Motorola's second generation Droid Maxx 2 has a bigger, better display, improved cameras, adds a memory card slot, and more, though it's larger and heavier and lacks some productivity apps as well as built-in wireless charging, compared to its predecessor. It does have an excellent quality, larger, 5.5-inch HD (1080p) display that is easy to see in bright light. The 21.4-megapixel camera captured very good still images, and it did very well under low-light conditions. It took very good 1080p video, on par with what you'd get with the better pocket camcorders. Also, the front-facing camera is relatively high-resolution at 5-megapixel. Another advantage over its predecessor, the Maxx 2 adds a microSD card slot, beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. One of the most notable features of Motorola phones is that they're always ready to respond to spoken commands even if you don't touch them or wake up their screens. It recognizes your voice, so without touching the phone, you can ask for directions, call someone even if the screen is off, and more. You can changes phone settings, notifications, and other items based on where you are and the time of day. For instance, it might not put through phone calls after midnight unless it's your significant other calling. This Motorola is also smart about interpreting simple gestures: For instance, nudge it to display the time, or, just twist your wrist twice quickly to launch the camera or turn on/off the flashlight, even when the screen is off. The phone is designed to help you go hands-free by announcing calls and texts while you drive, as well as silence calls or alarms with a wave of your hand. The phone's Android interface offers sensible, yet absorbing, visual cues in e-mail, settings, layouts, etc., using color, spacing, shading, graphic elements, and type. Notifications from calls, messages, social media, and so on, are handled very well. You'll be able, for example, to view and respond to them from a locked screen. You can set notification priorities based on contacts and their methods of communication, such as sms texts, e-mails or Facebook messages, etc. You can also set the phone to alert you to certain kinds of notifications from specified contacts. A big disadvantage with the Droid Maxx 2 is its lack of productivity apps. You can't open office type documents such as word, spreadsheets, nor presentations, unlike the previous generation, which even let you edit them. The Droid Maxx 2 with its bigger display is noticeably larger and wider, and it's heavier, than its predecessor. It has rounded, tapered edges but the phone is a less comfortable to hold than its predecessor, as well as heavier than many of the smart phones we've tested.
The Droid Maxx 2 has intuitive navigation that provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports more than ten home screens of apps-more than other smart phone we've tested, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. Pressing and holding the home button launches the search function. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. But there isn't a way to close all of them at once, a convenience found with other phones. Performing one-handed operations with this model is also a bit of a challenge, not only because of its size and weight, but also because you can't shrink and move the dial pad or keyboard to bring them closer to your thumbs-a feature on other large-screened models. Also missing are the On/Off toggle switches for WiFi, Bluetooth, and more, which we found very convenient on other models.
The Droid Maxx 2 lets you perform Google searches by voice command and lets you download applications, services, music, and games, and more from the Google Play Store, and other sources. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). A handy on-screen drop-down status bar alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The Droid Maxx 2 supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register. The Droid Maxx 2 works on Verizon's 4G network (LTE), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboards were very easy to use. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. Its advanced voice command feature supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. Good e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. The Droid Maxx 2 also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive. But it doesn't have preset text messages, and you can't create custom preset text messages. And this model can't handle Office type documents.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality was very good when talking, though only fair when listening. Battery life overall was very good. Talk time was an ample 19 hours. We also measured more than 24 hours of talk time in one of our tests. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Very good keypad readability under most lighting conditions. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. The Droid Maxx 2 is a "world phone" because it also works with the GSM-based networks pervasive in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. (But you can't use it with domestic GSM carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile.). This model can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network, but only when using its Advanced Calling capability (VoLTE).
MULTIMEDIA: The 21.4-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced very-good-quality pictures when photos were taken under well-lighted conditions. The camera also performed very well under low-light conditions. The camera's built-in flash helps improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. The camera took very good 1080p video, on par with what you'd get with the better pocket camcorders. You can capture pictures at the same time you're shooting a video by simply tapping the screen. The front-facing high-resolution 5-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p. Both cameras can record in slow motion.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Droid Maxx 2 also supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. The Droid Maxx 2 can act as a mobile hotspot for WiFi-enabled devices. It has 16GB of built-in memory and supports memory cards of up to 128GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the Droid Maxx 2 battery is non-removable, and the memory card is hard to access.
