HTC Droid DNA Review: Once and Future King?

Conclusion

On paper, the HTC Droid DNA has some spectacular specs. The 1080P screen certainly is pretty, even if it doesn't improve that much on 1280 x 720, and the quad-core processor provides a huge amount of push no matter what you decide to do. I'm not wild about the ergonomics, but it's something that you can learn to live with, especially given the drawbacks inherent in any device with a 5+ inch screen. And it does have the notable advantage of coming in $100 below the flagship Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD, which is a pretty significant savings.

When it comes down to it though, the biggest weakness of the DNA is its memory configuration. For such a high-end device, particularly one which goes out of its way to show off its media capabilities, having only 11 GB of storage capacity and no possibility for expansion is pretty much an unforgivable sin. A decent music collection and a few large apps would leave the DNA with precious little available memory, and the cost of data makes cloud storage or media streaming a not so great alternative. Having so little memory makes it very hard to recommend the DNA to anyone really looking to harness the power of a very high-end device.

Pros:

• Large, high-quality screen
• Breathtakingly-fast processor
• Reasonable price point

Cons:

• Limited memory, and no expansion
• Slightly awkward ergonomics
• 1080P screen is overkill
• Puzzling lack of Office suite

Bottom Line:

The Droid DNA is a sexy and high-powered device, but is inexplicably hamstrung by its limited memory.