Verizon at a media event on July 23 will reveal the "next generation of one of their most popular family of devices.”
Update 7/23: Verizon is taking preorders for all of the devices, there was were no big surprises. The release date is August 20. We have all the devices and their specs in forthcoming articles.
There have been several leaks showing a Droid Ultra, MAXX and Mini. The DroidLanding Twitter account has shown no signs of a new baby Droid, as of this writing. However, it looks like the Droid line is keeping with the black and red styling along with the Kevlar protection of previous models. The new line may have added ruggedness and even water resistance.
The Droid Ultra is expected to have a 5" LCD screen and 6mm thin body. A limited edition version is shown to have a red textured racing stripe. Another leaked photo shows the Droid Ultra in a textured red. The latest Droid line will be the first for the Verizon Edge service where when you pay for half of the device, you turn it in and can upgrade without a contract.
Today the red version was reported to be a special for Verizon employees only for $100 with preorders starting July 23. Preorders for all Droid may also start on the July 23. Typically, Verizon announces a device on a Tuesday and then it goes on sale on that Thursday. However with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 it moved its release date a week earlier.
The Droid Ultra is expected to have a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, Kevlar backing and Droid branding. Color choices will be red, black or white. It was previously reported to be ultra thin. The Droid Ultra will be rugged enough to withstand drops, kicked on dance floor with Kevlar and Gorilla Glass. It will have an active listening mode, to open Spotify and play music.
There reportedly will be a Droid Ultra MAXX (XT1080M) and mini (XT1030) with the same software but different sizing and batteries. The Droid MAXX may have 48 hours of battery life and increased storage over the Droid Ultra.The 10MP camera will have an improved sensor for white balance and capture timing for all the new Droid models. The Droid mini will reportedly have a lower screen resolution and be 4.3"
Previous leaks suggested an August 8 release for the new Droid which is one week from Thursday of this week. This could mean that Verizon is returning to starting preorders a week before a smartphone goes on sale.
On the outside these models don't resemble the new Moto X, expected to announced next week, with customized options and gesture controls. Google has big plans for the Motorola Moto X phone, so much that it CEO is already using it. Ad spending is high, it's going be very talkative and launches are coming in late August.
Meanwhile, Google is expected announce Android 4.3 on Wednesday and the new Nexus 7.
The first Droid with a keyboard was released in the November of 2009, the Droid 2 came out August 2010 after the Droid X .
The Droid 3 was released in July 2011 followed by the LTE Droid Bionic in September 2011. The Droid RAZR was released in October 2011 and the Droid RAZR MAXX in early 2012.
The most recent Droid was the Droid DNA in late 2012 after the Droid RAZR M, in September, RAZR HD and Droid RAZR HD MAXX in October 2012.
As you can see Verizon has a pattern of Droid releases in the fall in time for the Holidays. Sometimes devices are launched in time for back to school. Who wants to bet the the Droid mini will special back-to-school offers?
We also suspect the new Droids will may have LTE Advanced(LTE-A) capabilities through its radio and or a software update.