Motorola, an Illinois-based telecommunication company, and Verizon, a New York City-based global broadband and telecommunication provider, have refreshed the DROID 2 as the DROID 2 Global. This new DROID is pretty similar to its predecessor, but with a few crucial changes.

First and foremost, as the name implies, the Motorola DROID 2 Global is a global mobile phone with a GSM frequency to complement the CDMA frequency. Secondly, The DROID 2 uses the Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP 3630 CPU at 1.2GHz clock-speed, as opposed to the DROID 2’s TI 3620 CPU at 1GHz clock-speed. Other features remain similar, such as the 5MP built-in camera with dual LED flash and a 3.7-inch 480×854 screen-display. In addition, to the Sapphire (blue) version there is also a white Motorola DROID 2 Global, which is something the Motorola DROID 2 does not offer.

Under the hood the new CPU makes a bit of a difference in performance benchmarks. However, we can not say we felt a difference in daily usage. The DROID 2 Global scored around 100 points better on the Quadrant Standard’s benchmark test, generally achieving results in the mid-1500s which is remarkable. Maybe, one reason we could not tell a noticeable difference in usability is that the Motorola DROID 2 is extremely snappy to begin with, and there comes a point where extra speed just is not felt.

One side effect of this faster CPU is a decrease in battery-life. Despite a slightly more potent battery, the Motorola DROID 2 Global is rated for an hour and a half less talk time than the DROID 2. Moreover, it will give you 8.3 hours that should be more than enough to get even heavy users through a full-day use. Call performance on the DROID 2 Global was similar to the Motorola DROID 2, and callers could not tell a difference between the two mobile phones on back-to-back mobile phone calls.

On the outside you would be hard pressed to tell the DROID 2 and the DROID 2 Global apart. The design is looks so similar, with the only difference being that the Global sports a slight hump on its camera. The in-hand feel is similar as well. The Motorola DROID 2 Global is a very hefty handset with a glass screen and solid slide mechanism. Slide the keyboard open and the difference is more obvious: the keys are laid out in the same manner. However, there is a well-defined space between both of them. The feel is better too, with the keys of the DROID 2 Global having a bit more clickiness to them. The DROID keyboards have never been our favorite, but with each improvement, they get better and the DROID 2 Global has the best keyboard of the three.

Finally, yet importantly, to get all the global capabilities, you need to spend more $50 within your pocket. Even with the slower CPU the Motorola DROID 2 is still one of the fastest mobile phones on the market and all but the heaviest power users will not notice the difference. This is not a knock on the DROID 2 Global, but with better battery life and a similar user experience the Motorola DROID 2 is still probably the better buy.

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