Motorola 'Droid X' to Challenge iPhone 4's Retina Display? [Updated]

121607 droid x teaser

Verizon Wireless has posted a teaser for Motorola's forthcoming "Droid X" smartphone. Notably, the teaser claims that the device will feature a 4.3-inch display with a "720P Screen". The claim would appear to suggest that the Droid X's display might carry a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

One of Apple's claimed breakthrough features for iPhone 4 is its "Retina display" running at 960 x 640 pixels at 326 pixels-per-inch, offering improved viewing by making individual pixels undistinguishable at typical viewing distances.

The Droid X's apparent larger pixel count coupled with its larger display size suggests that it could offer a nearly identical pixel size to Apple's iPhone 4, but with the ability to display more content on its larger surface area.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs claimed during iPhone 4's introduction last week that the device's Retina display would set the standard for smartphone displays for the next several years. Motorola appears to be moving quickly to counter Apple's technological leap, however, and while the full specs of the Droid X and its display aren't yet known, it at least attempts to meet or exceed one of iPhone 4's key marketing points.

Update: Engadget, which got its hands on the Droid X just a few days ago, has confirmed that the prototype it had access to carried only an 854 x 480 screen like the original Motorola Droid released last year. It remains to be seen whether the apparent claims on the Droid X teaser page are a mistake or marketing spin of some sort, or if there is a last-minute surprise coming from Motorola.

Update 2: Verizon has modified its Droid X teaser page, replacing the "720P Screen" text with "Captures 720p", indicating that the earlier version was an error.

162623 droid x teaser 2

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...

Top Rated Comments

spazzcat Avatar
199 months ago
720p on a 4" lol talk about marketing. And it seems a bit big...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HelveticaNeue Avatar
199 months ago
Engadget played with the Droid X prototype two days ago and said it was 854×480. They think Verizon is a little confused and mean 720p output over HDMI.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/17/the-droid-x-gets-real-on-verizon/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
montj2 Avatar
199 months ago
Nice...

...and bulky
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
badpinoy Avatar
199 months ago
why would you need a 720p screen? you can't tell the difference anything below 32 inches. its just like the all the hype with megapixels!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Axl Rose Avatar
199 months ago
Its 720p output over hdmi sadly :/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lord Vader Avatar
199 months ago
that thing is uuuuugly...

Ugly? I think you're too kind to it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)