Motorola Droid Maxx, the multiday smartphone
Motorola Droid Maxx, the multiday smartphone
3:55

Motorola Droid Maxx, the multiday smartphone

Phones
Hi. This is Brian Bennett for CNET.com. And right now, we're taking a first look at the Motorola Droid Maxx. What you see before you is the top dog in Motorola's legendary Droid Smartphone line-up for 2013. Shipping now on Verizon for $299.99 with two-year contract, this gadget doesn't come cheap. So what does the Droid Maxx offer to justify its steep sticker price, quite a big at least on paper? First off, the new Maxx sports are huge 5-inch 720p HD OLED screen, the same display you'll find on its less expensive sibling, the Droid Ultra. It may not have the full HD resolution of the Samsung Galaxy S4 of HTC One. That said, the Maxx's screen is big, produces vivid colors and has high contrast and deep blacks. The phone runs Android Jellybean version 4.2.2, not the freshest iteration Android 4.3. Even so, just like the Droid Ultra, the Maxx's software is close to stock. Of course, Motorola frozen some wild Droid-themed wallpapers and ringtones. I especially like this one that looks like Skynet's global control center or something. You might expect the Droid Maxx to use a high-octane quad-core processor like the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, not so. The Maxx relies on Motorola's new X8 mobile computing platform that's built around a dual-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon CPU, that doesn't mean the Maxx is under powered. The system boasts discreet quad-core Adreno Graphics along with a processor for interpreting natural language and one for contextual computing. It's the same technology Motorola integrates into its flagship, the Moto X, and the other new Verizon Droids, the Droid Mini and Droid Ultra. As a result, the Droid Maxx feels nimble and responsive. And thanks to Motorola officially becoming a Google-owned company, the Maxx enjoys tight integration with the Google Now Advanced Search application. Call touch-less control speaking of the phrase, "Okay, Google Now" at the phone will cause it to wake up from slumber, ready to leap into action. You can ask for directions, look up fax or set a reminder, just to name a few options. An active display feature uses only part of the screen to show notifications and alerts. Touched items to see more details or dismiss them. The idea here is to fire up the phone less and save battery life. Above the screen is a 2-megapixel front camera, while below it sits 3 capacity buttons for basic Android control. Around back is the Droid Maxx's 10-megapixel main camera and LED flash. There's a big speaker here too, which pumps out a huge amount of volume. Motorola simplify the camera app for greater speed so you can spend more time taking photos and less time messing around with the camera settings. You can also activate the camera by picking up the phone and twisting it in your wrist, while you can't adjust image size, you can toggle modes for HDR and Panorama on or off. I also like the Droid Maxx's traditional Kevlar fiber coating on back, which resist both scratches and fingerprints. At 0.34-inch thick, the Maxx is remarkably trimmed especially considering it packs a ridiculously high capacity 3500 mAh battery tipping the scale at almost 6 ounces however, the Maxx is hefty. Motorola says, the Maxx's enhanced battery provides a long 48 hours of mixed usage. It is not removable though so you can't swap in a fresh battery in the gym. The Maxx also comes with 32 gigabytes of internal memory. Unfortunately, the phone lacks an SD card slot to add additional storage and like all the new Droids, the Droid Maxx links to Verizon's 4G LTE network for fast data. I'm Brian Bennett for CNET.com and this has been a first look at the Motorola Droid Maxx.

Up Next

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

Up Next

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

You Thought Your Phone Was Cool. Check Out These Design Concepts
240319-site-wildest-phone-concepts-of-2024

You Thought Your Phone Was Cool. Check Out These Design Concepts

Can I Live With a Nokia Flip Phone in 2024?
pana3004

Can I Live With a Nokia Flip Phone in 2024?

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Camera Comparison: The Galaxy S24 Ultra Takes On the iPhone 15 Pro Max
240219-yt-vs-iphone-15-pro-max-vs-camera-comparison-v03

Camera Comparison: The Galaxy S24 Ultra Takes On the iPhone 15 Pro Max

See How the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera Compares to the Pixel 8 Pro's
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-vs-pixel-8-pro-3

See How the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera Compares to the Pixel 8 Pro's

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

Everything Announced at Samsung's Galaxy S24 Unpacked Event
240117-site-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-supercut

Everything Announced at Samsung's Galaxy S24 Unpacked Event

Samsung Reveals Its New S24 Series Phones and Their AI Chops
galaxy-s24-series-cnet-00-00-10-05-still006.png

Samsung Reveals Its New S24 Series Phones and Their AI Chops

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here
240320-site-microsoft-surface-pros-first-look-v2

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event
yt-microsoftai-supercut-clean

Everything Announced at Microsoft Copilot and Surface Event

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro