Verizon makes the Droid Ultra, Droid MAXX and Droid Mini off

Verizon's 2013 Motorola Droid lineup

Verizon has unwrapped it's new Motorola Droid line, bringing the US the first Motorola Droids of 2013. They look to be real winners, sporting thin bodies, new designs, and an all-new Motorola X8 Mobile Computing System. Think of the eight cores on the device -- two for apps, four for graphics, one contextual and one for natural language -- working together to bring us an all-new experience.

First up, the Droid Ultra. Built with a Kevlar body and 3D design, it's the thinnest smartphone available. Following is the Droid MAXX, also built of Kevlar and 9-percent thinner than last year's model yet still delivers 48-hours of battery life (up from last years 32 hours). The Droid Mini offers the same great software in a more compact size.

All three phones offer some interesting software enhancements, including an Active Display that keeps notifications on the screen without turning everything on, Quick Capture to take fast pictures, Droid Zap -- share photos with anyone within 300 feet of you with a two-finger gesture, and the Droid Command center for Miracast support.

Pricing is as follows: The Mini checks in at $99, the Ultra at $199, and the MAXX at $299. These prices are with a new agreement, of course. The devices will be available on August 20, and pre-orders startnow today at 1PM ET at droiddoes.com.

Purchasers will also receive an Ingress invite, and six months of free Google Play Music All Access.

We're heading over to the devices to have a good look -- keep an eye out. In the meantime, a gallery of pictures of the event and the official press release is past the break.

Trio of New DROID Smartphones Coming to Verizon Wireless

MINI, ULTRA and MAXX: Cutting-edge design meets strength and agility.

A new family of exclusive DROID smartphones is coming soon to Verizon Wireless: DROID MINI, DROID ULTRA and DROID MAXX by Motorola. Keeping up with the DROID tradition, these devices give users what’s expected from a DROID on Verizon – intelligence, strength and endurance.

It starts with DROID Command Center, an exclusive homescreen widget for users to easily access notifications for text messages, missed calls, battery level and weather. It also serves as the gateway to new features including Wireless Display to mirror what’s on the screen onto a compatible HDTV to play games, browse the web and share pictures on a big screen.

Taking a picture and sharing it is now as easy as shake, tap and swipe. Quick Capture lets users access the 10-megapixel camera by shaking the phone twice, then tapping anywhere on the screen to snap a pic or a selfie. Sharing with a friend or a group of friends nearby is simple with the DROID Zap feature. Swiping up on a picture instantly shares it with fellow new DROID owners nearby, all they need to do is swipe down on their screen to receive it.

Hands are full or messy? Wake up the DROID by saying “Ok Google Now” and then tell it what you want to do. And for those users who constantly lose their phone under the couch or around the house, they can simply say “Ok Google Now, call my DROID” and it will start ringing. And Active Notifications lets users preview messages and app alerts without waking their phone.

These Touchless Controls and Active Display let users make calls, send texts, get directions, play music, set a reminder and preview notifications hands-free without having to unlock the phone, giving DROID users a whole new way of interacting with their phones.

The first DROID launched in November 2009 and included features new at the time such as Google Maps Navigation. It was also the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0. The new trio of DROID devices continues to give innovative features.

DROID MINI: A compact design with an edge-to-edge 4.3-inch HD display and wireless charging capabilities.

DROID ULTRA: The thinnest 4G LTE smartphone available, measuring 7.18mm, and with a 5-inch HD display. The ULTRA will be available in Black and Red models.

DROID MAXX: Features wireless charging and a 3500mAh battery that gives users nearly two days of battery life on a single charge, making it the longest lasting 4G LTE smartphone available.

These DROID smartphones are made with DuPont Kevlar fiber unibody design and will be available for pre-order online starting today, July 23, at 1 p.m. ET. The DROID ULTRA and DROID MAXX will be available for purchase starting Aug. 20 and the DROID MINI will be available starting Aug. 29. The DROID MINI will be $99.99, the DROID ULTRA will be $199.99 and the DROID MAXX will be $299.99, all with a new two-year customer agreement.