Motorola Droid X is here, is it better than the iPhone 4?

PHOENIX - If you haven’t heard of the Droid X , you will. Verizon has launched a marketing campaign to go along with its existing “Droid” campaign. The Droid X is the newest in the Droid line and I think, it's the best Droid yet.

Hardware

The Droid X is all about the screen. It’s 4.3” diagonal, compared to the iPhone 4’s 3.5” screen. The resolution is actually lower than the iPhone 4 though, it’s 480x854. None the less, it’s a big bright screen but it’s not as sharp as the iPhone 4. The Droid X is very thin except for the hump on the back toward the top of the phone. That’s also where you’ll find the 8 megapixel camera and dual LED flash. I posted a few samples for you, here’s a photo taken with the Droid X:



Here's a sample video taken with the Droid X and uploaded to Youtube.com:



Inside, the Droid X sports a 1 gigahertz processor and 8 gigabytes of memory. It also supports memory cards and a 16 gigabyte card is included when you buy the phone.

The specifications here are all what I would expect in a new generation phone. There are a few things missing though. Most importantly, there is no front facing camera on the Droid for video calls. This may not be a big deal for many people but the iPhone 4 and the HTC EVO 4G (on Sprint) both have a front facing camera. It’s not something people will use everyday but it does add to the cool factor.

Software

The Droid X is shipping with version 2.1 of Google’s Android operating system. 2.2 is the newest version and I hope that Motorola and Verizon will release an update soon after launch. I won’t get into the specifics of Android but there are a few add-ons that Motorola includes. Motorola didn’t include its full blown MotoBlur experience but there are a few bits and pieces of it on the Droid X. Widgets on the desktop update you on social media services. There are also RSS news feed widgets that updates news feeds throughout the day. They’re nice additions but I don’t think Motorola’s add-ons add the same flare as HTC’s SenseUI that’s included on phones like the Droid Eris and EVO 4G.

Compared to iPhone 4

First and foremost, if you want an iPhone, get an iPhone. You won’t be happy if you settle for something else. The Droid X is great competition for the iPhone. It has a larger screen but the iPhone’s screen has a high resolution. That means that things will seem more crisp on the iPhone. The Droid X is also a much larger phone overall. It can’t be avoided because of the massive screen but it may be too big for some people. I also think that Android, while it’s a great operating system, is a bit more complicated than iOS. It’s not super confusing but there’s an extra layer of complexity when compared to iOS.

Compared to EVO 4G

These 2 phones are very similar. There are 2 things that the EVO 4G has that the Droid X is missing; a front facing camera and 4G. Sprint’s 4G network is only available in selected markets right now anyhow (not Phoenix) so this may not matter to a lot of people. The front facing camera isn’t a deal breaker but I do think it’s something we’ll want more in the future. The iPhone 4 has set the standard and it’s unfortunate that the Droid X doesn’t have one.

Overall

I really like the Droid X. I think it’s the best Droid phone available on Verizon yet. It’s big and powerful and has a great camera for photos and video. The menus seemed to lag at times and as I mentioned, I wish it had a front facing camera, but it’s still a solid top tier smartphone contender.

The Droid X is available on Verizon wireless for $200 with a contract. Verizon is allowing anyone with a contract ending in 2010 to get the $200 price on the Droid X.

Droid X review on Phonedog.com