DROID 4 or the DROID RAZR Maxx?

[Kas84]

Just picked up the new Droid 4 on Friday. I am impressed and pleased with the phone, but battery life has always been an issue for me--and I know problems of that nature are bound to happen eventually. I have heard conflicting reports regarding this latter issue. On one side I have heard that although a sticker on the battery of the D4 says "CANNOT BE REMOVED", you can remove it "if you really wanted to." Can anyone here offer me some clarification on this? If it is possible to remove, it provides me reason enough to remain optimistic for any potential battery packs in the future. If not, that is a problem to me considering this is a 4G phone.

Despite how happy I am with the D4, the DRMaxx remains intriguing to me. How wonderful it must be to never have to painstakingly worry if and when your battery will die. Coming off some crappy battery life phones, this may be worth it to me. The other side of me says that this alone is reason enough to exercise my 2 week trial of the D4 and opt for the Maxx.

The keyboard on the D4 is incredible. I'm coming over from a D2, which I got used to typing on after some practice, but this requires no "getting used to" feeling at all. It is fantastic in every way....perfect, really. So I need some help guys! Do I sacrifice an incredible keyboard and typing experience on the D4, shell out an extra $100 and return it for a DRMaxx? Will I be pissed off after a while and miss the D4's keyboard if I get the Maxx? Or will the extra battery life be worth it no matter what? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

*Just to note: I realize that the Razr Maxx has a better screen than the D4, but screen resolution is really not that much of an issue for me. I do not watch a lot of movies or play a lot of games on my phone.

 

[JRParsons]

I've read that they can be removed, but you will loose your warranty, and there are no batteries you can purchase to replace it. From what I understand,once you remove it you can either reinstall it or toss the phone in the trash.
If battery life is that important, you may want to look at a phone with a removable battery. Although I hear the Max's battery is plenty large enough for the masses.
As far as the slider goes, again you have to decide just how important the keyboard is to you. I made the jump from a slider phone to a Thunderbolt about a year ago. Contrary to what most people say, I did miss my keyboard. Enough so that I was able to trade an unused thunderbolt I had lying around for a Statosphere. I loved having the slider again but couldn't deal with the smaller screen and slow phone.So back to the thunderbolt.
I would run out today and buy, off contract, a slider with Rezound or Razor specs. (You listening Moto,Htc,Samsung) Moto was so close with the D4, but screen size and nonremoval battery are a deal killer for me, in the summer I use navigation on a motorcycle without access to a charger for 20-30 hours, so 2 extra charged batteries are always in my pocket.
Unfortunately,whatever you choose, you will be giving up something. But gaining a whole lot, good luck, I'm sure you will be happy with whatever you choose.


Sent from my Illudium PU - 36 Explosive Space Modulator.

 

[LadyHottShott]

Was going to get a Maxx for hubby and I (because the Razrs were BOGO free at Verizon - and I was going to suffer through having a touch screen only phone just so he could get a new phone too), but since his line wasn't due for an update, we couldn't get the BOGO free deal. Which in the end, sad for him, but glad for me, haha, because I was soooo worried about not having a physical keyboard, the thought of typing on a touch screen for everything was making me sick! So I joyfully ordered the Droid 4 on Friday and will get it Tuesday.

I think you just really have to decide, can you live without a physical keyboard? I know I didn't want to.

 

[amishdude01]

I understand how you feel on the battery. I came from a droid x with a 2600mah extended to the droid 4. The only think i can suggest is buying the seidio charging vault....( Seidio Charging Vault ) which is a extended battery its self. It might be a pain charging it all the time, but thats the only thing I can think of if you want to keep the d4

 

[AZClimber]

I'm sure in a month or two iFixit will have a video on how to safely remove the D4 battery as well as manufacturers that will have a bigger MAH internal extended battery for it.

 

[greenmile]

Why do people think a D4 Max will come out? First off, the D4 is the red-headed stepchild of Motorola's lineup; they don't even advertise the phone. Nobody gives a hell about the D4 and it will probably be the last slider phone they ever release (sad face).

The Razor was super popular and the physical "hump" lent itself perfectly for filling in - the MAXX.

Get a grip people - there's no D4 "Max" coming. There's just no room for it. Maybe a "global" version or something in a few months, but that's it.

What I'll be waiting for (and it will never happen) is the Droid 5 which hopefully will have a better screen and other upgrades. But the D5 will probably never happen (I think the D4 might be the last slider ever from Motorolla), and if it did come out it'll be 12 months from now. And I'll be rocking the D4 until then.

 

[Kas84]

I understand how you feel on the battery. I came from a droid x with a 2600mah extended to the droid 4. The only think i can suggest is buying the seidio charging vault....( Seidio Charging Vault ) which is a extended battery its self. It might be a pain charging it all the time, but thats the only thing I can think of if you want to keep the d4

Thanks for the recommendation. I just went ahead and placed my order for the Seidio Charging Vault.

 

[Kas84]

Why do people think a D4 Max will come out? First off, the D4 is the red-headed stepchild of Motorola's lineup; they don't even advertise the phone. Nobody gives a hell about the D4 and it will probably be the last slider phone they ever release (sad face).

The Razor was super popular and the physical "hump" lent itself perfectly for filling in - the MAXX.

Get a grip people - there's no D4 "Max" coming. There's just no room for it. Maybe a "global" version or something in a few months, but that's it.

What I'll be waiting for (and it will never happen) is the Droid 5 which hopefully will have a better screen and other upgrades. But the D5 will probably never happen (I think the D4 might be the last slider ever from Motorolla), and if it did come out it'll be 12 months from now. And I'll be rocking the D4 until then.

I have to respectfully disagree with you. You may be correct about there never being a D4 Maxx, but I've just been so crushed by new and better phones coming out just mere months after purchasing a phone, that it wouldn't necessarily shock me. So you think the D4 will be the last ever slider from Motorola? Why? I think there will always be people who are just not buying into having a full touch screen phone, without the option of a slide-out keyboard. This holds true especially for business users who are constantly sending out text messages, editing documents, writing emails, etc. I absolutely believe that this is not the last slider phone. That's ridiculous to think. Sure, they may not be as popular as full touch screen phones, but there are still a handful of people out there (like me) who prefer having the best of both worlds. This of course comes with a price, in that the phones will undoubtedly be heavier and bulkier, but I think it's worth it when you have such an outstanding keyboard as found on the D4.

 

[Kas84]

You make a very valid point. I've been playing around with the D4's virtual keyboard for a few hours today, and I have decided that having the option to type on a physical keypad is an absolute necessity for me. I'm sure I'd get used to the virtual one, but why should I feel frustrated and less confident typing solely on a virtual keypad if I don't have to? I think I will keep the D4 and just suck it up. Thanks for the response.

 

[xeene]

the only reason to keep d4 is for physical keyboard. if you can live with virtual keyboard there is no reason to keep d4.

 

[ambrown]

I would totally get the D4 and love the idea of having a physical keyboard, especially because when the mobile web catches up to the full on web(it's just easier to use my desktop or a laptop sometimes still) then it'll be an advantage to rock a physical keyboard. Plus when it comes to gaming physical buttons are just more responsive and give better feedback.

That said, I like the virtual keyboard on my Droid Inc. just fine and don't feel it has many drawbacks typing-wise as long as you have the right keyboard that fits you(the stock virtual keyboard isn't very good), and you make sure to customize there settings to fit how you use your keyboard.

So ultimately I'd take the Razr Maxx or the Droid 4. Verizon and Moto need to keep laying love on the physical keyboard group though to make sure the D4 gets a Maxx version as well.

Sent from my Droid Incredible on 2.3.4 using the DroidForums app

 

[Cor3yS]

I wonder y they priced Droid 4 at $199 starting price. nexus is still $299 and razr maxx is too, I'm waiting for one to drop and I'm get it.....hopefully soon

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums

 

[debdroid1a]

I wonder y they priced Droid 4 at $199 starting price. nexus is still $299 and razr maxx is too, I'm waiting for one to drop and I'm get it.....hopefully soon

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums

The other 2 are 32GB. The Razr 16GB is now $199 and so the D4 is.
The other2 may drop eventually, but so will the Razr and D4.

Sent from my DROID4 using DroidForums

 

[ezeddiekun]

Just letting you know the Maxx and Droid 4 both uses pentile display. So you can spot pixels on both devices. The Maxx screen does have brighter and richer color. If you want the better battery life just go for the Maxx. 4.3' screen personally is a bit too big for me. 4'0 is the sweet spot

 

[Crf450r420]

I wanted the D4 to work, but with a dead battery it doesn't matter if it has a keyboard. It doesn't matter what it does when it stops doing everything and becomes a powerless brick. I was up in the air as I didn't want to go all touch (coming from D2 and D1), but when I think about a dead battery D4 was out. I don't sit at a desk and usually don't get to charge my phone so, I need to know the battery will last. I went to verizon and I could type on the touch keyboard just fine because it is so big. Then I found out they were buy one get one free, so I ordered two Razr Mazz phones for $318 with tax. They will be here Wednesday. I hope it fits ok in my pocket. LOL

If they did come out with a D4 Maxx I would be upset, but would probably find a way to get one.