Motorola Droid 2 Cell Phone Review

Other Hardware

As shown in Figure 7, the top of the Droid 2 has a small on/off button and a standard 3.5 mm headset jack.

Figure 7: The top of the Droid 2

The right side of the Droid 2, shown in Figure 8, has a Camera button on the left and the volume rocker on the right. The volume rocker also acts as the zoom rocker when the phone is in camera mode.

Figure 8: The right side of the Droid 2

The left side of the Droid 2, shown in Figure 8, has a micro-USB connector for charging and connecting to a computer. Next that port is a small LED that glows white while charging and turns off when the battery is full – another nice touch.

Figure 9: The left side of the Droid 2

Figure 10 shows the back of the Droid 2. Although the phone gives the impression of being black, the back is actually a dark navy blue.

Figure 10: The back of the Droid 2

In Figure 10 you can also see the 5 megapixel camera on the right and the crosshatch of the speaker on the right. The Motorola, Verizon, and Google logos can also be seen on the back of the phone. The back of the phone is made of a soft-touch material that makes the phone easy to hold and to handle.

The camera and video components seem to be the same on the Droid 2 as they were on the original Droid. Pictures were just average, so if you are looking for a phone that takes great photos you can do better with others, like the iPhone 4. That said, if you just want to take an occasional photo, this phone will be fine. The new Android 2.2 adds some useful functionality to the camera.

Just as with the first Droid, this phone took videos that, although not HD quality, were surprisingly good. Videos are 720-by-480 and 25 frames per second, but they are smooth and clear. Additionally, you can now use the built-in flash as a light when taking videos.

The back of the phone can be easily removed to access the battery and the micro SD card, which are shown in Figure 11. The battery must be removed to get to the SD card. The phone comes with an 8 GB card – not as large as the Droid X, which comes with a 16 GB card, but still adequate for most users.

Figure 11: The battery and memory card

In Figure 11 you can also see that the inside of the battery cover is made of metal, which adds to the sturdiness of the phone.