Ramblin’ Fan Tech Review: Pros And Cons Of The Droid MAXX On Gameday

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Fans Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

A little over a month ago, we announced Ramblin’ Fan’s involvement in the Verizon Fan Voices program, where we would be testing out a Droid MAXX and giving our honest review to our viewers. Now, with a fairly decent amount of hours logged on the phone, we feel ready to give a more comprehensive review of the Pros and Cons of the device, through the eyes of a sports fanatic. Obviously, this is not a “gadgets” blog, nor are we electronics “experts.” So, bear with us as we drudge our way through…

Pro: Battery Life

Anyone who goes tailgating or regularly attends some “Sunday” gathering of football fanatics understands the genuine fear of seeing your battery dip “into the red.” That means having to leave your phone inside the car to charge or leaving your favorite seat on the couch to hover near an outlet on the wall. The Droid MAXX can make it through any event, including using Twitter, getting live updates on other games, and even streaming NFL RedZone, if you have enough service. Even the most demanding user would have trouble killing this battery in the span of a football game, and that includes pre-gaming and the drive home.

Con: Screen Resolution 

While the Droid MAXX does sport one of the biggest, “comfortable” screens we’ve ever seen, it does lack in the resolution department. For the most part, pumping out 720p-caliber video is not that noticeable, especially with extremely quick buffering times. However, attempting to watch NFL RedZone, especially when they switch to double- and triple-screenshots, can sometimes get a little grainy.

Pro: One-Handed Camera Controls

For Gameday professionals, it is very rare that you will have both hands free at any given moment. If you’re like me, you keep one hand free and clean, strictly for phone usage, and use the other hand for everything else: carrying bags, holding your hotdog or frosty beverage, eating chips or nachos, etc. Instead of having to drop what you are carrying or attempting to find something to wipe your hands off on, the Droid MAXX allows you to control all aspects of the camera with one hand. To activate, simply twist your wrist two times. Once the camera is up, you can zoom, change setting, and take the photo using just one finger. No more greasy prints on your phone!

Con: Twitter App

If you follow @RambinFan or @nkearns12, you know that Twitter is an essential part of our Gameday experience on Sunday. However, the “official” Twitter App in the Android Store pales in comparison to their “identical” app in the Apple Store. Switching to apps like HootSuite and Carbon worked for a while, but it still didn’t run with the same ease and responsiveness of the app on the ol’ iPhone 5. Seeing “Exceeded Refresh Rate” is truly infuriating when you are trying to gauge fan reaction to a big play… or bad play.

Pro: Toughness

As a technology purist, I like to see my electronics in their most basic form: no case, no screen protector, no add-ons. Call me crazy, but I’ve owned some version of the iPhone since 2007, when the “original” touchscreen was introduced to the world, and I have never once cracked or scratched a screen. The Droid MAXX sports a beautiful teflon backside that is ease to grip and obviously not prone to scratching or smudges. The massive screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, and has yet to see a single scratch, despite being occasionally placed in my pocket with keys and being accidentally dropped on a number of occasions. That toughness could certainly come in handy on Gameday, when seeing your phone dropping in the parking lot or on the floor of the stadium is not an uncommon sight.