Verizon and Motorola have always had a close relationship. The smartphones in Motorola's Droid line are typically exclusive to the carrier, and they helped make Verizon a heavy supporter of Android devices during a time where AT&T was the exclusive US carrier for the iPhone. Today's announcement is no exception. The Droid Turbo is a Verizon exclusive smartphone made by Motorola, and seemingly their most powerful. Its biggest selling point is its battery life, but before getting into specifics I've given an overview by laying out all the specifications in the chart below. 

  Motorola Droid Turbo Motorola Moto X (2014)
SoC APQ8084 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 with 4 x Krait 450 + Adreno 420 MSM8974 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 with 4 x Krait 400 + Adreno 330
RAM/NAND 3 GB LPDDR3, 32/64GB NAND 2GB LPDDR3, 16/32GB NAND
Display 5.2” 2560x1440 AMOLED at 565ppi 5.2” 1080p Super AMOLED
Network 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Listed as Category 4 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Listed as Category 4
Dimensions 143.5 x 73.3 x 11.2 mm, 176 grams (Black Nylon)
143.5 x 73.3 x 10.6mm, 169g (Metallic Red/Black)
140.8 x 72.4 x 3.8-9.9 mm, 144 grams
Camera 21MP (5248x3936) Rear Camera with F/2.0 aperture, 2MP Front Camera 13MP Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX135), 2.1MP FFC
Battery 3900 mAh 2300 mAh, 3.8V, 8.74 Whr
OS Android 4.4.4 KitKat Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, DLNA, NFC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, DLNA, NFC
SIM Size NanoSIM NanoSIM

It's interesting that this is a Verizon exclusive device, as it has significantly better specifications than the Moto X which is Motorola's current widely available flagship. Like many of the other recently released flagship phones, the Droid Turbo uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 with four Krait 450 cores at 2.7GHz and 3GB of LPDDR3 memory. The front of the device sports a 2560x1440 AMOLED display, which is also quickly becoming the norm for Android flagship smartphones. Above it is a 2MP front-facing camera capable of recording 1080p video, and below it lies three capacitive navigation buttons which is a departure from the on-screen buttons that Motorola has been using on their other devices for some time now.

The back of the device is home to the 21MP rear-facing camera which Motorola states is capable of recording 4K video at 24fps, with 1080p recording still topping out at 30fps. The design of the back is somewhat similar to the Moto X and Moto G, but it appears to be far less curvy. There's a great deal of branding, with a logo for Verizon, the Droid brand, and Motorola's. Even without those, it's would still be clear to anyone familiar with Motorola's style of hardware design that this is a Motorola device. The curved back, centered camera, and crosshatch pattern on the back are all reminiscent of past and current Motorola phones. However, there is no lip at the top for the 3.5mm headphone jack like on Motorola's other current devices.

The big point of differentiation is the battery capacity. Motorola has not stated the voltage of the battery, but states that it has a 3900mAh capacity and claims it will last up to 48 hours of usage. While there is always some degree of variance from a manufacturer's claims based on how a user uses their device, if the Droid Turbo approaches anywhere close to that claim in battery testing it will be very far ahead of competing smartphones with regards to battery life. 

One possible issue I noticed with Motorola's listed specifications is in the network section which classifies the device as supporting category 4 LTE. This may be referring to Verizon's network certification, but the Droid Turbo should be rated for category 6 LTE.

The Droid Turbo will come with two choices of materials. There is a metallic finish which comes in black or red, and is the lighter and thinner of the two variants. These will all have a 32GB capacity. The 64GB version will only be available in the Nylon Ballistic Black finish which is slightly thicker and heavier. It will be launching this Thursday for $199 and $249 for the 32GB and 64GB variants respectively on a two year term. 

Source: Official Motorola Blog

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  • lostleaf - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    Any confirmation for QI charging? The "leaked" user manual states wireless charging but would like some official confirmation.
  • jmunjr - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    It really is a shame a phone with these specs can't be made in a smaller size, ~4.7" or smaller, preferably about 4.3"-4.5". Yeah battery life probably could not be matched but they could get close.

    For some reason people want bigger screens. I have terrible eyesight and don't want a bigger phone. I enjoy using my phone with one hand. I don't get the fascination with big screens, well at least the overwhelming attraction to them. Perhaps the phone makers/carriers are dictating the market rather than the customers...
  • Impulses - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    You should look at the Sony Z3 Compact, it's exactly what you want... No Qi charging tho. If it had Qi and/or was a little cheaper I'd probably be considering a switch away from Sprint and my Nexus 5 (it's only sold direct right now, for Tmo/AT&T).
  • sonicmerlin - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link

    4.7" is too big. Need 4.3".
  • Gunbuster - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    Any word on this getting Android L? Going by Verizon's track record they will update it sometime in 2016...
  • jonny13 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    Everyone loves to bash Verizon on updates, but the 2013 Droid line has beaten the Moto X to a couple of updates, so Verizon/Motorola are good about updates. Can't speak for the rest of Verizon's lineup though.
  • nicolapeluchetti - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    Any chances to see this in europe?
  • nfriedly - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    Anyone know what it will cost off contract?

    (It looks like a spiffy phone, but not spiffy enough to give up my unlimited data for ;)
  • Beany2013 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link

    I see no sign of an impeller or compressor. Or an exhaust for that matter. Not even a turbo button to push it from 25mhz to 33mhz.

    Bloody sales and marketing people...
  • Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link

    Indeed it is a sh1te name to choose.

    But with a batter that size, and as long as it ain't heavy, I might pick one up when state-side this month. My GS5 is not making it through a day of heavy use, and if Skype is left on with normal use, it likely won't make it to the next morning.

    Wireless charging is an essential feature in 2015, failure to add it would be suicidal for this product.

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