New images of what is supposedly the Motorola DROID 5 have appeared on Weibo, indicating that Google's smartphone subsidiary has no plans to abandon the phone-based hardware keyboard. At first glance, the device appears to be more streamlined and thinner than the fourth-generation predecessor that launched back in February 2012… if the images are real, that is.
According to the pics, the QWERTY keyboard slider retains the laser cut five-rows of keys but drops the four built-in capacitive buttons found on the previous DROID phones. The device also supposedly introduces wireless charging (Qi standard), NFC connectivity and a reported "shockproof" water / dust resistant design. The screen appears to be around 4.3 inches to 4.5 inches.
Whether these are real or not is a different story. For instance, one image shows the supposed DROID 5 with the camera app loaded -- it's the same interface used in the camera app on my Motorola DROID RAZR HD. However, the DROID 5 buttons on the interface are listed in the right order, but are upside down. The same goes for the camera buttons along the bottom of the screen -- they're in the right order (somewhat), but placed upside down.
The three Android Back/Home/Recent Apps buttons located at the bottom of the screen have obviously been moved off the device and into the screen. The actual symbols match those provided on the DROID ULTRA phones, whereas my Motorola DROID RAZR HD features the typical three Jelly Bean 4.1.2 buttons. In fact, if you look closely at the overall shape of the supposed DROID 5, the device looks somewhat similar to the new ULTRA phones. Naturally, the difference is that a slide-out keyboard is mounted on the back.
As for the actual hardware, the specs are unknown at this point. Based on the new DROID Ultra phones and the spiffy Moto X, the unannounced fifth-generation DROID will likely have at least a dual-core SoC packed with a quad-core GPU, a 10MP camera, the latest Android "Jelly Bean" build (4.2.2 or 4.3, depending on when the device ships), and other Motorola-specific bells and whistles.
The leak arrives just as Motorola's new Moto X lands on Verizon Wireless. The company's Twitter account confirmed the launch on Monday, stating that the device will be offered this week via online and then in its Big Red retail locations in the coming weeks. The phone will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract.
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