Motorola DROID MAXX 2 Review

This year, Verizon and Motorola are bringing us two new DROID smartphones: the DROID Turbo 2 and DROID MAXX 2. Between them, the DROID Turbo 2 is the truly high-level, flagship device, while the MAXX 2 is more of a niche offering designed to maximize battery life, while still offering an adequate specs sheet. Will its focus on battery and more affordable price be enough to make it desirable in the eyes of consumers? Let's give it a closer look and find out!

The package contains:

Barely skipping a beat, the DROID MAXX 2 employs the same design style as the DROID Turbo 2, but it doesn’t get treated to the same level of customization courtesy of Moto Maker. Instead, the handset is available in two primary colors, black or white, which looks rather generic. Luckily, personalization isn’t lost entirely because it features a removable rear casing that can be swapped out for any of the other 7 colored Motorola Flip Shells that can be purchased separately.

On the surface, the DROID MAXX 2 looks nearly identical to the DROID Turbo 2, but there are subtle differences here and there. Most profound, it has a smaller footprint that makes it look just a smidgen more compact. However, there’s strangely no change to its weight whatsoever, tipping the scales at 169 grams just like the Turbo 2. While it shares the same thicker metal trim bezel, the arch with its casing is more uniform – offering slightly better ergonomics. And just like the DROID Turbo 2, it sees the same water repellent construction to keep it safeguarded against minor spills, splashes, or light rain.

Looking around the phone, there’s certainly nothing out of place here, as it strictly adheres to Motorola’s recent design language. One might think it’s packing dual front-firing speakers like the Moto X Pure Edition, but it’s actually just a single speaker below the display that’s used for music output – while the other is the earpiece.

The Motorola DROID MAXX 2 comes with a sizable 5.5” display that features a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Out of everything, its ~8200K color temperature is a stark reminder that the panel exhibits an extremely colder tone – one that makes colors appear bluish.

On a positive note, the DROID MAXX 2 has one of the brightest screens we’ve ever recorded – eclipsing the Moto X Pure Edition in the process. On the manual mode, its peak 635 nit luminance is by itself blinding already, but that can be further pushed to 772 nits on the automatic mode when it’s used outdoors under sunlight. Not surprisingly, it makes it extremely visible in all conditions!