While texters, email lovers and QWERTY-addicts await the Droid 4 coming from Verizon Wireless soon, they can 
rest assured that Verizon has been dropping its prices for 4G LTE smartphones.
Update 2/1/2012: Latest rumors suggest a $199.99 price and February 10, release date for the Droid 4. It also has made an appearance at the Droid Does website.
The original Droid RAZR that originally cost $299 when it was released, has been reduced to $199 (without the 16GB microSD card. Leaked documents suggest that when the Droid 4 is released, it will cost $199 with a contract. Verizon Wireless dropped the price of the original 32GB Black RAZR down to $249.99 this week.
Some thought that the Droid 4 would be priced at $249.99. However, AT&T has been aggressively pricing its 4G LTE smartphones and Verizon is trying to be competitive. The latest 4G LTE dual-core smartphone from AT&T, the Pantech Burst is $49.99 with a contract.
Here's what we have seen with price drops for 4G LTE smartphones. When the smartphone is released you will pay the highest price directly from Verizon Wireless , sometimes if you are lucky like with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus release, Amazon Wireless will offer a discount of $50-$100. The highest discount is always for new customers. Since most of our readers already have a contract, the new-contract price is usually not an option.
About a month or more after its release the online discounters start dropping prices. Amazon Wireless was reducing the price of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus slightly when it was launched. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was released on December 15, this week on January 26, the price was dropped to $99.99 for new customers and $259.99 for renewing customers on Amazon Wireless.
So you've waited a few years for a keyboarded Droid like the Droid 4, if you want to save $50 to $100 you could wait a month longer. On the other hand, if your data connection is already slow you may want to forgo saving money and buy it as soon as it comes out. You'll make up the price difference in money saved.
We combed through the Droid 4 user to manual to discover that like the well-reviewed Droid RAZR (named the top smartphone on the Verizon Wireless network and the number two smartphone in 2011), the Droid 4 does not have a removable battery. Therefore, if you are battery juice junky, you won't be able to add a greater capacity battery.
If you are waiting for the Droid 4, we published some tricks that will help you get ready for when it comes out. We even show how to reboot it without removing the battery.
The Droid 4 has a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM and a five-row QWERTY keyboard with a PC-like layout and edge-lit keys for fast, precise typing, even in the dark.
Droid 4 has an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and Mirror Mode that can display images and video on an HDTV.
Software features include government-grade encryption MotoCast for remote access to media, Smart Actions app and Webtop application for a multi-window environment with full Firefox browser on a larger screen.
Accessories compatible with Droid 4 include the 10.1-inch Lapdock, 100, 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro with built-in webcam and Ethernet connection, HD Dock, HD Station and vehicle navigation mount.
Droid 4 Specs
- Powered by Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich:
- 4.0-inch qHD display with scratch and scrape resistant glass.
- 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot supporting up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
- 16 GB on-board memory (actual formatted capacity is less); Support for up to 32 GB microSD card.
- Business Ready with government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) for email, calendar and contacts; preloaded with Citrix Receiver for Android (available in webtop) for desktop virtualization and access.