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The first DROID Turbo is over two years old at this point, and since it's a Motorola phone on Verizon, you might think that its software update days are numbered. Perhaps they are, but nevertheless users are starting to see an over-the-air update to Android 6.0.1 for the former flagship phone. Reports started popping up on the dedicated XDA-Developers forum this weekend following a soak test from last month, and it seems the update is going out en masse now.
When the economical and long-lasting Moto X Play was announced specifically without US availability, it raised a few eyebrows here at Android Police. Some of us speculated that Motorola's tight relationship with Verizon, which goes all the way back to an exclusive on the original QWERTY-packing DROID, might have something to do with it. According to a report from Phandroid, that may indeed be the case. The site is reporting that the American carrier will sell a customized version of the Moto X Play as a sequel to its 2013 flagship, the DROID Maxx.
It's almost here. Verizon has finally provided some official details on the Android 5.1 rollout for the Droid Turbo. Motorola announced a soak test yesterday, and now Verizon says the final version should be made available tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.
One day we will live in a world where the Droid Turbo has Android 5.1. We don't right now, but this brave new world is just over the horizon. Motorola is sending out a soak test right now to users who are part of the beta group, and it could come to everyone else later this week.
The DROID Turbo is the most powerful phone in Motorola's lineup (tied with the larger Nexus 6 for most of its specs), and it's Verizon's exclusive flagship in the United States. It's also running Android KitKat, as it has been since launch, well after all of the other manufacturers have upgraded their leading phones to Android 5.0 at the very least. Motorola executives promised an upgrade straight to Android 5.1... over two months ago.
Motorola pushed out the Android 5.0 update to some variants of the Moto X late last year, and that was followed by a few more 5.0 updates and now a 5.1 OTA for some devices. The DROID Turbo, on the other hand, is languishing on Android 4.4. A few rumored dates have come and gone, and now Motorola's David Schuster is trying to cool the speculation. He says it's still being tested.
Motorola's DROID line, exclusive to Verizon in the United States, tends to get a few color variants every year. The high-end DROID Turbo, the only entry for the 2014-2015 cycle, already has several: it launched in black, red, and "ballistic nylon," and a blue version has been on sale for some time. By the end of the month shoppers will have three new options.
Pity the poor Verizon customer, whose options for user-moddable Android phones are more limited than any other US carrier. It's particularly cruel, then, that Verizon tends to get some awesome Motorola exclusives in the DROID line. 2014's entry is the DROID Turbo, which is basically the Nexus 6 crammed down into the 5.2-inch body of the second-gen Moto X, plus the usual DROID Kevlar styling and an enormous 3900mAh battery. Oh, and a locked bootloader that makes root and custom ROMs difficult.
The DROID Turbo is a beast of a phone, combining the over-the-top specs of the Nexus 6 with the more manageable size of the Moto X and throwing in a huge battery for good measure. The only downer is that it's available exclusively from Verizon... which doesn't have the best track record for Android updates. Despite the fact that the Moto X 2014 has been running Lollipop since November, even on Verizon, and the de-branded Moto Maxx for international markets also has Lollipop, the DROID Turbo is still forlornly running KitKat.
The DROID TURBO is a Moto X on steroids that comes in your choice of Verizon black or Verizon red. We've seen a previous leak showing that the carrier had a bluer variant on the way, and now it's here. Verizon Wireless announced today that the—wait for it—Sapphire Blue Ballistic Nylon DROID TURBO is ready for purchase.
If you've been waiting for Verizon's carrier-branded version of the Nexus 6 to hit stores so you can save a little cash on a subsidized phone, you won't have to wait much longer. A tipster sent a photo to Android Police that appears to show a rollout schedule for Verizon's next round of phone releases displayed on a company intranet or presentation. The Nexus 6 (or at least Verizon's model with a scarlet V) is scheduled to be released on February 26th.
Verizon is rolling out an update to the Droid Turbo, and before you get excited, it's not Lollipop. While the Moto X on Verizon has already hit v5.0, Big Red has more control over what happens with the Droid phones. What this update does include is Verizon's VoLTE implementation known as Advanced Calling 1.0.
So, the brief previews of the Moto Maxx that made it look like a de-branded DROID Turbo turned out to be right on the money. Motorola just announced the device on its official blog, complete with a spec list that matches Verizon's DROID flagship spec for spec. This generic version of the phone has the same fantastic screen, processor, battery, and camera combo... but you're not going to get your hands on the Moto Maxx any time soon unless you live in Brazil or Mexico.
Verizon's ongoing DROID program means that most of the phones sold under the label will never appear on other US carriers. When the DROID Turbo was announced last week as one of the most high-end phones to come this year, more than a few of our commenters said that they'd prefer it to the Nexus 6 (also made by Motorola) due to its smaller size, if only a non-locked GSM version was available. It looks like that may soon be an option for some... at least if they live outside the United States.
The new DROID Turbo for Verizon is a beast of a phone, but Motorola isn't letting it stand alone. The company also announced a proprietary see-through case for the device, with the somewhat benign name "Droid Turbo Flip Case." It's a pretty standard full-body flip case offered in either leather or nylon, but it includes a screen cutout and a transparent cover that lets you view the phone's active notifications, or even answer a call or take a photo, without opening the case. So yeah, it's basically like Samsung's S-View cases and their imitators.
Verizon's yearly update of the DROID line is today, and once again Motorola has borrowed heavily from its Moto X flagship to make the carrier's customized phone. For 2014 there's only one new Motorola DROID, as opposed to three models last year and the year before. Say hello to the DROID Turbo, if you haven't already checked out nearly every detail that's been leaked. It will be available from Verizon's retailers and online store on Thursday, October 30th starting at $199.99 on-contract.
Update: According to this tweet from Moto Firmware, the DROID Turbo will launch on October 30th (two days after the announcement) and some retailers already have the phone in stock. The source is anonymous, so consider it rumor for now.
Our friends over at Android Central have apparently gotten their hands on some marketing materials for the upcoming Droid Turbo for Verizon. They confirm much of the information that was already leaked, and also add a few new tidbits for you to chew on. As expected, this phone is packing some crazy hardware.
The Moto X is out, and it's one of the best phones Motorola or anyone has ever made. Last year the Moto X was announced in tandem with the new Droids, but this year we're still waiting. It can't be long, though. The @DroidLanding Twitter account has just posted a teaser for the Droid Turbo, and it's red. Update: It looks like Verizon pulled the Tweet, but it's too late. WE ALREADY SAW IT, VERIZON. Pic embedded below.