Motorola Droid 4 surfaces ... wait, already?

By Jared DiPane
last updated

It seems like just yesterday the Motorola Droid 3 was released, and now we already are seeing the Motorola Droid 4? Yikes -- released just  three months ago, the Motorola Droid 3 brought a larger screen and better keyboard but was lacking LTE out. Looks like that will change with the Droid 4. In addition to the picture the folks at Droid-Life were able to get some specs on the device, and they are as follows:

  • 4-inch screen (assuming Super AMOLED Advanced)
  • Full 5-row illuminated keyboard
  • RAZR styling
  • 4G LTE
  • Non-removable battery
  • Android 2.3.5
  • 1080p video recording (assuming 8MP)
  • Front camera
  • HDMI out
  • MotoACTV syncing

Non-removable battery, eh? Basically, think Droid RAZR with a keyboard. No word on release date, but it wouldn't surprise us in the least to see Verizon slip this one into its lineup sooner rather than later, especially since it apparently is lurking around a store or two.

Source: Droid-Life

Jared DiPane
Jared DiPane
Jared started off writing about mobile phones back when BlackBerry ruled the market, and Windows Mobile was kinda cool. Now, with a family, mortgage and other responsibilities he has no choice but to look for the best deals, and he's here to share them with you.
86 Comments
  • While I love the improved specs and hardware of the new Moto devices, am I the only one who think they look UGLY?
  • I'm with you on that, I've not been a fan of Motorola devices for quite some time. I think they are a bit lost at the moment of what direction they want to go in.
  • Motorola still makes manly metal phones in an age of glass and small girly phones. I love my droid 3 but I'm not sure i want to take a battery life hit cuz of LTE
  • Function > Form
  • "function > form" Or you could be like HTC and cover both form an function at the same time. I can't say I agree that Motorola has function or form covered. For like a few devices in a row they've used the same flat terrible qwerty without re-engineering it, despite the user complaints. Motorola is the only company I know that releases the same bad design decisions year after year.
  • HTC is my least favorite of all the phones available. I am hoping the rezound will be a good phone but if it is not up to par it will be my last HTC phone. Motorola has the best build quality and Samsung knows how to get the most out of their processors and GPU's by enhancing the software. I hope that Google gets these two companies to work together on the next Nexus offering so it will truly be something special.
  • Ugly as all hell. And slapping logos all over them like it's an NASCAR doesn't help. Sheesh.
  • This is where android makes me upset. BUT I guess everybody needs to have a choice, and thats what I love.
  • Not android's fault. Blame the carriers and hardware vendors for poor timing of launches.
  • Moto sure knows how to piss off their buyers. I guess we can add the disgruntled Droid 3 buyers to the legions of Bionic buyers who watched as the RAZR was announced.I really hope this non-removable battery design doesn't become a widespread standard.
  • Agree and agree. I realize you have to jump in at some point (and my wife's OG Droid was showing some age) but it is getting ridiculous to have buyer's remorse 3 months in! Just how many phones is Moto going to release this year. And one of the reasons I pass on all ithings is Apple's stupid non-removable batter policy.
  • You have to remember the pattern here - Moto releases the "touch" and the "keyboard" versions very close to each other. Droid1 vs. Droid milestone (I think there was a touchscreen version out there somewhere, I swear I saw it once)
    Droid2 vs DroidX
    Droid3 vs DroidX2/Bionic
    Droid4 vs Razr
  • http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_milestone_xt720-3375.php
    That's the touchscreen only milestone.
  • As a Droid 3 owner, I can somewhat relate to this. But as a former webOS Palm Pre+ owner, I know that what you are inferring (slower/fewer handset releases) is even less ideal. Trust me, you *don't* want OEMs to just release one phone every year or two. Make an informed choice whenever you decide to upgrade your handset and then be content with it until the next upgrade. OEMs, keep releasing quality handsets that give us a multitude of choices. -Suntan
  • Costco is going to see more and more phone purchases with their 90 Day return policy. I bought my Bionic there for that specific reason. Can't wait to upgrade to the Nexus in another month or so!
  • if you bought a Bionic expecting another motorola handset wouldn't come to market a short while after it, then you clearly were not paying attention to all the spy photos and crap that started floating around right after the Bionic was confirmed. And so you've only yourself to blame really.
  • 4-D TV....ugh, what was I thinking?
  • I actually think this design compared to the normal black slap is kinda sexy
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZAAZ7iXN-o "You got the wrong Droid, Sillyhead!"
  • Jesus Verizon, slow down and take a breath for crying out loud. I was just having the conversation last night that Verizon is releasing too many top end phones too close together. At least give your current crop of phones a chance to sell before pissing your customer base off with new releases every week. I am all for innovation and "the next big thing" but this is really getting silly.
  • How is having tons of choice and tons of the best top-end phones going to hurt Verizon exactly? I say keep em coming. I actually don't get pissed off by technology accelerating quickly and having choices. If it really bothers you, you could try iPhone, I hear they don't worry about making choices over there. All the choices are made for them. =)
  • "Non removeable battery" = "non purchasing buyer."
  • Agreed. I use my extra extended battery all the time when on the road and away from power outlets. Maybe these new batteries last longer?? And hopefully, even though they say non-replaceable, they are actually replaceable for people like me that do not mind ripping hardware apart. Gonna have to wait on the review and tear downs to decide =/
  • While I like having the removable battery on my Droid 2, I actually find that I use an external battery (connected via usb) more often then pulling my battery and switching a fresh one. While it is a bit inconvenient to have the extra cord running to the battery, it allows me continue using the phone without having to pull the battery, plug in the new one and boot up.. The external battery is a much faster process.
  • So, what happens when the phone freezes and you need to pull the battery?
  • Power+VolDown
  • That key combination is still firmware dependent. What if that doesn't work, return it to Motorola and wait a couple weeks?! Some of us Android users turned down the iPhone because of this same shortfall!
  • I agree.....love my Droid 3....would have considered getting Droid 4 till I read it has non-removeable battery. This is one of the reasons I would never ever get an iPhone. I always have extra batteries and external chargers for all my phones. When on the road just pop-in another battery if they die....don't ever want to be in a panic trying to find an outlet or rush to the car to charge. This is definitely a NO seller for me. I have had many Motorola phones and have never had an issues with them....very disappointed with this choice. And with it being 4G and a battery hog...what were they thinking?
  • A 4g lte device with no removable battery? when you put it like that, it is pretty silly. Smh
  • Wow... Gingerbread??? Why not ICS? Alot of moto's decisons really can be mind bogling.
  • wtf are you saying... ICS is not even open sourced yet!
  • But by the time that you can buy this handset the Nexus will be out and ICS will be in the works for many devices.
  • DROID 3 owner says...mother f...
  • That's what I was thinking. Disappointed to see those hardware buttons on the front. I'm guessing that moto had figured out how to do lte well, and now wants to put it in everything.
  • Yeah, I was hoping to see these newer phones coming out without buttons; allowing the onscreen Ice Cream Sandwich to replace them. This would allow larger screens on a smaller foot print ... unfortunately, the Galaxy Nexus is the only hardware I have seen doing this so far.
  • This phone won't sell
  • You do have to wonder how well it will sell since most people who had an upgrade coming and wanted a KB would have went with the Droid 3 or the Stratosphere.
  • VZW has been calling me about an early, early upgrade for awhile now (got a Droid 2 the day they came out). My wife got her first smartphone a couple months back (Droid 3), but I was holding off due to lack of LTE. Now they're going to have a Droid 4 with no removable battery and no ICS? Guess I'll be waiting for a Droid 5. I could see them *maybe* not shipping with ICS since nobody has it but the Nexus, what if I want an extended battery? Heck, until Gingerbread I still had to occasionally pull the battery to fix the phone locking up!
  • I *still* do, with my Bionic. It occasionally loses its data connection, and the only way to get it back is to pull the battery. I also have a backup battery that I use all the time and makes life much easier. I'll never buy a phone without a replaceable battery.
  • It's gonna be called the DROID SLDR... any bets?? lol
  • Or the DROID RIZR... Remember that?? Lol
  • This phone will b out by black Fri. This phonevwill sell alot 4g small screen and full keyboard. Justvwhat the masses wanted
  • is your space connected to your v or something or do you just not check your spelling?
  • The LEAST Verizon could do is bring back 1yr contracts if this is how they're schedule new device releases.
  • And moto said 4 vzw lte devises by end of year. Xoom2 bionic razr and d4
  • Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but with all of these phones having non-removable batteries is there any way to completely power them down? I've heard that a cell phone can still be tracked when it is powered off, but that it can not be if the battery is pulled. By making the battery non-removable it seems that we will always be able to be tracked... Not sure I like that.
  • Probably should have posted this with my above post... http://news.cnet.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html
  • This all makes me wonder if, assuming software to activate the mic is loaded from the the carrier on the sly, a rooted phone with a custom ROM would disable that possibility, since they also stop the published OTA updates anyway.
  • Then leave your phone at home. -Suntan
  • Then they'll know where my home is!! >.>
  • Very good point. I don't like it either. Not to mention that customer support @ phone companies always tell you to remove the battery first.
  • Tin foil much?
  • I have had a few times where I had to remove the battery from my phone because it was locked up and the power button was non-responsive. What do you do in that case, wait a day or two for the battery to run out on it's own? I don't mind it so much in the sense that I am sure they can make a phone with a keyboard a little thinner by using an integrated battery and I never have my phones long enough that I need or want a second battery. I just know a good battery pull from my phone will definitely allow a reset. Also, wouldn't sticking with one standard size battery be cheaper than designing a new custom battery for each phone?
  • moto need to stop with the amount of phones they release so close to one another,how many droid phones this year alone now,its understandable if they were not all high end phones...need to become more like samusng who have cut down on the amount of top end phones..the gs2 example one phone but just looks different depending on the region and carrier where as moto have made pretty much the same phone with small changes here and there for 1 carrier alone.
  • Umm dude... Samsung=SGSII, SGSIILTE, SGWonder, SGRoyal,SGSIIHDLTE, SGNote. all around the world.
    Moto=DX2, D3, Bionic,DROID RAZR, and a few on other carriers, and yeah thats all on verizon but still Samsung pumps out a lot more phones
  • Phone Manufactures really need to not put in a non-removable battery! the HTC ryhme was the first i saw(i work at a VZW retailer) and it sucks that it can't be removed!
  • Sweet! Passed on D3 cause I want wife to have LTE too, was about to get Stratosphere for her to replace her D2, liked the retail price of it. Now it's a no brainer, my RAZR is pre ordered and this is on the list when it's released for her. Going to me a Moto couple again! Lol.
  • Motorola is shooting itself in the foot. Droid 3, Droid 4, Bionic, Droid X2, Droid RAZR and that's all one ONE carrier all currently selling the devices.
  • It's funny, if they didn't call it the Droid 4 and called it RAZR Board, you majority of you guys wouldn't be upset would you? It would just be a new phone that is coming out. This is why HTC never gets any beef, because they just give a phone a new name and everyone is cool with it.
  • Agree, call it the RAZR SLYD and them D3 owners wouldn't say a thing, for one didn't get a D3 for the misses because I wanted LTE for her. Patience is a great thing.
  • I seriously doubt this phone gets released before the new years, which means it should get released with nothing less than ICS. If it does they might as well choke that up as lost.
  • all moto is doing now is just slapping on a keyboard (droid 3 = bionic
    razr=this with a keyboard
  • I don't see nothing wrong with that, Samsung tried it with GS. Some just like the KB.
  • Of course it has hardware buttons. ICS was released what, last week? I can see why Motorola is releasing all these phones now. Cause they do have hardware buttons. They are probably just trying to get all these out before ICS so the phone has the correct configuration for the software. Why not release these for Gingerbread, then have a whole new buttonless crop for ICS.
  • Soo much ics bitching everywhere, it will obviously come
  • Plus, you will want capacitive buttons on a sub 4.3 inch phone with ICS. Otherwise you are in iPhone screen territory.
  • As a consumer, I love the bombardment of choices... and that having such a crowded space (high-end LTE on VZW) should inevitably lead to more BOGO offers. (Didn't the D3 and DX2 have BOGO offers relatively shortly after their respective launches??) My D1 is on its last legs, but should last for a few more months. I'm now hoping for BOGO offer for RAZR by Xmas/Jan or BOGO for Droid 4. :D As for the removable battery, I've had at least 3 instances over the last week, where I've had to pull the battery on my D1 (two screen failures/hangs and one boot loop issue).
  • Moto is going to pump out as many devices as Verizon wants them to. Can't blame em. Money in their pockets. So blame Verizon, they're the ones that schedule and release the damn things.
  • Dammit!
    So CLOSE!
    I want something like this (with a removable battery) on Sprint!
    ARRRGGHH!!!
  • Non-removable battery... Steve Jobs was right. Android IS stealing his ideas... all the BAD ones. These weak batteries need to be removable and so does the memory card (I'm looking at YOU Google).
  • Too many choices can be a good thing!!! I'm looking to go to VZW and had ordered a Bionic from Amazon wireless for 1 penny last week. Now the Nexus, RZR and Droid 4 have been released. So many choices. I am in a strong LTE market, so after they 2-3 have launched and I able to use them in a store, I shall wait!!!
  • I got my Bionic from Amazon last Friday (switched from Sprint), but now I'm lookin at the Nexus. I don't like the Bionic, too many bugs. I have to figure out how I can end up with one of these upcoming phones instead.
  • amazon offers 30 day replacements on new orders. i was using a thrill 4g and caught the bionic sale and yea the thrill went back and i got full refund on the thrill and bionic for a penny. just pick up the phone and call amazon and say hey i no like and i want to get the one you want. the 30 days starts on when the phone hits your door and you don't have to worry about the phone getting to them before the 30 day mark. just have to make sure you call them before that
  • That deal was sick last week,a coworker and his parents moved 2 Tmobile lines and 2 AT&T lines to VZW. They got 4 Bionics for $.04 CENTS! I told him about the RAZR and whats coming but for a penny the Bionic is damn good I said!
  • !!!
  • I guess Droid Life had an article about this phone last month. At the time it was codenamed the "Maserati".
  • Anybody else wondering what "Super AMOLED Advanced" is?
  • Ugly azz motorola phones ugh :'(
  • To each their own, I like every last few Motos on VZW. Even on other carriers, what is your taste? Plastic plain looking Samsungs? I guess the sexy HTC's don't do nothing for you either? Why not just get an iPhone then? LOL
  • I know. I hate how they design their phones. and they silly hump on the back? Ugh!
  • I know. I hate how they design their phones. and they silly hump on the back? Ugh!
  • Is it just me or does motorola release a new phone every week.
  • That is one sexy macho phone. Do want!
  • Been waiting on this baby. Can't wait to get one.
    Not having that removable battery is going to suck, but there has to be some way to be able to force a restart. Would like a slightly larger screen but oh well. Gonna pre order this whenever it's available.
  • Been waiting on this baby. Can't wait to get one.
    Not having that removable battery is going to suck, but there has to be some way to be able to force a restart. Would like a slightly larger screen but oh well. Gonna pre order this whenever it's available.
  • At least the keyboard finally looks good.