Liveblog: Verizon's announcement of the Droid Turbo

posted by John V. / Oct 28, 2014, 9:03 AM

Liveblog: Verizon's announcement of the Droid Turbo

Verizon's Droid line of smartphones has been around since the beginning of the Android revolution. As a matter of fact, it was the first Motorola Droid phone and Verizon's extensive marketing campaign that kick-started the whole thing. Since then, Droid phones on Verizon have had varying success, as other manufacturers quickly jumped on the bandwagon with their own offerings, which proved to be more appealing for the general public. Nevertheless, there have been some notable representatives of the Droid line, such as the Droid X, Droid Razr, and the Razr Maxx.

Now, Verizon is at it again - the carrier has announced that it's going to introduce its latest Droid smartphone today. The rumor mill has already spoken about the matter, and expectations are that the phone we're going to see today is the so-called Droid Turbo - heavily-spec'd device with a sizable, 5.2" QHD display, Snapdragon 805 SoC, 3 GB RAM, and a 20.7 MP camera with 4K video capture support. As you can see - all the goodies one can expect from a top-shelf smartphone are to be included in the Motorola Droid Turbo, should the rumors materialize, of course.

Join us as we experience the announcement of Verizon's next Droid smartphone - follow our liveblog below to get up-to-the-minute updates as the event unfolds!

Live event tracker

10:23	THat's a wrap folks! We're about to check them out. Our hands-on will be up soon!
10:23	DROID Turbo Screen Assurance program: free certified like new replaced if screen cracks, one time per contract period
10:22	$250 on-contract for the DROID Turbo in Ballistic Nylon 64GB. Not bad still.
10:22	$200 on contract for the DROID Turno in 32GB Metallix black and red, or black ballistic nylon (both 32GB)
10:21	Interesting, the pricing will vary depending on the finihses.
10:21
10:20	Seems like the Turbo will be selling alongside the old phones. THe Droid mini and droid maxx
10:20
10:19
10:19	Wow! 64GB of internal storage!
10:19	In addition, it'll offer many of Motorola's software experiences, like Moto Voice, Moto Actions, Moto Notifications (Display), & Moto Assist
10:18	Out of the box, it'll be running Android KitKat, with a few exclusive software "zap" features. Lollipop will come.
10:16	Powered by a quad core 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC, so it should be pretty responsive.
10:16	Enabled for XLTE connectivity courtesy of Verizon.
10:16	Of course, this is pretty serious considering the Moto X's camera is underwhelming.
10:15	It features a 21-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, 4K video recording, and wrist flick instant launch.
10:15
10:14	quad-HD display is in tow with the DROID Turbo, so it's in an elite crowd.
10:14	Ballistic nylon and metalized glass fiber are what comprises the DROID Turbo. Available in black, metallic red, & ballistic nylon finishes.
10:14
10:12	$13 billion spent last year on damaged phones.
10:12	Turbo charging will allow you 8 hours of battery life with only 15 minutes of charging.
10:11	DROID Turbo is rated to provide 48 hours of battery. Who knows exactly what kind of usage that really is. 3900 mAh is pretty big.
10:10
10:09	4 key elements that set it apart from others: Endurance, strength, details, and intelligence.
10:07
10:07	Jeff Miller from Motorola is now on stage.
10:07	Based on Moto's surveys, battery life is the number one thing on consumers' list.
10:06
10:06	Verizon's Jeff Dietel is up on stage giving the first remarks about the DROID Turbo by Motorola.
10:04
10:04	Here we go folks! Video first up
09:54	We're still waiting for this event to kick off, which should start in 5 minutes.
09:43	And we are in!
09:38	We are in! Look at that Kevlar.
09:24	We're still waiting to get in, but this is shaping out to be a massive offering
09:16	Hello there DROID Turbo by Motorola.
09:14	Hey folks, John V here as your host for this DROID event. It should be a charged event!
09:07	Test test. Is anyone out there?
09:03	Hey people, get ready for the announcement of the next Droid smartphone by Verizon! About an hour left before the start of the event now...

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25 Comments

1. jrod78414

Posts: 102; Member since: Dec 18, 2013

Yes, I am Here.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:10 AM 1

6. rowdysheeter

Posts: 74; Member since: Sep 10, 2014

and me too

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:29 AM 0

2. Derekjeter

Posts: 1499; Member since: Oct 27, 2011

Since when is Verizon having an event for their phones? Lol!

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:13 AM 1

3. tech2

Posts: 3487; Member since: Oct 26, 2012

Don't really need to mention '15PM' or '16PM' when you are already using 24 hours format. Simply mentioning 3pm or 1500 hours would work.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:14 AM 3

7. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

Lol yup. 15pm doesn't even mean anything :0

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:34 AM 0

9. Ray.S

Posts: 457; Member since: Jul 19, 2011

Yep, it should be OK now! :)

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:51 AM 0

4. Sakeem

Posts: 857; Member since: Sep 05, 2012

This last hour is going to drag. Can't wait to officially see it. Hopefully VZW will have demo units out later to try and play around with.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:19 AM 1

5. marklugtu1302

Posts: 15; Member since: Aug 29, 2012

Hi John V.. Thanks for covering this for us!

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:23 AM 0

12. tech2

Its not John V. Its Jooooooooooooohn V. !

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:00 AM 0

8. Anterv

Posts: 178; Member since: Jul 09, 2014

Who cares... anyway it's exclusive.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:36 AM 0

10. Droid_X_Doug

Posts: 5993; Member since: Dec 22, 2010

My Magic 8-Ball says that PA puts up a comparison test of Droid Turbo vs. Note 4.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 9:52 AM 1

11. skymitch89

Posts: 1452; Member since: Nov 05, 2010

My question is if this is made by the Google made Motorola (designed before Google sold Motorola to Lenovo) or is this a Lenovo made Motorola?

25. mrmessma

Posts: 271; Member since: Mar 28, 2012

The takover by Lenovo isn't even finalized. Still def Google.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 3:10 PM 0

13. xtroid2k

Posts: 601; Member since: Jan 11, 2010

I owned the original droid for a long time. almost 2 years. I loved the phone. It was so durable. I mean a tank. These phones just try to live up to the original. Despite top shelf specs; I dont see the orgianal droids enthusiasm. I don't think we ever will.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:06 AM 0

14. tonyv

Posts: 54; Member since: Mar 12, 2014

PLEASE let us know which camera sensor is being used. could it possibly be the Sony Exmor IMX220?

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:20 AM 0

15. Sakeem

Hmmm......this will be a considerable upgrade for me as i am still using the Droid Razr Maxx. That 64GB version is looking very sweet right now.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:23 AM 0

16. Sakeem

Can't wait for the hands on videos.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:25 AM 1

17. jrupe

Posts: 1; Member since: Oct 28, 2014

Even more proud to be a Verizon Employee today !!

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:29 AM 0

18. mawhob2222

Posts: 219; Member since: Mar 22, 2014

Now this phone is better than Xperia z3 & note4....

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:30 AM 0

19. stormweaver1983

Posts: 7; Member since: Sep 05, 2014

Now lets see VZW do an early upgrade promo for people wanting the Turbo! Or a guaranteed minimum trade in offer like Samsung did with the Note 4.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:35 AM 0

20. Phonedingo

Posts: 399; Member since: Aug 16, 2014

The finishes shouldn't be tied to the storage amount.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:40 AM 0

21. Phonedingo

But this phone is a beast. Not 100% sure about the aesthetics though.

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:41 AM 0

22. gtrxman

Posts: 137; Member since: Sep 10, 2011

WOW! Take my money! Now!

posted on Oct 28, 2014, 10:50 AM 0

23. manzer

Posts: 57; Member since: Apr 05, 2014

they will scoff and say that its an ugly beast. i need that battery. perfect usage phone. give your parents an iphone, it'll last all day with no usage. 64 gb too : )