Droid X2 First Impressions/Reviews

[johncihak]

I was going to upgrade my DX to a DX2, but with HTC's unlocked bootloader policy and DX2 still on Froyo, I'm switching to HTC. Adios Moto.

 

[BBSeattle]

Replaced my X with the X2, it's been 3 days I can honestly say that I have not noticed any significant difference between the two. Truly dig the X phone, hence the upgrade. I compared the two when I first got it and actually found the X2 to be a little sluggish in transition (in all fairness my original X was running the leaked GB). I am hoping that the GB upgrade for the X2 will have the same positive effect as it did with the original X.
There are a few new features on the X2 that I like but certainly not worth changing phones over:
- Additional car dock screens and options
- Task manager
- Screen resolution is great but made the icons smaller
- No camera button, which I prefer because I was always accidentally pressing it
- Faster camera auto focus
- Allows the deletion of most game apps.
Dislikes
- It functions almost identically to the X....no significant difference
- Lost the car dock icon. Cannot configure screens unless in the dock
- Smaller icons
- Battery life not quite as good
- Sluggish on some screen transitions application openings (I thought this is where it was supposed to be better??)
- New gallery configuration is terrible, lost the ability to create specific folders
- Way too much bloatware
- It's an "upgrade" but you get a smaller Micro SD card.
- I am hearing a lot of complaints about no front facing camera.....not a big deal for me.
- Also many complaints about no 4G.....again no big deal, not having a make believe feature is not an issue for me.


I am sure I will find more likes and dislikes in the coming days but for now I can honestly say that I would not have made the change if I knew now what I didn't know then.

Just my personal observation. As mentioned love the X as a whole and would be happy with either, just wouldn't spend the money to upgrade if I had to do it over again. If one came from any other phone to the X2, I am certain they will be pleased.
Again, really hoping the GB upgrade will make a significant difference.

 

[Bravozero]

I went up to the local VZW store yesterday to look at the new offerings, especially the X2. I WILL NOT be getting this phone.

Sure, it's a little faster and a little better constructed than the X, but the major disappointment is the screen. There's another review on Android Police where the guy reviewing the X2 had the EXACT reaction I did to the screen, it's horrible. Very pixelated, the color is awful, way too much color band... the higher resolution doesn't even do much for sharpness either. I set my X alongside the X2 and there's not comparison, the OG X has a much better screen despite the slightly lower resolution.

If this "qHD" screen is going to be used on all of Moto's future Android devices, then I guess it's goodbye from me. You can't have a nice and powerful device, coupled with a horrible screen. It's not going to sell. As a matter of fact, I found the Droid Charge's screen to be much sharper, much better overall even though it still has a lower resolution.

If the Bionic comes out and it has this same exact screen, then I won't be getting it either. Overall, the X2 is not worthy of being a "successor" to the original. Another case of not leaving the original concept alone.

 

[MbR24]

here's a little background:

Recently my OG DX was bootlooping, so I brought my phone to Best Buy to have it sent out since I have the Black Tie protection on it, they ended up junking my phone out so I was able to pick a new device. I picked up the ThunderBolt for a total of about 7 hours and absolutely hated it. I guess Sense UI just isn't for me, I was overall un-impressed by the phone. I've been reading up on here about the Bionic for some time now, and just like seemingly everyone on here I'm more than anticipating it's release.

Anyway like I said, after owning the TB for only a few hours, I returned it to the store for the DX2.

love the phone. I don't really do anything crazy on it. just facebook, email, text a lot, web browse. my DX was rooted and I was running Gingerbread which I really liked, but as of right now my DX2 remains un-rooted and I'm not completely hating the version of Blur that it's running. it does have a lot of useless things on it but for the most part I am noticing faster speeds opening programs on the phone. Downloading apps from the market is very quick, I'm not sure if that is just because the phone is new and doesnt have much on it yet or because of the new specs. either way. like I said I love it.

the only issues I have run into thus far are;

The phone wakes up really slow. about a whole 2-3 second delay from the time of hitting the power button or home button until the displays turns on. Is anyone else experiencing this? I have been reading up and don't seem to see it written anywhere else.

and also, I use TeslaLED flashlight app (I install car electronics for a living, and sometimes the drop light is too bulky to get into certain spots) and I have the Widget on my home screen but I often have to press the icon several times for it to turn the flash on. I also hear a clicking when the light turns on, which I never heard on my OG DX. This could be an app developer problem but I was just wondering/hoping I could get some insight on here.

 

[BBSeattle]

I agree, wake up time is definitely delayed compared to DX.

here's a little background:

Recently my OG DX was bootlooping, so I brought my phone to Best Buy to have it sent out since I have the Black Tie protection on it, they ended up junking my phone out so I was able to pick a new device. I picked up the ThunderBolt for a total of about 7 hours and absolutely hated it. I guess Sense UI just isn't for me, I was overall un-impressed by the phone. I've been reading up on here about the Bionic for some time now, and just like seemingly everyone on here I'm more than anticipating it's release.

Anyway like I said, after owning the TB for only a few hours, I returned it to the store for the DX2.

love the phone. I don't really do anything crazy on it. just facebook, email, text a lot, web browse. my DX was rooted and I was running Gingerbread which I really liked, but as of right now my DX2 remains un-rooted and I'm not completely hating the version of Blur that it's running. it does have a lot of useless things on it but for the most part I am noticing faster speeds opening programs on the phone. Downloading apps from the market is very quick, I'm not sure if that is just because the phone is new and doesnt have much on it yet or because of the new specs. either way. like I said I love it.

the only issues I have run into thus far are;

The phone wakes up really slow. about a whole 2-3 second delay from the time of hitting the power button or home button until the displays turns on. Is anyone else experiencing this? I have been reading up and don't seem to see it written anywhere else.

and also, I use TeslaLED flashlight app (I install car electronics for a living, and sometimes the drop light is too bulky to get into certain spots) and I have the Widget on my home screen but I often have to press the icon several times for it to turn the flash on. I also hear a clicking when the light turns on, which I never heard on my OG DX. This could be an app developer problem but I was just wondering/hoping I could get some insight on here.

 

[Jeremyt41]

I got the Droid X2 the other day and am loving it. The screen is absolutely beautiful and the colors look great. Video recorder and camera look better than ever. I do love the Tegra 2 Dual Core processor, which is the main reason why i bought it. It makes doing everything super fast without much lag at all. I live in a 3g area for now and for me this phone is perfect. Battery life seems to be fantastic. I actually get better calling reception with it as well. Can't wait until they release gingerbread for the X2.

 

[bizymare]

Can't really compare this to any other Android since this is my first, but with the random reboots, the screens locking (completely missed 2 calls because the screen wouldn't unlock), the total freeze when it's charging over night that requires a battery pull and the jerky, then fast speed video make me want to junk this. I have no idea what I'd get because I'm not going back to BB.

 

[MbR24]

biz - it sounds like you got a bad device. I'd exchange it for a new one.

 

[Shendy Wilandria]

maybe this picture of can explain the new features of the new Droid X2 and the old Droid X.

 

[Rankman]

Coming from a fascinate and I love this phone! The X2 signal and call quality is industry leading, the display feels and looks amazing and I love the processor! Benchmarks are ridiculous and will only get better! The phone easily rooted with gingerbreak and I got rid of all the bloat. Best 3g phone on vzw!

 

[BTSee]

BACKGROUND: I came to the X2 from an htc Incredible, which I had from launch day just about a year ago. It was my first foray into Android, as well as touchscreen phones, as I had a Blackberry and Sidekick before that. Once I got used to the differences from Blackberry - the OS and touchscreen - I really loved Android and the Incredible. But after a year with the Incredible, I wanted a bigger screen and was also hoping to get better call quality/reception if possible...not to mention the gadget whore in me was getting restless

I decided against the Thunderbolt because of reports of the battery life being so bad (something I'd experienced a bit of with the Incredible) and wanting a different manufacturer for the reception/call quality issue, and against the Samsung Charge because I just don't like the way it looks and a lack of timely updates that I have read about with Samsung would probably tick me off down the road. I was interested in the Bionic, but since it seems to be buried right now I was too impatient to wait. While I would like 4G speeds right now, I didn't mind waiting for it until my next device...perhaps after battery life issues get under control.

So all that led me to the X2. I know someone with an X that I've handled briefly before an my impression of it was that it was sort of slow in transitions between screens and the UI was not nearly as fluid and elegant as Sense. But I decided to take the plunge anyway since the X2 has an upgraded processor and Blur is supposedly toned down now...plus I figured I could replicate things I liked about Sense with downloads from the market.

IMPRESSIONS: After a week of use, my two main goals - bigger screen and better calls - have been met! The jump from a 3.7 inch screen to 4.3 is great. I am happy with the resolution of the screen and think it is better than the X, but I find that in motion the screen shows artifacts and ghosting. It is definitely better than the Incredible outdoors, even when wearing polarized sunglasses.

Call quality has been excellent...a definite step up from my last phone. Callers sound loud and clear and are easy to hear even when outdoors/in a noisy environment, which was a periodic problem for me with the htc device. It also seems that I get a stronger signal at work, where I am not directly next to a window. Overall all I am pleased with the X2 as a phone.

The main thing I'm not sure I like are the hard keys for menu, home, back and search. They require definite effort to press and make noise when pressed. The chances of me accidentally hitting the back button or the home button when doing something like surfing or gaming are certainly decreased, which is a positive. But if I had a choice, I would still probably choose virtual buttons.

One thing that makes me crazy about the X2 is the inability to organize my bookmarks in the browser alphabetically. I've tried to figure it out and can't. Even made a post about it and got no answers. I can't believe this option wasn't included. That seems like OS 101 to me. Weird.

Battery life has been a mixed bag so far. One day i got 18 hours of use before the phone was at 20%, the next it was at 20% after 8 hours. Overall, I would say it is better than the Incredible and I am less nervous than before about charging. However, I still keep a charger at work and in the car.

There are a few other little things here and there where maybe the htc phone is a little more intuitive, but nothing that really stands out at the moment.

EDIT: One thing I discovered after this post was that you can't search Calendar on the device. This is probably a bigger faux pas than not being able to organize bookmarks. Luckily, like most things, there is a fix in the Market - Power Search, which is free.

 

[tdavis823]

I am a Verizon Premium Retailer, and after playing with all the new phones, I finally used my personal lines upgrade on the DX2. I was going to wait for the Bionic, but I have no clue on the release date to be honest, I hear random crap.

Anyways, though I still am waiting for the Employee Line people to change my ESN, I have played with it all day on Wifi and my DInc's rooted hotspot. For a little while I was texting and calling while it was still active on my personal line, but I had to release the ESN so it can be activated on my employee line.

Thus far the dual core processor is delivering exactly how I wanted it to. Everything is snappy and fast. Apps load instantly and there is no load time for lists (contacts, texts etc). The screen is crisp and clear -- maybe not as pretty as super amoled + -- but the fact that I can actually see my screen in the sunlight without having the brightness maxed is awesome.

I am used to a smaller screen on the DInc and having a bit of a hard time getting comfortable holding the phone (though I did own a DX1 for a little), but I'm liking the display.

I had my choice of any of the phones (only paid $75 for the DX2) on the line up. I've played with them all. I realized that I didn't need 4G, merely because thus far, everything I've done on my phone has been satisfyingly fast enough except for non-network related things (rendering lists, photos, opening apps etc). Even though 30mbps is tasty as anything, I don't find myself needed such ridiculous speeds.

So far I'm happy with my decision. I have noticed some abnormal lag when it's mounted and unmounted my SD card, and a couple apps have caused some issue, but I am rooted and haven't seen anything that could be a red-flag so far.

Currently happy and excited about the DX2.

 

[reallyte]

Coming from a non-data enabled phone (LG Dare), this is a huge upgrade. After a few hours of tweaking and setting things up I am very pleased with this phone. Access to data anywhere is great, wifi is the same speed as with a normal computer (13mb down!). Great battery life for a Smart phone (2-3 days with my current usage). The build quality is great and I love the camera, blows my old 8mp canon powershot out of the water. I realize this is not a great comparison because of my previous outdated tech, but I have played with other smartphones too. The iphone is far too restrictive, boring, and not nearly as fast. BB's are too small. The X2 is a powerful and well made phone thus far (1 week). I'll update this after a month but I have a feeling this phone will be great for a while.

 

[jlgraham]

I switched to the DX2 after I got a Thunderbolt and was having problems with the reboots. As soon as I got the DX2 and turned on the handset, I was appalled. Sure, the phone booted up quickly, but the screen is terrible! The colours are off, and it is no where near as clear and nice as the Thunderbolts screen regardless of the resolution. Icons, images and text have jagged edges, there is banding on almost every colour gradient, and when your viewing a solid coloured page, it looks like there is a grid pattern because of that Pentile technology Motorola uses. Hold this phone up next to an iPhone 4, Thunderbolt or Droid Charge and there is no contest, the Dx2 fails. Maybe it's not so bad for some people, but I noticed it immediately and it made the phone useless. Returned, went back to Thunderbolt.

Also, there is a significant amount of ghosting (trailing) on the screen when scrolling, and although it feels snappy going in and out of apps, and browsing the web, scrolling through lists or the home screen is laggy. Lastly, when you press the power button (or a hardware button) to activate the screen, there is a slight delay. Not a big deal, except that sometimes I ended up pressing it twice to make sure I'd pressed it at all, and the screen would flick on and back off again. Annoying.

 

[Rankman]

I switched to the DX2 after I got a Thunderbolt and was having problems with the reboots. As soon as I got the DX2 and turned on the handset, I was appalled. Sure, the phone booted up quickly, but the screen is terrible! The colours are off, and it is no where near as clear and nice as the Thunderbolts screen regardless of the resolution. Icons, images and text have jagged edges, there is banding on almost every colour gradient, and when your viewing a solid coloured page, it looks like there is a grid pattern because of that Pentile technology Motorola uses. Hold this phone up next to an iPhone 4, Thunderbolt or Droid Charge and there is no contest, the Dx2 fails. Maybe it's not so bad for some people, but I noticed it immediately and it made the phone useless. Returned, went back to Thunderbolt.

Also, there is a significant amount of ghosting (trailing) on the screen when scrolling, and although it feels snappy going in and out of apps, and browsing the web, scrolling through lists or the home screen is laggy. Lastly, when you press the power button (or a hardware button) to activate the screen, there is a slight delay. Not a big deal, except that sometimes I ended up pressing it twice to make sure I'd pressed it at all, and the screen would flick on and back off again. Annoying.

I have both the t-bolt and DROID x2 and the x2 screen has brighter whites and deeper blacks... Placed side by side and the t-bolt whites look dirty or sandy. there's even a youtube video on it aswell but everyone got diff eyes and opinions but I like the x2 display.

 

[potatoho]

everyone got diff eyes and opinions

Some of these screens do seem to take time for the eyes to adjust. I had a similar problem when I switched monitors and also when I switched from an eris to a d2. At first the eris screen looked warm and easy on the eyes, and the d2 seemed buzzy and harsh. I switched back and forth, but finally gave the d2 full-time and now it seems fine. Looking at the eris hurts now LOL.

 

[z71kris]

What kind of 3g speeds are you folks seeing with this phone..are some of you seeing 2-3 down?

 

[darkmatter]

After reading a bit about the pentile screen, I went to take another look at the dx2. I can see what the issue is.

Thing is, i'd rather put up with the pentile screen than the oversaturated colors of the samsung screen. I find it amusing that people can complain about colors on the dx2, yet love the samsung charge, which has horrendously oversaturated colors.

I'm hoping the D3 will have the same resolution as the dx2 but with a smaller screen, making the pentile dots less noticeable.

 

[jjimppang]

Howdy everyone,

The purpose of this thread, is to hear members thoughts & opinions on how the Motorola Droid X2 stacks up amongst a suggested list of attributes:
Aesthetics
Screen
Hardware
Phone - including bluetooth & speakerphone usage
Overall User Interface (including Motoblur)
Widgets
Signal quality (Compared to other devices)
GPS
Social Networking
Email/Calendar
Battery Life
Performance
Media (music, movies, DLNA)
Keyboard's
Camera (both still & video)
How the Droid X2 compares to your previous smartphone (if applicable)
Disappointments (if any)

Feel free to provide as little or as much detail as possible, while trying to make it as useful as possible. Hopefully this will help others who are considering the Droid X2, but would like to hear some user feedback first. Also, please do not review the Droid X2 prior to having one

And if you read a review that you found helpful, please use the Thanks button to show them your appreciation!

video player sucks seriously i was so disappointed
it plays youtube video FINE
but when i put videos from my computer (avi files)
it definitely cannot handle 720p
and lags on 420p as well, so basically i can't watch movies or whatever over 420p
which kinda destroys the purpose of HDMI out.

other than that, it is fantastic
but again my main purpose of this phone was to watch movies on big screens...
if i knew this before buying it, i wouldve gone with other 4g phone..

 

[Rankman]

What kind of 3g speeds are you folks seeing with this phone..are some of you seeing 2-3 down?

Where im at in Pittsburgh pa im getting 1.7 to 2.1 mbps down and .7 to .9 mbps up