Motorola Droid 4 hands-on: Awesome keyboard, blistering 4G LTE
23.02.12
It's clear to me that the Droid 4 takes its design cues from other devices in Motorola's current 2012 lineup. The phone sports the black obelisk motif, complete with slightly rounded corners and beveled edges, as do the Droid Razr Maxx and Droid Razr. It's a classy look sure to fit in equally at the office or out on the town. There's no getting around, however, the large size of the Motorola Droid 4. I mean its girth stares at you right in the face practically begging for trouble. This bruiser measures 5 inches tall by 2.65 inches wide with a full thickness of half an inch. Weighing 6.31 ounces, the Droid 4 is also hefty. Compared with the wafer-thin trend modern smartphones are taking, this handset stands out.
The trade-off for all that extra mass is just what makes it appeal to a very vocal set of Android users, a superb keyboard. Sliding the phone open reveals a gloriously engineered typing surface. While I admit keys are tightly packed together, travel is deep and buttons provide a deliciously rubberized tactile feel. Consisting of five rows, not merely four like on lesser devices, it has a dedicated number row on top. I also really dig the way the backlighting traces the outline of the Droid 4's squat rectangular keys. The spacebar goes on for what feels like miles and is easy to hit without looking down. The Droid 4's directional pad is nice as well and something you don't see often either.
Source: CNET