Motorola Droid 4 unboxing
Often, we talk about the Verizon's entire Droid line as the successors to the original device that launched Android into the spotlight, the Droid 1. While this is partially true, what we forget is that the original Droid has even more direct successors, the Droid branded slider phones from Motorola.
The latest in of the true Droids is the Droid 4, which takes a lot of elements from the very good Droid RAZR. However, it has big shoes to fill, and its task of being a quality Android device for the many Verizon customers who still want a keyboard is hardly trivial. A full review and verdict will be up in the coming weeks, but for now you can head on past the break to take a look at the hardware of one of the last slider smartphones available.
The grey box is fairly standard issue for the Droid line, and simply features a picture of the device and its name on the front. It seems sturdy enough, and opens from the bottom to reveal the Droid 4 prominently displayed at the top, just like any other smartphone packaging.
Underneath the phone, you will find the standard array of basic accessories: a USB cable, USB AC adapter, and the ever present getting started manuals. The offerings are sparse, but most other smartphones don't include much more, and I don't usually use the included accessories anyways.
Probably the most interesting thing in the box apart from the phone is the small key you see above. Its purpose is to unlock the battery door by pushing into the tiny hole next to the HD 1080p branding. Why Motorola felt it necessary to lock the battery door is beyond me, as any small object could open the cover, which doesn't give access to the battery anyways. In fact, it is probably somewhat deceptive to refer to it as a battery cover, because the only user replaceable parts found underneath it are the microSD card and microSIM card.
It has been quite a long time since I last used a phone with a keyboard, which incidentally was my original Droid back in 2009. The smartphone has come along way since then, but the Droid 4 remains true to its design roots while upgrading the internals to today's specs and design to match the rest of Motorola's products. So far, the keyboard seems quite good, and even has me wondering why so many people seem to prefer the black slab design, but there's more than just a keyboard to talk about with this phone. My full review will be coming within the next week or two, so keep an eye out to see if the latest true Droid lives up to the brand's lofty ambitions.
