Motorola Droid 3 Review
Motorola’s Droid line smartphones are very popular nowadays, this is why the company continues to produce more and more refined handsets bringing the best features to them. The first Droid line device was experimental, and when it was launched back in 2009, no one could assume it would succeed. The device was packed with a large WVGA screen and run Android 2.0. It won the hearts of many geeks and provided huge profits. Moreover, it was the first device taking on Verizon’s Droid moniker, which was beneficial for Big Red as well.
There are many smartphones upholding the Droid line’s honor, but the main player was the Droid 2, and now this throne is inherited to the Motorola Droid 3, which is really very attractive sporting awesome features. The designers have worked hard to pack it with perfect specs and really cool design. There were several innovations in face of qHD display, dual-core processor with a TI CPU, and it was one of the first handsets coming with Gingerbread on board. All these advantages helped the phone become popular very soon, and besides the U.S. the Motorola Droid 3 conquered the Europe and China as well.
Our Motorola Droid 3 Review will help you discover more about this awesome handset, so read on.
Design
The Motorola Droid 3 is the worthy successor of the original Droid and the Droid 2. Looking at it we can find many familiar lineaments, but many things were updated in the phone’s design. First it refers to the larger and wider screen that should be brighter and provide better performance, but regardless its qHD property and a resolution of 540×960 pixels, we are disappointed, because on different angels the phone doesn’t provide appropriate performance.
The screen makes us feel the changes of the Motorola Droid 3 in comparison with its predecessors, but it doesn’t make the device better — it has only become heavier. The Droid 3 is different in size, it’s obvious. But measuring 124x64x13mm and weighing 167g the phone remains one of the best designed Droid line handsets.
Under the screen we can find a 5-row full QWERTY keyboard, which is one of the best designed keyboards in the market. Motorola has done a great work here, and though there are several inconveniences, we must note the keyboard of the Droid 3 is the best one among the Droid line handsets.
When you hold it in the hands, you have feeling everything is thought very well in this device and even regardless of the little changes in button locations we understand we are dealing with a “serious man.” So, on the top of the phone are located the power button (which is now in the center) and the 3.5mm headset jack. The right side has only the volume up/down rocker, while the left side shows the handset’s power, I mean a mini-HDMI port and a microUSB port. Yes, the Droid 3 features HDMI out!
The back of the phone is very elegant. Here we can find out only an 8MP camera, which is really cool (we’ll get closer look at it later).
So, we can conclude regardless a few changes the Droid 3 remains an inheritor of Droid lineaments and we must confirm the designers were very careful making those changes, because it is always difficult to combine the old and the new.
Hardware
As a high-end device the Motorola Droid 3 sports the best features. I’ve already said the phone runs on a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4 processor, which is very fast, and I don’t know anyone who uses this phone and isn’t pleased with it.
As for the other specs, 16GB internal memory and 512MB of RAM seem a little bit incompatible, I mean probably it’d be better to equip the device with a bigger RAM. Anyway, there is also a microSD card slot to expand the memory, if you wish.
The handset is good in the connectivity area as well, supporting Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and working in Verizon’s 3G network. I guess this can’t be called a shortcoming as there are other Motorola smartphones supporting 4G LTE network, and this one is an alternate for those users who prefer the 3G network with less battery drain.
At last, the battery is also great — it’s a standard Li-Ion 1540mAh battery that provides up to 9 hours of talk time and up to 300 hours in stand-by mode.
Cameras
Here we meet one of the key features of this phone. Here the Droid 3 is a “beast,” though it has never been intended to be cameraphone. The Motorola Droid 3 boasts an 8MP rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash. Yes, dual-LED would be better, but don’t forget this camera is capable of recording HD videos at 1080p and if you try it in sunlight you’ll get perfect videos and pictures.
The Droid 3 also sports a 2MP camera on the front designed for video calling. Honestly, I think it is a formality as there is no video calling pre-loaded app, moreover, new Skype doesn’t support video chat on this phone.
Motorola Droid 3 video sample
Motorola Droid 3 sample photos
Software
I was really pleased when I took the Motorola Droid 3 in my hands. I mean Gingerbread is worked well with a dual-core processor and 512MB RAM. But many geeks don’t like the smartphone’s software at all. Maybe it’s because they worship HTC Sense UI and don’t want any another user interface.
The phone runs the new version of MotoBLUR which has become a headache for the company. Motorola wants to get rid of this UI, but at the moment there is nothing that can replace it. Anyway, for its new handset Motorola made some changes in face of 3D scrolling, darkening and lightening of widgets and so on. All these changes were made to differentiate the device, but I have heard many users saying all these changes don’t allow them to feel the power of a dual-core processor.
Motorola has changed one of the most famous features of Android — now when you want to drop an item on your homescreen, you must touch and hold the app, and the phone will ask you if you want to add the icon to the homescreen or to a group. Many users are dissatisfied with this change.
Because of the abovementioned changes the users can’t feel they are holding a faster handset than the Droid 2. Owners claim sometimes the application launcher takes longer than it should to load, and cycling through homescreens isn’t as snappy as it should be.
All these were the opinions of simple users, but when we look at the phone’s performance with eyes of a professional, everything becomes clear. In comparison with the Droid 2 Global, the Droid 3 offers 27 percent faster multi-tasking performance and 30 percent faster graphics chip as well. In most operations it shows an unbelievable speed. Yes, the company has added a “cartoony”-looking interface, which can seem kind of “alien,” but it doesn’t mean it works badly. I don’t want to compare MotoBLUR with HTC Sense UI, as I’ll earn enemies, but be sure Motorola’s UI is not as bad as people introduce it.
I want to stop here, as I always prefer not to speak about the interface — it’s a matter of taste. I love MotoBLUR and many things are pretty nice for me, but it doesn’t mean I can make you love it, too. Probably, Motorola fans will understand me, and others must use this phone for a while to discover its advantages and shortcomings.
Conclusion
Well, we can assume one thing — the Motorola Droid 3 is a high-end device and continues the best traditions of the Droid line. Moreover, the company adds more and more with every new device. Though the Droid line handsets were the best Motorola smartphones at the moment, they are finding their place under the “Android Sun” difficultly.
The Droid 3 is powered with many powerful features and at the first sight they are very attractive, but in some sense they seem incomprehensible, i.e. we can’t explain why the company added this or that feature if it wasn’t going to work well.
Anyway, if you are a Motorola fan, all these rumors won’t affect you and most likely you’ll be glad to get the Droid 3. The phone was launched via Verizon on July 7 and I have to say it was welcomed by many consumers. Moreover, the Droid 3 was offered for $199.99, now the phone’s price has dropped to $49.99 making it more affordable.
Cons
- Lack of dual-LED flash
- MotoBLUR
- Screen brightness
- Small RAM
Pros
- Smooth scrolling
- Good implementation of virtual keyboard
- Good video recorder w/ easy upload to YouTube
- Fast processor, very responsive
- Long battery life
Related posts:
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- Motorola Backflip Review
- Motorola Milestone 2 video review
- Motorola Milestone 2 review. The differences from Motorola Milestone
- Motorola Spice review
Category: Reviews
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