Motorola unveils the Droid Turbo 2, a Verizon exclusive with an unbreakable display
The company just unveiled its Verizon-branded Droid Turbo 2, with the lofty claim it has an unbreakable screen. Motorola is backing up the talk with a four-year warranty against any cracking or shattering.
Motorola says the screen has five different layers and took three years to design and engineer. It has an aluminum core for stability and a flexible AMOLED display that is designed to absorb any shocks.
The story behind the story: The Droid Turbo 2 joins the Droid Maxx 2 as the latest Verizon exclusives in a long partnership that goes back to the original Motorola Droid. Such carrier tie-ins are increasingly rare these days, thanks to buyer’s increasing preference to get their devices unlocked and contract-free. However, such a pairing will probably help Motorola and Verizon sell more phones, as they can pitch the Droid’s unique feature set to those who walk into a store and want a durable device.
The Droid Turbo 2 has a “failsafe” dual touch layer designed to prevent a common hazard: after a few drops or run-ins with the cat your touch screen stops working. Finally, Motorola also built in an interior and exterior lens, which have a protective shield and hard coat to prevent damage from the usual tugging and cramming inside one’s purse or pocket.
Motorola also pledges up to 48 hours of battery life for the Droid Turbo 2. The phone has a 5.4-inch quad HD display, Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 21MP camera with a 5MP front-facing shooter. You can expand the storage in the microSD slot.
It also supports Motorola’s quick charge feature, which gets you up to eight hours of battery life in 15 minutes.
You can tweak this Droid the way you want with Moto Maker, Motorola’s online customization tool. Verizon executives also said if you get the 64GB model, you’re able to “refresh” the design once within the two-year repayment window.
The 32GB option will cost $26 monthly, while the 64GB model will set you back $30 per month on Verizon’s new payment plans. Or you can purchase it directly from Motorola for $624.
The Droid Maxx 2 is a tweaked version of the Moto X Play, which debuted internationally along with the Moto X Pure Edition.
Motorola also claims you’ll get two days of battery life and the quick charge capabilities. The Maxx 2 has a 5.5-inch 1080p display and 21MP camera.
There’s a Snapdragon 615 processor and 2GB of RAM, along with 16GB of internal storage. You can bump that up to 128GB with a microSD card.
You do get some customization choices, with interchangeable backs and protective flip shells that will be available in Verizon stores.
The Droid Maxx 2 is $384 off contract, or $16 per month. Verizon also announced you can get up to $300 when trading in a device and would even accept those with a cracked screen.
Both Motorola phones launch with Lollipop 5.1. It’s unclear when they’ll get Marshmallow, as Motorola has been rather inconsistent with updates lately. The company says it’s working on Marshmallow for the Moto X Pure Edition, but it recently ditched out on further updates for the 2015 Moto E.