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 Ultra, this is the middleman of the new Droid lineup. The Ultra is essentially the Maxx, without the extra battery. The design is quite different, with a super glossy back. It was original price at $199.99 with contract, but is now available for just $99.99 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!
Hardware
The biggest difference between the Droid Ultra and the Droid Maxx, would be the battery. Inside the Ultra you get a 2130mAh battery and I was able to make it through the day with moderate use. If you plan on playing a lot of games and streaming a lot of movies, you may want to bring a battery pack or the charger with you. For the average user it does get the job done, if you looking for all day power you are better off with the Droid Maxx.
Inside the Droid Ultra, Maxx, and Mini 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 Ultra is a fast phone, as is the Mini, Maxx, and the Moto X.
The speed of the Ultra, 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. 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.
Motorola’s new Droids and the Moto X features Clear Pixel technology. This technology 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.
Verizon’s previous Droid device has gotten a bad name because of their displays, this changes with the new line of Droids. Like the Droid Maxx, the Ultra features a 5.0-inch Super AMOLED 1280 X 720 display. While it is only a 720p quality display, it still performs well. The display is very bright and can be very bright, this means colors will pop and images will show depth. You get some nice viewing angles, but when using the device in direct sunlight the display can become washed out.
Software
The Droid Ultra is running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with a unique Motorola user interface. The software experience is the same across all of these Droids and it means the performance is solid across all of them as well. One of the biggest features of the Droid Ultra, would be Touchless Control. The same awesome feature we raved about on the Moto X and the Droid Maxx. By setting up this feature you can say “OK Google Now” to start voice control without touching the device. You can say “OK Goggle Now, What Time Did The Sun Rise Today” and it will talk back to you with the time it rose. It is a very neat feature and it works pretty well.
In terms of pre-loaded applications, you will find Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Appstore, Assist, Audible, Caller Name ID, Camera, Google Chrome, Google App Suite, Emergency Alerts, Hangouts, Help, IMDb, Ingress, Migrate, Mobile Hotspot, Movie Studio, My Verizon Mobile, NFL Mobile, Photos, Google Play Suite, Play Store, QuickOffice, Translate, Verizon tones, Viewdini, Voicemail, VZ Navigator, VZ Security, YouTube, and more. There are quite a bit of pre-loaded applications on the Ultra, but you do get 16GB of onboard storage. If that is not enough, there is no micro SD card slot on board, this means you can use cloud storage options like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Design
The Ultra is not a small device, it resembles the Maxx. It comes in at 5.41-inches tall and 2.80-inches wide and weighing in at 4.94-ounces with a thickness of 0.28-inches. Gone is the clean design of the Maxx, the Ultra is a glossy device and it is the most flashiest of the new lineup. It gives it a nice sleek design, as the honeycomb Kevlar on the back is encased with a resin and it makes for a smooth finish. It makes the device very slippery as well and it collects fingerprints and shows them. Yet, it still has the very thin design and while it is not the most comfortable thing you will hold in your hand, it is not the most uncomfortable device. I am reviewing the black color of the device, but it also comes in red. The red seems to do a better job of showing the design. The device dis just very slippery and you will need to get a case to use the Ultra and be able to enjoy it.
The back of the device is home to a Droid logo, Motorola logo, Verizon logo, and the 10 megapixel back camera with LED flash. Your headphone jack is on the top and your micro USB port is on the bottom. Your volume rocker(SIM card slot built-in) and power/sleep button live on the right hand side. Below the display you will find the back, home, and menu buttons. Above the display you will find the earpiece and 2 megapixel front camera.
Bottom Line
The Droid Ultra is a very interesting device and it falls into an interesting location in Verizon’s lineup. It compares to the Maxx in every way except for the glossy back and shorter battery. It also comes in at $100 cheaper with contract and this can make a difference, but this was a price cut. Not the original price of the Ultra, it is is very close to the price of the Mini. It is a good device, with a fast processor, a nice display, a good camera, and great reception. Yet, I think you might be better off with a HTC One or a LG G2. Or if you really want a Motorola device, the Moto X or the Maxx. But, if you want a Motorola device with a 5-inch screen, but don’t want to spend the money for the Maxx and you are okay with the glossy back, then the Droid Ultra on Verizon is for you. For More Information On The Verizon Droid Ultra, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Verizon Wireless for providing us with a copy of the “Verizon Droid Ultra”.
