And then there was one, our friends over at Verizon have sent us the Droid Ultra for us to review. Verizon has launched its latest Droids and they are now exclusively being made by Motorola. These new devices are the Droid Mini, Ultra, and Maxx. Today we give you our full review of the Droid Mini, this little one of the new Droid lineup. It breaks the pattern of the Ultra and the Maxx, sure some of the hardware and design elements are the same, but it is a different device. The Mini is available for just $49.99 with a 2-year contract, is the Droid Ultra worth its large price tag? We will answer that in our full review which begins now!
Design
The Droid Mini seems like it was thought of prior to the Moto X, in that is a small device with just a 4.3-inch display on it. It comes in at 0.34-inches thick, no longer all of the Droid devices super thin. It’s not the lightest at 4.2-ounces as well, but it is not the high-end device of this new lineup. The design is not the most clean, it gets thinner as your progress along the device. One thing that it does have going for it, is that it feels really nice in the hand. It seems like they spent more time on the other two devices, they didn’t craft this one as much. It has the honeycomb Kevlar glossy back, just like the Ultra. While it does show finger prints, it doesn’t feel as slippery. This might be because it is really comfortable hold and it is smaller.
The top of the device is home to an earpiece and a 2 megapixel front camera that really stands out. Below the display you will find the back, home, and menu buttons. Like the Droid Ultra and Maxx the SIM card slot is built-in to the volume rocker which is found on the right hand side next to the power/sleep button. For charging and connecting you get a micro USB port on the bottom and a headphone jack on the top. The back of the device is where you will find the Droid logo, 10 megapixel back camera with LED flash, Motorola logo, and lastly the Verizon logo.
Hardware
Inside the Droid Mini, Ultra, and Maxx you will find the Motorola X8 Mobile Computing System which is a 1.7 GHz dual–core application processor, 400 MHz quad–core GPU, natural language processor, and a contextual computing processor. This means you will get the same experience across all of the new Droids, in fact this is also the processor in the Moto X.
The speed of the Mini, compliments Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Verizon’s network will give you some crazy fast data speeds, this means super fast web browsing, video streaming, music streaming, and basically anything that uses the network. I was very impressed with Verizon’s network on the Droid Mini. As expected it requires the SIM card for the data connection to the 4G LTE network and it is a CDMA device. For even more connectivity you get WiFi, Bluetooth, Near Field Communications, and more.
Out of all of the new Droid’s, the Mini has the best display and this is because it is smaller. A 720pHD display works better on a smaller area and this means colors are even brighter and the overall performance is improved. You get a 4.3-inch HD 1280 X 720 display with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass for protection.
Motorola’s new Droids and the Moto X features Clear Pixel technology. This allows for more pixels and more light to come into the camera. This technology is found on the 10 megapixel back camera. The camera gives you plenty of different options for shooting. You can choose from HDR, Slow-Mo, Panorama, and more. Auto focus and auto flash is on board as well. You can simply take a photo by tapping anywhere on the display. The 10 megapixel back camera can record videos in up to 1080pHD as well. The 2 megapixel front facing camera works great for taking selfies and for video chatting. It allows in a lot of light and takes some really nice shots. It records video in 720pHD and video chatting over 4G LTE from Verizon is a great experience.
Lastly, we have a small 2000mAh battery in the Mini. This size battery is just slightly smaller than the one found in the Ultra and with moderate use you need to bring a long a charger. The Mini did not last a full day during my testing, but with less than moderate use or as a first time smartphone it will work.
Software
The Verizon Droid Mini is running Android 4.2.2 with a Motorola user interface. Gone are the very heavy Motorola user interfaces of the past, on the new Droid lineup you get a very clean and functional software experience. It performs very well thanks to the Motorola X8 Mobile Computing System. The widget on your home screen will give you insight on your battery life and quick access to settings. You can see the weather, date, and time as well. If you want to send your screen to your TV, simply flip the date circle and tap it to use “miracast” technology to mirror your display. For easy use you can save multiple displays that your Maxx can remember for later use as well. The feature is nice, but you do need a “miracast” compatible TV to use this feature.
In terms of pre-loaded applications you will find Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Appstore, Assist, Audible, Caller Name ID, Google Chrome, Google App Suite, Google Play Suite, Play Store, Emergency Alerts, Hangouts, IMDb, Help, Ingress, Migrate, Mobile Hotspot, Movie Studio, My Verizon Mobile, NFl Mobile, QuickOffice, Setup Wizard, Verizon tones, Viewdini, Voicemail, VZ Navigator, VZ Security, YouTube, and more. For storage you get 16GB built-in, but there is no micro SD card slot.
Bottom
The Verizon Droid Mini is a nice device that is quite interesting. When you look at the Mini in comparison to the Ultra, the Ultra comes out on top, and when you put that head to head with the Maxx, the Maxx is the clear winner. That is the hierarchy of the new Droid lineup and it is to be expected. I have a hard time recommending the Mini because of the other devices that Verizon offers. You would be better off with a Moto X, a slightly better screen and an overall better device. But, if you want a Droid and are looking for a first time smartphone, then go for the Mini. It wont future proof you, but it has some nice features. The processor keeps it moving, but the battery limits the time you get to spend with it. If the design doesn’t bother you, it is an all around simple and okay device. For More Information On The Verizon Droid Mini, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Verizon Wireless for providing us with a copy of the “Verizon Droid Mini”.
