Droid X marks the spot

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to test the Droid X – the latest Android phone to hit Verizon. Being an avid Android lover – I currently have the original Droid (see original review here), I was anxious to get my hands on the Droid X. Like my original review of the Droid, my review of the Droid X isn’t going to be high level. I’m not interested in the specs – though I will list them, and I didn’t have the desire or time to test some of the advanced features. That being said, this is a review from the eyes of your average smartphone user (albeit one who’s a social media addict).

Size

The first thing that obviously came to mind was the size difference. The Droid X features a significantly larger screen than both the original Droid and the Droid Incredible. I found the 4.3 inch screen slightly bigger than it probably needs to be; however, when placed in my pocket, it felt a lot more comfortable than my smaller Droid. Additionally, as you can see from the picture below, the Droid X is quite slim (dimensions are: 2.6  x 5.0  x 0.4  inches). It took 5-10 minutes for me to get used to the size difference, and after that, I was wishing my original Droid was slimmer. As I mentioned above, despite the screen being a tad too big, overall, the new dimensions of the Droid X are a great update in my book.

Camera/Video

While the Droid X features an 8.0 megapixel camera, to be honest, I didn’t see much of a difference from my original Droid. That being said, I think the camera on both the original Droid and the Droid X put out some pretty solid photos. While it’ll never rival an actual digital camera, for someone who takes the occasional photo on the run or while I’m out at various social events, the Droid X will get the job done. The camcorder was the same thing – comparable to Droid, quality video for a mobile device, I’d still use my Flip. One thing that did bug me about the camcorder was that it was difficult to use. At least for me. The beauty of the original Droid is there’s a little on-screen button on the bottom right of the screen that you tap to record and to finish. Unless I missed it, the Droid X was completely different and not clear on how to start or stop the recording. Again, maybe it was me.

Display/Menu

This was another update/change that I thoroughly enjoyed. The menu or homescreen on the Droid X was a great change and the ease of use was a welcomed change. Not only do they add more screens to sort and seperate for quick-touch access to apps, the menu was more appealing in general. They also added a few more background and wallpaper options that were pretty cool. Small things like this make my review non-technical!

Audio

One of the apps I use the most on my original Droid is the Pandora app. I stream music from my phone quite a bit. The audio on my Droid is fantastic. However, on the Droid X, it’s one feature that I was not impressed with at all. The Droid X has more speakers, yet the audio from both the Pandora app and from YouTube was a bit muffled and not quite as high quality as the original Droid. Please note that I only found the audio inferior in terms of music. The microphone and speaker that are used while making calls produce high quality audio. I didn’t have any issues hearing others talk and according to the phone calls I made, my voice quality was excellent as well. So it kind of surprised me that the audio was drastically worse for music and videos.

Battery

As a heavy phone user, I did not see any issues with the battery life on the Droid X. I had a bunch of apps constantly running and never needed a mid-day charge. For the average smartphone user, you’ll easily be able to go quite a while before needing to charge.

Final Takeaway

Unfortunately my model didn’t have the Android 2.2 OS. I was really hoping to get a sneak peak at Froyo, but it looks like I’ll have to wait until later this year. Despite that, my overall opinion on the Droid X is that it’s clearly the best Android phone on the market.

If you are looking to buy an Android phone, this is  the one you need to be looking at. Is it enough to get me to upgrade? No. While the biggest draw for me is the size and absence of a physical keyboard (I never use the physical keyboard on my Droid), and the display is high quality, it doesn’t do anything that my Droid can’t do. The improved camera (according to specs) is likely appealing to those who actively use their mobile for pictures and video.

Again, I clearly think the Android is the best phone on the market. I’d take my Droid and the Droid X over the iPhone any day. The Droid X delivers nearly everything you need on a smartphone. I don’t need a front-facing camera, the Android market has more than enough apps and you have the Verizon network. For anyone other than original Droid users, the Droid X is the phone to get.

Disclaimer: The Droid X I tested was courtesy of Albert Maruggi. My review was based purely off my experience with the Droid X. I did not receive any compensation and my device was returned.