It hasn’t even been a year since the original Droid first rolled out, but Android's current boom makes rushing the new releases understandable. The Motorola Droid 2 brings enough changes to make it a proper upgrade: faster processor, higher RAM and a generally better experience.
Physically, it sports a very refined design, much more so than its predecessor. While big, it can still be crammed into your pocket. Well...barely. Construction appears solid and the sliding mechanism is very sturdy.
A 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 854 resolution) sits in front. It's vibrant, very sharp and extremely responsive. The keyboard, with its raised keys, is a big improvement over the original, although it's still not the softest to use.
As a phone, the Droid 2 makes for good calls. Audio is clear and went through without much interruption, although it's far from sounding natural. Those on the other end reported a similar experience. Speakerphone is usable, with loud volume. Battery is rated at 9.6 hours of talk time, making good for a full two days (at least, a day and a half) of use for moderate users.
We like the toned-down version of the Motoblur UI on the phone, which does its job without getting in the way. It's a far cry from the original version on the Cliq, feeling much more refined and fleshed-out. By the way, this is running Android 2.2 out of the box, which means you get all the latest features, including Flash 10.1.
Armed with a 1GHz processor, the Droid 2 breezed through most tasks. Data speeds were average, with YouTube playing continuously after a few seconds of buffering. It comes with the usual Android strengths, from robust messaging to Google's suite of apps to social networking integration. Some notable software features: you can have unified and separate inboxes; improved security protocols; and great contact management, with the occasional duplicates during sync.
There's the complete roster of call features, aGPS and WiFi too. Multimedia playback is impressive, particularly for an Android phone, with audio sounding rich and videos running without hitch. Web browsing works great, with Flash videos and games performing really well. The 5.0 megapixel camera offers a bunch of options and average photo quality.
Overall, the Motorola Droid 2 is a nice upgrade for a very popular phone. We don't think it's the best at anything among the current crop of Android devices, but it sure does near everything with flying colors. It's available for $199.99 with a two year Verizon contract.
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