• Droid 2 vs. Original Droid; Thoughts and Comparisons

    by
    GuyinLACA
    Published on 09-05-2010 11:53 AM
    9 Comments Comments


    After almost 3 weeks with the Droid 2, I'd like to draw some comparisons for those considering the Droid 2. If you're a Droid owner unsure about switching to the Droid 2 or own something else and are on the fence; check out this comparison.

    Areas where the Droid 2 is better:
    -Call quality is a tad bit better
    -Keyboard is more spacious
    -Processor speed is evident in most instances
    -No more force closes with IM apps
    -Battery door easy to get on and off, feels secure when on

    Things that haven't changed much:
    -Camera is exactly the same quality
    -Reception for voice and calls is no better or worse
    -Power Button/Volume rocker/camera keys are still cheap plastic and wiggle

    Downgrades on the Droid 2 from the Droid 1:
    -Speakerphone is only about half as loud
    -Build quality is not as good. When I got the phone it was rock solid, but after 2.5 weeks there is already slight play with the plastic sides. My 5 month old Droid 1 feels way more solid.
    -The interface randomly stalls for a few moments then registers multiple presses all at once, the Droid 1 did not.
    -MotoBlur has too many redundancies in the apps, like Contacts, where you sometimes see the Blur Contacts, sometimes the Android version app. If you were viewing recent calls last, hitting dialer will take you to recent calls instead of the dialer.
    -From a hacking standpoint, the locked bootloader is really a downfall. It was nice making the Droid exactly what I wanted.
    -Randomly loses 3G signal and/or the browser force closes

    Overall, I think the Droid 2 was an attempt to remedy a few of the cons of the Droid, but it comes with it's own quirks. Unfortunately, there are quite a few trade offs and you have to decide which things are worse. It's still a great phone, but if I hadn't gotten such a good deal on it, this phone would be going back for sure. DO NOT pay full retail for this phone.
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Droid 2 vs. Original Droid; Thoughts and Comparisons started by GuyinLACA View original post
    Categories:
    1. Devices,
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    Comments 9 Comments
    1. Sharp802's Avatar
      Sharp802 - 09-05-2010, 02:15 PM
      Good comparison. So the wiggly loose feeling buttons for volume and camera are still present on the new phone? That is a disappointment.

      Thanks for the good post
      Reply
    1. greg30127's Avatar
      greg30127 - 09-05-2010, 11:04 PM
      I tried the Droid2 but had a defective unit that did everything from randomly reboot to have a screen that may or may not display, to a keyboard backlight that would work sometimes (and sometimes not). Took it back and the 2nd unit was also defective in more than one way, so I gave up and had my old phone re-activated.

      Aside from the fact that there might be a bad batch out there, there is also one actual design flaw people may want to be aware of: Since this is a slider, you have to use a two-piece case with it if you choose to use a case. Well, they didn't design the top slider portion to open quite far enough, so if you use the top piece of the case, it will go along the top edge of the upper row of keys on the keyboard, making it much harder to type on that top row. So in effect, you can use the bottom section of the case for a better grip on the phone, but using the top section of the case impairs typing on the "improved" keyboard design. OOPS.

      The folks who work at local Verizon stores have told me they had complaints about this and give Motorola a "duh" on that part of the design. Either way, I couldn't live with the other "bugs" so gave up.
      Reply
    1. Drillbit's Avatar
      Drillbit - 09-06-2010, 03:22 AM
      Reading all this seems to make a good case to get the Droid Incredible instead. Loving mine.
      Reply
    1. Joe12304's Avatar
      Joe12304 - 09-06-2010, 06:58 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Drillbit View Post
      Reading all this seems to make a good case to get the Droid Incredible instead. Loving mine.
      No HTC is junk.
      Also, Droid 2 has ZERO build problems if you get a good one. Better in every way than the first.
      Reply
    1. randomwit's Avatar
      randomwit - 09-07-2010, 11:33 AM
      Sorry to go off topic, but this has been led into. HTC makes some incredible devices, and other companies have been hard trying to catch up.

      The Evo is Boss as hell. If you disagree, then you are a racist homophobe that eats babies.

      Now back to the topic. The Droid2 is a POS imho. The Droid had setbacks, but it is by far a better built device. I myself stay away from Moto phones since the Razr. Though I do own many Moto cable modems and boxes.

      I switch phones so often it's hard for me to become attached to any particular device. I do not revere any device over all others. Though the Evo is the first phone, with no physical keyboard, that I would consider keeping for an extended period of time.

      I think that pretty much any "regular user" could become attached to any one of these new Android devices, as they are all very nice. Just as any experienced cell phone user/technician will find flaws with the software or hardware of any of these devices.

      my .02
      Reply
    1. Sqube's Avatar
      Sqube - 09-08-2010, 12:29 PM
      Your power buttons are still wiggling? There is nowhere near as much movement in mine. You might have gotten a bum unit. I think the MotoBLUR elements are a major negative versus the stock Android running on the original Droid. I can't wait for the ROM game to catch up so that I can just put a plain build of 2.2 on there and get rid of this unnecessary bloat and nonsense.
      Reply
    1. strang's Avatar
      strang - 09-08-2010, 06:27 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Sqube View Post
      Your power buttons are still wiggling? There is nowhere near as much movement in mine. You might have gotten a bum unit. I think the MotoBLUR elements are a major negative versus the stock Android running on the original Droid. I can't wait for the ROM game to catch up so that I can just put a plain build of 2.2 on there and get rid of this unnecessary bloat and nonsense.
      I agree. Unnecessary bloat is the biggest downside of Android. This is the part where Apple got it right. Don't **** with our hardware with your software.
      Reply
    1. Wallsent's Avatar
      Wallsent - 09-10-2010, 12:36 AM
      Ok i had the HTC incredible for 1 week, and the only thing i found that was incredible was:
      1/ pre-installed aps that Verizon refuses to allow you to remove, sucking the life out of the battery. I told customer service i could live with a phone that required charging overnite but not one that doesn't even last a day
      2/ mine lasted one week before refusing to access VZN's internet access, wouldn't even call out to talk to customer service. Had to use my landline phone.
      3/ I was grandfathered in on a $15/month unlimited internet access/V~cast service and because i tried to "upgrade" from the LG dare (which was a much better phone with no problems in 2 years) I had to move to a $30/month internet package that didn't even include V~cast. I dropped the internet access completely when they wouldn't let me go back. PLus charged me $35 charge to return the defective phone, extended my contract for 2 more years and say i'm not eligilble to upgrade for about 1 1/2 years. Customer service agent put on the form that "customer didn 't understand how to use the phone". I guess he thought i was too stupid or something, after explaining how disappointed I was with the phone, expecially VZN's position of installing 'crapware" that can't be removed. Pete Walls, Camas, WA
      Reply
    1. NissanGuy's Avatar
      NissanGuy - 09-11-2010, 07:02 PM
      the new droid isn't much different. Cool phone though
      Reply