The Motorola DROID X was one of the most powerful handsets to hit Verizon Wireless. It’s only fitting that the big boss of Android phones would get upgraded at some point, right? The Motorola DROID X2 ups the DROID X in almost every way possible. Instead of a single core 1GHz CPU, the DROID X2 features a dual-core 1GHz processor. The display has been upgraded from a baseline screen to a qHD display, and software customizations and enhancements have been made as well. Did one of my favorite Android handsets get even better? Hit the full review after the break to find out.

Hardware / Display

The Motorola DROID X2 is very competitive in the specs department. It’s powered by a dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, Android 2.2, it has 512MB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p HD video, 8GB of built-in storage, and the usual Android accouterments like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, digital compass, and an accelerometer.

If you’ve used the original Motorola DROID X, the X2′s hardware is practically the same as the original. Though the DROID X2 is a tad bit darker than the previous iteration, it uses the same metal casing with a soft touch finish. Unfortunately there was one thing removed from the first DROID X and that’s the camera button, which many people will miss. On the flip side though, the DROID X2 features an HDMI-out port positioned right next to the microUSB port, something that I think hints at accessories that the DROID X2 can dock into, possibly like the Motorola ATRIX’s laptop and multimedia docks.

The four Android buttons at the bottom of the display on the D2 bother me immensely. Aside from being narrow, if you don’t hit them perfectly right on, your key presses won’t register and it’s annoying. I would definitely have preferred touch-sensitive keys over the physical buttons.

The display is good, and it looks like the same exact display used in the Motorola ATRIX. The resolution is there, but unfortunately the screen looks pixelated to me despite bumping up the original model’s 480 x 854-pixel resolution to 540 x 960. Colors, however, are accurately displayed and the qHD screen on the Motorola DROID X2 is bright and vivid. The resolution is close to the Retina Display on the iPhone 4, and while that looks great on paper, once you’ve compared the two, well, there isn’t a comparison. Outdoor readability was very good on the DROID X2′s display, though, and the 4.3-inch screen is great for web browsing and multimedia.

There are four physical buttons below the display, as mentioned above: menu, home, back, and search. On top of the device are the 3.5mm headphone jack and power button. The left side houses the microUSB and HDMI ports, while the right side features a volume rocker. The camera is located on back next to a dual-LED flash, and though you can see a front-facing camera above the display on the right side, it’s not activated for video calls or self-portrait images just yet.

Software

Motorola’s BLUR UI has been ever so slightly updated on the DROID X2, and while there are some nice touches here and there, there’s one thing I just can’t move past: when you tap the application icon in the bottom app icon bar, the app drawer doesn’t immediately appear. It’s like Motorola’s design and UI team just forgot about one of the most important parts of your smartphone experience… accessing apps. While this isn’t a deal-breaker at all, it’s just another UI inconsistency that shows how little some Android manufacturers seem to value not just the user interface, but user enjoyment.

There are some enhancements that I do appreciate, however, like the ability to press the home button twice to show card views of all of your seven home screens (dear Android manufactures: seven home screens is excessive), and I like how the drop down notification window is now semi-transparent — it’s a nice touch, and it Smurfs up the phone pretty nicely.

Motorola’s BLUR UI on the DROID X2 actually seems to weigh pretty heavily on the dual-core processor, as it stutters occasionally which is something I haven’t seen on a Tegra 2 Android smartphone very much before. With the dual-core CPU comes support for HD video playback and recording, however, in addition to HDMI out. Much like the Motorola ATRIX, the DROID X2 can power full 1080p HD from a connected HDMI cable including mirroring which is impressive, and the playback on a 55-inch LED display was buttery smooth.

Phone / Battery

Using the DROID X2 as a phone, well, is just plain great. Reception is fantastic, callers on the other end of the phone sounded perfect, and even though speakerphone wasn’t as loud as I would have liked, it did the trick. Motorola’s noise cancellation works well, though it can make your voice sound a bit hollow in some settings, callers told me.

After spending more than a week with the Motorola DROID X2′s battery, it’s proved to be a solid handset that can go toe to toe with the latest Android handsets on the market. Motorola seems to have come close to perfecting battery optimization because the 1,540 mAh battery the device ships with performs extremely well. With moderately heavy sporadic usage, the DROID X2 can last up to three days under my reign of terror, and just in standby mode it should last nearly a week. With consistant heavy usage, I was also able to power through an entire day on the DROID X2, which a lot of other Android smartphones have trouble doing.

Conclusion

Here’s the thing… the Motorola DROID X was one of my favorite phones on Verizon Wireless when it was released. I usually don’t prefer larger displays on devices, but the DROID X made it work for me. It was fast, I actually liked a lot of Motorola’s customizations (especially the keyboard), the device was thin, and the phone was a keeper. On Motorola’s second go, though, the DROID X2 updates don’t do enough to push the new DROID into the limelight. Compared to other handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S II, the DROID X2 feels like it should be running a Weight Watchers app as it’s just too thick to be competitive in that department. And without 4G, there’s not much incentive to buy the new DROID. It’s a better phone than the first one and I really do like it a lot, but since the goal post has moved so much since last year, a simple refresh isn’t going to cut it. It’s not a bad phone by any means, but I would just hold off for at least a couple months and see what else Verizon offers in the same vein — I’m sure we’ll all be pleasantly surprised.

If you just picked up a brand new Motorola DROID X2, here’s a deal you may want to take advantage of. The “Essentials Pack” for the DROID X2, which includes an HDMI cable, a multimedia station with HDMI-out (and an included wall charger), a navigation/music vehicle mount and a vehicle car adapter, is now available for $19.97 — a $30 discount. If you still have a DROID X sitting around, the whole kit should work just fine with that, too. Hit the jump for a link to Verizon’s website to take advantage of the deal.

Thanks Scott!

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The Motorola DROID X2 from Verizon Wireless, just announced yesterday, is now available on the carrier’s website for $199.99 with free overnight shipping. It won’t be in Verizon stores until May 26th, but we’ve confirmed that you should be able to pick up a DROID X2 in Best Buy retail locations now. While we’re a bit disappointed that the DROID X2 doesn’t stray far from the original DROID X’s industrial design, the phone packs some beefier hardware. For one, it’s the first smartphone on Verizon’s shelves to offer NVIDIA’s 1GHZ dual-core Tegra 2 chip, and it also comes equipped with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, and 8-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video, and runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the box. Hit the jump for a link to Verizon’s website.

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The prices for several upcoming Verizon Wireless smartphones — including the Samsung DROID Charge, HTC DROID Incredible 2, LG Revolution, and Motorola DROID X 2 — have seemingly been revealed by Phone Arena. There aren’t too many surprises in store, but it’s clear that you’re definitely going to be paying a premium for a new 4G LTE phone. The DROID Incredible 2, and DROID X 2 are both priced at the standard $199.99 with a new two-year contract. The Samsung DROID Charge, on the other hand, could be priced at $299.99 — the cost of a low-end netbook — but it does pack in 4G LTE support, a 4.3-inch Super-AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera, and other high-end hardware. Next up is the LG Revolution, another 4G LTE Android 2.2 smartphone with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 4-inch display. It’s apparently priced at $249.99, which is dead-on with the pricing of the HTC ThunderBolt. Release dates for these devices haven’t been confirmed, but we’d bet you’ll see a few of them — almost certainly the DROID Incredible 2 — in the coming months.

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Today we took a brief look at Sony Ericsson’s line-up at CES and fondled the Pureness as well as the X2 and Elm. SE also had black and white versions of the X10 available, but you all saw that two months ago when SE held its announcement in NYC — so we won’t really dive into that much. If you’re itching to see more snapshots in our gallery as well as get a brief low-down on each handset, hit the break!

Click on over to our Sony Ericsson at CES 2010 gallery!

One thing we noticed at this year’s CES is that there is a lot of green, or eco-friendly technology and the Elm is definitely in that category. The plastics are recycled, there is an in-phone e-manual, green apps and a power saving charger are packed into a small packaging box for minimal waste. Voice quality on the phone features noise reduction and what SE calls “intelligent voice adaptation.” Don’t let the simple looks fool you, though: the Elm is capable of accessing your Twitter and Facebook accounts along with home screen widgets. The Elm has a 5MP camera with LED flash and face detection, too.

There isn’t much to say about the Hazel because it features almost everything the Elm does — green technology and same social networking integration. Even the camera is the same. The only difference we noticed with our very brief time with the devices is the obvious form factor. The Hazel is a slider phone whereas the Elm is candy bar styled.

The pureness was rather impressive, but only for its novelty. You’re all already aware of the sky-high price for this thing, and unless you’re a fashionista looking for something sleek regardless of price, it’s probably not worth it. The glass see-through screen is pretty interesting, but it’s very difficult to see what’s on it if there are a lot of highlights in the background — if you’re holding it above a white table or in front of a white wall or sunlight, you might not see much. The phone is devoid of visible buttons when it is turned off, but when you turn it on all the numbers and menu keys light up. Neat concept and it’s what Sony Ericsson calls a “holiday from technology” since all you’ll be doing on this thing is talk, text and checking the time.

The XPERIA X2 brings more of the features you might want in a phone these days. As you know, it’s a Windows Mobile 6.5 touch screen device with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. We checked out the panel manager for multiple desktops and it has a nice thing called SlideView for quick access to the applications you use most. SE’s X2 also has Wi-Fi, DLNA media server support and TV out, too, with a 8.1 megapixel camera sensor that has auto/touch focus, just like the iPhone.

Not interested in Windows Mobile-powered XPERIA X2 that should lift off in January? How does the simultaneous January launch of the Android-powered XPERIA X3 sound? Don’t bet on it actually happening, but rumor has it the X3 may launch in January, side-by-side with its Microsoft-powered cousin. Odd that Sony would announce the X2, keep quiet on the X3, and then launch them both at the same time. Appropriately, we’re extremely skeptical at best. Of course we would love nothing more than to see the X3 hit the streets as soon as possible though, so we’ll go ahead and cross out fingers just in case. Two high-profile Sony Ericsson smartphone releases in the same month would be a hell of a way to kick off 2010, that’s for sure.

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The leaky online retailer eXpansys UK has potentially outed yet another release date for an upcoming handset. This time around it is the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2. According to the product page, the X2 is expected to arrive on January 11th, 2010 — a tad bit later than its announced Q4 2009 release. Pricing, well, is a ridiculous £604.99 ($1,010 USD) for an unlocked version from eXpansys. Expect the price to fall prior to launch of course, as a price that high would effectively kill any chance of success for this Windows Mobile handset. Sony Ericsson may be on a downward slide lately but it can’t be that self-destructive. Even with a price drop, is anyone excited by this phone or is it just another offering in a long line of Windows Mobile phones, soon to be overshadowed by the Android-powered XPERIA X3?

[Via Pocketnow]

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Will it ever stop today? Sony Ericsson has apparently decided to join in the fun — and by that we mean attempt to steal Nokia’s thunder. Everyone’s favorite stumbling handset maker has just made the somewhat anticipated XPERIA X2 official. We would much rather see the XPERIA X3 become a reality but as they say, you can’t win ‘em all. As far as specs go, leaks have already encompassed just about everything worth mentioning: Windows Mobile 6.5, 8.1 megapixel camera with auto focus, touch focus and 16x digital zoom, 3.5-inch WVGA OLED display, aGPS, DLNA, 512MB RAM, 3.5 mm headphone jack and an accelerometer. No pricing has been announced but it will launch in select markets some time in Q4 and there will be a version with WCDMA 850/1900/2100 MHz. Hit the jump for a pair of videos along with the complete spec list.

Thanks, Evan!

Camera

• 8.1 megapixel camera
• Up to 16x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• Geo tagging
• Image stabilizer
• Send to web
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth^TM stereo (A2DP)
• Equalizer
• Sony Ericsson media player
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• Equalizer
• Sony Ericsson media player
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow^TM arena*
• Stereo speakers
• Windows Media® Player

Web

• Bookmarks
• Google^TM search
• Internet Explorer®
• Pan & Zoom
• Web feeds

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert

Messaging

• Email
• Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
• Handwriting recognition
• Instant messaging
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Auto rotate
• Media
• Picture wallpaper
• Touchscreen
• Wallpaper animation
• Windows Mobile® 6.5

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Java^TM
• Motion gaming
• Tracker
• Video streaming
• Video viewing
• YouTube^TM application

Connectivity

• A-GPS

Bluetooth^TM technology

• DNLA Certified^TM
• Google Maps^TM
• Modem
• Synchronisation
• TV out
• USB mass storage
• USB support
• Wi-Fi^TM

Organizer

• Adobe® PDF Reader
• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Flight mode
• Microsoft® Office Mobile
• Notes
• Phone book
• Stopwatch
• Tasks
• Timer

Accessories
In-Box:

• XPERIA^TM X2
• Battery
• Battery Charger
• Stereo Portable Handsfree MH500
• USB cable
• TV out cable
• 4GB SanDisk microSD^TM memory card
• User guide

Optional accessories:

• Bluetooth^TM Headset PV740
• Car charger AN300
• Video Viewing Stand IM920

Facts and Figures 1)2)

• Size: 110 x 54 x 16 mm

• Weight: 115 grams

• Colours: Elegant Black, Modern Silver

• Main screen: 65,536 colour TFT
• Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels (WVGA)
• Size: 3.2 inches

• Phone memory: Up to110MB
• Memory card support: SanDisk microSD^TM and microSDHC^TM, up to 16GB

• Talk time GSM: Up to 10 hrs
• Standby time GSM: Up to 500 hrs

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 6hrs
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 640hrs

• Music listening time: Up to 20hrs

Availability and versions
Networks:

• XPERIA^TM X2
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS/HSPA 900/1900/2100

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Rumor has it that the Sony Ericsson Xperia 2 will be made official next week at a yet-to-be announced Sony Ericsson press event. The QWERTY side slider is expected to debut with Windows Mobile 6.5 under its hood along with an 8.1 megapixel camera with auto focus, 3.5-inch WVGA OLED display, aGPS, 512MB RAM, 3.5 mm headphone jack and an accelerometer. With the HTC Touch Pro2 making the rounds, the Samsung Omnia II arriving soon and now the Xperia X2 likely getting official, it looks like Windows Mobile fans will have a smorgasbord of phones to lust after in the weeks and months to come.

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Historically speaking, an increased frequency in live shots generally indicates that an official announcement isn’t far off. Sony Ericsson fans can only hope that’s the case as a new round of pics bubble up to show off the forthcoming Xperia X2 aka Vulcan lounging around with its underachieving little brother, the Xperia X1. Sure we’ve seen it before, a few times, but we haven’t yet grown tired of eying this sexy little SE number. Spec refresher:

• 8.1 megapixel auto-focus, VGA video capture @ 30fps (MP4 HQ)
• 3.5-inch WVGA OLED
• GPS
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Accelerometer
• Faster processor
• 512 RAM
• Custom Windows Mobile 6.5
• XPERIA Panels are modified with plenty of innovative features (PS3 remote play being one of them)
• Upgradable to Windows Mobile 7

Still no word on pricing but hopefully the disaster that was the Xperia X1 will motivate SE to price this little guy a bit lower right out the gate. Hit the jump for more shots.

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Well lookie what we have here — a few juicy new images of Sony Ericsson’s second Xperia handset, the X2, have just surfaced over on the Esato forums. Looking stellar in a full silver overcoat, the X2 shows off its sleek design and PC-like keys. These are indeed the first device-on shots of the X2 so we also get a glimpse of the handset running Windows Mobile 6.5 in all of its glory. To refresh your memory, here are the rumored specs as reported earlier this week:

• 8.1mpx auto focus, VGA @ 30fps (MP4 HQ)
• 3.5-inch WVGA OLED (increased from 3.0 from X1)
• GPS, aGPS
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Accelerometer
• Faster processor
• 512 RAM
• Custom Windows Mobile 6.5 (SE engineers customized Win6.5 which runs very. very speedy. in par with iPhone and better in some cases)
• XPERIA Panels are modified with plenty of innovative features (PS3 remote play being one of them)
• Upgrading to Windows Mobile 7 is supported by Xperia panels

Presuming Sony Ericsson can manage to ship this puppy some time before Window Mobile 9 drops, it should definitely compete well with other high-end WinMo handsets due to hit the market soon. Hit the jump for more shots.

Thanks, Funky!

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A regular poster over at Mobile-review forums has leaked what he/she claims are the specifications for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2. The black and silver slider is rumored to have:

• 8.1mpx auto focus, VGA @ 30fps (MP4 HQ)
• 3.5 inch WVGA OLED (increased from 3.0 from X1)
• GPS, aGPS
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Accelerometer
• Faster processor
• 512 RAM
• Custom Windows Mobile 6.5 (SE engineers customized Win6.5 which runs very. very speedy. in par with iPhone and better in some cases)
• XPERIA Panels are modified with plenty of innovative features (PS3 remote play being one of them)
• Upgrading to Windows Mobile 7 is supported by Xperia panels

If these specs pan out, then the X2 may be a nice jump up from the X1.You may have to wait a while to get your mitts on this handset, however. With the mention of Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Mobile 7 and Sony Ericsson’s track record with the first Xperia handset, any potential release date is most likely way off in the distance.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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New spy shots of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, codenamed “Vulcan”, have emerged from the forums over at fanklub.se. The successor to the current X1 is looking dapper in its black casing, black keyboard and silver bezel. On the back, the Windows Mobile handset sports an 8 megapixel camera with flash. What you see is what we know as no other details about this phone have been leaked. If it follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, we should see it launch sometime in 2011.

[Via SEMC Blog]

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This one is a long shot but crazier things have surely happened. A new promo video from Sony Ericsson is now making its way across the internet. Many people who have seen the video are jumping to the conclusion that the handset featured in it is none other than the XPERIA X2. Sure, it is possible that the second model from the XPERIA line is leaked before the first model is even released. It’s happened before. What people have failed to mention so far however, is that the video actually depicts two entirely different handsets. The device being used by the girl in this video (pictured center above) clearly omits the three buttons along the bottom of the “X2″ being used by the guy. Also, it looks like the handset is sporting a front-facing camera and a light sensor above the ear speaker; both missing from the guy’s phone. Can we assume that the girl’s handset in the video is the X3? Then again, these could just be mock-ups built by the producers of the video. If that’s the case, Sony Ericsson should think about bringing this producer on board because those phones look pretty sweet. Hit the read link for the full video.

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