It sure has been a while since we reviewed anything that’s not a tablet or a smartphone with a keyboard. And with us here to stop the monotony is the Motorola Droid 3 for Verizon, the latest installment of the carrier’s Droid series. The new model is armed with a 4inch qHD display w/ 854 x 480 resolution, five-row slide out QWERTY keyboard, powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, running Android 2.3.4 w/ a less-intrusive Blur UI, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, VGA front-facing + 8MP rear-facing camera w/ LED flash & 1080p HD video capture, microUSB + HDMI ports, global roaming support, and a 1540mAh battery. Does the Droid 3 perfect everything on its third rendition or is it three strikes and its out?
The new, dual-core processor definitely adds a much needed boost to keep up with the speedy needs of consumers these days. The new chipset along with Android 2.3 & Motorola’s Blur UI made opening apps and completing tasks a cool breeze. The new Blur UI is less intrusive than the previous versions of UI which used to be in your face and slow down your device. Now Blur is barely there as it went from Sense to TouchWiz status in regards to being a blatant UI over Android.
Although the new Droid has under 1GB of RAM (512MB to be exact), it still performs as well as you might expect. Overall lag on this Android device is quite minimal which is always welcome. The new QWERTY keyboard has also been improved as well among other things. The Droid 3 adds a fifth row to its physical keyboard to make less use of the ALT key for numbers. These new keys are more flat than the Droid 2 as they have a great amount of spacing between buttons for a more comfortable typing experience. In my mind, the best keyboard experience on an Android device was with the G2. The Droid 3 does add some competition for the best QWERTY on an Android. Call quality on the D3 was average, no stellar dual-mic quality but it works. Dealing with Verizon’s network, you can almost guarantee to experience no dropped calls. Always a plus for Big Red.
Anyone who has ever owned an Android device knows that among the many great features it offers, a great battery life isn’t one of them. My experience with the Droid 3’s battery life hasn’t been all too great. Not sure if it was just my review unit or what. Upon setting up my device with my Google account info/apps and tweeting put the D3 in the red after only four continuous hours of use (with the device fully charged mind you). Outside of constant usage, expect the battery to last you most of the with medium usage (no heavy internet, email, twitter, facebook, texting, or phone calls). So heavy usage will cut that in half to six hours of juice. Bummer.
Following the battery life, the Droid 3 rear-facing camera is also a disappointment of sorts. The D3 has a 8MP shooter capable of 1080p HD video. The camera’s sensors were quite a disappointment as it seemed like a camera of a lower megapixel. In low-light situations with the LED flash, the camera’s results were lacking in comparison to other smartphone shooters.
Making this not the smartphone camera for your Facebook photos, Twitpics, or moments on the go you don’t want to miss that’s not taken in the sun or a well-lit environment. The front-facing VGA shooter is as grainy as you maybe used to. Only for mirror shots or your video-chatting needs is all this really good for. The video camera feature does offer an upside to the lens. The D3 offers great video footage however its ability to focus while recording video can suffer from hiccups while moving. Take the good with the bad I guess.
The Droid 3 looks like it would be a great device on paper but somewhere in the execution, it didn’t match up. The D3 has a great keyboard but I can’t say this device is anywhere near the top of my list of Android devices to recommend. I mean its not a bad device but compared to everything else that is available, it’s not a standout device for people to rush & buy it. Like anything else, it has its up and its downs as there is no such thing as the perfect smartphone. The new 4inch qHD display is no Super AMOLED Plus display but shows off smooth, animated transitions as well as sharp, crisp icons/images. The battery life and the camera definitely brought our grade down on the Droid 3, preventing it from being an all-around good Android. The D3 is an adequate device but leaves the Droid branding without the innovation it started with the original Droid. Perhaps the Droid Bionic or the Droid HD can take over the reigns steering the Droid brand back into Android greatness but for now, you will have to settle for this.
