You may recall that the Motorola Droid MAXX smartphone began to receive the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system earlier this year. Then a number of Droid MAXX owners mentioned issues with compatibility, and the update release was pulled. Finally, Motorola and Google have worked out the bugs and kinks in this capable new operating system boost, and the Motorola Droid MAXX 4G smartphone running on Verizon now boasts KitKat 4.4.2. And as a side effect, the best battery performance in the business just got better.
Out-of-the-box after a full charge, the Motorola Droid MAXX handset delivers a staggering 48.0 hours of all-around use. That is four times the industry average of 12.0 hours, and includes not just talking on the phone, but surfing the web, downloading and using applications, games and music, watching video clips and movies, and anything else that you would want to do on an Android smartphone. And the Android system just got smarter with KitKat 4.4.2, which incredibly enough actually delivers better power usage to the Droid MAXX handset which already boasts the best battery performance of any mobile phone.
You can also expect support for color emojis with this new software upgrade, which delivers improvements in camera operability and overall picture clarity. And if you happen to be switching from the iPhone to a Droid MAXX 4G, Motorola has added cloud support for iOS migration to Android. The iCloud support for Motorola products means that if you own an iPhone and would like to switch to Android, the Motorola Moto G, Moto X, Droid MAXX, Droid Mini and Droid Ultra phones will now make carrying over your contacts and calendar events to the new Android handset a snap.
Security has also been beefed up with this Android 4.4.2 operating system update, and a new touch to focus feature graces the 10.0 megapixel main camera on the phone. You can now simply drag your finger around the viewfinder to adjust focus and exposure, and noise reduction, especially in low-light situations, has been added as well. The much-anticipated Immersive Interface now allows Motorola Droid MAXX users full-screen album and movie art when streaming media, and the ability to immediately play, pause or jump to certain songs or movie chapters effortlessly.
You can also now hide your status bar, bringing it back up with a simple swipe to the screen edge. Aside from outstanding battery performance and the latest Android operating system, a large 5.0 inch True HD display is present, as well as 2.0 GB of RAM memory and a speedy 1.7 GHz processor. A generous 32 GB of internal memory is on board, packed into a design which offers a skinny 8.5 mm (0.33 inch) profile. Gorilla Glass display protection and a DuPont Kevlar fiber back plate also make the Droid MAXX a rugged handset.
February 18, 2014 at 11:36 am
I’ve owned the MAXX for 6 months now. Best phone on the planet IMHO. However, I got Kitkat 4.4 when it was released and my battery life has WORSENED considerably. At end of day I used to be 50-60% remaining…now it’s 20-30%. Still way better than anything else on the market and I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone. However, it would have been nice to see an improvement in battery life, not a degradation.
This article mentions kitkat 4.2.2….yet I’m on Verizon and only see 4.2 on my phone…perhaps there’s a newer release coming soon? The network is saying there are no new updates. If another update is likely, any sense on when we might see that?
February 18, 2014 at 11:38 am
***clarification….the article says 4.4.2 (not 4.2.2 typo)***
February 18, 2014 at 3:26 pm
I’m in the same situation as Tim, an answer would be appreciated if you have one!
February 18, 2014 at 4:55 pm
My Maxx says it is on 4.4… Is this another upgrade? If so, when should we see it start being pushed out?
February 18, 2014 at 9:19 pm
Verizon is running Kit-Kat 4.4.
February 18, 2014 at 9:41 pm
I have had the same issue with both of my Droid Maxx’s. We were easily getting 2 days on a single charge before KitKat upgrade. Now, I’m barely getting a full day. As a matter of fact, I’m going on thirteen hours now and down to 29%. I also think it lost some of its responsiveness. Hopefully 4.2.2 fixes all the issues. I know its still better than the majority of the phones , but its not acting anything like what the reviews are saying its supposed to do.
February 19, 2014 at 1:32 am
I am wondering where the info is coming from in regards to the Maxx having 4.4.2? Myself nor anyone else I know has received this update yet. All Maxx XT1080m devices are running or should be running 4.4 right now. You may want to check your sources again.
February 19, 2014 at 8:40 am
@Tom Nixon
Agreed 100% and have noticed the same battery life issue as well as other random glitches since the 4.2 update. Hope to see 4.2.2 come through soon although I can’t seem to find any other information on projected release date.
Still a great phone but it’s always a little frustrating to experience a downgraded experience from a software ‘update’.
February 21, 2014 at 1:54 am
Well, against my better judgment I went ahead and installed, before I read this response from Tim. I indeed have kitkat 4.4. However, it is not 4.4.2, it just says 4.4. I actually had to send my first droid maxx to verizon and they sent me another one because kitkat broke my phone. I really hope I didn’t make a mistake and update with the same broken update.
February 24, 2014 at 1:40 pm
When is this release supposed to happen? Would be nice to finally get the battery issue figured out….
March 7, 2014 at 8:41 am
I ment 4.4 and 4.4.2 as well, my mistake on the typo
March 15, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Blake, I wish you did your homework before writing this article. The Maxx never got 4.4.2, it is still at 4.4 and it is working horribly. In fact, I’ve read that the Maxx may not even get 4.4.2. How true that is I don’t know and I don’t care. The Maxx is completely useless. Battery life is horrible now after kitkat. Bluetooth is sporadic. Microphone on the handset is so low I get complaints that no on can hear me. It has gotten slower and sluggish. It’s unresponsive. And that’s just a few things.
This review would be too long if I posted everything I’ve suffered since the corruptdate. I’m on the phone with verizon to get another, my fourth Maxx (the first was returned because of battery life, the second was returned because of the kitkat corruptdate, and now this phone, I updated because of this guys bloated, misleading review on a phantom 4.4.2 update that does not exist) will be returned and another sent to me which I will NOT update to kitkat at all. Even if they fix it. I don’t want to keep sending my phones back and getting new ones.
Android is not as user friendly as apple, allowing you to put everything back how you had it, including apps, like apple. One thing I hated about android. This author even boasts 48 hour phone charge. That would be nice if it were true.
I think the author got a kick down from Motorola or verizon or both to lean heavily in their favor about the Maxx, but the truth is, the Maxx sucks and I will probably go back to crApple or I might get a samsung or some other device. But I will stay clear of Motorola from now on. Just wish I hadn’t bought this paperweight to begin with.