Hands On: Motorola Droid 4 and Droid RAZR MAXX

LAS VEGAS—CES has been full of exciting announcements, and Motorola didn't disappoint, introducing two new additions to the Droid family. There's the Droid 4, which is the thinnest keyboarded 4G LTE smartphone currently available, and the Droid RAZR MAXX, the longest lasting LTE device in Verizon's lineup. PCMag got to take a hands-on look at both of them.

Let's start with the Droid 4, the latest in Motorola's keyboarded Droid family. The Droid 3 was a disappointment, because while it was powered by a dual-core processor, it lacked access to Verizon's 4G LTE network. That's been changed with the Droid 4, which joins the Samsung Stratosphere as the second keyboarded LTE smartphone on Verizon.

Though nowhere near as svelte as the Droid RAZR, the Droid 4 is surprisingly thin, given the keyboard and LTE support, two qualities that usually make for a thicker phone. It measures 5.0 by 2.7 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.3 ounces, but it felt lighter than that. Check out the slideshow to see how thick is looks next to the Droid RAZR MAXX.

The Droid 4's 4-inch qHD (540-by-960-pixel) display looked great in person. It's also really comfortable to hold, with the keyboard open or closed. Motorola claims the device is enclosed in a water-repellant nanocoating, but it didn't make a noticeable difference in the way the phone felt. There's an 8-megapixel camera on the back of the phone with 1080p video recording, plus 16GB of internal storage, a free microSD memory card slot, and a mirroring mode that allows you to easily view images or video on an HDTV.

The real draw here, though, is the keyboard. And what a keyboard it is. The keys are chiclet-style, which Motorola claims was done to mimic a laptop keyboard. They've been laser cut, so they're super sharp and precise. Coated in soft touch plastic, the keys are backlit by an LED light and felt absolutely fantastic to type on. I was able to type quickly, easily, and accurately on the Droid 4. Other Verizon phones should be put on notice: This is the keyboard to be beat.

Motorola is also stressing the business-ready capabilities of the Droid 4. It comes with government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) for email, calendars, and contacts. It's also been preloaded with Citrix Receiver for Android (available in webtop) for desktop virtualization and access.

Another exciting new addition to Verizon's lineup is the Droid RAZR MAXX. This one's simple to explain: It's basically a Droid RAZR that's put on a little weight. Luckily, that weight comes in the form of a larger 3300 mAh battery (that's compared to the RAZR's 1780 mAh battery). It adds a bit of depth to the original RAZR's ultra-slim profile, but get this: That larger battery should be good for an astounding 21 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge.

The RAZR MAXX is 0.35 inches thick, or only 0.07 inches thicker than the regular Droid RAZR. Other than that, the MAXX is essentially the same exact phone as Droid RAZR—it has the same software and hardware. The display looked great and the phone felt plenty responsive as I swiped between home screens and loaded up apps.

Both the Droid 4 and Droid RAZR MAXX will ship with Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread). Motorola has promised an upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for within the second quarter of the year. Additionally, both phones work with Motorola's host of companion accessories that, among other things, allow you to use the phones as Linux-based laptops.

Pricing and release dates have not been announced, but Motorola says that both phones should be available in the coming weeks. Check back with PCMag for a full review of each phone as soon as they are available.

About Our Expert

Alex Colon

Executive Editor, Reviews

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s executive editor of reviews, steering our coverage to make sure we're testing the products you're interested in buying and telling you whether they're worth it. I've been here for more than 10 years. I previously managed the consumer electronics reviews team, and before that, I covered mobile, smart home, and wearable technology for PCMag and Gigaom.

My Areas of Expertise

I’ve written hundreds of reviews of cell phones, fitness trackers, robot vacuums, smartwatches, and various other products.
I’ve also edited thousands of reviews and articles on consumer electronics technologies and products.

The Technology I Use

I’m writing this bio on my 24-inch blue iMac, which I initially bought for personal use, but quickly decided to use for work instead of my tiny, company-issued ThinkPad (sorry, IT team). The screen is big, bright, and sharp, and the speakers are surprisingly good considering how thin the machine is.

The other big screen in my life is a 65-inch LG C9 OLED TV. If you’re wondering whether OLED is worth the premium over LCD, I’m here to tell you that it is.

I’d be doing my beloved LG C9 a disservice if I didn’t have it hooked up to a capable sound system, so I have a Sonos Beam sitting on a media console underneath the TV, and two Sonos Ones set up as rear channels for surround sound. If you’re a Sonos user, I highly recommend adding the Sonos Sub to your setup. It’s definitely a little more expensive than it should be, but it's truly money well spent.

Of course, as an editor, I also do plenty of reading that isn’t related to work, and I love to sit down with a good, old-fashioned, paper-and-ink book. But when carrying a book isn’t convenient, I break out my first-generation Kindle Paperwhite, which is still working just fine nearly 10 years in.

With 15 years of experience in tech, Alex guides PCMag's product testing to help you decide what's worth buying and how to get the most out of it.

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