Verizon Motorola Droid Turbo teaser looks ravishing in red

Verizon Motorola Droid Turbo teaser looks ravishing in red
Smartphones
By Derek Kessler | Oct 10 2014 | 12:44 pm  | 171 Comments

We've learned a lot about the upcoming Motorola Droid Turbo on Verizon, and while the @DroidLanding Twitter account has been teasing things like faster charging, today they gave us our first official peek at the new phone. And it is red and so very hot, at least in this incarnation.

Clearly visible is the Verizon and Droid branding, as well as a prominent metallic Motorola logo under an equally-prominent camera lens with separated dual-LED flashers. It's not quite the ring flash you'd find on the new Moto X, but it could still be better than the paired LEDs we see on most phones.

There's not much more about the Droid Turbo that's unveiled by this teaser image. We've already learned from a leaked user manual that the phone will sport a 21-megapixel camera and a 5.2-inch display that's said to sport an eye-popping QHD resolution. Additionally the phone is rumored to contain powerful processing power inside to make all that work, including a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and 3GB of RAM.

Of course, all of this is rumor and supposition at this point, but if it lives up to the hype the Droid Turbo will be a very impressive phone indeed. Who's looking forward to it?

Update: That original Twitter post that outed the crimson back of the Droid Turbo? Yeah, it's been deleted from the @DroidLanding account. Considering that it went up without any captions or text, we're guessing that it wasn't supposed to have gone up at all...

Source: Droid Landing (Twitter) (post since deleted)

Derek Kessler

Derek Kessler Managing Editor of Mobile Nations, Army musician, armchair pundit, and professional ranter.

"Form follows function... that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union."

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Reader comments

Verizon Motorola Droid Turbo teaser looks ravishing in red

171 Comments
TMOTECH1

Not me. I try to stop it right at 0 just before the beep goes off. So my wife doesn't know I am munching at midnight.
That's skill.

wezi427

That is skill.

I'm the kind of guy that stops a microwave at 1 second to feel like a bomb defuser.

apet8464

Lol. I used to be that guy too, until one time I opened the door and the microwave kept on running. Fortunately I already had offspring at that point. Kitchenaid isn't what it used to be....

wezi427

Haha, let's hope that Kitchenaid doesn't decide to enter the smartphone market.

I'm the kind of guy that stops a microwave at 1 second to feel like a bomb defuser.

turdbogls

are you going to let a phone determine your carrier?

nexus everything but Verizon

Turbo, nothing but Verizon.

Pollster

This is where I would normally jump in with a "Never going to happen", but after seeing how Moto was able to update the X in a timely manner on VZW, I am wondering if it could happen.

jm1219

I wish, I really do, but there was ONE rumor that the N6 would be on Verizon lol it's happened every year since the GNex. I don't think they'll ever pick it up again, unless maybe they end their Droid line with Motorola (more like Motorola ends it with Verizon :p) or Android Silver becomes a thing again.

wezi427

It's rumored the Nexus is coming to Verizon.

I'm the kind of guy that stops a microwave at 1 second to feel like a bomb defuser.

bhatech

Because Verizon likes to run the show and put bloatware, ugly logos and control updates. With Nexus they can't do that.

I'm so glad at least Apple has the ability to do everything it wants and tell the carriers to screw off. Hope android OEM's had that privilege but not going to happen.

Posted via the Android Central App

drunken scholar

Unless Verizon has the best coverage wherever he lives. Then the choice is made for him. Cherry picking the carrier of your choice is wonderful in concept, but in practice not everyone is so spoiled for options.

benhaube

I would also save bundles of money switching to T-Mobile. It would be nice too because I always pay full price for my phones, and on T-Mobile I could get unlocked models without carrier bloat. Like the new Moto X pure edition. However, Verizon is the only carrier with LTE signal on my 180 acre farm in rural Maryland.

Posted via Android Central App on the Moto X

turdbogls

but if verizon is his only carrier available, then he shouldn't even be holding out for the nexus...unless he really believes its coming to verizon (its not)

droidman2177

how the hell do you know it's not coming to VZW? And I don't want to hear that "it would just never happen again" bullshit. You have a source?

Steven2002

Clearly he should sell his house, quit his job, move his family to move to an area where a different carrier has better coverage just because of his phone choice. It makes perfect sense.

wendemi

So true. Verizon is the only viable network for me. I so want to get on T-Mobile but they aren't even here. AT&T is very spotty, and Sprint... Well.. 56kb/s. Lol. But with Verizon I get up to 30mb/s (Waterloo, IA).

Posted via Android Central App

jimbo

If I were a Verizon customer, I would seriously consider this phone if it has OIS. Like the form factor, spec's, and deep red color.

Dreamless531

The new Verizon 4G LTE phones are global unlocked nd can run on Tmo or AT&T out of the box

Posted via the Android Central App

wezi427

Take it to T-Mobile where it will only operate on 3G. When Verizon was going to throttle my grandfathered unlimited I went to T-Mobile to see if I could use my Note 2 on their network, but I was told I would only get 3G. I decided to wait. Thankfully Verizon decided to not throttle.

I'm the kind of guy that stops a microwave at 1 second to feel like a bomb defuser.

osprey88

AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile = sucka$$ service/covage.
On screen are screen hogging suchage.
The Kevlar/carbon fiber look is the best out there... Much better than bendy aluminum.

TeritorialDemon

Bendy aluminum? Where? iPhone 6 plus maybe but that is about it. I have the HTC One Remix and it doesn't bend, my wifes HTC One M8 hasn't bent.....heck haven't gotten a scratch on either yet. Plastic dents, pits, scratches, cracks, and breaks and as for kevlar backing, lol. Guess if you have a problem with taking a knife and cutting the back of your phone then hey, kevlars there for you buddy.

Mac58

It looks realy good lol. And surprisingly thin for a phone with 3900 mah though I think thats a camera trick

udazavlanje

Yep, just like they made Galaxy Nexus look razor thin in announcement video - playing with shades around the curves.
However, it shouldn't be much thicker than Droid Maxx , which really feels good in hand.

Posted via the Android Central App on VZW Moto X

Joe Goodwin1

Always had to be one...

Glad we got that over with. Now let's move on to the droid turbo, whatya say boys?

Posted via the Android Central App

Sax_Derp

I say Verizon sucks!!! /s

Posted from the amazing whatever device I can afford because I'm a broke college kid.

Sax_Derp

Yeah, I'm on StraightTalk. One set price is good for me. Nothing against Verizon. With service being really solid in most places they can charge a premium that people will and do pay.

Posted from the amazing whatever device I can afford because I'm a broke college kid.

trivor

Unfortunately, they aren't really more expensive than their main competition - ATT. While Sprint/TMo are forcing VZW/ATT to bring their prices down slightly because of competition in the urban areas (only places that TMo/Sprint are relatively good coverage) outside the major cities TMo/Sprint can't (and maybe never will) keep because getting new cell towers in all of their substandard areas just is too expensive for the smaller carriers.

zero3187

I honestly would take any color at this point. So many phones are just black/grey and I'm bored by it lol. The red is such a bold statement.

Peterson Silva

That back... It looks like Velvet...

After wood and leather, maybe Moto is pursuing Velvet as a material for phone back plates. I would _like_ it.

twolastnames

But wives all over the land would fear the Pimp Slap that inevitably follows touching anything velvet.

Posted via the Android Central App

radgatt

That tweet has been deleted. Apparently someone made a mistake and leaked this. Still a nice phone though.

Posted via Android Central App

travaz

Or deleting the tweet makes it seem more plausible. Good Marketing I say. And damn pretty. Would love a nice forest green one lol

turdbogls

if everything pans out to be true, I'm going to push this phone on my wife for her upgrade in Feb. she's going to hate the bigger screen though.

verizon really doesn't have anything small though do they? wonder if they are planning a "mini" phone again.

TheMimic12

You could try the original moto x (love mine) or the droid mini (tried one in a store and really loved how it felt in hand)

Posted via the Android Central App

fuddster

I'd be on this in a heartbeat if I hadn't just picked up my Droid Maxx in February...

Posted via Android Central App

LeroyRJR

Holding off on a new phone till AC does a hands on between this and the mythical new nexus, but red = bonus points

Posted via my Droid RAZR Maxx HD using the Android Central App

zero3187

Personally I'm torn between this and the Z3v as well. If I could mimic the touchless features I may choose the Z3v instead.

knemchak

Was planning on getting the Note 4 when it comes out. But the more I see of the Turbo, the more I like it.

QBert

+1

Now I'm wondering how much I will use that S pen and if I should get the Note 4, the Turbo, or maybe a customized Moto X. It's a good problem to have.

Posted via Android Central App

cdmoore74

I'm in the same boat but I've already pre-ordered my Note 4. After reading about how good the display is (the best currently), super quick charging time, decent battery life, similar specs, decent camera, SD Card support, IR blaster, improved fingerprint scanner (over S5) and Gear VR I'm still leaning towards the Note 4.
So far the only negative is touchwiz vs stock and the larger battery on the Turbo (but the charge time of 3 hours is ridiculous vs 90 minutes on the Note).

Posted via the Android Central App

ezzkmo

Can you buy these Verizon Droid phones outright and unlock them in any way, so I could use them on another carrier? Or do their internals make that physically impossible?

jlczl

I've been using my Droid Maxx on at&t and T-Mobile. Just a few tweaks here and there and there and it's working fine.

Makes me reconsider my N4 pre-order to get this.

Posted via the Android Central App

Kolten Nay

Correct me if I'm wrong. Verizon LTE devices are Sim unlocked. Check your bands, but all it takes is a few APN switches and your ready to roll.

Posted via Moto G
R.I.P My Cyanogenmod S4 :'(

ezzkmo

Oh wow! So I could literally put in my Straight Talk (AT&T) sim card and a few APN tweaks I'm off and running?

jlczl

Yes but it doesn't always go super smooth. Since it's not optimized to work on other networks there can be issues. For example, I notice the battery is not as great when on at&t. When I'm on T-Mobile I have to use a callback app because of wonky issues when trying to have voice and data on at the same time. I've figured this stuff after reading up on it and I'm fine with the workarounds and such so I definitely have this Turbo on my radar.

Posted via the Android Central App

Cubfan

Yeah, if LTE isn't important to you on AT&T. My straight talk SIM worked fine in the Verizon HTC M8, but only got 3g.

Kolten Nay

My buddy gets hspa+ on his droid ultra on T-Mobile, which is 4g, but not quite LTE. Its plenty fast though.

Posted via Moto G
R.I.P My Cyanogenmod S4 :'(

Big Bru

Love the capacitive buttons which means 5.2" of screen real state. I've had all Droid phones OG DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR HD, DROID MAXX. Never had a problem with the capacative buttons. But it's all about preference.

matthewdlyons

Interesting. I have been a little befuddled by the rumor of capacitive buttons. I thought that the on-screen buttons go away and yield the full screen when not in use. Am I wrong about that?

Big Bru

Only when watching movies and some apps hide them but u have to swipe or touch the bottom for them to show. Other than that they are always there.

Steven2002

With little kids watching netflix and holding the device... on screen buttons are great.
I would rather have more screen real estate/smaller device/bezels than capacitive buttons.

ilovemagic

I second that. Onscreen buttons are where it's at. All new phones should have them, there's no reason not to.

Posted via the Android Central App

Mudvayne622

The only way I'd ever go back to a Motorola phone is if it's root able and able to have the bootloader unlocked

Posted via Android Central App

Big Bru

With those specs and a dam near stock Android, I guarantee this phone will outperform any smart phone even the iPhone and with Android L... Probably be the first phone u wouldn't want to root.

Chetan Takyar

Nope. Specs don't necessarily equate to performance. Case in point? The Galaxy S4 at launch with lag.

Posted via the Android Central App

Big Bru

Nope! S4 has touchwiz the Droids and Moto X have dam near stock Android with features from moto that actually enhances the user experience while touchwiz bogs it down. How do I know this you say? I owned a S4 returned it within my trial period because of the lag and put an extra $100 to get the Droid MAXX. My MAXX is smoother and faster than my wife's S5.

twolastnames

I'm guessing he is referring to them fixing the lag on the S4 after the first update.

Posted via the Android Central App

deeb215

Nice job Moto. Any bigger and I wouldn't take it in such a bright color but this is really a nice device from Moto. Too bad that camera and battery didn't make the Moto X.

Silas Taylor Rkc Sfg

Rumors are as good as a fart in the wind. I would rather this as the model for a new Nexus and not the 5.9 screen but wish it could be a 64bit version of 805.

Posted via Android Central App

mkashen

Hasn't Motorola realized that the "DROID" line flopped and that nobody wants a phone like this?

... no but seriously please drop a T-Mobile variant of this beast. me likey.

eahinrichsen

Haven't the last several Moto Droid models all been pretty successful? I sure saw a bunch of people using the Droid Maxx and Ultra, and a ton of the Droid RAZR models before that.

matthewdlyons

You know...something tells me that there are no longer mistakes like this on social media; particularly by companies looking to sell products. I'm willing to bet that this "erroneous" and now deleted tweet, was absolutely planned. It's got twitter and tech sites buzzing. Mission accomplished.

That aside...it's pretty damned sexy. I read somewhere else that it is supposed to have capacitive buttons. Why, oh why?

I have been thinking long and hard about returning to Android after a couple of years on an iPhone 5. This Droid Turbo, on looks and rumored specs, sure makes a compelling case for my return.

Big Bru

Trust me, besides the added bezel for the capacitive buttons which isn't much, you will appreciate the extra screen real estate. And outside of a Nexus this phone and the Moto X will be the first to get Android L. A 3900 mah battery! My MAXX has a 3500 and after a full day of heavy use I'm at 60%.

Steven2002

You have less screen real estate per size of the device with capacitive buttons. Love on screen buttons on my Nexus tablets and on my wife's Moto X. It really is the way to go.

Big Bru

You're comparing a year old phone to a phone that was just released. BTW the remix is a One mini. 2 different levels ur phone is considered midrange when first released while the MAXX was considered high end. Plus the MAXX screen is 5" and the mini is 4.5. We all know more screen effects the battery. And my battery life has decreased since launch. I have went almost 3 days with over 10hrs of screen on time. Your phone has 1 year old Droid MAXX battery life but you are sacrificing because ur phone is a mini HTC one.

Kanaga Deepan N

It's just looking f,king hot... Too bad, it's coming with encrypted boot leader and can never be rooted...

Posted via the Android Central App from my OnePlus One

Kalvin Kerns

Waaaay better looking than the Moto X. To bad this won't be offered on AT&T, I'd jump all over it if it was, but Verizon sucks.

Posted via Android Central App

Anonne

This exact phone will not, because Verizon licensed the Droid name from Lucasfilm. So no, it will probably never show up in red and as a Droid outside of Verizon. However, a variant of it could very well show up, since Verizon does not have a proprietary hold on the hardware configuration.

Anonne

True but the color is one area where they tend to give carriers an exclusive. Special red phones have showed up on Verizon, blue for AT & T, etc.

Posted via Android Central App

Cubfan

This is my next phone. Coming to AT&T as the Moto X Play, and I'm sold. Red looks good to me.

jfriend33

If this phone is also going to atnt as the moto X play, I will be so disappointed. It's supposed to be exclusive dammit!

Premium1

That will be the determining factor on if I get this or the z3 on verizon. Hopefully moto finally got the camera right. The new x is a step in the right direction, but still lacking behind other flagships.

Ningboren

Damn，just switched to T Mobile a month ago then this come. The Verizon's signal is deteriorating in my area.

Posted via Android Central App

Vladabeast

Man I've always loved the droids on Verizon. If they released them to all carriers, they would sell like crazy

Posted from my LG G2

osprey88

At least Verizon has decent nation wide coverage... Can't say the same for all the other pretenders.

bhatech

I'll take OK coverage with freedom of the phone I want than good coverage with ugly branded, bloated devices and telling be what phones I can buy.

Posted via the Android Central App

angry english

I was reading that this will also be coming out as the Moto X Play... On T-Mobile and AT+T... Could really grab my interest if so

Posted via the Android Central App

bbrown13

I am currently on Sprint with a 25% company discount. I am switching to Verizon for better service and will save approximately $25 per month for a single line plan with no discount. All I need to do is pick a phone. This one is looking good, but I would like to play with the Xperial Z3v. I always wanted a sony phone. All these new android phones blow the Iphone 6 away in specs.

wsmather

Having been so happy with my Moto X (2013), I'm curious - will the Droid Turbo have any of the same features? Such as Touchless Control, and Active Notifications?

PeninaD

All of the Moto X goodies according to the leaked user guide, as well as comes with a Turbo charger...and this phone can also avail itself of wireless charging.

theofficer

Damn nice looking phone indeed! If and i mean if the rumored specs are true. Then i found my next phone on Verizon.

hal1

I hope more carriers get this phone. Higher volume means more accessories and support. I've got the Maxx and there is pitiful few cases and holsters available (no Seidio).

VAYinzer

This phone looks awesome as does the spec sheet. Though I'm kind of confused because I thought Motorola's flagship phone is / should be the Moto X. Motorola should have used these specs on the Moto X. Regardless, I still love my Moto X (2013) but I'll be upgrading to the Moto X 2014 once I get back home from overseas. Bottom line though, it's nice to see Moto make a really high end / high spec phone.

truly_nice

This phone is a beast.....i like to see phones in other colors too....black and white isnt the only 2 colors in the world

Posted via the Android Central App

oldDummy

Hey, Moto, Why didn't some of this goodness pass on to the X?
Both were in development at the same time....
Like the 20MP camera, 3GB ram...SD805 will handle 50MP.
Only thing you kept in common is size. Yuck.
What, you guys have a non-competition agreement or something?
Nice phone, except it's Verizon.
Darn.

dmiller440

Is Qi charging, battery size, and screen size confirmed?

I currently have the DNA and nexus 7 2013, so I am a big wireless charging fan.

I do not understand why more phones are not embedding wireless charging.

I have held off replacing the DNA because of this.

Posted via Android Central App

Mike-Mike

Last years Droid Maxx had wireless charging built in too. Seems like this phone is an upgrade of the maxx, so it is a safe bet it has wireless charging.

Plus Verizon appears to be a fan of it. The LG G2 and the new Sony both have wireless charging.

Posted via Android Central App

dmiller440

while that sounds logical, the 2 replacements for the DNA (HTC One M7 and M8) both did not have Wireless charging. Instead they are adding speakers to make the phone larger than my 2 year old DNA.

IMO, the base phone should be made as small as possible for the screen size it uses, with some sort of accessories pack (Like a mophie case) with speakers, added, batteries, etc. This would allow for the most options from small, trim phone to a bulkier, but more robust feature set. Wireless charging is so minimal in size, it should be part of every phone.

Maybe we have to wait for Apple to "Invent" wireless charging next year and then everyone will be psyched about it :)

Is there any ETA on the Droid Turbo?