|
Advertisement
|
Verizon Wireless Phone
Reviews
Each section is ordered by review date. Scroll down for Windows Mobile, Nokia S60, Palm and BlackBerry reviews.
iPhone
| iPhone X |
Nov. 2017 |
 |
| iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus |
Sept. 2017 |
 |
| iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus The changes for Apple's flagship 4.7" and 5.5" smartphones are mostly inside this year. On the outside we have new antenna lines, a solid state home button and two new colors: black and jet black. Inside there's the class-leading Apple A10 Fusion quad core CPU, more storage, improved front and rear cameras, IP67 water resistance. The iPhone 7 Plus gets two 12MP rear cameras, one with standard wide view and one telephoto. Both run iOS 10. |
Sept. 2016 |
 |
| iPhone SE This is Apple's best attempt at an affordable iPhone. It truly is much less expensive than the flagship iPhone 6s, but it has the same CPU, RAM and excellent rear camera as the more expensive model. The iPhone SE has the body of the iPhone 5s-- that Leica inspired one that's still my personal favorite iPhone design. It's available in 4 colors and it has a 4" Retina IPS display. Obviously, it's pretty pocket-friendly and it's also wallet friendly with a starting price of $399. |
April 2016 |
 |
| iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus For an "s" year, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus offer significant improvements over the last generation of this extremely popular phone family. The size and look remain the same, though there's a new rose gold color that blushes pink. The 4.7" iPhone 6s and 5.5" iPhone 6s Plus sport newer and significantly faster Apple A9 CPUs with double the RAM for a nice performance boost. Both front and rear cameras are much higher resolution and Apple's finally joined the 4K video recording bandwagon. The casing is more rigid and the Touch ID fingerprint scanner recognizes your fingerprint nearly instantaneously. Lastly there's 3D Touch for new interactions with the touch screen. Not bad for an off cycle year. Editor's Choice 2015 |
Sept. 2015 |
 |
| iPhone 6 Plus It's Apple's first phablet, or really big smartphone if you hate that label. The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5" full HD IPS display that's one of the best, long battery life, a crazy slim design and as ever an attractive unibody aluminum design. The phone runs iOS 8 on Apple's dual core, 64 bit A8 processor with multi-core graphics and 1 gig of RAM. You can get it with up to 128 gigs of storage and in your choice of silver, space gray or gold. Is it a handful? Yes it is. Is it wonderful for watching videos and playing games? You bet! Editor's Choice 2014 |
Sept. 2014 |
 |
| iPhone 6 Apple's mainstream phone is larger now at 4.7", but it's still hand and pocket friendly. The IPS display is stunningly colorful and sharp with great viewing angles, and the newest iPhone is fast thanks to the Apple A8 dual core 64 bit CPU. The iPhone 6 has an aluminum body finished in silver, space gray or gold, and it's available with 16, 64 or 128 gigs of storage. It has a very good rear 8MP camera with fast lens and the Touch ID fingerprint scanner that will work with Apple Pay for mobile payments. Editor's Choice 2014 |
Sept. 2014 |
 |
| iPhone 5s The iPhone 5s features Apple's new A7 CPU and a fast PowerVR multi-core GPU that's twice as fast as the iPhone 5 and 5c. The latest flagship iPhone sticks with the Leica inspired metal design and 4" Retina Display, and Apple has added a gold color option. The updated 8MP iSight camera with larger pixels takes noticably better low light shots and the front FaceTime camera offers sharper and brighter video chats. The new iPhone features a Touch ID fingerprint sensor so you can unlock the phone with a press of a finger. The smartphone runs iOS 7 and as usual is available in 16, 32 and 64 gig capacities. Editor's Choice 2013 |
Sept. 2013 |
 |
| iPhone 5c This is the first time Apple introduced two new iPhone models at the same time: the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s. While the iPhone 5c is basically an iPhone 5 in more playful colors, it's certainly more exciting than leaving us with the choice of buying this year's model or last year's at a discount. In fact, the iPhone 5c makes us realize how viable that older model still is, with fast performance, the usual excellent (albeit small) 4" Retina Display and a capable 8MP rear camera. |
Sept. 2013 |
 |
| iPhone 5 Apple's latest iPhone is the first to feature a larger 4" Retina display with a 16:9 aspect ratio that's perfect for watching TV shows and video. As ever, it's one of the sharpest displays on the planet, and despite the larger display, the iPhone hasn't gotten that much larger. The iPhone 5 is available on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon in the US, and all models have LTE 4G for very fast data speeds. The iPhone 5 features Apple's new A6 CPU and triple core GPU that keep up with the fastest Android phones in the US. It has an 8MP rear camera that can shoot panoramas and a much improved 720p front video chat camera. The iPhone 5 runs iOS 6 and as usual is available in 16, 32 and 64 gig capacities. Editor's Choice 2012 |
Sept. 2012 |
 |
| iPhone 4S The iPhone 4S hardly needs an introduction: it's Apple's latest and greatest (yes greatest) iPhone yet, and it's available on three of the big four carriers. Each carrier uses the same hardware, with only software and firmware differences setting them apart. The iPhone 4S has a dual core Apple A5 CPU that's twice as fast as the iPhone 4, and it's available in three storage capacities. It uses the same 3.5" Retina Display as the iPhone 4, and it has an improved 8 megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p video. It runs the new iOS 5 operating system and it has the remarkable Siri voice-activated personal assistant. |
Oct. 2011 |
 |
| Verizon iPhone 4 It's back, this time on the Verizon Wireless network. The Verizon version of the iPhone 4 is identical other than cellular network technology since Verizon uses CDMA and AT&T uses GSM. The iPhone 4 features a Retina Display, 3G EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi, Bluetooth, a GPS and a 5 megapixel camera. It's available in 16 and 32 gig versions. Editor's Choice 2011. |
Feb. 2011 |
 |
Android Smartphones
| Google Pixel 2 |
Oct. 2017 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 |
Sept. 2017 |
 |
| Asus ZenFone AR |
Aug. 2017 |
 |
| Moto Z2 Force Review |
Aug. 2017 |
 |
| Moto Z Play 2 |
July 2017 |
 |
| Moto E4 |
July 2017 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S8 |
April 2017 |
 |
| LG V20 |
Nov. 2016 |
 |
| Google Pixel & Pixel XL The two Google branded phones released in the fall of 2016, in 5" and 5.5" sizes. The Pixel line replaces the Nexus line of Android smartphones that come direct from Google with the latest Android build and no carrier or manufacturer bloatware. This time, Google is going with flagship pricing and high end specs. The Pixel XL runs Android 7.1 Nougat with the new Google Assistant (voice activated) on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 CPU with 4 gigs of RAM and 32 or 128 gigs of storage (no microSD card slot). The Pixel XL has a 2560 x 1440 AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 (the smaller Pixel is 1920 x 1080). It has an 8MP front camera and a 12.3MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens and 4K video recording. |
Oct. 2016 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (discontinued) The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is one heck of a great phone, and it's also an extremely expensive one. Inside, it's the culmination of Samsung's triumphs and past mistakes learned from--TouchWiz is actually useful rather than a Disney adventure, features are well thought out and the phone looks stunning clad in Gorilla Glass 5 and aluminum. The Note 7 has a 5.7" Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 display with HDR video support, the same excellent cameras as the Galaxy S7 family, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 gigs of RAM and a 64 gigs of storage plus a microSD card slot. It has the S Pen, both fingerprint and iris scanner and much more. |
Aug. 2016 |
 |
| Moto Z and Moto Z Force Droid Edition Finally, modular phones done right, at least if you're hankering to slap on nifty accessories. The Moto Z and Z Force aren't the kind of modular that requires you to assemble core parts from building blocks, rather they work with magnetic Moto Mods like the JBL stereo speaker back, a projector and extended batteries. They're the first phones to break from Moto's attractive, but well-worn look and feel. Gone are the complexly curved sides, thick middle body and unibody construction. Instead we have a modern and somewhat angular design that's actually very slim, unlike the old Moto design that got chubby toward the middle. Inside it's all flagship power with the 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 820, 4 gigs of RAM, a fingerprint scanner, NFC and your choice of a good 13MP camera on the Moto Z and an excellent 21MP camera on the Moto Z Force. |
July 2016 |
 |
| HTC 10 The HTC 10 is a unibody metal phone with a 5.2" QHD Super LCD 5 display in Gorilla Glass with subtly curved edges. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC's tasteful Sense UI on the top dog Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU. It has 4 gigs of RAM, 32 gigs of internal storage and a micro SD card slot. The phone has a 5MP front camera, 12MP rear camera, a high quality audio DAC with headphone amplifier, LTE 4G and a USB-C 3.1 port. |
April 2016 |
 |
| LG G5 The LG G5 is LG's mainstream size flagship Android smartphone for 2016. The LG G5 has a 5.3" QHD IPS display, and it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with LG's UI. This is LG's first metal bodied phone, and it's available in several colors. It runs on Qualcomm's fastest mobile CPU, the 1.6 GHz Snapdragon 820 and it has 4 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage. As you'd expect from LG it has both a removable battery and a microSD card slot as well as an IR blaster. The phone has a very good 16MP rear camera plus a rear 8MP extreme wide angle camera. Its most innovative, though perhaps not most sucessful feature is the modular Friends that can add functionality. |
April 2016 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge make up for the proverbial sins of the father-- they bring back dear hardware features that Samsung axed when it released the radically redesigned Galaxy S6, s6 edge and s6 edge+. That means the microSD card slot and water resistant features are back--combine those with stunning looks, the fast new Snapdragon 820 CPU, a revised camera that handles low light (and good lighting) well, bigger batteries and striking QHD AMOLED displays and you've got two flagship Android 6.0 Marshmallow smartphones that earn their high price tags. |
March 2016 |
 |
| LG V10 Gimmick or great? The LG V10 is a little of both. The big screen LG has a secondary front display--a narrow strip at the top that provides shortcuts, status and can act as a control area for apps like the camera. Speaking of the camera, this phone has two front facing cameras; one ultra-wide angle and the other with a more normal view. On to the normal stuff! The LG V10 runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (sorry, not 6.0 Marshmallow that's shipping on a few recent phones) on the high end Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 6-core CPU. It has 4 gigs of RAM and 64 gigs of storage, and there's a microSD card slot. The phone has a 5.7" Quantum IPS+ display and it runs at QHD 2560 x 1440. |
Nov. 2015 |
 |
| BlackBerry Priv Leave it to BlackBerry: just when you thought hardware keyboards were a thing of the past, they release a new model with a QWERTY keyboard. Nope, it doesn't run BlackBerry OS, it runs Android. The Priv is a 5.4" QWERTY slider, the likes of which we haven't seen in some time. The curved display, carbon fiber back and metal keyboard rails are chic and classy-- and distinctly BlackBerry. As is that keyboard with the waterfall sculpted keys and little OS touches that bring some of the things we loved about BlackBerry OS to Android. The phone has a 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 808 CPU, 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage-- nice enough specs for a power user. Other goodies include an 18MP rear camera with a good quality lens, a high resolution display and a microSD card slot. |
Nov. 2015 |
 |
| Moto X Pure Edition (2015, aka Moto X Style) Another year, another Moto X. For 2015 things get really exciting with the Moto X Pure Edition (Moto X Style overseas); it's a much more powerful phone than anything we've seen under the Moto X, G and E labels, and it's much bigger. The Moto X Pure Edition has a 5.7" QHD display and a fast Snapdragon 808 CPU with 3 gigs RAM. Other goodies include a microSD card slot, 21MP rear camera, and the usual Moto Maker customizable backs, trim and colors. This is an unlocked phone that works on all major US carriers (GSM and CDMA) with a starting price of $399. Note that Moto sells this phone direct and unlocked, Verizon Wireless stores don't carry it. |
Sept. 2015 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 5 The fifth generation Samsung Galaxy Note goes high style with a glass and metal design that matches the Samsung Galaxy S6. Undeniably the best looking Samsung phablet to date, the Galaxy Note 5 is also faster, has an even better display and some of the best cameras you'll find on a phone. Like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the new S6 Edge +, the Note 5 runs Android 5.1 and TouchWiz on the 2.1 GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 CPU with 4 gigs of RAM and fast UFS 2.0 storage. It has a 5.7" QHD Super AMOLED display, fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor and the venerable S Pen, but it loses the removable battery and microSD card slot that were staples of previous Note models. Editor's Choice 2015 |
Aug. 2015 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ The super-sized version of the Galaxy S6 edge sports a stunning 5.7" QHD Super AMOLED display with side curves. The phone is available in gold and black, and it's a stunning looking piece. Inside, it's mostly the same internals as the Note 5 (minus the pen) and Samsung Galaxy S6. It runs Android 5.1 and TouchWiz on the 2.1 GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 CPU with 4 gigs of RAM and fast UFS 2.0 storage. The edge+ has a 5.7" QHD Super AMOLED display, fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor and a front 5MP camera and rear 16MP camera. |
Aug. 2015 |
 |
| LG G4 The LG G4 is the company's best high end smartphone yet. With an evolution of the LG G3 design that makes a 5.5" phone seem manageable, a comfortable curve and new leather backs that simply look stunning, it's hard not to like the looks. The LG G4 has a QHD IPS quantum 5.5" display, a truly impressive 16MP camera with a fast f/1.8 lens and OIS, a sharp 8 megapixel front camera and a removable 3,000 mAh battery. The phone runs Android Lollipop 5.1 with LG UI on the 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 808 CPU with 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage. The LG G4 will be available on most carriers in June 2015. |
May 2015 |
 |
| HTC One M9 The HTC One M9 is every bit as gorgeous as the One M8. In fact it has a little more polish, literally and figuratively, and I'd say it's the best looking One yet, though some might have trouble telling the M8 and M9 apart at first glance. The HTC One M9 runs Android 5 Lollipop with HTC Sense software on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core CPU clocked at 2 GHZ. It has 3 gigs of RAM, 32 gigs of storage and a microSD card slot HTC stuck with the same 5" 1920 x 1080 LCD 3 display as the M8, but upgraded the rear camera to a traditional 20MP model. |
May 2015 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S6 & Galaxy S6 Edge What a difference a year makes. Samsung's new mainstream sized flagship phones for 2015 are every bit as attractive and elegant looking as the iPhone 6 and HTC One M9. Clad in glass and aluminum, both the GS6 and S6 Edge are classy and attractive phones whose looks match the excellent features inside. From the scrumptious 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED displays to the fast 2.1 GHz Exynos octa-core CPU these phones are winners. There's a much more reliable fingerprint scanner, a sharp 5MP front camera and an excellent 16MP rear camera with OIS and 4K video capture. Editor's Choice 2015. |
March 2015 |
 |
| Google Nexus 6 This year Google is attacking the phablet market with their 6 inch Nexus 6. It's back to the high line too, with the device priced at $649 full retail and unlocked. The big 4 US carriers will also offer the Nexus 6, so you'll have payment and contract plan options. The Nexus 6 runs on the fastest CPU currently available in an Android smartphone, the quad core 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 with Adreno 420 graphics and 3 gigs of RAM. It's available in 32 and 64 gig capacities. It has 4G LTE on 12 bands, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and a GPS. Surprisingly for Google and Moto, who don't have the best track record with phone cameras, the Nexus 6 has a capable 13MP rear camera with a Sony sensor. |
Dec. 2014 |
 |
| Sony Xperia Z3v Verizon's version of the Xperia Z3 looks like an Xperia Z2, but it has the updated CPU and camera of the Z3. It adds Qi wireless charging, and as ever has that distinct Xperia look with glass front and back. The phone is water resistant and it has a vibrant 1080p IPS Triluminos display. It's powered by the 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU with 3 gigs of RAM, 32 gigs of storage and a microSD card slot. This Android 4.4 smartphone has an excellent 20.7MP camera with a large Exmor RS sensor and Sony G lens. |
Dec. 2014 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note Edge We've seen phones that have curved glass simply to have curved glass. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, the curvy twin to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, has a curved display with a purpose. Sure it takes the Note 4 design and makes it look cool and different, but that waterfall curve on the right side gives us a secondary 160 pixel display to interact with. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is otherwise the same as the excellent Note 4. It has a QHD 5.6" Super AMOLED main display (enhanced with curved Gorilla Glass 3 and a curved AMOLED panel underneath that adds the 160 x 2560 edge display), a removable faux leather back cover, metal sides and it runs on the Snapdragon 805 quad core 2.7GHz CPU with 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage plus microSD card slot. The excellent 16MP rear camera with 4K video recording is here too. |
Nov. 2014 |
 |
| Motorola Droid Turbo The long-lived Droid line of Android smartphones on Verizon Wireless featured angular, masculine designs, raucous screeching robot startup sounds and industrial wallpapers. Moto has evolved, and the Droid Turbo is a more modern and less ominous phone. There's more to the Droid Turbo than updated looks and a cleaner OS: its specs outdo the 2014 Moto X and all flagship Android phones currently on the market except the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The Droid Turbo runs on the latest, greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad core CPU with Adreno 420 graphics, 3 gigs of RAM and 32 or 64 gigs of storage. It's called the Turbo because it comes with Moto's turbo charger in the box, and that's a charger that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 for extreme quick charging. It has a 3900 mAh battery- impressive, as is the QHD AMOLED display. |
Nov. 2014 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 4 That fabulous phablet is back and better than ever. The Note 4 is the most stylish looking big phone from Samsung yet, thanks to metal sides and a refined design. The S Pen is here for precise writing and drawing, and the striking 5.7" Super AMOLED display runs at an impressive 2560 x 1440 resolution. The Note 4 runs on the new 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 quad core CPU with Adreno 420 graphics and it has 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of storage. Other goodies include a fingerprint scanner, health monitor, 4K video recording and a removable battery. Editor's Choice 2014. |
Oct. 2014 |
 |
| Moto X (2nd gen) Once again Motorola mixes extreme fashion with a low price tag, but the 2014 Moto X amps up the specs to battle the flagship competition. The Moto X has a 5.2" AMOLED display, this time running at full HD 1080p resolution. It's wildly colorful with impressive contrast. The Android 4.4 KitKat phone will get the upgrade to Android L and it runs on the Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU clocked at 2.5GHz, just like other high end phones. You can order it with your choice of 25 different back colors, including 4 wood and 4 leather options, and it's one of the best looking smartphones money can buy. The Moto X is available as an unlocked GSM phone with LTE 4G and both AT&T and Verizon sell it too. |
Sept. 2014 |
 |
| HTC One Remix The HTC One M8's little brother sports an aluminum unibody design and looks much like the first generation HTC One. The somewhat more compact and midrange Remix keeps the excellent BoomSound stereo speakers and SLCD3 display, while downsizing to 4.5" and 1280 x 720 resolution. The Remix runs on a quad core Snapdragon 400 CPU with 16 gigs of storage and a microSD card slot. It has a very good 5MP front camera and a 13MP rear camera. |
Aug. 2014 |
 |
| LG G3 The LG G3 is the company's flagship Android smartphone for 2014, and it's a big one, literally and figuratively. Actually, for a 5.5" phone, it's surprisingly compact, and it's not much larger than the smaller-screen HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. The G3's biggest claim to fame is the impressively high 2560 x 1440 IPS display--that's the same resolution as high DPI Windows 8 laptops, but crammed into a 5.5" screen for 538 PPI density. Is that overkill? Sure it is, but it's great for marketing in a world where better than HD and 4k are big buzzwords. Editor's Choice 2014. |
July 2014 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 The Samsung Galaxy S5 is the manufacturer's flagship mainstream size Android phone for 2014, and it sports a new fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor. It has a best of breed 5.1" Super AMOLED HD display running at 1920 x 1080 and it runs on the new 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU with 2 gigs of DDR3 RAM. As you'd expect from Samsung, it's very slim yet it has a removable battery and a microSD card slot. The rear 16 megapixel camera is one of the better models on the market and it can even shoot decent 4K video. The GS5 runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Samsung's TouchWiz UI and software. It's available on all major and some regional carriers. Editor's Choice 2014. |
April 2014 |
 |
| HTC One M8 We liked the first HTC One quite a lot, and this year's model address many of its (sometimes small) shortcomings while bringing us one of the most gorgeous phone designs yet. The HTC One M8 is or will be available on all major carriers and it runs Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense 6 for a tasteful and light customization of the OS. It's the first phone to ship with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU for modest speed gains and it has 32 gigs of storage plus a microSD card slot. The 5" full HD LCD is sharp and bright, and the new 5 megapixel front camera will be a hit with the video chat crowd and selfie fans. Is it perfect? Not quite, but it's good enough to win our Editor's Choice award. |
April 2014 |
 |
| HTC One max The HTC One max is largely what we expected: a bigger version of the successful HTC One. That's good news and bad: certainly getting even more HTC One in your hands has appeal if you are fond of phablets or really big phones. The bad news is that we'd hoped HTC would push the envelope and improve specs and features in the 8 months since the 4.7" HTC launched. The One max has a 5.9" Super LCD display running at full HD resolution, a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 32 gigs of internal storage and the same 4MP Ultrapixel camera used in the HTC One. |
Nov. 2013 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 There's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 continues to top the charts as best phablet. Since the original Note shipped a few years back, we've seen occasional competition for the bigger than a phone but smaller than a tablet crown, but Samsung's combination of a relatively compact and light body, S Pen digital pen and custom software still make the Galaxy Note 3 the best phablet at the high end. The third generation Note has a 5.7" full HD Super AMOLED display, a very fast 2.3GHz quad core Snapdragon 800 CPU with 3 gigs of RAM, our beloved S Pen with note taking and art apps, a capable 13MP rear camera and the usual LTE 4G, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11ac. |
Oct. 2013 |
 |
| LG G2 This is LG's best Android smartphone to date. From the glorious 5.2" full HD IPS display to the capable 13 megapixel camera to the new super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core 2.26GHz CPU, the phone is a winner. Despite the larger display, the G2 is no bigger than the smaller-screen Galaxy S4 and HTC One, thanks to the edge-to-edge display. The phone has a generous 3,000 mAh battery, dual band WiFi 802.11ac, NFC and a capable 2.1MP front camera. |
Sept. 2013 |
 |
| Moto X Finally, an Android smartphone that caters to ergonomics and usability with handy features like an active sleep screen that keeps you informed and always-on voice command. The Moto X will be available on all major US carriers and it has a 4.7" 1280 x 720 AMOLED display, 1.7GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU with custom processors to handle voice and motion recognition (Moto calls this their X8 processing platform), 2 gigs of RAM, 16 or 32 gigs of storage, WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE + EDR, NFC, a front 2MP camera and capable RGBC 10MP rear camera. |
Sept. 2013 |
 |
| Motorola Droid Ultra Verizon and Motorola's newest Droid for fall 2013 has much in common with the Moto X. They share the same Moto X8 mobile computing platform with a dual core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU plus contextual computing cores and Adreno 320 graphics. They both offer always listening voice command, an active sleep screen that keeps you informed and they have 10MP cameras with an RBGC sensor. Where they diverge is in looks and size. This is all Droid with a dark, masculine and techno look. It has the usual red wallpapers and ominous Droid startup sound. Like previous Moto Droid smartphones it has a Kevlar casing, but this time its encased in your choice of high gloss red or black. The Ultra has a 5" AMOLED 720p display. |
Aug. 2013 |
 |
| HTC One The HTC One has the perfect storm of smartphone features, from its fast and brand new Snapdragon 600 quad core CPU to its stunning full HD 4.7" display and impressive UltraPixel camera that laughs at darkness. Then there's the striking aluminum casing that gives the iPhone 5 a run for your money and excellent BoomSound stereo speakers up front where they belong. Better yet, it's available on three of the top four US carriers and HTC sells an unlocked GSM edition for those who like their autonomy and unlocked bootloaders. Editor's Choice 2013. |
Aug. 2013 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 This is Samsung's 2013 flagship Android smartphone. Yes, you could call it an evolutionary device, but the new features (love 'em or hate 'em) are more than evolutionary. When a phone watches you and responds to your movements, that's something new and exciting (and sometimes crazy making). Perhaps it's a revolutionary smartphone trapped in an evolutionary casing? The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5" full HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 quad core CPU with 2 gigs of RAM and an excellent 13 megapixel camera. |
May 2013 |
 |
| LG Lucid 2 It's hard to beat free, and the LG Lucid 2 is free on contract with Verizon Wireless. For your money (so to speak) you get a smartphone running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on a 1.2GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus CPU with a gig of RAM and 8 gigs of internal storage. The phone has a sharp 4.3" IPS qHD display, a microSD card slot and a removable battery. The phone has a 5MP rear camera with HDR that can shoot 1080p video and the usual LTE 4G,WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. |
April 2013 |
 |
| LG Spectrum 2 The LG Spectrum 2 takes high end specs down to a mid-level price. At $99 with contract, it has many of the same specs and features as $199 Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S III. The smartphone has a lovely 4.7" IPS display running at 1280 x 720 that's protected by Gorilla Glass. That's the same resolution as other current high end Android smartphone on the market except the full 1080p HTC Droid DNA. It runs on the usual 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus CPU with a gig of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage. The phone has NFC, a sharp 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a microSD card slot. |
Jan. 2013 |
 |
| HTC Droid DNA Look out Samsung Galaxy Note II, there's a new kid on the block, at least if you're a Verizon Wireless customer, and that's the HTC Droid DNA. The HTC Droid DNA is one of our top smartphones for 2012. It has a slim and elegant design despite the big 5" display. That Super LCD 3 display is an impressive 1920 x 1080 resolution. The Droid DNA is one of the few quad core Snapdragon S4 Android smartphones on the market, and it earns top benchmark numbers. The phone has 16 gigs of storage, an excellent 8 megapixel camera, LTE 4G, NFC and it runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 4.0+ software on top. |
Dec. 2012 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note II You know the Samsung Galaxy Note was one of our top picks last year, right? Well, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, a 5.5" smartphone or phablet is even better. Bigger display, much faster CPU than our US first gen Note, a better camera and more S Pen features. The Note II is available on all major US carriers, with a $299 price tag with contract. The Note II has a 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD display that works with both touch and the included S Pen. It runs on Samsung's quad core Exynos CPU with MALI 400 graphics and it has 2 gigs of RAM. Other amenities include a micro SD card slot, LTE (except on T-Mobile) and a removable 3,100 mAh battery. |
Dec. 2012 |
 |
| Motorola Droid RAZR M The Motorola Droid RAZR M is everything that the Droid RAZR was, but less. It's smaller and much less expensive than the RAZR was at launch. Despite the price, you get most everything that was captivating about the Droid RAZR: a slim design with a Kevlar back, Gorilla Glass and a water resistant nano-coating. It still packs a 4.3" Super AMOLED qHD 540 x 960 display, and the CPU has been updated, so the RAZR M is considerably faster thanks to a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU. The $99 with contract smartphones has an 8 megapixel rear camera, dual band WiFi, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. |
Nov. 2012 |
 |
| Motorola Droid RAZR HD The Motorola Droid RAZR was a hit last year on Verizon Wireless, and Moto's back this year with the natural evolution of that iconic smartphone: the Droid RAZR HD features a larger, higher resolution display and a faster CPU. And just as with last year's Droid RAZR models, there's a MAXX option with a larger battery and a slightly thicker casing for $100 more. The RAZR HD has a 4.7" Super AMOLED HD display running at 1280 x 720 and a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core CPU. And yes, there's Kevlar and Gorilla Glass for good looks and durability. |
Oct. 2012 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Stellar If you're on a tight budget or are a first time smartphone buyer not looking to break the bank while you test the waters, the Stellar is worth a look. No, it doesn't have stellar high end features, but you get a lot for free on contract. The smartphone runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with both TouchWiz and newbie-friendly starter UI options. It has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm S4 CPU with a gig of RAM and front and rear cameras. This is an LTE phone with dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a GPS. |
Sept. 2012 |
 |
| HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE Is bigger always better? Not for those of you who simply can't stand carrying today's gargantuan phones.The third generation Droid Incredible by HTC may be smaller than the 4.8" Samsung Galaxy S III and other big boys on Verizon Wireless, but it has plenty of top notch features. A sharp 4" Super LCD display running at qHD resolution, a 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 Krait CPU and a sharp 8 megapixel camera with BSI sensor and simultaneous 1080p plus still photo recording grace the feature list. This is a video review. |
July 2012 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy S III The 2012 edition of Samsung's top of the line Android smartphone features a 4.8" Super AMOLED 720p display, a very fast 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2 gigs of RAM and 16 gigs of storage. It has an excellent rear 8MP camera, clear voice and 4G LTE. |
June 2012 |
 |
| LG Lucid Verizon Wireless' top Android LTE smartphones sell for $199 to $299, so you figure there's a catch when a phone costs on $79 on contract. In the case of the capable and very attractive LG Lucid, you actually get a very nice Android 2.3 smartphone with serious style. The Lucid has a 4" IPS display that's very colorful, sharp and bright. It has a 1.2GHz dual core Snapdragon CPU that's plenty fast and 4G LTE. The phone has an 800 x 480 display and a 5MP rear camera. This is a video review. |
April 2012 |
 |
| Motorola Droid 4 The long-lived Droid line gets better with every revision, and the Droid 4 is the first of the QWERTY Motorola Droids to have 4G LTE on Verizon Wireless' expansive network. The Droid 4 has the best slider keyboard in the business, with simply luxurious backlighting and excellent tactile feel. The Droid 4 runs Android OS 2.3.6 Gingerbread and will get OS 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It has a 4" qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual core TI CPU, a gig of RAM and 16 gigs of storage. Dual cameras and the usual WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS round out the features. If you're in need of a keyboard, the latest Droid is worth a look. |
Feb. 2012 |
 |
| Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX Love the Droid RAZR on Verizon, but want incredible battery life by LTE 4G smartphone standards? Look no further than the RAZR MAXX, which is the same phone as the Droid RAZR but with a 3300 mAh battery. This Android smartphone has a 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED display and a 1.2GHz dual core CPU. The MAXX is only 0.35" thick, and it has an 8 megapixel rear camera that can shoot 1080p video, LTE 4G, a front video chat camera and 16 gigs of internal storage. It's strong too, thanks to Gorilla Glass on the front and Kevlar on the back. |
Feb. 2012 |
 |
| LG Spectrum After a lukewarm reception for the LG Revolution, things are looking up with the well-outfitted Spectrum. This LTE 4G Android smartphone has a lovely 4.5" IPS display running at 1280 x 720 resolution and a fast Qualcomm S3 1.5GHz dual core CPU. It has a front video chat camera and a capable rear 8MP camera that can shoot 1080p video. Reception on LTE is very good as are download speeds. But doe the Spectrum have what it takes to compete against Verizon Wireless' other high end Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Droid RAZR family and the HTC Rezound? Read on to find out. |
Jan. 2012 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus The Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Verizon Wireless is no doubt one of the hottest phones of 2011. This is the first time you can get a Google's reference Android smartphone from one of America's largest carriers with a contract in store easily. It's the first Android phone to run Android OS 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich too. The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65" Super AMOLED display running at 1280 x 720, and it has a dual core 1.2GHz TI CPU with hardware graphics acceleration. And there's lucsiously fast LTE 4G too. Is it worth all the hype? We'd say so. Read our full review to find out. |
Dec. 2011 |
 |
| HTC Rezound The HTC Rezound is a member of Verizon Wireless' "big three" group of high end Android smartphones for the holiday 2011 season. It joins the Motorola Droid RAZR and Samsung Galaxy Nexus and has top specs: it's the US' first 720p smartphone display, it has a fast 1.5gHz dual core CPU, LTE 4G and a promised upgrade to Android OS 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The phone has excellent build quality and it comes with a set of Beats Audio earbuds in the box. |
Nov. 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Droid RAZR The Motorola Droid RAZR seems to have it all; it's the perfect date in the phone world. It's slim, has a hard body, a dazzling Super AMOLED smile and it's smart too thanks to a 1.2GHz dual core CPU. This Android smartphone is only 7.1mm thin, and it has a 4.3" display, an 8 megapixel rear camera that can shoot 1080p video, LTE 4G, a front video chat camera and 16 gigs of internal storage. It has Webtop and is compatible with the Motorola Lapdock, and it has HDMI out. Is this enough for a lasting relationship? Read our review to find out. |
Nov. 2011 |
 |
| Samsung Stratosphere A mid-range QWERTY slider Android smartphone with a single core 1GHz Hummingbird CPU. The Samsung Stratosphere is the Verizon cousin to Sprint's Samsung Epic 4G. This time it has LTE and Android OS 2.3.5 Gingerbread. The phone has a front video chat camera, a rear 5 megapixel camera and a 4", 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display. The usual WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS are on board, as is Samsung's TouchWiz software and Media Hub. This is a video review. |
Oct. 2011 |
 |
| HTC Rhyme HTC and Verizon market this phone to women because it comes in a lovely plum color, is well accessorized and it isn't too huge. It's a stylish unibody phone with a 3.7" 800 x 480 display, a 1GHz single core Snapdragon CPU and dual cameras. This is a 3G phone and it runs Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread. It comes with a dock, earbuds and an LED charm that indicates incoming calls and other notifications. This is a video review. |
Oct. 2011 |
 |
| Pantech Breakout Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE phones have been a bit pricey, averaging $299 with contract. The Pantech Breakout is their first budget-priced LTE Android smartphone, and you're probably wondering what's the catch. The Breakout has mid to high midrange specs that include a 1GHz single core CPU, a 4" 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen, a 5 megapixel camera that can record 720p video, a front video chat camera and of course 4G LTE on Verizon's network. Not too shabby for $99 with contract. |
Oct. 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Droid Bionic We're not sure if the Bionic can rule all machines for long, but for right now, it's top dog among Android phones. The Droid Bionic has it all: a dual core 1GHz CPU, LTE 4G on Verizon Wireless, a 4.3" qHD display and an 8MP camera. There's plenty of on-board storage plus a 16 gig microSD card, a front video chat camera and a beefy battery that Moto somehow managed to squeeze into the Bionic's 0.4" thin chassis. Do we like the latest Droid? Yes we do, and it's worth a serious look if you're in the market for a flagship Verizon smartphone. |
Sept. 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Droid 3 Here's the latest entry from Verizon Wireless and Motorola, the Droid 3. It's an evolutionary step from past Droids, but that doesn't mean we don't really like this high quality QWERTY slider Android smartphone. Beyond the usual excellent materials and soft touch finish, we love the new 5 row keyboard, and the combo of Android OS 2.3 and a dual core 1GHz CPU keep this phone moving fast. The larger display runs at qHD resolution, and as per usual, Motorola squeezes particularly good speeds out of the Droid 3's 3G radio. Like the Droid 2 Global, the Droid 3 is capable of GSM roaming overseas. |
July 2011 |
 |
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Get your game on with Sony Ericsson's first Playstation Certified phone. This Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone has a slide-out Playstation controller that's a working facsimile of the console controller. It makes gaming much more enjoyable and your characters won't fall prey to inadequate touch screen controls when playing compatible games. The phone comes with 6 games and you can download and buy 50 more from Verizon's V Cast App store. The Xperia Play has a second gen 1GHz Snapdragon CPU with Adreno 205 graphics, an absolutely lovely 4" capacitive touch screen, 3G and dual cameras. If you're a gamer, you should check out this phone. |
June 2011 |
 |
| LG Revolution Verizon's third 4G LTE phone has a 1GHz single core Snapdragon CPU, a 4.3" capacitive touch screen and 16 gigs of internal storage. It runs on Android OS 2.2 Froyo with software customizations by LG that we like overall. This is one of the few Android phones to ship with Netflix pre-installed and combined with 4G, it's a portable movie lover's dream. Like the Droid Charge and HTC Thunderbolt, this is a large phone and battery life is LTE-challenged. The Revolution has a front 1.3MP video chat camera and rear 5MP main camera along with the usual WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. |
June 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Droid X2 The original Droid X was one of our top picks among Android phones in 2010. The Droid X2 updates the CPU and display while leaving the elegant design and high quality materials alone. We aren't complaining; as sequels go, the Droid X2 is solid. It has a dual core 1GHz Tegra 2 CPU, a good helping of internal storage and a very sharp qHD 540 x 960 pixel 4.3" display. The phone runs on Android OS 2.2 with a tasteful dose of Motorola software, and it has 3G EV-DO Rev. A. Other amenities include HDMI out, an 8 megapixel camera that can shoot 720p video, Bluetooth, WiFi and a GPS. If your need for speed expresses itself in CPU lust rather than 4G download speeds, this Moto is worth a look. |
May 2011 |
 |
| Droid Incredible 2 HTC's second generation Incredible is a really solid Android smartphone that's eclipsed by flashier big screen 4G phones on Verizon. That doesn't mean it isn't a solid buy, especially if you're looking for a Verizon Wireless phone with GSM capabilities for world roaming. The Incredible 2 has a 4" Super LCD touch screen that's very sharp, a second generation 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, front and rear cameras with 8 megapixels of goodness at the rear, and it runs Android OS 2.2 Froyo with HTC's excellent Sense software. It's good looking and well made too. |
May 2011 |
 |
| Droid Charge Verizon's second 4G LTE phone is made by Samsung and it boasts their best-in-class 4.3" Super AMOLED display that puts HD plasma TVs to shame. The Charge has very fast 4G on Verizon's ever-expanding LTE network and it runs on a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU with hardware graphics acceleration. This Droid is s sharpshooter with dual cameras, and the rear camera takes sharp shots and 720p video. The Charge will set you back $299 with contract-- even more than the direct competitor HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon. Is it worth the extra bucks? Read our review to find out. |
April 2011 |
 |
| HTC Thunderbolt The HTC Thunderbolt is Verizon's latest flagship Android smartphone. The Thunderbolt has Verizon's wickedly fast 4G LTE for download speeds ranging from 8 to 15 megs on the phone and sometimes faster when using the WiFi hotspot sharing utility that provides a broadband connection to your notebook, iPad or other device. We love the large 4.3" display and kickstand that lets you kick back and watch streaming movies comfortably and the phone's fast second gen Snapdragon CPU. The 8 megapixel rear camera takes sharp shots and 720p video and there's a front-facing camera as well. The Thunderbolt isn't perfect, but it is one of the top smartphones on the market right now. |
March 2011 |
 |
| Samsung Continuum Verizon and Samsung make a bet that two displays are better than one with the Continuum, one of the newest members of the Galaxy S Android phone line. The Continuum has a main 3.4" Super AMOLED display that runs at the usual high end Galaxy S 800 x 480 resolution. Below the main display, a 1.8" Super AMOLED Ticker display keeps you up to date on the weather, social network updates and RSS feeds. Beyond that it's business as usual with a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 5 megapixel camera that can shoot HD video, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS. The Continuum ships with Android OS 2.1, but will some day get the upgrade to Froyo 2.2. |
Dec. 2010 |
 |
| Motorola Droid Pro We know you're out there: veteran BlackBerry users that have been dying to try Android but you just can't live without that front-facing QWERTY keyboard and MS Exchange support. Perhaps your IT person wants VPN and remote wipe capabilities; not everyday stuff for Android. Moto's here to change that with the Droid Pro, a Verizon global phone that packs a fast 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, plenty of RAM and capable graphics into a business suit. There's WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and an autofocus 5 megapixel shooter too. But the small HVGA display and pint-sized keyboard are the price you pay for a phone that's got one foot in RIM's territory and the other in Android's. |
Dec. 2010 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab The first Android tablet that's a viable iPad opponent, the Galaxy Tab is offered by all 4 major US carriers and has a lot to love. The Tab has a 7" capacitive display running at 1024 x 600 and Android OS 2.2 Froyo. Like the Galaxy S phones, the Tab runs on a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU with GPU, has 512 megs of RAM, lots of storage, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth and a GPS. All Galaxy Tab models have 3G data but US versions cannot make calls over the cellular network. We review the T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon versions. |
Dec. 2010 |
 |
| Samsung Fascinate It says a lot for a phone when we still love it the fourth time around. Verizon is the last of the big four US carriers to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S, this time known as the Fascinate. This Android superphone has a simply wonderful 4", 800 x 480 Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen that's vibrant and sharp. Like other Galaxy S family phones, it has a fast 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, a 5 megapixel camera (this time with LED flash), WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS. The Fascinate is a 3G phone with 3G Mobile Hotspot sharing that's super-thin. It runs Android OS 2.1 with Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 and Froyo is in the cards. |
Sept. 2010 |
|
| Motorola Droid 2 The Droid is back and it's better. With a faster CPU, an improved keyboard and Android OS 2.2 Froyo, the 1GHz Droid 2 can compete with the big boys. It doesn't stray far from the original Droid formula when it comes to size and design: the Droid 2 is still a slim, modern QWERTY slider with a 3.7" capacitive multi-touch display. The corners are now chrome-clad and rounded, and the design is a bit more conformist, but we doubt anyone will dislike the look. The Droid 2 has a full hardware QWERTY keyboard that's rare among Android superphones, 8 gigs of storage plus an 8 gig microSD card, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS that works with Google Maps and VZ Navigator and 3G Mobile Hotspot WiFi Internet connection sharing. |
Aug. 2010 |
|
| Motorola Droid X Motorola was no one hit wonder with the original Moto Droid on Verizon. The Droid X, their second Android superphone is good enough to earn our Editor's Choice Award, and it shows great improvement from the already solid Droid. The Droid X is very slim slate design phone with a monster high res 4.3" capacitive multi-touch display, 1 GHz CPU and an excellent 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash. It has the usual 3G EV-DO Rev. A with mobile hotspot feature, WiFi 802.11n , Bluetooth and a GPS that works with Google Maps. The X runs Android OS 2.1 with a smattering of Moto custom software. |
July 2010 |
|
| LG Ally The LG Ally is the latest Android smartphone to join Verizon's lineup and we suspect it will trounce the similarly designed but more expensive Motorola Devour. Though the LG has fairly high end specs, it doesn't get the Droid designation (we're not sure what's up with that Droid thing). It has a 3.2", 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch pinch zooming, an accelerometer and Android OS 2.1 Eclair. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard is roomy and better than the Moto Droid's and call quality is tops. The phone has WiFi, Bluetooth, a GPS that works with Google Maps (no VZ Navigator here) and a 3.2 megapixel camera that takes good photos. Definitely worth a look if you're craving a reasonably priced Android smartphone with a keyboard. |
May 2010 |
|
| HTC Droid Incredible Who needs the Nexus One on Verizon? The HTC Droid Incredible is just as much a superphone and it beats the Nexus One with more storage, a higher resolution camera and HTC Sense software on top of Android 2.1. If you don't need a hardware keyboard, the Incredible can easily take on the Motorola Droid too. It features a 3.7" AMOLED multi-touch display, an 8 megapixel camera that actually takes good photos and video, 8 gigs of internal storage and a really sleek design. From it's optical d-pad to the sculpted waterfall back, HTC's latest for Verizon is definitely top notch, and it's fast too thanks to the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. |
April 2010 |
|
| Motorola Devour The Motorola Droid's little brother isn't exactly smaller, but it is more affordable and built like a tank. The aluminum casing inspires confidence even if the design isn't tres chic. It has a slide-down QWERTY keyboard and MOTOBLUR software for you social networking addicts. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace-- it's all there and more. The Devour runs on Android 1.6 and it has a HVGA capacitive touch screen, 3 megapixel camera, GPS, 3G EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi and Verizon's VZ Navigator, V Cast Music and V Cast Video. |
Feb. 2010 |
|
| HTC Droid Eris Launched on the same day by Verizon, we can only imagine the Moto Droid mouthing "say hello to my little friend, the HTC Droid Eris". Were it not for HTC's growing reputation as a top manufacturer of Windows Mobile and Android smartphones, the less hyped Eris might fall through the cracks. The Eris is similar to the HTC Hero on Sprint, but with looks influenced by the HTC Touch. It has a 320 x 480 capacitive touch screen, EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS and Bluetooth. It's compact and light and half the price of the Moto Droid. |
Nov. 2009 |
|
| Motorola Droid Verizon and Motorola have made a big to do about their flagship Android smartphone and the Moto Droid might just be all that. It's fast, it's got a simply huge 480 x 854 pixel capacitive touch screen, it's skinny and it has a slider QWERTY keyboard. The Droid is the first Android 2.0 OS phone and it's full of the usual Google goodies like Gmail, YouTube and Maps plus built-in MS Exchange support and other amenities. The Droid has a GPS that works with Google Maps, WiFi, Bluetooth with A2DP stereo and a very good 5 megapixel camera.This review includes a video review. Editor's ChoiceAward 2009. |
Oct. 2009 |
|
BlackBerry (OS 10)
| BlackBerry Z30 The company's first "big" smartphone, the BlackBerry Z30 is a 5 inch phone running BlackBerry OS 10.2. It has much in common with the 4.2" Z10: it's a touch screen slab phone with a dual core Snapdragon CPU and a 720p display. The Z30 has a 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED display, 4G LTE, an 8 megapixel rear camera with a fast f/2.2 lens, a micro HDMI port and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. The build is classier and jazzier than the Z10, with a carbon fiber pattern back and a brushed metal front. |
Jan. 2014 |
 |
| BlackBerry Q10 This is the BlackBerry that Bold and Curve users have been waiting for. It has a thoroughly modern OS that's fast, great at multi-tasking and secure, and it maintains that hardware QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry users love. For those who talk and text more than surf the web and watch videos, the BlackBerry Q10 is your phone. The keyboard is excellent and the phone has very good voice quality. Inside, it runs on the same internals as the already released BlackBerry Z10: 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, 16 gigs of storage and a microSD card slot. It has 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, a GPS and NFC. There's a front 2MP camera and a rear 8MP camera with HDR. The Q10 runs BlackBerry OS 10.1 and it has a 3.1" touchscreen. |
June 2013 |
 |
| BlackBerry Z10 The all new BlackBerry OS 10 is here on RIM's first new phone in quite some time. The BlackBerry Z10 is a slab touchscreen smartphone with a 4.2" IPS screen running at 1280 x 768. It has a removable battery and microSD card slot, an increasingly rare set of features. The phone runs on a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU with a gig of RAM and 16 gigs of storage. It has a 2MP front camera and rear 8MP camera with LED flash and backside illuminiated sensor. The Z10 is fast, fun and stable: BlackBerry is off to a good start. |
March 2013 |
 |
Windows Phone
| HTC One M8 for Windows The HTC One M8 for Windows: it's everything you loved about the HTC One M8... unless you're an Android person that is. Given the name, you've already figured out this is the Windows Phone version of the M8, and if you're a fan of that elegant smartphone, you'll be thrilled to hear the hardware hasn't changed a bit. The HTC One M8 for Windows has a 5" full HD display, a quad core Snapdragon 801 CPU, 32 gigs of storage plus a microSD card slot and of course HTC BoomSound stereo front-facing speakers. It runs Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 and is initially exclusive to Verizon Wireless, though it will be coming to AT&T and T-Mobile. |
Sept. 2014 |
 |
| Nokia Lumia Icon The Nokia Lumia Icon has a striking 5" full HD Clear Black OLED display with outdoor brightness mode and heightened touch sensitivity for gloves. Like the Lumia 1520 and top Android smartphones, it runs on a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core CPU with Adreno 330 graphics and 2 gigs of RAM. It has has dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and a front HD webcam. The 20MP PureView camera that can shoot DNG RAW files? It's every bit as good as the excellent Lumia 1520 camera. |
March 2014 |
 |
| Nokia Lumia 928 Verizon Wireless customers who had a crush on the Nokia Lumia 920: it's your turn now. The new Nokia Lumia 928 is now available for $99 on contract, and it's every bit as good as the 920. Nokia has updated the styling with straight sides and the phone has lost a wee bit of weight, but it keeps the 4.5", 1280 x 768 display spec, very good 8.7MP PureView camera and 32 gigs of internal storage. The Lumia 928 has an AMOLED ClearBlack display and it runs on a 1.5GHz dual band Snapdragon S4 CPU. |
May 2013 |
 |
| Samsung ATIV Odyssey The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is the manufacturer's first US Windows Phone 8 smartphone. Available on Verizon Wireless for $49 with contract, Samsung obviously wasn't shooting for a flagship device, and they've yet to bring the higher end ATIV S to the US. The ATIV Odyssey is akin to the Galaxy S III Mini and it has a colorful 4" Super AMOLED display running at 800 x 480 in a very compact form. The smartphone runs on the standard Windows Phone 8 internals: a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU with a gig of RAM. It has 8 gigs of internal storage and a microSD card slot. It has 4G LTE and a 5 megapixel rear camera. |
Feb. 2012 |
 |
| HTC 8X The HTC 8X Windows 8 smartphone is one of the best looking and pleasing phones to hold in the hand. The soft touch finish and pyramid design with tapering sides is comfy and grippy, and the phone looks like none other on the market. The HTC 8X has a 4.3" Super LCD II display with Gorilla Glass running at 1280 x 720 and it runs on a capable 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU with Adreno 225 graphics. The phone has an excellent 8MP rear camera with backside illuminated sensor and it uses HTC's ImageChip. |
Dec. 2012 |
 |
| Nokia Lumia 822 The stylish HTC 8X Windows 8 smartphone has some competition from the much less expensive Nokia Lumia 822 on Verizon Wireless. While the Lumia lacks the HTC's keen styling and vibrant color options, it's half the price and offers Nokia's value added apps that verge on must-haves. Inside it's all good with the same 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core CPU that you'll find in the flagship Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and high end Android phones. It has a gig of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage. The phone has a capable 8MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens and a microSD card slot. |
Dec. 2012 |
 |
| HTC Trophy Verizon's first Windows 7 phone is solid: it has HTC's usual elegant styling and good build quality, world GSM roaming capabilities and Redmond's new phone OS that we really like. The Trophy has a 3.8", 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen, a 1GHz CPU, 16 gigs of storage and a 5 megapixel camera. It has 3G on Verizon along with WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP stereo and a GPS. Like all Windows Phone 7 smartphone, it has XBOX gaming and Zune music and video services. |
May 2011 |
 |
Tablets
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 This is Samsung's most affordable Android tablet, but you get some goodies like Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The tablet goes up against the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, and it's a great entry level tablet for those who want full Android, a GPS and dual cameras that eReader tablets lack. The Tab 2 7.0 has a 7 inch, 1024 x 600 PLS display, a dual core 1GHz CPU, 8 gigs of storage and a microSD card slot. |
Aug. 2012 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 This tablet is a dream come true for those looking for a more portable tablet that can fit in a bag or large pocket. It has a wonderful 7.7" Super AMOLED Plus display running at 1280 x 800, and a supremely fast dual core 1.4GHz Exynos processor. The tablet is only 0.31" thick, and it has a classy metallic back and is easy on the eyes. With both WiFi and Verizon 3G and 4G LTE, you've got fast data most anywhere. It runs Android OS 3.2 Honeycomb but will get a free upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. The only catch? It's expensive. |
March 2012 |
 |
| Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1 Motorola's second gen Android tablet earns Moto a most improved award. While the XYBoard retains the first gen Motorola Xoom's bulletproof build, the new model is as thin and light as the waifish iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that it joins on Verizon's shelves. It features a sharp 10" IPS display that supports both capacitive multi-touch and the included EMR pen for precise input. The tablet runs on a 1.2GHz dual core TI CPU and has 4G LTE on Verizon's network. Other goodies include the usual dual cameras, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and less common features like USB host and an IR blaster with AV remote to control home theater gear. |
Dec. 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Droid XYBoard 8.2 The Motorola Droid XYBoard 8.2 is the Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1's little brother on Verizon. But it's not all that little: at 8.2" it offers more to feast your eyes on vs. more common 7" Android tablets, yet it's much more portable than 10" tablets. The XYBoard 8.2 shares many but not all specs with the 10.1" version. It has the same 1280 x 800 resolution, and IPS display, a dual core 1.2GHz TI OMAP CPU with a gig of RAM, and it's available in 16 or 32 gig capacities. It has a front 1.3MP camera and a rear 5MP camera with LED flash and the usual WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and a GPS. |
Dec. 2011 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the Android tablet that's most like Apple's hyper-successful iPad 2 tablet from a design perspective. It's incredibly slim at 0.34" and light at 1.25 lbs. and we can only marvel that Samsung re-engineered it to such lithe sexiness in just a few months. At the same time we're missing some things that didn't fit in such a small chassis like a microSD card slot. The Galaxy Tab has a 10.1" vivid display that we love, the usual dual core 1GHz Tegra 2 CPU, 16 or 32 gigs of storage and dual band WiFi 802.11b/g/n. It's available in WiFi-only and Verizon 3G/4G LTE versions. The tablet runs Android OS 3.1 Honeycomb. |
June 2011 |
 |
| Motorola Xoom This 10.1" tablet is the first to hit the market with Android OS 3.0 Honeycomb that's made for tablets. The 1280 x 800 pixel capacitive display gives you plenty of room to work with, and it's very responsive to touch. The Xoom has a 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 CPU with graphics acceleration and it's plenty fast. The Xoom is available with and without a Verizon Wireless contract and it has 3G EV-DO Rev. A with a free upgrade to 4G LTE. It has WiFi 802.11b/g/n (dual band), a GPS, Bluetooth, HDMI out and front and rear cameras. The Xoom quickly became one of our favorite gadgets and it makes a great netbook replacement. |
Feb. 2011 |
 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab The first Android tablet that's a viable iPad opponent, the Galaxy Tab is offered by all 4 major US carriers and has a lot to love. The Tab has a 7" capacitive display running at 1024 x 600 and Android OS 2.2 Froyo. Like the Galaxy S phones, the Tab runs on a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU with GPU, has 512 megs of RAM, lots of storage, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth and a GPS. All Galaxy Tab models have 3G data but US versions cannot make calls over the cellular network. We review the T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon versions. |
Dec. 2010 |
|
Palm Web OS
| Palm Pixi Plus Palm's second webOS smartphone is available now on Verizon as well as Sprint. The Pixi Plus at first glance looks like a reborn Palm Centro with it's QWERTY bar design and tiny rubbery keys. But it runs the thoroughly modern webOS and features a capacitive multi-touch display just like its big brother the Palm Pre. The Pixi Plus costs less than the Pre but it has some good specs including a 600MHz CPU, a GPS, EV-DO Rev. A and 8 gigs of flash storage. It has WiFi, unlike the Sprint version, and it offers the same great cloud syncing to Exchange, Facebook and Google as the Pre. |
Jan. 2010 |
|
| Palm Pre Plus The Pre comes to Verizon as the "Plus" version with 16 gigs of storage vs. the Sprint version's 8 gigs. Otherwise, they're largely the same. The Pre Plus has a 3.1" capacitive touch screen, super-fun user interface and iPod masquerading feature for iTunes syncing. The Pre is features EVDO Rev. A for fast data, a GPS, 3 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, email with MS Exchange support, VZ Navigator, a YouTube player, Google Maps and more. |
Jan. 2010 |
|
USB Modems and Mobile Hotspots 3G/4G
Feature and Fashion Phones
| LG Octane No, the feature phone isn't dead yet, especially the QWERTY messaging kind. And the LG Octane follows in the footsteps of the long-lived and successful LG enV line of horizontal QWERTY flips phones that look like micro laptops when open. This Verizon phone features a larger outer dial pad and an LCD plus an internal QVGA display and full QWERTY keyboard. The specs are in line with the enV Touch (minus touch screen) and the phone has 3G, a 3.2 megapixel camera, V Cast Video, a GPS with VZ Navigator and Bluetooth with A2DP stereo. If you're not into the smartphone thing and want a solid and attractive messaging phone with that familiar Verizon feature phone user interface, the Octane is worth a look. |
Dec. 2010 |
 |
| Microsoft Kin One and Kin Two Here are two phones you wouldn't believe came out of Microsoft's shop. With hardware made by Sharp (the folks who brought you the Sidekick), the KIN One and Two are playful and fun touchscreen QWERTY phones that target the youth market with heavy social networking. Their user interfaces are full of eye candy and work well with touch, yet they aren't like any other phone on the market. Both phones run the same software and share the same core features that include a fast Tegra CPU, plenty of storage, a slider QWERTY keyboard, an integrated Zune player that's similar to the Zune HD, EV-DO Rev. A 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and high resolution cameras. These are QWERTY sliders and the larger KIN Two has more storage and an 8 megapixel camera vs. the KIN One's 5 megapixel shooter. They're sold by Verizon in the US. |
May 2010 |
 |
| Samsung Reality Verizon's latest touch screen phone by Samsung features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Reality is a mid-priced multimedia 3G phone with Verizon's full suite of V Cast video and music apps as well as GPS Navigation. The phone has a 3", 240 x 400 pixel display and it runs Samsung's latest TouchWiz software with widgets. Other goodies include a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, YouTube player, web browser and a 3.5mm stereo headset jack. |
May 2010 |
|
| LG Chocolate Touch Though it lacks the coolness and innovative design of the LG Chocolate BL-40, Verizon's new Chocolate does have a full 240 x 400 pixel touch screen and a distinctive design. Like all LG Chocolate phones on Verizon, the Chocolate Touch specializes in music, and to that end it features Dolby Mobile, a 3.5mm stereo jack, an FM radio, a gig of internal storage and Bluetooth A2DP stereo. Other amenities included EV-DO, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a GPS. |
Nov. 2009 |
|
| Samsung Rogue Verizon's added the Samsung Rogue to their already large selection of touchscreen phones. The Rogue is one of their best thanks to a gorgeous 3.1" AMOLED display, a good slide-out keyboard and Samsung's TouchWiz UI with widgets. The phone has EV-DO for fast data, a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, plenty of storage and a responsive touch screen. Well worth a look if you're into touchscreens and texting. |
Oct. 2009 |
|
| Verizon Escapade Being a Verizon or Sprint customer ain't always easy when it comes to world travel. While much of the rest of the globe uses GSM, these two carriers use CDMA which makes it harder to say "can you hear me now?" in Beijing or Barcelona. If you're a globetrotter but don't need a pricey smartphone, there's hope in the Escapade, a basic voice phone that works on Verizon's network in the US and GSM networks abroad. The Escapade is a flip phone with a 2 megapixel camera and GPS. |
Sept. 2009 |
|
| Nokia Twist Trust us, you haven't seen a phone that looks like the Nokia Twist 7705. Verizon likes to take chances with new fashion phone designs-- remember the Samsung Juke? Well, the Nokia is a lot easier to use and does quite a bit more thanks to the 2.4" QVGA display, EV-DO for 3G fast data, GPS, V Cast multimedia services and a 3 megapixel camera. And here's the twist: swivel the display to reveal a roomy QWERTY keyboard. Who says fashion doesn't equal function? |
Sept. 2009 |
|
| LG enV Touch Want a large, high resolution touch screen phone but also crave a keyboard? Verizon's LG enV Touch aims to please with an external 3" touch screen and an inner 3" non-touch screen display. Both feature an impressive 800 x 480 pixel resolution and the EnV Touch opens up clamshell-style to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and a d-pad. The EnV Touch is offered exclusively by Verizon and it features a full HTML web browser, Flash support, Bluetooth with A2DP and a 3.2 megapixel camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach autofocus lens. |
June 2009 |
|
| Samsung Trance Verizon's latest music phone features fresh audio technology from Bang and Olufsen in the form of their ICEpower amp. The Trance is a slider phone that's available in red and in black and it's affordable at $49 with contract. The phone lacks EVDO, so data-heads will likely take a pass, but for those interested in mobile tunes the phone has very good sound, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, A2DP Bluetooth stereo, a gig of storage and a music player that supports most popular formats. The Trance has a 1.3MP camera and a GPS that works with VZ Navigator. |
May 2009 |
|
| LG Versa The Versa VX9600 is a unique phone that combines two popular designs: naked it's a slate design touch screen phone like the LG Dare and iPhone. When clad in the included removable rigid leather cover it's a texting phone with a hardware QWERTY keyboard. The Versa features a 240 x 480, 3" resistive touch screen display with haptic feedback and an accelerometer, EVDO Rev. A, a capable HTML web browser, a 2 megapixel autofocus camera, Flash support and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. An innovative and cool phone from Verizon and LG. |
March 2009 |
|
| Motorola Krave ZN4 Verizon's compact touch screen phone has a few neat tricks up its sleeve: the touch screen works through the clear flip lid and it has haptic feedback and an accelerometer. Smaller than touch screen phones like the LG Voyager, the Moto feels good in the hand and pocket. It's packed with features including mobile TV, EVDO, V Cast services and a GPS. There's an SDHC microSD card slot, 3.5mm stereo jack and a 2 megapixel camera to round out multimedia features. |
Jan. 2009 |
|
| Samsung Sway Love the LG Shine but want to stay with Verizon? The Samsung Sway has the Shine's silvery good looks and slim build, making it one fashionable phone. The Sway SCH-U650 is a slider phone with a 2 megapixel camera, music player with Rhapsody support, SDHC microSD card slot and stereo Bluetooth. It has 1x for data, but no EVDO or streaming V Cast multimedia. |
Oct. 2008 |
|
| Verizon Blitz A phone that stands out, the Blitz reminds us of a shortie soda can. It's nearly square until you slide down the very ergonomic QWERTY thumb keyboard. The Blitz is a messaging phone with a few other tricks up its sleeve: GPS with VZ Navigator, microSD card slot and a music player. The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera and 1x for data. A multimedia maven it's not, but it's an affordable phone for those who just want to talk and text. |
Oct. 2008 |
|
| LG Chocolate 3 Yet another release of the phone that tastes great and is less filling. The Chocolate 3 is LG and Verizon's 3rd confection-inspired phone, and it's the best so far. Gone are the touch controls and slider-- this time we've got America's beloved flip phone design, but with a few improvements. There's a very large outer display and control wheel that allow you to do many tasks without opening the flip. The phone has EVDO with V Cast support, a GPS that works with VZ Navigator, stereo Bluetooth A2DP and a 2 megapixel camera. |
August 2008 |
|
| LG Dare Verizon's latest touch screen phone is a winner. No, it's not a smartphone and it's not an iPhone clone, but it is a capable feature phone with one of the better touch screens on the market. The Dare has a 3" touch screen, V Cast backed by EVDO Rev. A for fast data, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus lens, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, and GPS with VZ Navigator support. The music player can download tunes from Verizon's portal, now populated with DRM-free Rhapsody content in MP3 format and it can play music in the background. |
July 2008 |
|
| Motorola W755 What a bargain! Moto flip phone fans who are also fond of Verizon Wireless can get the attractive, sturdy and surprisingly well-endowed Moto for $20 with a 2 year contract. The W755 is a normal phone that doesn't tread in LG Dare territory, but it is an affordable alternative to the Moto RAZR V9m. This Moto weighs only 3.6 ounces and it has EVDO with V Cast support, a music player with touch controls on the flip, GPS with VZ Navigator, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera. |
July 2008 |
|
BlackBerry (RIM)
| BlackBerry Bold 9930 It's been quite some time since RIM introduced a new BlackBerry smartphone. Now we've got three new touchscreen 'Berries launching together. In this review we look at Verizon Wireless' version of the Bold 9900, that goes under the 9930 heading to indicate it's the CDMA version of the latest Bold. This is definitely RIM's best BlackBerry yet, with a perfect keyboard, capacitive touch screen, 1.2GHz CPU and plenty of RAM. The Bold 9930 has a 5 megapixel camera that can shoot 720p video, a much improved web browser and a more social BBM. |
Aug. 2011 |
 |
| BlackBerry Torch 9850 RIM's all new full touchscreen phone runs BlackBerry OS 7 on the same 1.2GHz CPU as the Bold 9930 and Torch 9810. It has a 3.7", 800 x 480 capacitive multi-touch display that's very sharp and bright. There's no hardware keyboard here, but the virtual one is pretty decent, and the phone is fast. It has a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS. It's a world phone with a GSM SIM card slot. |
Aug. 2011 |
 |
| BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 Thanks to Verizon's bargain pricing, the latest Curve is the most affordable BlackBerry smartphone at introduction. That's not to say it's cheesy, in fact the design and materials are the best yet on the entry level Curve line. The Curve 3G is upgradable to BlackBerry OS 6, and that's its most exciting feature. Unfortunately, it still ships with OS 5, but we're hoping the upgrade will be out soon. In fact, we upgraded our phone with a pre-release versionof OS 6 for the Curve 3G and we liked what we saw. our review includes a video review of the Curve 3G running OS 6 and a video with OS 5. The Curve has 3G EV-DO Rev. A, a 2 megapixel camera, QVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and RIM's usual excellent QWERTY keyboard. |
Sept. 2010 |
|
| BlackBerry Bold 9650 The Bold 9650 replaces the BlackBerry Tour as Sprint and Verizon's high end non-touch screen model with world roaming. The Bold closely resembles its GSM sibling the Bold 9700 and it's quite compact. It has EV-DO 3G for fast data, GSM roaming capabilities, a 480 x 360 display, an optical trackpad rather than a trackball, GPS and WiFi too. We take a look at the Sprint version for this review. |
June 2010 |
|
| BlackBerry Curve 8530 The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is the CDMA counterpart to the GSM BlackBerry Curve 8520 we reviewed a few months back. The Curve 8530 is available on both Verizon and Sprint, and we look at the Verizon version in our review. The BlackBerry 8530 is the new entry level Curve with a rugged body, RIM's new optical trackpad that replaces the trackball and multimedia controls up top. It runs OS 5 and has WiFi, Bluetooth with a full set of profiles, 3G EV-DO Rev. 0, an SDHC microSD card slot and a 3.5mm stereo jack. Other features include a QVGA display, the new VZ Navigator version 5 and V Cast support. |
Feb. 2010 |
|
| BlackBerry Storm2 RIM's second generation touch screen BlackBerry is a go. The Storm2 does most things better than the first gen Storm thanks to a redesigned SurePress capacitive touch screen (yes, it still moves for better or worse), a new OS and more memory. The Storm2 is fast, stable and easy to use, though QWERTY addicts will likely do better with a traditional BlackBerry. The Storm2 is exclusive to Verizon in the US and it has EV-DO Rev. A, world GSM roaming, WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS. |
Oct. 2009 |
|
| BlackBerry Tour The BlackBerry Tour is RIM's new flagship CDMA phone for Sprint and Verizon Wireless. If you crossed the BlackBerry Bold with the Curve 8900, you'd have the Tour which has the 8900's fluid lines and the Bold's touch of class and larger presence. The BlackBerry Tour 9630 has a 480 x 360 pixel display, a 528MHz CPU, EVDO Rev. A for fast wireless data and a SIM card slot for GSM world roaming outside the US. Other high end features include a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, Bluetooth with A2DP, and a very capable media player. Alas, there's no WiFi. We take a look at both the Sprint and Verizon models in this review. |
Sept. 2009 |
|
| BlackBerry Storm After months of hype and teasing, the first touch screen BlackBerry smartphone is finally here. Exclusive to Verizon, the Storm features a unique moving touch screen that clicks when you press down to provide tactile feedback when typing, clicking web links, selecting icons and more. The Storm is a CDMA phone with EVDO rev. A for fast data and it has a GSM SIM card slot for overseas travel. The BlackBerry features a wonderful 480 x 360 display, an accelerometer, GPS with VZ Navigator, Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo support and a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera. |
Nov. 2008 |
|
| BlackBerry Curve 8330 The CDMA version of the Curve is finally here for both Sprint and Verizon. We cover both versions in this review, but there's no hardware difference other than color. The only differentiator is the software each carrier adds. The Curve 8330 has a built-in GPS, 2 megapixel camera with flash (improved over the GSM Curve) and it can shoot video too. The Sprint version has BlackBerry Maps and Sprint TV (Sprint Navigation is there too), while the Verizon version has VZ Navigator but no V Cast or BlackBerry Maps. Both feature that lovable BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard and excellent push email plus a music player with stereo Bluetooth A2DP support and a video player for locally stored clips. |
May 2008 |
|
| BlackBerry 8830 Now Verizon Wireless customers can take their love affair with push email overseas. The BlackBerry 8830 works on Verizon's CDMA network in the US and in Europe and Asia on GSM networks for both voice and data. Just add Verizon's Global service, insert their SIM and hit the runway. The 8830 looks, feels and sounds much like its GSM-only near twin, the BlackBerry 8800. It has a large landscape color display, full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0 and a MicroSD card slot. Like recent hip BBs, the 8830 even has a music and video player, though no camera, so it's corporate-safe. |
May 2007 |
|
| BlackBerry Pearl Want BlackBerry push email but hate the looks and bulk? Well, RIM now offers one of the smallest and sexiest phones on the market: the Pearl 8100. This phone aims to compete feature-wise with MS Smartphone, Palm and Nokia offerings as it brings multimedia to the BlackBerry platform. And it competes with the sleekest of fashion phones in the looks department. The Pearl does email alright, but it also has a 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, video player and more. |
Oct. 2006 |
|
| BlackBerry 7130e Those of you who like the BlackBerry 7100 series more phone-like design will be happy to hear it's now available with 3G speeds on Sprint's EVDO network. The 7130e has RIM's usual excellent push email, Bluetooth, tethering support over USB, a bright color display and the SureType thumb keyboard which combines two letters on a key. |
July 2006 |
|
Windows Mobile Professional - Pocket
PC Phone Edition Models
| LG Fathom If you're a long time fan of Windows Mobile and are the kind of person who turns off TouchFLO 3D on HTC phones to get back to that classic WinMo experience, the Fathom is your kind of phone. We're not sure how many of you are out there, but we know there are a vocal few. The Fathom features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and the same 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU that powers some of our favorite high end smartphones. The Fathom has a high res 800 x 480 touchscreen, 3G EV-DO Rev. A for Verizon and world GSM roaming capabilities too. Is it sexy? Nope, but it is speedy and stable. |
May 2010 |
|
| Samsung Omnia II The sequel to the Omnia i910 on Verizon Wireless is finally here. The Omnia II features Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional with Samsung's TouchWiz 2.0 UI to spiff things up. The phone has a 3.7" AMOLED touch screen that's vivid and eye-catching, though it's not capacitive like the iPhone and Android phones. It has 8 gigs of storage, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus lens, WiFi, EV-DO Rev. A and Bluetooth with A2DP stereo. This is our first look review with a 12 minute video review. |
Dec. 2009 |
|
| HTC Imagio Verizon's got a blockbuster Windows Mobile 6.5 touchscreen phone in the HTC Imagio. The phone features a 3.6" display with HTC's TouchFLO 3D UI, a slim and sexy design and Mobile TV. That's broadcast TV over the air, not streaming video, and it works well. The Imagio also has V Cast Video and Music, a capable non-streaming media player, YouTube, WiFi, Bluetooth, EV-DO Rev. A and a GPS. If that's not enough to keep you entertained, it has a 5 megapixel camera too. We like. This review includes a video review. |
Oct. 2009 |
|
| HTC Touch Pro2 Starting this summer, the HTC Touch Pro2 began making its way around the world. Now three US carriers offer it, Verizon being the latest. This flagship Windows Mobile Pro touch screen phone gives Verizon's smartphone lineup a much needed shot in the arm, and we find it hard not to love the Touch Pro2, no matter how many times it visits our office. It features a roomy sliding keyboard and tilting 800 x 480 display, GPS, WiFi, TouchFLO 3D and GSM world roaming for travels outside the US. |
Sept. 2009 |
|
| Samsung Omnia (Verizon) One of our favorite Windows Mobile touch screen phones has finally made it to the US! We reviewed the import GSM Omnia i900 back in August 2008, and our two biggest complaints were the high price tag and lack of 3G. Verizon has taken care of both problems, and their version of the Omnia i910 retains just about everything we liked in the original version while adding EVDO Rev. A high speed data and a subsidized price. The Omnia features a 240 x 400 pixel touch screen with haptic feedback and an accelerometer, a fast CPU, 8 gigs of storage and a very good 5 megapixel autofocus camera. Top that off with WiFi, Bluetooth and a GPS and you've got one heck of a smartphone. |
Jan. 2009 |
|
| HTC Touch Pro for Verizon Third time's a charm? We've reviewed the Sprint Touch Pro, AT&T's version as the HTC Fuze and now Verizon's in the game with their own Touch Pro. Like the others, the Verizon Touch Pro features a VGA flush touch screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and many high end trimmings: GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a good 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus lens. It's certainly the slickest Windows Mobile device Verizon has offered, though it's missing some of the multimedia applications found on its cross-carrier competitors. |
Dec. 2008 |
|
| Verizon XV6900 Verizon's version of the HTC Touch is small, sumptuous and one of the least geeky looking PDA phones on the market. It's nearly identical to the Sprint Touch, varying only in color and software customizations. The 4 ounce XV6900 features a large QVGA touch screen with HTC's finger-friendly TouchFLO UI and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. This Pocket PC phone has a 400MHz processor, 128 megs of RAM, 256 megs of flash memory and a 2 megapixel camera. It's got EVDO for fast data but no WiFi. If you don't need a hardware keyboard, it's definitely worth a look. |
April 2008 |
|
| HTC Mogul (PPC-6800) Here's Sprint and Verizon's replacement for the once-beloved but now aged PPC-6700. This Windows Mobile Professional 6 (Pocket PC) phone has a lot to offer: strong performance from its 400MHz Qualcomm MSM7500 CPU, a whopping 256 megs of flash memory and EVDO Rev. 0 with a free software upgrade to EVDO Rev. A promised later this year. The Mogul has WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash. It has a microSD card slot and comes with a 512 meg card. |
June 2007 |
|
| Palm Treo 700wxThough Verizon had an eight month exclusive on the first Windows Mobile Treo, Sprint makes it worth the wait by doubling memory (much needed) and including both DUN and push email support out of the box. Verizon picked up this upgraded version as well after's Sprint's cue. The Treo 700wx runs Windows Mobile 5.1 on a 312MHz processor with 64 megs of RAM and 60 megs of available flash ROM. It has Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera and EVDO (Sprint's Power Vision) for fast data. Well worth a serious look if you've been hankering for a Windows Mobile Treo. |
Sept. 2006 |
|
| Verizon XV6700 A most capable yet compact Pocket PC phone with roomy thumb keyboard that slides out from the side. It's branded by UT Starcom and is actually made by ODM HTC (device codename Apache). The XV6700 is a close cousin to the Sprint PPC-6700, but is clad in matte black with contrasting silver accents. The device runs Windows Mobile 5.0 on a 416 MHz Intel XScale processor with 64 megs of RAM and 128 megs of flash ROM. It has EVDO for 3G data speeds along with WiFi and Bluetooth. |
Jan. 2006 |
|
| Palm Treo 700w Palm's first Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone is a winner in terms of one-handedness, usability and ergonomics. It's offered by Verizon in the US and features a fast EVDO connection for data. It has a 312 MHz XScale processor, integrated thumb keyboard, 1.3MP camera and a 240 x 240 pixel color display. |
Jan. 2006 |
|
Palm
OS Smartphone Models
| Treo 755p The Palm OS Treo gets a makeover. Sporting the Treo 680 and Treo 750's new design, the smaller, curvier Treo 755p is a welcome update to the Treo 700p. The improvements are more than skin deep with stronger Bluetooth, improved voice quality and better pictures from the 1.3 megapixel camera. The Treo 755p runs Palm OS 5 (Garnet) and is a CDMA phone with EVDO for Sprint. It has a 320 x 320 pixel display, Bluetooth 1.2. MiniSD card slot and a higher capacity battery than the Treo 680 and 750. |
May 2006 |
|
| Palm Treo 700p This update to the super-popular Treo 650 is currently available from Sprint and Verizon in the US. It has an integrated QWERTY thumb keyboard, 320 x 320 display, EVDO for high speed data, 60 megs of available memory and a responsive 312MHz Intel XScale processor. It's got a 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth and the usual great Treo usability. |
July 2006 |
|
Windows Mobile Standard - Microsoft
Smartphone Models
(these
are not Pocket PCs and don't have touch screens)
| Motorola Q9c The Moto Q9m is reborn on Verizon as the Motorola Q9c. The Q9c leaves out access to the Verizon music store, but adds a GPS that works with VZ Navigator. The Moto is a CDMA phone with EVDO rev. 0 for fast data and it runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition. Other than the GPS, the Q9c is similar to the model it replaces: it has an excellent QWERTY keyboard, a MiniSD card slot, a 312MHz processor and a 1.3 megapixel camera. |
July 2008 |
|
| Verizon SMT5800 Verizon is the first US carrier to get HTC's candy bar side-slider Windows Mobile 6 smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard. The SMT5800 is the CDMA cousin to the GSM HTC S710 and HTC S730, and it shares their good looks and quality build. The smartphone has EVDO rev.0 for fast data, a sharp QVGA display that works in both portrait and landscape modes and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard plus front number pad. Though not thin, the SMT5800 is both very compact and light-- worlds smaller than the Samsung i760 and XV6800 on Verizon. |
Jan. 2008 |
|
| Motorola Q9m The follow-up to the Motorola Q is a great improvement. We love the excellent build quality, good looks, stereo speakers and fantastic QWERTY thumb keyboard. Like the original, the Q9m runs on a 312MHz Intel XScale processor with 64 megs of RAM and 128 megs of flash memory and it sports the same ho-hum 1.3 megapixel camera. Why the Q9m didn't get the additional compliment of flash memory and better camera that its GSM sibling, the Q9h has, we don't know. The Motorola Q music 9m is a slim Windows Mobile 6 smartphone offered by Verizon with EVDO Rev. 0 for data. |
Sept. 2007 |
|
| Motorola Q The brainy RAZR we've all been waiting for is finally here! The Q in no way resembles Motorola's past smartphones (and that's a good thing). It sports fresh RAZR-esque looks, fast and reliable technology inside and a vivid landscape display. This smartphone is available on Verizon's network in the US and it offers EVDO for 3G data speeds, good voice quality, Bluetooth and a QWERTY keyboard. Its 312MHz Intel XScale processor keeps it humming along nicely and it has a miniSD slot to save the 1.3MP camera's photos as well as any data you wish. |
June 2006 |
|
Advertisement
|
