness from the Turbo 2 is as good as other high-end smartphones on the market. The quad HD AMOLED screen provided a nice experience to record and watch videos with. Taking photos in multiple lighting conditions, including situations with heavily backlit people, was easy and properly exposed via its auto-HDR mode. Taking photos in very low light conditions is the only time I saw quality degrade.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shattershield Protection Warranty
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Shattershield Protection Warranty

After some testing by Motorola, Marshmallow 6 is now available as a firmware update from the company. Its pre-installed Motorola firmware update app might be the only independent way to get them faster than any other device on Verizon. Usually, the firmware update process signals Verizon via a SIM check first before downloading any new system software.

Under the hood, the DROID Turbo 2 has a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2GHz octa-core CPU with 64-bit access to its 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The micro SD card slot can expand storage up to an extra 2TB.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Software
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Software

Motorola does a nice job of keeping the Turbo 2 fast by not including too many extra apps and interface changes. They have learned that customers want a clean Google Android Marshmallow experience.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Turbo Charging
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Turbo Charging

The Motorola DROID Turbo 2 comes with a 25W charger, which is helpful as its large battery is not removable. Its TurboPower wall adapter can add 13 hours to the phone in 15 minutes. As a comparison, the latest iPad tablet charger provides 12W of power and it has a 12k+ mAh battery. Because I like to provide additional value to my readers, any smartphone can be charged faster, wired or wirelessly, if it is off.


Aukey 4,000 mAh Qi Wireless Charging Portable Battery

A Quick Charge 2.0 enabled portable battery from Aukey is ready to quickly charge up the Turbo 2. It has been tested to offer a fast charge for the DROID Turbo 2 at a maximum of 12V at 1.35A. Qi wireless charging is another easy way to charge this smartphone. After multiple tests, the smartphone does charge faster than any other phone I have tried to date.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Twist
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Twist Feature

Smartphone photographers will enjoy its 21MP rear camera with a Sony sensor, f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. The DROID Turbo 2 has a unique way to launch the camera app without tapping on it. By a double turn of the wrist, the camera app launches and is ready to go. Tap anywhere on the screen to take a photo. Drag up to zoom up to 4x. Drag to the right and the camera settings dial appears. Change flash, switch to slow motion video, switch to panoramic mode and more. Drag to the left and the photo gallery app opens.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Sony Camera Sensor
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Sensor and Lenses

Premium smartphones like this one can take photos while also recording video. Tap on the screen while recording video to take a photo. Apple still does not offer any fun ways to open its built-in camera app.

Video streaming through smartphones to social networks like Periscope with 4G XLTE and a 21MP camera makes sense. Clear video sets the stage to bring more hearts, likes and positive comments.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Selfie Flash
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Selfie Flash

Selfies are a big hit for premium smartphone owners as they typically have better front facing cameras. The DROID Turbo 2 has an upgraded 5MP front camera that takes clear photos with a front facing flash. Motorola understands the mobile photographer and has created a cool way to take selfies with a voice command. Start by activating Moto Assist with the launch phrase. Then say, “take a selfie.” The camera app will launch, switch to the forward facing camera and then a short countdown begins.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Dual LED Flash
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Camera Dual LED Flash

Sharing a selfie or that awesome landscape shot from a recent vacation while at breakfast is easier than ever with DROID Zap and its geo-tagged temporary cloud service. People in a 100-yard radius can receive a DROID Zapped photo or video. Initially, photos and videos being shared this way are public. The private option gives you a pin code that can be shared for chosen recipients.

To initiate a DROID Zap, find a photo in the gallery app and use two fingers to drag up. The photo is then available for five minutes in a temporary cloud. Smartphones running Android 2.2 or above can run the Droid Zap app for downloading photos and video. A modern DROID like the Turbo will be needed to initially share the media file.

Using Google Voice on Android smartphones is fun and can be helpful. The DROID Turbo 2 comes with Moto Voice to extend these capabilities even further. Under the Settings app, tap Moto and then Voice. Give it a launch phrase and the Turbo will do your bidding while the screen is off.

As previously mentioned, the Motorola DROID Turbo 2 comes with access to Verizon’s 4G XLTE network capability. After multiple speed tests in the Western US, I discovered results from 12.11Mbps to 19.75Mbps down and 15.70Mbps to 16.58Mbps up. While there were a few speed tests with higher and lower results, these are the median range I experienced. The hotspot function was easy to enable and did not have any software trying to initiate a WiFi connection during its use.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Water Repellent
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Water Repellent

Calls were quite good in multiple test environments, its noise canceling hardware helped in busy places like airports and restaurant waiting areas. Your experience with data speeds and calls will vary on where 4G XLTE upgraded towers have been rolled out.

Transferring content between NFC and Bluetooth enabled Android smartphones has become easier with the DROID Turbo 2 running Android Marshmallow. Tests with another Android smartphone and Android Beam worked well. It allows for photos to be sent securely over Bluetooth by tapping each phone on the back and then from there, it takes about 30 seconds per photo.


Motorola Moto 360 2nd Gen Smartwatch Unboxing

One excellent accessory for the Motorola DROID Turbo 2 is their new Moto 360 2nd gen smartwatch. I have been using the Android Wear smartwatch for a little while and I like that it works with Android phones and iPhones too. It provides an easy way to access Google search and directions on the wrist.

The DROID Turbo 2 accesses Verizon’s speedy 4G XLTE nationwide cellular network at a rated maximum of 150Mbps, it has a 540 pixels per inch 1440 x 2560 resolution screen, 3GB of RAM, Dual-band capable WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, shatterproof display and a capacious 3,760 mAh non-removable battery. Its top of the line features, easy to use Android Marshmallow 6 gives a fantastic smartphone experience from Motorola and Lenovo.

Final Thoughts

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Moto Maker
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Moto Maker

Verizon exclusively carries the Motorola DROID Turbo 2 and is currently being sold at $26 for 24 months with $0 down or $624 off contract. This is a great choice for anyone who wants a highly responsive Android Marshmallow experience, a rear camera that can take 4k video and high quality photos via both cameras.

Verizon’s 4G XLTE network is equally as fast and compared to other flavors of 4G LTE, is routinely tested as being number one in the USA. Dense city environments like Downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City have already deployed XLTE.

Motorola DROID Turbo 2 Moto Maker Custom Design
Motorola DROID Turbo 2 From Moto Maker Custom Designed

Having the hotspot functionality ready to go in this smartphone made it easy to share its 4G XLTE connection with my MacBook Pro, iPad and other gadgets. Its huge 3,760 mAh battery kept the hotspot going for longer than needed and there was enough juice left for use during the rest of the day.

The screen is bright and the photos it takes are excellent for uploading to Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Its shatterproof and high-resolution screen easily beat what the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus has to offer. Motorola’s quality engineering of high end components paired with the Android Marshmallow experience show their commitment to make its DROID Turbo 2 an ever better choice than the original Turbo.

Rating: 5/5

Pros:

  • 5.4” Quad HD AMOLED Screen
  • 2.0 GHz Octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 CPU
  • Wireless Qi/PMA Charging
  • 21MP Camera with 4k Video Recording
  • Front facing camera flash
  • 3GB RAM
  • 4G XLTE Verizon Wireless Capable
  • Micro SD Card Slot Supports 2TB

Cons:

  • Non Removable Battery
  • No camera optical image stabilization
  • Too many pre-installed apps

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