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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2 (pictures)

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 (known as the Moto X Force globally) has a practically indestructible screen. Here's what the phone looks like.

Josh Miller
Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
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1 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2.

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2 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Usually, it's bad news if you find your phone face-down on the pavement. But the Droid Turbo 2 can take a fall.

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3 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The shatterproof screen is so strong, you can even step on it without fear of cracks. We don't recommend that, though.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Why so durable? The display is made up of five different layers for protection, and its organic pixels live inside a flexible plastic sheath. There's also a built-in, factory applied screen protector on top to prevent scratching the plastic display.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

One downside of a screen protector: you get lint and dust trapped around the edges.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Still, the 5.4-inch 2,560x1,440-pixel AMOLED display is very pretty. Quite crisp and clear.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The screen is a bit smaller than you'd expect for a phone this size, though. Here it is next to the 5.7-inch screen of the similarly sized Moto X Pure Edition.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

That shatterproof screen can take quite a beating. We bent this phone, damaged the metal rim, and yet the screen didn't crack.

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9 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

We actually hit it so hard we put a tear in the metal rim, next to the Micro-USB charging port. No crack in the screen yet.

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10 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Just so you can get an idea of how much the phone bent without cracking the screen, here's our busted Droid Turbo 2 next to a pristine version.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The standard rubber back, with nice grippy edges, can help keep you from dropping it in the first place.

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12 of 30 Josh Miller/CNET

Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

It's still a pretty big phone for small hands, though, despite the grippy edges.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

That rubber back can easily trap dirt, too, and the white version's particularly prone to getting dirty.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Here's the Droid logo, which signifies that this is a handset exclusive to Verizon Wireless in the United States. Droid is a Verizon subbrand.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The Droid Turbo 2 comes with a 21-megapixel camera.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

That camera can take some pretty great pictures in good light...but it doesn't fare as well in low light, unfortunately.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Here's the Droid Turbo 2 next to the Moto X Pure Edition. They're very similar in size, though the Droid Turbo 2 has a faster processor, far larger battery and a smaller screen at a higher price.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The Droid Turbo 2 seems a good bit easier to grip, thanks to its thinner, shorter frame and angled metal edges -- even though it's 2mm wider than the Moto X Pure.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Here's an example of how you might hold it.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Up top, you've got the 3.5mm headset jack, and the removable SIM tray.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The SIM tray also holds a microSD slot for up to 2TB of expandable storage, a rarity on high-end smartphones these days.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

On the right edge, the nice shiny metal power button and volume rocker live in an additional beveled groove. Sharp edges and ridges on the power button make them very easy to find by feel.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The left edge is totally plain, but still has the bevels for grip.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The Droid Turbo 2 promises 48 hours of battery life, and offers both fast charging and both PMA and Qi forms of wireless charging, making it easy to keep topped up.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

It's a fairly sleek phone, if you're into the look.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Always-on voice commands let you ask your phone to remind you about things, like feeding the parking meter.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The Droid Turbo 2 doesn't feel out of place in a construction zone, even if it isn't technically indestructible.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Speaking of not being technically indestructible, you can definitely destroy the Turbo 2 if you try hard. We punctured the phone with a pipe reamer, and set it on fire by accident.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

The aftermath.

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Up close with Motorola's shatterproof Droid Turbo 2

Another shot of the new Droid Turbo 2 in its native habitat.

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