Motorola and Verizon Wireless have just unveiled the Droid Turbo 2, the latest flagship smartphone in the long-running "Droid" partnership between both companies. It's set to launch just two days from now on October 29th for $26 per month (32GB) or $30 per month (64GB) on Verizon's 24-month payment plan. But unlike previous Droids, this one doesn’t have a very unique design on the outside; it looks just like a Moto X. (The same applies to the also-new Droid Maxx 2, which is just a rebranded version of the Moto X Play that’s been available overseas for a few months.)
But it’s the Turbo 2 that’s getting top billing today, thanks to a display that Verizon and Motorola describe as "shatterproof" and able to withstand drops and tumbles like few smartphones before it. "At Motorola, we’re all about trying to solve real consumer problems. One of the problems today is that phones are just too fragile," said Motorola president Rick Osterloh. Motorola's display technology is branded Moto ShatterShield. "Building a shatteproof screen was not an easy task," he said adding that it took the company's engineers three years to perfect "a world-first innovation." ShatterShield uses a flexible AMOLED display combined with other design traits that add to the phone's durability. Powering the Droid Turbo 2 is a Snapdragon 810 processor, and Motorola claims the battery can last 48 hours.
As rumored, the Droid Turbo 2 will also be available through Motorola's Moto Maker personalization tool, dramatically expanding the color options and choice of materials that consumers can pick from. Motorola will allow buyers of the 64GB model to refresh — or essentially redesign — the Droid Turbo 2 one time after their initial purchase, which is pretty convenient if you'll be keeping the phone for a couple years. But if that's your plan, you'll also likely be concerned about software updates; Verizon did a pretty dismal job keeping the Droid Turbo up to date, taking months to deliver the Android Lollipop update.
Verge Video: The Droid Turbo 2 is drop-proof