As expected, Motorola and Verizon have unveiled their new line-up of DROID phones for the big red carrier in the United States – the Droid Mini, Ultra and the Maxx. The Droid Mini is the direct successor to last year’s RAZR M, and is a “compact without compromise” smartphone with a 4.3-inch 720p OLED screen. 

The DROID Mini uses a new X8 processor from Motorola, which consists of eight dedicated cores for different purposes. This includes a dual-core application processor, 4-core graphics, and a processor each for contextual computing and natural language. Motorola says that a dedicated processor for each task should help improve performance and efficiency, thus providing better battery life. There is also 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of on-board storage along with the usual bunch of connectivity features and a barrage of sensors.

Design wise, there is not much to distinguish between this year’s Mini and last year’s RAZR M.  The typical Kevlar back is also present. However, Motorola has drastically changed its software experience, offering a near stock Android like UI with some very unique features like touch less control, active display and Droid Zap. There is also a 10MP sensor at the back with an F/2.4 aperture, aided by an LED flash.

The Mini will come for $99 on a two-year contract with Verizon. The handset is already up for pre-order, and will hit the retail stores from August 20th.

Image Credit – Engadget