The Motorola DROID is a friend that I’ll never forget. Hailed as one of the best Android smartphones back in the day, and one that truly helped put Android on the mobile map. The last Motorola DROID slider was launched back in February of last year. The DROID 4, and today I found myself wondering if we’d ever see a DROID 5. If we did, would you buy it?

The Motorola DROID 4 was finally a smartphone with a hardware QWERTY keyboard that had top-tier specs. It’s crazy to think just last February it was the first Moto slider with both a dual-core processor and 4G LTE speeds, and it didn’t even have an HD display. Fast forward to 2013 and we have quad-core smartphones with 1080p displays and beyond. The slider is in need of a serious upgrade.

The DROID 4 was fatter than the 3 before it thanks to 4G LTE, a qHD display, bigger battery, and a 5-row LED backlit keyboard. It was a pretty impressive device, even though many don’t like keyboards. So today we found ourselves questioning if the Motorola DROID that started it all was finally dead. Is it time for the DROID QWERTY to RIP?

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With the way things are shaping up at Motorola now that Google is in charge, we don’t see a smartphone with a dedicated hardware keyboard ever coming out of that camp again. But if one did, would you buy it? Imagine a Motorola DROID 5 with a 4.5-inch (or bigger) 1080p HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM speeding along at 2.3 GHz, a 13 megapixel camera, and of course a QWERTY hardware keyboard sliding out from underneath.

The DROID 5 would probably be running nearly stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean too, so that would be a major plus. The Motorola DROID 4 was updated to Jelly Bean back in March, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean that is, and likely won’t see anything further aside from some incremental updates.

While Verizon is busy with the DROID RAZR and upcoming DROID ULTRA, Google has the rest of the team working on the Moto X. We know there’s still a few DROID keyboard lovers out there, and would love to hear your thoughts.

211 COMMENTS

  1. In a heartbeat. I adore the clickiness and haptic feedback of the physical keyboard on my Droid 4. I hate the thought of going over to a phone with only an onscreen keyboard. I wish someone would hear our pleas and release a Droid 5 slider or equivalent with the latest specs.

  2. as someone who came to android precisely because it had qwerty form factors, I would be thrilled for a droid 5.

    I use my phone for productivity, remote server maintenance, script and page updates, etc and the REAL hardware keyboard (as well as arrow keys) are darn near a necessity in situations when an extra space, or improper comma can crash a site and cost real money.

    A droid 5 with best in breed specs and some of that rumored moto-x magic would be a dream device.

    I do hope moto keeps the hdmi/usb ports with the same spacing so my couple of hundred bucks in webtop goodies still work. (and yes I know webtop is dead, but the tablet layout switch was very handy.)

    If Google / Moto doesn’t want to do a hardware qwerty, maybe a first party (not some no name junk) BT sliding keyboard case could fit the bill, best of both worlds, keyboard for accuracy, but able to be removed for a smaller device after hours.

  3. I hope they make a Droid 5. I love my D4. My qwerty has come in handy so much. I’d be thrilled with a 720p screen, hell almost anything is better than this screen. But screen aside, the D4 was, and still is, a fantastic and fully capable phone, even without quad core. It would be great to see this phone with modern specs. It would certainly fill a niche.

  4. I would definitely consider and probably buy a Droid 5 spec’d device like mentioned above. I started my android experience with a Droid 2 and upgraded to a Droid 4. It’s hard to get away from the qwerty keyboard as I text alot. My biggest gripes with the Droid 4 are: speed, screen screen and (resolution) and larger battery.

  5. have been a droid user since my first Droid 1. Now using Droid 4 with CM 10.1.2 using jellybean 4.2.2. I send a lot of text and also do email and documents and the keyboard is great. Please keep this as an option for us that want a tactile feel to our typing. Speed is good and battery life is fine if I charge it every night.

  6. I don’t know if it has a place, but if they did something like the LG Versa had back in the day, a removable “Case” that had a hardware keyboard built in for people that wanted it or needed it intermittently. The make these things for tablets, why not a phone?

  9. No doubt. I would buy it today. As some of my work is being a SysAdmin, ssh’ing into servers with my phone, a HW keyboard is a need. It’s a lot easier to type in passwords and IP addresses with a real keyboard. I really hope a Droid 5 comes out with the specs in this article!

  13. I’ve had two smartphones with a hardware keyboard: The DROID 1, and a Verizon XV6700 (an old Windows Mobile 5 phone years before Android became popular). In both cases I thought the hardware keyboard was a great thing, and in both cases I rarely ever used it.

    On phones with screen sizes larger than 4.5 inches, I find the software keyboard to be perfectly adequate. I wouldn’t be opposed to buying a phone with a hardware keyboard if the phone itself was “the latest and greatest thing”. But a hardware keyboard itself wouldn’t make me want to buy a phone. Use that extra space for a bigger battery or something.

  14. Absolutely! On screen keyboards get in the way, are inefficient, are tough to use with big fingers, and don’t have the full tactile experience (vibrating does not count). My one ask is better shortcut key functionality. I went from a Droid 2 to a Droid 4 and was sad some of the shortcuts were removed. I would also like the menu (i.e. right click) button and another shift button, but no caps lock button. Still trying to figure out how often that button gets used on any platform.

    Join my “I love phones with full Qwerty keyboards” community on facebook. I would love for it to tip and go viral.

  15. Still loving my Photon Q – didn’t get the “Droid” brand name but really last of the breed.

    If a Droid 5 ever came out I would absolutely get one.

  16. For me personally the QWERTY is a must-have feature. I still use it a lot on my Xperia Mini Pro. My only concern with Droid 5 is that it probably won’t come to sale in my country. Currently there are no options for a adequate phone with QWERTY keyboard available here.

  17. I loved the QWERTY keyboard9 the n900 and n97. I never thought I could live with a phone that didn’t have one and it took me agreed to get used to not being able to feel the keys of the s2 but now I’ve had one a full touchscreen for three years, I’m not sure about a keyboard. I like the thin-ness of the s4 and I’ve got so used to gesture typing now it’s more than made up for the lack of keyboard.

    However, if you produced a top end smart phone with a keyboard, I’d be tempted

  18. Take my money already! Take it! Take it! And if it tilts ingeniously like the E7, I’d have a few spares in the freezer like Steve Gibson.

  22. When I upgraded phones last year I debated between a Motorola Razr and the Droid 4. I ended up picking the Droid 4, based solely on the physical keyboard. Virtual keys are often too small and difficult to type accurately with. Swype is a really cool technology, but there even some words it can’t figure out, leave you to type them on the tiny virtual keys.

    I guess I really don’t need a physical keyboard, but rather appropriately sized keys somewhere for accurate typing.

    • What I like best about the slide-out physical keyboard is you keep the entire screen real estate. It doesn’t matter much for texts or tweets, but for email or longer form writing (I write articles on my phone) keeping that screen real estate is extremely helpful.

  24. OMFG YES!!! I have been waiting for so many months!!! My droid 4 is in tatters, but I refuse to replace it with anything but a qwerty.

  25. In a heartbeat. Give me a decent resolution (1080 might be nice, but 720 would be fine), a removable battery, a non-pentile or similar BS display, LTE, and microSD support and I will throw money at you. I’ve been limping along with my Droid 2 for far too long now…

    Hell, I’d even go with a slider with the mediocre X Phone specs as long as the aforementioned conditions hold true.

  28. Absolutely!! As long as it had top of the line specs and at least a 720 hd screen, I would pay the ETC and buy one enthusiastically. A removeable battery would be good or a huge (3300mah or so) non removable would work and a great camera. Count me in!

  32. If they had a MAXX version, I definitely would be interested. I still prefer the physical keyboards over the touch screens.

  33. I’d buy a DROID 5 in a heartbeat. If there was, it would almost make me stay with Verizon. I’d pay full price to keep my unlimited data plan if it had 1080p display (please be 4.7″), 4G LTE, and onscreen soft keys. Give me a Snapdragon 800 while you’re at it. If I had a slider phone with premium specs and a great keyboard, I would practically die from happiness.

  35. DEFINITELY!!! would it be too much to ask for a QWERTY slider phone with specs of Note II? I would buy that in a heartbeat

  37. Definitely!! I’m still using a Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro – imported from Hong Kong as no one in the UK was selling it. I simply hate not having a physical keyboard. I’ve tried going to touch screen only, but find it just slows me down and I miss touch typing.

    I’m waiting and hoping for a high spec Android QWERTY slider, with a large screen. My SE Xperia is slow, but usable! Hope the QWERTY slider format isn’t dead, just hibernating 🙂

  38. I have had the D1, D3 and I am currently using the D4. No Doubt I would buy a D5. I love the physical keyboard. Come on MOTO! D5!!

  39. Yes please. I prefer physical keyboards. I have tried to get used to the touch screen for years but I have come to the conclusion that I just don’t like them. I want the Droid 5.

  40. Yessir, my droid 4 is on it’s last legs…wish someone would hurry up and make a new qwerty slider… pretty easy takings for some manufacturer out there if they make it even half decent.

  41. I have owned a Droid 1, 2, and now 4. I hate typing on touch screen keyboards. Please give us a Droid 5 with a slide-out keyboard!

  43. I love my Droid4, I do IT work and I do a ton of configuration and remote support from my phone. A virtual keyboard does not quit hack it when it comes to typing in IP addresses, commands, etc.

  44. the question baffled me for a minute cause I used to be adamant whenever I bought a smartphone “my next will have QWERTY” only to see nothing with decent specs when it was time to buy (In Australia) but now i dont care.. the reason is not virtual keyboards but because the sheer inefficiency and annoyance of using a touchscreen for it has completely changed my texting habits (and emails sent from the phone rather than my computer) Im super succinct on SMS and write longer emails from a computer. if a handset had a keyboard that was also great for controlling games and had close to flagship phone specs then id deffo consider QWERTY

  45. Semi-proud owner of a Droid 3– terrible camera TERRIBLE. Did not upgrade to a Droid 4, special characters not indicated on the hardware keys (Womp, Womp, Wooomp) sadness. Still a smaller screen.

    But yes, if a premium Droid 5 were to be released and it had both the same keyboard as the D3 and a great rear facing camera (along with other premium specs– because it is a ‘premium’ phone). In a heartbeat, I would pay whatever it cost.

  46. Yes II have had droid 1,2, and 4 and I love my keyboard hate only seeing half a screen when I’m online and I’m online all the time sooo when is my droid 5 coming out??

  47. The physical keyboard is a such a functional tool. You will always be able to type faster when there’s a physical keyboard in front of you, and it’s limitlessly beneficial to have a fully-visisble screen that’s unobstructed by a touch keyboard. And really, my fingers are too fat and clumsy for touch keyboards, even though I try to use them. My first Android was a Droid 1, and I loved it. My second and current is the Droid 4. My problem is that Moto botched the software badly on the D4. Gingerbread was perfect, but it was filled with bloatware. Then came the ICS update which introduced weird glitches–if you typed too fast, the phone would suddenly pop up. Then came Jelly Bean which wrecked this phone. Not only did it NOT fix the ICS glitch, but it introduced new major problems. One is an auto-correct software bug. Typing in a web browser is almost impossible. If you make a spelling mistake, auto-correct goes haywire and starts creating new words inside of misspelled words, and pressing backspace to fix it only recreates the problem again. It’s a nightmare. And now, for whatever reason, the shift key only works 1/3 of the time, making it all but impossible to write professional, coherent messages. The fact that this bug has lived on for so long without a patch tells me that Motorola will not be building a D5. They have clearly abandoned the qwerty fan base entirely, or else they would have fixed this phone when the soak test members reported widespread problems. However, if there was a D5, I’d buy it even with crappy specs if the software wasn’t buggy. I love the keyboard. Let me see if I can give you an example of what the auto-correct bug does before I leave. The following sentence contains typos I tried to fix. Look what the D4 does to it. Someetimes I mistype things, and when ii do, D4 adds in eextras letterrs wherees they don’t belonng, and if you try to deletehappens (if you try to delete, words get smashed together).

    • I couldn’t have written this better myself….I started with a Droid3. I took that phone on my deployment to Afghanistan, dropped it in puddles, had it during firefights with the taliban, it was basically used for media purposes over there..I got back to the states and cracked the screen in a humvee accident. Verizon asked me if I would be interested in a free phone if i volunteered for their 4G LTE program….I did… and I refuse to upgrade until a Motorola with keyboard hardware is released….

    • I’ve experienced much of what you describe here. I feel your pain. (you can read my post above).
      However there is some good news, BM. You will likely see significant improvement with software & app upgrades or by resetting your device. My Droid 4 now only has a fraction of the issues you describe above.
      Also ( if you aren’t already ) you can advocate for full support of you device. When the appropriate companies hear ardent users repeatedly advocate for repairs they tend to respond. In other words you could be part of the solution.

  48. I cannot imagine life without it. It’s the only way for me to be efficient. Screen typing was a huge failure for me as far back as I can remember. Having been a Blackberry user I thought I’d love their first tap screen and never could get the hang of it. I use my email for business purposes and need the speed that comes from a hard keyboard.

  49. I have owned the Droid 1, 2, 3, and 4. When my Droid 3 died I went to Verizon. The guy looked at my account and said, “I will get you a Droid 4”. I thought it was funny he did not even have to ask which phone I wanted next. So… yeah, sign me up for a Droid 5, 6, and 7 please!

  50. As long as Samsung keeps updating the Stratosphere line, then that’s what I want. I don’t like Motorola’s unremovable battery policy. For now, I’m perfectly happy with the Stratosphere II, which is really the first phone I’ve thought had arrived for my needs

      • It has the Snapdragon S4, which is a bit faster and more battery efficient (mostly for LTE) than the Droid’s CPU. It also has NFC, and it’s about 20% lighter. The only advantages of the Droid 4 are that the keyboard is a little nicer, a slightly higher res screen, and it has micro HDMI vs. MHL.

        Since it’s starting to appear like Motorola is going to drop the Droid line altogether, QWERTY lovers will be left with Samsung updating the Strat, Pantech, or LG.

  51. Have a Strat that I do not like. Am upgrade available in August and was looking to move to Droid. Am hoping a 5 comes out with new tech. Was a Moto fan for years and would love to move back. Please Moto there are enough of us out there that want a quality smartphone with a keyboard.

  52. I love my droid 3 and about time to upgrade…. but putting it off in hopes that a new phone with a keyboard will be released. I absolutely love having the keyboard and would hate to have a phone w/o it. Motorola has been a solid phone and would hate to change companies to get something similar.

  53. It was my understanding that the Droid 4 was a Razor with a key board. So why not a Moto X with a key board? I have owned and used the original Droid and a Droid 4 and both have served me well. Motorola has been making radios for decades and my phone will complete calls in areas that other phones on the same network cannot complete. So can Motorola make a Moto X with a keyboard? Sure they can. The question is will they?

    • I tried explaining the radio quality in Moto phones to a Samsung S4 owner. He didn’t get it. I have Verizon and most of my friends do. On the fringes of receptions the Moto owners can still use their phones, while the Samsungs have no signal. Last time was when we went camping. My friends Galaxy Nexus couldn’t hold a signal, my DROID 4 did (albeit not a strong one). I set up a wifi hotspot so the other’s in the group (especially the att people) could use their phones 😀

  54. I have been eligible to upgrade for awhile but have been waiting for a new droid with a physical keyboard. I would buy a droid 5 in a heartbeat if they came out with one!

  55. How shall I put this… …YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the f*#! do you think I’m waiting for?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  57. I had the first gen droid n liked it last upgrade I got was to htc thunderbolt n let me tell u I miss my keybord sure I have a bigger screen but it’s cut down to half overtime I’m typing n I hate typing sideways so yes bring back the keyboard

  58. I refuse to have a phone without a physical keyboard. Being in real estate, I’m constantly texting and emailing. I need to be able to communicate quickly and accurately, as though on a laptop. I’ve had an EnV, Droid 1, and Droid 4, and need to upgrade soon–but to what? It’s disheartening to see Motorola not making a Droid 5.

    • You could do what I’m considering. A Samsung S4 with a bluetooth QWERTY slider case. It’s gotten pretty good reviews, but I can’t stand Samsung and the S4 is just not enough of a jump up to justify me spending full price on it (to keep my grandfathered unlimited data), but for you it might be an option worth looking into.

  59. would prefer a candybar QWERTY android with top specs, but any QWERTY android would be welcomed. still soldering with a 2nd hand htc chacha, with 2 additional devices [nokia 808, galaxy tab] to fill in the feature gaps

    • I agree. I’m on a Droid Pro (candybar qwerty) and was holding out for a Droid Pro 2, but I’ll take slide-out qwerty over touchscreen-only any day.

  61. I would buy one in a heartbeat – and I would pay full price to stay with my unlimited data. I don’t understand how full touchscreen phones have gained such popularity. One aspect you missed on your article was you can use the QWERTY keyboard *OR* the onscreen keyboard; you’re not stuck with using physical all the time. In my opinion the biggest drawback to full touchscreen phones is when using a touchscreen the keyboard takes a full 2/3’s of your screen! With the slider open I can see see the full screen AND type more accurately. It’s like people forgot what they are missing by using touchscreen phones for so long. Plus you have the accuracy of a real keyboard. The DROID 4 was, and unfortunately continues to be the Holy Grail of QWERTY phones. I’d even move to Samsung (which I HATE) if they came out with a good QWERTY. I am currently considering buying a S4 (again – I *HATE* Samsung’s plastic garbage and their skin on Android) with a Bluetooth slider keyboard case that has gotten good reviews. Still, the “upgrade” to an S4 wouldn’t be enough to move me away from my Droid 4. The screen is could be better, and by today’s standards it could be faster, but it’s still respectfully fast considering most people get junk phones.
    If a DROID 5 is released I’d be the first one in line to plop down $700+ cash for it the day it came out.

  62. My wife and I have always had a physical keyboard, right now we are on the Droid 4. I am hoping that they come out with a Droid 5 and will be very disappointed if they do not.

  65. Yeah, I’ve had the Droid 1 and currently have the Droid 4. I found this article because I was searching to see if there’s a Droid 5.

  66. In a heartbeat. I’ve owned the Droid 2, 3, and 4. When my 3 broke, I had to switch to a pure touch screen phone for a few months and hated it. I’ve been eligible for an upgrade for 6 months and am still waiting for the Droid 5. Make it happen.

  67. YES!!!! I’d even pay full price. My Droid 2 finally died after waiting for months for a Droid 5 release, so I bought a used Droid 4 off of ebay because I HATE typing on a touch screen. I write lots of emails and texts and even remote into our servers using my Droid 2/4, and I can’t do any of this effectively without my keyboard (especially when you lose half of your screen to a touchscreen keyboard). And this sentiment isn’t just mine. Everyone I talk to would prefer a physical keyboard, but has lost hope of ever getting another one. Think of the market share they could take from blackberry and from samsung if they would release a sturdy, high-end phone with good battery life and a physical keyboard.

  68. Yes please !!! Proud owner of a droid 4 and droid 2 , before that I’ve had a blackberry tour and lg voyager . I MUST have a physical kb.

  69. HELL YES! I’m still sitting on my post contract Droid 2.. waiting for a droid 5 or something better than a “stratosphere II” – the droid 4 is not on the Kiosk anymore 🙁

    I’d carry a 5lb brick phone if it meant I could have a qwerty slider with competitive specs and good battery life!!! and I’d pay full price!

  70. YES!!! YES!!! I sadly lost my Droid 3 at a restaurant and then when I went to verizon to replace it they didnt have any and they gave me a Droid RZR. Ive had the RZR for almost a year and I STILL HATE that it is a touchscreen only phone. I typo both in english and spanish so my autocorrect is always changing it incorrectly. Im always touching the wrong keys, and the swype option does not help so it takes me at least 2 or 3 minutes to type a sentence because I have to keep going back and correcting words. I used to type super fast with the qwerty. move up and down tabs too. I have been waiting for a Droid 5 because I didn’t want to pay for the Droid 4 if a new one would come out in a few months. I keep searching rumor pages, or verizon, or motorola for a Droid 5 mention but I have found nothing. I have started to look at other brands but I really would like to stay with Motorola. Maybe Moto X can have a sister qwerty option. 🙂 that would be so awesome and I would be first in line!

  71. H… YES! I still have my Droid 2 (post contract). I would LOVE to get a Droid 4 – but the non-replaceable battery is a killer for me. I’ve already killed one battery completely, and I carry a spare battery with me because I often the new one in my Droid 2 dies by 2-3 PM (I use it a lot and not where I can recharge it). A keyboard and user-replaceable battery are a MUST for me. But unfortunately, it looks like that’s also going the way of the keyboard. Guess I’ll have to invest in one of the portable chargers.

  72. Regrettably: No
    Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my Droid 4 with physical keyboard. The keyboard is the reason I bought this model. Unfortunately the greater Android developing community does not support this / my hardware.
    The problem with Android is that there’s so many versions. That makes it difficult for developers to support unusual hardware configurations. Droid / Physical Keyboard is now regrettably considered quite rare. It’s therefore rarely supported. I don’t know of a single app that works perfectly with my keyboard.
    I spent more than half 2013 dogging Evernote to fully support my physical keyboard device.
    The problem isn’t the keyboard of course ( IMO it is superior hardware ), it’s the installed user base and software support which is sorely lacking.

  73. Was just talking with somebody looking at getting their first smartphone. She’s younger (early 20s) so it’s not like it’d be hard to learn or something like that, but she’s been using phones with slide-out physical keyboards for years and she wants a smartphone with a physical keyboard instead of an on-screen one. The only thing that came to mind was the Droid 4, however it could definitely use a “facelift” so-to-speak. If there was a Droid 5, she’d probably go buy it right now.

  74. I started using smartphones with the Droid 1. The keys were too small and flat and I went to Droid X and X2, both of which were not very good. When the D4 came out, I bought it on release day. I *love* the phone. True the screen could be better and have a better battery, overall it is an excellent device. Then the Jelly Bean update screwed up the keyboard. Even so, it is something that I am willing to out up with, until they come out with another physical qwerty phone. I would pay full price for a Droid 5.

  75. While I like the new smartphones out there, the DROID sliders have always felt durable with a nice weight and have been relatively reliable. I started with the DROID 1 and currently have a DROID 3 and still love it! Even though it may be slower specs than what’s out there now, I find it gets such good reception where the iPhones and my husbands Bionic may suffer. I have also found that I type faster with fewer errors on my physical keyboard than I do the virtual. I have a DROID M for work and any sort of lengthy text, let alone emails, I switch to my personal, trusty D3. I for one am waiting, HOPING, beyond hope, for a DROID 5. I actually ordered my DROID 3 the day it became available on Verizon’s website. While I am not shackled by my keyboard, and I must admit that I’m tempted by the Galaxy S4, if given the choice, I will choose the Moto DROID Sliders every time. Give me a DROID 5 with the specs of a Galaxy S4 = HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY 🙂

  76. Sold in a heartbeat. Droid 5 all the way! I type 50-60wpm on a physical keyboard – accuracy and speed suffer significantly on a touchscreen keyboard and I need to keep a keyboard for the large amount of business work and texting that I do. I currently own a Droid 3 and Droid 4.

  77. Absolutely would buy it… I have to do a lot of email and messaging and the virtual keyboards take up too much screen real estate… it doesn’t make sense to me to have this great screen and only be able to use a sliver of it when typing… Please Moto… If you are listening… Droid 5 with quad core full HD 4.5 13Mg camera… Just do it!

  78. Definitely. Droid 3 was the first QWERTY and first Droid variant I ever owned (refurb exchange from a defective Galaxy S Fascinate – free of charge!). While disappointed that the bootloader was never unlocked, it didn’t stop me from getting alot of mileage out of through custom ROMs. I would definitely bite hard on a D5 for sure – would even ditch Boost (I switched to save cash) on a official statement. I passed on the D4 because of the built in battery…that goes bad, you’re pretty much out of luck on recovery. Let’s just hope Moto isn’t as restrictive now as they are in the past.

  79. I preorderd the Tmobile g1 and since then have had a Tmobile G2, HTC Evo Shift, and currently a Motorola Photon Q.

    I will either have a reasonably sized physical qwerty or a dumb phone. Blackberrys don’t count. I want to spend the money for the fastest processor and best hardware but the manufacturers apparently see no business case for it and that breaks my heart

  80. would absolutely buy it. i write longer emails and notes on my phone — I need that keyboard. i currently use a droid 4, but it’s slow, and i need the 5.

  81. I’m waiting to upgrade until after Christmas. If the Droid 5 is out (or announced) by then i’ll own one (or wait), but if not.. i’m gonna have to find some terrible phone without a qwerty keyboard. My wife has the iPhone5 and i haaaate it. I want to like virtual keyboards, but I suck at them, or they just suck period.

    From what I’ve read the D4 had really good sales numbers, so it seems hard to believe that they wouldn’t want to try for a D5. Then again, Google owns them now, so who knows.

  82. I would totally buy a droid 5. I still have the droid 4 and can’t decide which phone to upgrade to…or if I even want to. I write a lot of emails and text messages and I’ve already felt that the qwerty keyboard was the best for that. Now if the droid 5 also had an awesome camera and front cam, I’d buy that and probably cradle it at night like a baby. please verizon, come out with an awesome droid 5!

  84. QWERTY is the only thing that is keeping my company and I loyal to the Motorola Droid VZW brand please build a very cool Droid V. That might even be its shape.

  86. I came to Verizon for the D1. If the hardware keyboard dies with the D4, I’ll go back to T-maybe where I can at least use my old Sidekick again.

  89. I would definitely buy the Droid 5 with a QWERTY keyboard! Sure hope they come up with one, or I’ll have to switch to something else. Which would kill me because I LOVE my Droid! I’ve been waiting for Verizon to get the Motorola version of the Droid 5 to update my Droid 4! Guess I’ll be keeping my Droid 4 until it dies if version 5 doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard!!

  90. I would, without a doubt, buy the Droid 5, where it to actually come out. The hardware qwerty should never go away, and the other capabilities of the droid (including mini-hdmi) were massive boons to the smartphone community.

  91. I am patiently awaiting the DROID 5 with a Physical Keyboard. Sadly, I have big finger, greasy prints and I like to type without looking. So bring it on!

    • This. A good physical keyboard can be used without even looking at it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve texted while driving without taking my eyes off the road…still not safe, but much much safer.

  92. Please!!!! I need the Droid 5!!!!! Too many reasons to list! The physical keyboard is the reason it’s so great! With the keyboard slid out, I never drop my phone!! I can write long messages without feeling like I’m misspelling everything. Grammar is better with a physical keyboard! It’s just awesome!! #droid5 #motorola

  93. Would totally buy it. If not I may end up going to Samsung and the case that allows for a bluetooth keyboard. LOVE the keyboard, use it all the time.

  94. My Droid Pro is starting to feel pretty old, and I’m ready to upgrade. But I’m holding out for the next round of keyboard phones for Verizon, because both the Droid 4 and Stratosphere 2 have lackluster reviews. If they stop making Android phones with keyboards, I’m willing to try BlackBerry; the Q10 looks nice.

  95. I’ve had the Droid 4 since the first day it came out. I wouldn’t trade my Slide out Keyboard for anything. I can type almost twice as fast on the physical qwerty keyboard than the virtual one, even if I use Swype. I feel slow as a grandma when I’m forced to use the virtual keyboard.

    I dread the day when my Droid 4 breaks and I cannot find a replacement. It makes me sad to think that an Apple/Google merger is more likely to happen than the release of the Droid 5.

    Motorola! Please keep the physical keyboard slider alive!

  96. I don’t like smartphones without keyboards. I think it’s annoying and stupid to be limited to typing on the damn screen all the tome. I’ll continue to enjoy my Droid 4. I really think it’s a waste of money to bother upgrading when the phone dose everything I need and then some. sorry, I don’t buy into the industry brainwashing that I need a new phone every year or two. Beside, it’s all going to be useless anyway when the Sun causes an EMP one day.

  97. If they can make it slim enough and resist the urge to give it a screen as large as my first laptop (e.g. The Galaxy 4 is too big to put in a pocket) anyone who uses their phone for a lot of email, on-the-go spreadsheets or reports (I wrote a 5 page project proposal on my Droid X2 on the DC metro–not going to pull out my laptop during rush hour).

    I cannot wait to get rid of my iPhone 5. Only bought it because it fits in my pocket. iOS is so limited.

  98. I would gladly pay in whatever alternative currency they demanded, including but not limited to: A limb, part of my soul, my first born child, my left nut, a ritualistic sacrifice of any sort, and any tangible object I own that they may desire. Droid 5.

  103. yes I would buy it!!!!!! I love the keyboard I had a Droid 2 Global and I loved it!!!!! I hate that every phone is touch screen now, plus with nails you cant even type and you have to use the pad of your fingers! the keyboard feature is truly a PLUS!! Motorola please come out with a Droid 5!!!!!

  104. I absolutely love my Droid 4 and would buy a Droid 5 in a second!! I know quite a few other people that feel the same way too!!!

  106. I am still rocking my Droid 2 until they make a Droid 5. I LOVE a PHYSCIAL keyboard and can type MUCH better on it than ANY onscreen keyboard out there.

  108. We need a Droid 5!! I had the original, currently have a Droid 3, and also having had several touch screen only phones through work, I have to have a physical keyboard! Way easier to type on! Are you listening Motorola?? WE WILL BUY IT!!!

  110. YES, YES, YES. Am desperately in search of an android phone with a qwerty keyboard that’s not too outdated. Was interested in Photon G, but not available as GSM; not interested in changing my carrier.

  112. I don’t understand why no-one will make a new qwerty slider mobile phone. It’s really about ergonomics and for some of us with fat bass playing fingers a real necessity. I hope Motorola really considers putting out a Droid 5. I may just have to hold out and for however long and when my Droid 3 becomes obsolete, cancel my contract. Besides, why should consumers be forced to type on screens and be constantly cleaning the screen because of streaks caused by greasy fingers when a screen is primarily made for viewing. It makes no sense to me. I will not get a Droid 4 because it is just not a good enough upgrade. That’s just my own 2 cents.

  113. The reason I bought a Droid in the first place is because I can’t stand typing on an on-screen keyboard. I am ridiculously horrible at it. It’s the same reason I absolutely refuse to buy an iPhone. I hope that Motorola considers putting out a Droid 5 with a QUERTY keyboard. I need to update my Droid 2!

  114. I have owned every generation of Moto Droid since the beginning. I have to have a REAL keyboard. I do a lot of email & spreadsheet processing from my phone for work and there is no way I can accomplish this with a touch keyboard or anything larger. Plus, I like the fact that I can turn my phone to Landscape, slide the keyboard, & still see a full screen while I type. I sure hope a Droid 5 comes out…if not, I will have to settle for another brand with a true keyboard. Hopefully not because most of them are pretty lame compared to my Droid.

  115. Abso-freaking-lutely, than again I believe answer to this article are self-selecting, I found it by desperately trying to find replacement for my aging Droid 4. I understand the reason why some people do not want hardware keyboards, but I also have my own reason why absolutely do want one, especially the one as fine as Droid 4 has with 0-9 buttons. And I, for one, do not mind an extra weight. So please, please, please with Cherry on top, make a darn handset with modern CPU and screen and a physical keyboard that aren’t Blackberry.

  118. Some of us have thumbs/fingers which don’t work and play well with touch screens. I’ve loved the keyboard ever since the Droid-1. Wish somebody would make a credible line of phones with the slider!

  120. My preference is a Motorola Droid phone but I will only use a a qwerty keyboard. I have to use my phone all day for business typing emails and texts real fast. I don’t want a touch keyboard. That is the only reason why I have never purchased an IPhone. In the future if my only choice is a touch keyboard I will just stay with my Motorola Droid 4.

  121. honestly ive been waiting for a droid 5. I have the droid3 and used to have the original, ive always thought that the odd number droids feel heavier, hold out, and work better than the even numbered. The droid 4 reviews were disappointing and if there was a droid 5 that was up to par with other phones then nothing would keep me away.

    I understand why everyone is moving away from qwrety phones specially sliders but for some of us with larger hands who tend to be rougher on our phones there is nothing better. touch screen phones get nics, cracks, or sometimes dont feel like working because of the moisture on your hands. when my droid(1) started glitching the touch screen was useless but the keyboard let me have some control over my phone. when a touch screen goes bad its horrible, theres ghostwriting and calls and sometimes theyre just unresponsive and getting them immediately fixed isnt always an option. so its good to have a reliable back up system.

    even if qwerty is going out of style why stop making them? when theres a niche, market who will buy your product out of loyalty, performance and because is cators to a semi-nostalgic desire for a physical keyboard and adaptability to any situation.

  122. I <3 my hard keyboard. I had an original Droid that I clung to until the Droid 4 came out.

    I work in consulting and frequently end up in a position where I need to send emails longer than a paragraph… which is just painful on the soft keyboard. My "kids" at work tell me I just need to embrace swype… but, really, I think they want to stop getting extensive emails from me 🙂

  123. I absolutely LOVE my DROID’s – am now on a DROID4 and praying they come out with the 5 by the time I need to upgrade. Absolutely cannot abide the touch screen keyboard, need the physical keyboard for accuracy and speed while attending to email during the day. Would probably switch to an IPhone if not for the physical QWERTY – YO! MOTOROLA! DID YOU HEAR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

  124. I am bi lingual and have always found using a physical keyboard is much superior when you are constantly switching between languages for special characters and avoiding the auto spell checker etc. I also love being able to see the whole screen in landscape when typing as I can refer back to what I am responding to etc. It is a superior form factor for me and I would always buy it over a touch only phone. There should at least be one good qwerty slider every year and I’d be happy for whatever manufacturer creates it as long as it is Android.

  125. YES TO THE QWERTY KEYBOARD
    I have always loved a physical keyboard. The DROID line has been a great series of smartphones. Each new phone has added something to the mix. I currently have the Droid 4 and I love it. It has never failed to perform , and the keyboard is the best yet. My ONE complaint is the battery. With my level of usage, the lack of a replaceable battery or an extended battery like the RAZR MAXX, sometimes leaves me a bit frustrated. The upgrades mentioned in the article above would be great, but if the Slider phone is going the way of the dinosaur, then send it out with a bang.Give to it the great treatment you gave to the RAZR when it was brought back to the fold. Great screen, HD, extended battery, global capability, and of course, the great keyboard that we have all come to love.

  126. I am hanging on to my Droid 2 even though it is way past its prime. I should have purchased a Droid 4 last year but am reluctant to renew my contract with a year old phone. So, I am monitoring eBay looking for a Droid 4 off contract. I have a Samsung Galaxy SIII on T-Mobile and I still prefer my Verizon Droid. I need a physical keyboard. I have fingernails which make a touch screen impossible and Swype only works if you can be precise with the tip of your finger. There are enough die hard keyboard users to at least warrant one top of the line Android product. Come on Motorola, why keep making me too phones when you could make one to set you apart…

  127. YESSSSSS!!!! I would certainly buy it. I’ve only used Qwerty Keyboard phones for over 6 years and I’m addicted! The hard keyboard is so superior to touch only, and i txt a ton so i cant see myself going back. I have the droid 4 now, actually bought it on opening day (which for those/us geeks that followed that was a pain in the butt because they kept moving the date back) but i wasn’t going to budge, my heart was set. I think it would be nice if they started making more phones with a QWERTY optional upgrade availible. but i plan on keeping this droid 4 as long as i can until the next one comes out.

  130. New proc, more memory, better camera …Yes, but small non hd screen please and long battery life 🙂 (If I don’t need to type on it, I don’t need it big, battery life way more important)… but seems like I will have to buy 4 again….

  131. I would defenitely buy the droid 5!!! i would swear on it everyday. right now i have the blackberry torch 9800 (i had it for the past three years) but it started dying so it’s time to buy a new one. i thought about getting the droid 4, but i don’t want to work with verizon…and i thought about photon q but i don’t want to get stuck with sprint. but… if there would be a droid 5 i’ll take that with verizon, i’ll pay whayever needed, i’ll cross oceans, climb mountains and fly to wherever just for the droid 5!!! pls!!!

  133. I absolutely love the sliding QWERTY… the on-screen keyboards are servicable but so slow and clunky to me. I stuck with the Droid 4 for the following features: LTE, GSM, sliding QWERTY; I had no options after that, more or less. I would hate to see this product line/feature set retired. I’d be all over a Droid 5!

  134. I am always looking on here when a Droid 5 is coming out and everytime I upgrade I get the next Qwerty keyboard phone. I really hope that there is a Droid 5. I will defenitly buy it up and be ready to show it off to all of my family and friends

  135. I an my family combined own four Droid 4 phones. We swear by the keyboard. Even with lots of practice I have yet to see people type as effectively (when judged by accuracy and speed) with the screen based ones… and the on-screen keyboards take up WAAAYY too much precious screen space, no matter how small they try to make them. Every inch counts when you’re only swinging 4 or 5.

    If Motorola doesn’t make a replacement for the Droid 4 soon WITH A REAL KEYBOARD, they really have no business toting their new droid’s as being about serious productivity. The keyboard is what got many folks to chose Android over iPhones in the first place. Losing it altogether will cause most of the Droid 4 population to take serious looks elsewhere, after all they are robbing us of what made us loyal in the first place. Motorola now being combined with Google wouldn’t want to drive folks over (or back) to Apple… or Microsoft even. But if you deprive us of what we find most important… many will seriously look elsewhere… since we’ll have to settle for a compromise any way you slice it.

    Get it together Motorola. Remember your roots. Remember the blackberry crowd, rembmber that nothing beats the speed and accuracy of a real keyboard.

  136. I absolutely hate touchscreen-only phones. One major downfall for the D4 was the weak power on/off button and the fact that i couldn’t unlock the phone when it was on the charger. That happened with the original and the 2 replacements. At night, the backlit LED keyboard would just turn off…in a pitch-black room. When it took a dump, it was the power button and the whole touchscreen controller at once. Toilet bowl + Droid 4 = lose. It was in the water for about 1 second, tops and dried immediately by fan. The “non-removable” battery was lame. I had Cliq 1 and Cliq 2 sliding qwertys before the D4. I still want another one though, when faced with the options…….ALL TOUCHSCREEN. I might as well watch “magic mike”, start wearing “bury the bone” T-shirts and buy an iPhone!

  137. They will get all the crackberry-ians of yore, and the original droid crowd. Check out how many prosthetic keyboard possibilities there are out there, for iphone and android!!

  138. I dont have the delicate little fingers of a concert pianist…sorry! I have a body straight from middle earth. Short, squatty, big hands, feet and ears. In the immortal words of Trapper John, “forgive my build”. Yes, please Motorola. Make the damn the thing. Just make it better than the 2.

  139. Make it a QWERTY keyboard GLOBAL phone with all the mobile phone standards and with all the latest technology; I’m all in. Not even sure smartphones now-a-days carry out all mobile phones standards in the first place but it’s a really nice incentive when going away from trips and buying SIM cards there.

  141. Touchscreen keyboards are terrible. I’ll only buy a phone with a physical keyboard. Right now I have the Droid 4 but it’s getting a little dated. I’m hoping there will at least be news of a Droid 5 on the way come November (my next upgrade date). Otherwise I’m seriously considering switching to the Blackberry Q10.

  143. Absolutely I would get a hard keyboard. I am waiting on the Droid 5 actually….sad to read it might not come out. As a IT professional, I rely on my keyboard to type long emails on the go, and need to be able to have more screen space when typing than a soft keyboard allows.

  144. i’m desperately waiting, longing for a qwertz or qwerty hard keyboard- sending 90% of my businessemails via smartphone is impossible to be typed via touchscreen! Blackberry is simply technically not up2date to be a true alternative…
    i would definately buy the droid5 -meanwhile no matter at what price!

  147. As with others, I am longing for another side slider as my Galaxy Glide says goodbye. I really do not like the on-screen keybords.

  148. 1 – Answering the question, yes I would by one. Keep they physical keyboard. I wear gloves at work, and I use my phone all day. Having the physical keyboard is a must. Blackberry has been around for years and still has a physical keyboard. This is probably the #1 reason for their customer loyalty. I’ve owned the 8830, 8530, and 9930. i can say with great confidence it’s surely not because of their astonishingly well stocked App World! (that’s sarcasm people…)

    2 – Keep the design. McDonald’s does the cheeseburger the same way for DECADES. One of Google’s signature qualities is how simple it’s home page is, and they don’t have ANY plans on changing that. The iPhone is the furthest thing from being “pretty”, but, iPhone 1-5 all look the same. Consistency. The customer knows what they’re getting which breeds brand loyalty.

    3 – Even if it’s a HUGE 3000 mAh battery, allow us to remove it and put in another. We want our phones to do everything, but don’t consider just how much of a drain that is on the battery. Even with application resource monitoring and other power saving tools, being able to swap in a fully charged battery is GREAT! BTW….please don’t feed into the hysteria of those with misplaced worry about load time after a battery pull. Hmmmm… let’s see. Charge your phone for hours, or put in a new battery and wait less than 2 minutes for it to load? I just did a battery pull on my Blackberry 9930. Waited. Put the battery back in. Loaded the OS, welcome screen, connected to the network, connected to my wi-fi, connected to my bluetooth, all in less than 2 minutes. Embedded batteries ARE NOT the next fancy sexy feature. I don’t care what the paid critics say. Who want’s to pay $80 for a bulky extended battery pack when I can get an extra battery on Amazon for $6 with free shipping?!?!

    4 – “….bu-bu-but it’s going to be big!” …and the Samsung Galaxy is as small as a Cadillac! Next concern..

    5 – dual -vs- quad core. I remember the days when I thought my Samsung A900 was the SHYT! I had a flip phone and I could get on the web. Now we have phones that can basically run our house. ## cough, cough ##…thank you Nest. ## cough ## Even after we get the latest and greatest instant diabetic-named processor, OS 10x Marmalade Cane Sugar with Unicorn Sprinkles (if you just asked if unicorns are actually sweet, this is a clue that there’s something wrong with you!) we’ll always want more.

    6 – of course make it global

    There’s your winning formula – familiar design, physical slide-out keyboard, removable battery, better processor. Because of your Android OS, you already have access to all the apps and games. This is where Blackberry falls short. Your physical keyboard and nano-tech water resistance is where iPhone falls short. So, Motorola, since Google is not acquiring you, I think that a 1% dividend payout each quarter is fair enough compensation for my insight and brilliance that will make the Droid 5 the phone to have! 😀

  149. If this would be released in Mexico, I definitely buy it. It’s just the smartphone I’m looking for :'(

  150. My fingers are too old and uncoordinated to use touch screen typing or swipe. I’d definitely get one. I’ll keep my D4 til it dies or a new qwerty comes out.

  153. I really hope the Droid 5 rumor is true!!!! crossing my fingers super tight! i want to go back to a qwerty keyboard. after I lost my Droid 3 i was given a Droid razr with no keyboard and ive had that phone for almos a year and a half and I still hate it!!! been waiting for some sort of news from motorola and at least now there is a rumor. I really hope more info comes out soon.

  155. They should put out slider droid I won’t buy any thing else. Trying to type on a touch screen sucks donky kongs bannana!

  157. I still have my Droid 4 and love my keyboard!!! Hoping for the new Droid 5 may it please be soon. I’m waitinG for you 5. c’mon Motorola!

  160. Every time I pull out the slider on my Droid4 people around me are amazed and wonder what this phone is. I don’t get why so many news sites are writing articles saying “the qwerty keyboard is dead” – you guys have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s no way you can productively use terminal programs like ConnectBot with an onscreen keyboard. With a physical keyboard you can do everything a PC can do, without the bulk.

  162. I love hardware qwerty keyboard with slide opening, and this phone is qould be awesome, if it only could be sold in EU – best in Czech Republic or Slovakia, Germany or UK at least.

  163. If the galaxy note 3 and the Logitech DiNovo Mini had an illegitimate love child…..and it was named Droid 5..I would adopt that Droid 5 for up to $1000.

  164. Droid5 have no chance to equip a snapdragon800 since the Moto X don’t have one.A 720p display with MSM8960 would be much more possible.

  165. I would certainly buy an Android smartphone with a slider keyboard. My phone (SonyEricsson Xperia) is getting a bit old, but as long as the only devices available in Europe are models without a hardware keyboard, I will stick with it. The onscreen keyboard is excellent for writing a few words, e.g. search terms, but sometimes I want to write longer texts (messages, forum posts, mails, notes), and that would be a pain without a decent keyboard.

  166. HELL YES!! I love my Droid 4. The QWERTY slider is by far the best input device. Far fewer errors and you get to use the entire screen for visuals. I can’t stand using my kid’s iPods or other non-QWERTY phones

  167. I used to use all Nokia Communicators with QWERTY, last 4 years HTC Desire Z (with QWERTY), they just work. Now I have been using HTC One for 3 months, and I must say I miss my HTC Desire Z! Even it was an old phone, I was able to do more work with it than I can do with a state of art HTC One without keyboard. I read and WRITE a lot emails, doing that with touchscreen is just clumsy, that’s the fact. It is must slower and there comes typos, no matter how good you are in that.

    I wonder what is the trouble with providing such a unit in to the market place here in Europe? Here are millions of real business users, that would buy for 100% sure a good Android phone with QWERTY & LTE. I am sure, that the time comes. If big players are not willing to do it, chinese will.

  169. i do just wish they would build one like my original droid which was baddass and ahead of everything else when it came out.

  170. so here is a thought, Droid 4 is a hit but it has no swappable battery… No problem, just buy another one on ebay and swap sim cards instead. I may think about doing this myself and then I will never be worried about one phone breaking and me ending up with a keyboardless phone.

    Buy one or two on ebay while stock allows and lets keep using older phones – it helps the economy going – that is if the word economy is derived from the word economize.

    I won’t buy a phone without a keyboard I hope Moto reads this and I hope Apple reads this site too so we get some healthy competition going.

  171. I would gladly bought by droid 5 when it comes!
    would buy regardless of the price, despite the fact that I am from Russia and have to resort to the help of U.S. dealers, despite the long wait for postal parcels, would buy, despite the fact that I have to unlock it for our mobile networks and to apply the engraving Russian characters on the keyboard.
    Despite all this, I’m waiting for Droid 5!! 😀

  173. I don’t understand why people are so against physical keyboards. People hate autocorrect to the point that there are websites devoted to it, but autocorrect is necessary because virtual keyboards are so difficult to type on. With a physical keyboard I can tell by touch if i’m a millimeter off the key and adjust accordingly. My fingers fly across the thing. With a virtual keyboard I am forced to slow down and spend more time lifting my fingers to make sure I don’t accidentally hit a wrong letter. Plus, I still have all my screen space.

    Yeah, I don’t get it at all. It’s yet another example of the masses deciding that the rest of us have to get saddled with an inferior product.

  174. I would spend all my money on a droid 5. And probably even pre-order it as I am in the uk as well this is extra effort for a phone but I really want it, come on google don’t make me buy another blackberry

  175. I love slider phones for two reasons: (1) physical keyboard is easier for me to use, and (2) it leaves ALL the screen for viewing. Possible alternative: give me a slider that has a second screen just for typing? I don’t know touch-only users deal with losing 1/2 their screens, like the early wordprocessing computers that displayed only one line of text…

  176. I prefer the slide out QWERTY keyboard. I didn’t even get a cellphone until high school, and my first phone was the LG EnV2 so having the physical keyboard has always been something I’m used to. Plus, I don’t shorthand anything so the touch keyboard just makes it more difficult to type properly. I got the first Moto Droid and now I have the 4th and love it. Their tech isn’t always the highest, but it’s comparable and I was happy to get the Jelly Bean update. More keyboards!

  177. I would always!! buy a good qwerty slider. With a dedicated sim card slot and not a screwup like Photon Q 4G LTE was (the Q is a very good phone but lack of sim slot makes for an unpleasant experience)

  179. I will not buy a phone that does not have a tactile QWERTY keyboard. I do not like to touch phone screens very much, and avoid it when I can. I have purchased the first DROID and the DROID 4. Those are the only two smart phones that I have ever owned, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything but the next one.

  181. No question I would…vive la QWERTY hard kb! If they can keep the procesors, memory, graphics and hardware i/o formidable, I would keep going- I have the DROID 4 and love it (besides the awful battery life). Which the HTC One had a hard QWERTY! Phone OEMs are seriously missing the boat here…there are thousands of loyal hard QWERTY fans out there…and the slide is the best kind because it keepts the size of the phone reasonable when not in use. If Blackberry would consider a SLIDE, I would consider it with the new O/S of the Z10/30 etc.
    I can not stand touch screen keyboards and probably never will. Even with my large soft keyboard on my iPad, I still prefer my DROID4.
    So in summary, YES!!!

  182. I am running the Droid 3 and it is beginning to die. I went to the Verizon site to see which Droid I could buy with a physical slideout keypad, and was disappointed to see that none are available. They don’t even sell the Droid 4 anymore. I don’t ever want to deal with a touchscreen only phone. Nor do I want to sacrifice half my screen for the blackberry style phone. People are constantly telling me that I type so fast when texting them. That’s because I have a physical keyboard and not a stupid toushcreen keyboard. I am a diehard slideout keyboard user, and I hope the rumored Droid 5 comes out soon because I don’t know how much longer my Droid 3 will last.

  184. I cannot believe it came down to this. Back in the day, a slide out keyboard was considered a luxury and was highly envied. Now, phone companies sneer at it and have been completely liquidated off the markets!. I have had the iphone 5 (the same company that made the awful touch screen cell phone popular) for a little over a year and I am not happy with it one bit. It is not easy to type, I keep making mistakes, and I lose 50% of my screen for that god-awful on screen keyboard. I am not saying do away with the touch screen only, but us physical keyboard lovers deserve a chance and should be able to have at least ONE physical keyboard cell phone. If motorola came out with the droid 5, I would be crazy to get one, and others would be too. I like how when it comes to droid 5, you get a choice… you can use the REAL keyboard, or you can use the onscreen one. That is why physical is better. I like the tactile feeling of the keys. I have seen the “leaked” photos of the droid 5 and I have just 2 minor complaints. I feel that the home button, menu, and back button should either be a hard button, or at least off of the screen (it should be more like the samsung galaxy with the buttons completely off of the screen) also, the keyboard design seemed a bit bland, if the company wants to wow its customers, the keboard should have a neat appearance, and with that, people would fight t get this. I really hope the droid 5 comes out, i do not want to fight another touch cell phone!

  185. I would buy two Droid 5’s I am going to buy an Extra Droid 4 just in case the one I have goes out. I don’t understand why Motorola can’t make a slider backing to fit all of it’s models and then everything can be either touch screen or QWERTY. LG did it on the Versa, why can’t Motorola do it somehow.

  186. It’s so nice to see so many people who love the physical keyboards. We still have keyboards on our computers and I can tell you that I type faster with that than even a touchscreen tablet which would have a bigger virtual keyboard. The thing I don’t like about texting on a phone is that you’re already limited by using your thumbs, and a virtual keyboard makes it even worse. Not to mention the loss of about half the screen of space. With a physical keyboard, you really don’t need a bigger screen. My screen is probably as big as that huge 6.3″ Sony Xperia phone would be once its onscreen keyboard takes away half of the screen real estate. And it doesn’t have any stupid autocorrect. Not sure why it’s on by default, or why people leave them on.

  188. Im hoping for a droid 5.i will definitely buy it. My droid 4 got wet and i replaced it with lg enact, which also has a physical qwerty. Its ok, but droid 4 was much better. I refuse to buy a phone without a physical keyboard. The virtual keyboards are much harder to use and take longer to type on, also the typing errors are horrendous.

  189. Apple hates blind people. Everyone is copying Apple now. So, all phone manufacturers hate blind people. I cannot see the screen. I need to touch physical buttons. Apple’s actual statement on the matter was, “Blind people cannot use a cell phone.” Everyone else believes that now, so they won’t produce a keyboard. In order to have a keyboard, I have to purchase a second-rate phone either geared towards children or the elderly. Instead, I will be using my Droid 4 until it dies. Hopefully, some phone manufacturers will stop being so blatantly disrespectful by then.

  190. I need a droid 5 in my life with a keyboard. Today was the day from hell. my droid 4 got messed up so i called Verizon and they put me on the phone with ensurian which is the worst company! the lady tells me that through the insurance there is no more droid 4s, so i basically go into crazy mode freaking out that i cant have a phone with the keyboard. So i hangup on them and a nice man from verizon actually got me the phone through the manufactures warranty!! so hopefully this one last until the droid 5 comes out. I cant live in a world where my phone doesnt have a physical keyboard!!

  191. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes and another of course…I would buy a Droid 5. The Droid was the first “smart phone” I’ve had (did not do the Black Berry). Did Flip Phone then Droid. Everyone I know that likes a Key Board says hands down Droid is the best..
    koollaid

  193. Yes, I would absolutely buy an Android-based keyboard phone based on current technologies. I am so discouraged that the herd of phone makers are oblivious to folks who need a keyboard phone. Rather than finding a need and filling it, they try to delude us via slick marketing into believing that a smartphone with a virtual keyboard is really what we want — because that’s all they’re interested in building….

  194. By all means, with a battery that could be changed out by the user. My LG Mach is on life support and trying to go without a physical keyboard would be a major hardship, as my handset has to suffice for my laptop for now. I cannot accurately type on flat glass and it’s a requirement to view my work in paragraphs for the proper formatting. I also do artwork that includes my many (800+) fonts, and the arrow keys allow fast scrolling through my list without having to touch the display and land on the wrong choice, only to have to start over. I can’t stand autocorrect and turned it off, as I use many slang and foreign idioms in my writing. I tried all of the optional alternative apps for virtual typing and none work for me, no matter how much I tried. The number of apps on Blackberry are far too limited. Android is “it,” no matter what flavor. Hence, a Droid 5 would be just right.

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