Motorola Announces Two Droid Phones Claiming Shatterproof Screens

Motorola launched two Droid smartphones Tuesday with the bold claim that the screens are shatterproof due to a five-layer shield. The company is offering a four-year guarantee for the display and embedded lens. Scratches aren’t covered, according to the fine print, and the phone is “not shockproof or designed to withstand all damage from dropping,” it said. The Moto ShatterShield has a rigid aluminum core said to provide “structural integrity” and durability, and it’s topped with an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) flexible display that allows the screen to flex during a drop rather than break, Motorola said. The dual touch-layer redundancy provides a backup touch layer if a drop causes the first touch layer not to function, it said. An interior lens provides a clear protective shield that won’t crack or shatter, Motorola said, and an exterior lens has a hard coat finish to protect the lens against normal wear and tear. Droid Turbo 2 has Motorola’s highest-resolution camera, a 21-megapixel sensor with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, the company said. The Turbo 2 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, has expandable microSD storage up to 2 TB and comes with new material options including soft grip, ballistic nylon or pebbled leather. Customers who buy by Dec. 31 can refresh their design once within two years for free, Motorola said. The Droid 2 Maxx is said to deliver 48 hours on a single charge and has a 15-minute turbo power charge mode that supplies power for up to eight hours' use, the company said. The camera has 21-megapixel resolution and storage is up to 128 GB via microSD card, Motorola said. Price for Droid Turbo 2: $26 per month for 24 months ($624 retail price) or $30 per month for 24 months ($720 list) with design refresh, the company said. Price for Droid Maxx 2: $16 per month for 24 months ($384 list).