Talk me into, or out, of a Bionic

**3rdpig** · 03-11-2012, 01:08 PM

I'm currently using a Droid 2 and I want a larger screen phone, I want LTE and a dual core processor. I want a phone with a quality build. I also want a removable battery and a screen I can see well outside. And I must, and I mean MUST, have a phone that's capable of making quality voice calls even in low signal strength areas. Oh, and I want a phone that's going to get ICS.

I don't care about thin, light or sexy. I don't care about a super hi res screen.

Tell me why the Biionic wouldn't suit my needs. And if not the Bionic, what? My contract was over August last year, I'm tired of waiting.

**WebOS Refugee** · 03-11-2012, 06:40 PM

The Bionic would seem to meet all of your criteria, with the possible exception of the dual processor (present in hardware, but my understanding is that it won't be fully used until ICS comes out sometime later this year). It was a heck of a phone when it was announced, was then badly introduced several months later, as a result of which the price has ramped down sharply over the course of the last couple of months. The upside for cheapskates like me is that the bang-for-buck ratio, which was pretty fair at its original price point, has skyrocketed with that price drop.

Like you, I ran without a contract for several months, waiting for the Next Big Leap in smartphone evolution. That hasn't arrived yet, but the Bionic will fill in nicely until it does.

**bbycrts** · 03-11-2012, 07:55 PM

I love my Bionic. It is FAST - the fastest download speed I've seen with speedtest.net is 32MBPs. That's faster than my home network can manage. Call quality has been great, I've had zero problems. Love it love it love it.

**DizzyMaker#CB** · 03-12-2012, 08:43 AM

was on ios with an iphone 4, swithced to a windows phone ( which is really fast and smooth too) and decided to come back to android for my own reasons... i too searched long and hard about which phone to get. i needed reliablity and something that i knew would get future updates, primarily ICS. so i landed on the bionic, and couldnt be happier. not too mention it IS the best bang for the buck out right now, period. this phone is very fast, and surprisingly smooth compared to ios and wp7. 1 gb of ram is also very nice! there is a 902 update right now which fixes data drops, and other than that i dont know of any major issues with the phone? this is also the first android phone i didnt want to root, because you dont need to! everything works exactly like it is supposed to. camera quality is nice, speakers are nice, screen quality is also nice with the pentile display (super bright), and has 16gb of onboard memory and will support 32gb sd card.

so i recommend it!

**Android_Lee** · 03-12-2012, 10:37 AM

+1 to all the comments above.

**conanbarb** · 03-12-2012, 12:29 PM

As a little incentive, Costco has it on sale for $59.99 and are throwing in a battery charger and vehicle nav for free

**gmonkey88** · 03-12-2012, 10:17 PM

I have had my bionic for a month, and I can tell you its a solid phone. The .902 update brought many needed fixes. Data connection is solid, battery life is much better than some other LTE phones, and the build quality is very nice. I would give it an A-.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

**3rdpig** · 03-13-2012, 01:08 AM

Thanks for all the replies, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this tomorrow. Still deciding on where to buy. Amazon has it for $49, Wirefly for $49 and a $30 VZ gift card, and Costco for $89 with an accessory kit.

Maybe I'll swing by a VZ store and see what they'll do for me but honestly I don't expect much.

Oh, and I've got to make sure I don't lose my unlimited data.

**conanbarb** · 03-13-2012, 11:20 AM

The 16GB version has a deal for $.01 at Amazon right now. The 32GB version is $29.99.

Like everybody else, the 902 update has made a drastic difference in performance/stability and I haven't had a Black Screen of Death since the update

AmazonWireless: Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G Android Phone, 16GB (Verizon Wireless)

**Zorro1** · 03-13-2012, 02:49 PM

I have had a RAZR since it popped, my wife went for the Bionic last week, and I have to say that I'm impressed. It's actually sized MUCH better! in the hand, screen and speed are the same to me. The only differences that I can find is that you don't get SmartActions (but folks say Tasker is even better in the market), and you don't get Files that I can see, where you can access your pc files with the phone. Otherwise, maybe I like it better.

**DizzyMaker#CB** · 03-13-2012, 03:39 PM

upgrading might cause you to lose your unlimioted data? i doubt they will keep people grandfathered forever... if so and you want to keep it, i bought mine off contract on ebay for 199.00 in mint condition

**3rdpig** · 03-13-2012, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by DizzyMaker

upgrading might cause you to lose your unlimioted data? i doubt they will keep people grandfathered forever... if so and you want to keep it, i bought mine off contract on ebay for 199.00 in mint condition

Everything I've read says that when you're upgrading from a smart phone to another smart phone you don't lose unlimited data.

I guess I'm about to find out.

**3rdpig** · 03-13-2012, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by conanbarb

The 16GB version has a deal for $.01 at Amazon right now. The 32GB version is $29.99.

Like everybody else, the 902 update has made a drastic difference in performance/stability and I haven't had a Black Screen of Death since the update

AmazonWireless: Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G Android Phone, 16GB (Verizon Wireless)

Those deals are only for new VZ customers, if you're a loyal customer for many years like I've been, you have to pay $49. While I understand the reasoning behind it, it's still annoying.

**Arelunde** · 03-13-2012, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Zorro1

... and you don't get Files that I can see, where you can access your pc files with the phone. Otherwise, maybe I like it better.

But you can get Splashtop Remote Desktop that does this.

**DrDiff** · 03-14-2012, 07:16 AM

do you have to be a costco member to get that price?

**fkfmfz** · 03-14-2012, 07:20 AM

go to swappa they have bionic like new for $240 and extended battery.

R3Ds Themes

**DrDiff** · 03-14-2012, 07:26 AM

Costco moble The web site doesnt give you the option of keeping your grandfathered unlimited data plan.

**conanbarb** · 03-14-2012, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by DrDiff

Costco moble The web site doesnt give you the option of keeping your grandfathered unlimited data plan.

You do have to be a Costco member to buy anything from Costco. I don't know about the website, but I was able to keep my unlimited data when I purchased my Bionic at a Costco store.

**3rdpig** · 03-14-2012, 10:48 PM

I went ahead and bought the Bionic from Tiger Direct for $29.95. Their web process had a choice for "keep my current data plan" but I'll check with VZ after I activate the phone to make sure it doesn't get changed. The phone is scheduled to arrive on Friday via FedEx.

Thanks for all the replies, you guys really helped me get off the pot and make a decision.

**jimdibb** · 03-18-2012, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by 3rdpig

Everything I've read says that when you're upgrading from a smart phone to another smart phone you don't lose unlimited data.

I guess I'm about to find out.

This is correct. You do not lose it.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

**EnergyPlus** · 03-18-2012, 02:33 PM

The plans, including pricing and rules, are controlled by the carrier, not the phone retailer.

**dontlookatme** · 03-18-2012, 02:42 PM

You are not suppose to lose it. And don't buy a bionic. Get a RAZR or RAZR maxx. Better looking and better specs. IMO.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

**hiono** · 03-18-2012, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by dontlookatme

You are not suppose to lose it. And don't buy a bionic. Get a RAZR or RAZR maxx. Better looking and better specs. IMO.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

So even with what he wants that being a removable battery u think he should get a razr?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

**SeigaGen** · 03-21-2012, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by 3rdpig

I'm currently using a Droid 2 and I want a larger screen phone, I want LTE and a dual core processor. I want a phone with a quality build. I also want a removable battery and a screen I can see well outside. And I must, and I mean MUST, have a phone that's capable of making quality voice calls even in low signal strength areas. Oh, and I want a phone that's going to get ICS.

I don't care about thin, light or sexy. I don't care about a super hi res screen.

Tell me why the Biionic wouldn't suit my needs. And if not the Bionic, what? My contract was over August last year, I'm tired of waiting.

You pretty much described the Bionic in every way. But here's the thing. Bionic was the first dual core 4GLTE phone. I had gone through 2 bionics before I gave up on it. It's a fantastic phone in theory, but the constant reboots and BSOD's, it was way too much. Even after version 902 update, which I had done SOAK testing for.

I feel you for the removable battery, but don't let that stop you from considering a Droid RAZR MAXX. 3300 mAh gives you a massive battery life on a thin phone. And the screen display is amazing with the Super AMOLED qHD screen. Stability wise, Razr MAXX is where it's at.

I personally love the Galaxy Nexus however. Look, Samsung is notorious for having bad signal phones, and tbh, the Bionic had that problem when it was first released. I live in L.A. and I can say, I haven't had a call drop yet with my Nexus. 4.65 Super AMOLED HD screen is amazing! The quality you get out of it is uncanny sometimes. It has a removable battery, I had upgraded to the 2200 mAh battery and it has proven to give me some lengthy life per day. The latest ICS 4.05 build is currently being tested and it is rumored to fix any signal issues there might be with the current ICS on the Nexus. And that's among other things.

Look, if you want to stay up to date, Galaxy Nexus is where to go. It's the Google Experience Phone, so what do expect? It will stay up to date for the most part. It doesn't have a 8mp camera or amazing photo taking capabilities, but for the overall experience... this is the one you want.

Let me put it to you this way as well. The Nexus can have an unlocked boot-loader, which moto phones don't have. It doesn't use any special UI customization in its stock version. When ICS comes out to other phones, expect things like Motoblur to be added on there. Samsung has already proved that with TouchWiz on their ICS build on the Galaxy S2. Vanilla android will always give you the best out of your android device because of the customization capabilities.

It's a toss up, but I would stay away from the Bionic and consider the Razr MAXX or Nexus phones. You want quality, Razr MAXX. You want custom ability and latest software, Galaxy Nexus is where to go.

**hokiesteve** · 03-21-2012, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by 3rdpig

I'm currently using a Droid 2 and I want a larger screen phone, I want LTE and a dual core processor. I want a phone with a quality build. I also want a removable battery and a screen I can see well outside. And I must, and I mean MUST, have a phone that's capable of making quality voice calls even in low signal strength areas. Oh, and I want a phone that's going to get ICS.

I don't care about thin, light or sexy. I don't care about a super hi res screen.

Tell me why the Biionic wouldn't suit my needs. And if not the Bionic, what? My contract was over August last year, I'm tired of waiting.

Given your requirements, I would say that the Bionic would be a good fit. What you mentioned are certainly strengths of the Bionic. Voice quality is great, hardware is durable, and the battery life is descent. OEM replacement batteries are cheap as well.

I've had the Bionic since October. When I initially got the phone I was fairly unhappy. The device stability and connectivity problems were nearly unbearable. After a replacement phone and a few software updates, the Bionic has certainly improved to a solid device. It's generally stable now as the software crashes and connectivity issues have largely disappeared.

Despite all this, it's not a perfect device. The Motorola UI enchancements and the pre-installed non-removeable Verizon crapware on the device still irks me and it's only gotten worse with recent software devices. In order to make it tolerable, I installed LauncherPro and hid all the excessive icons. If a stock Android experience is important at all to you, the Bionic is definitely not a good device for that. The mobile hotspot feature is also buggy and temperamental. The stock android wireless hotspot worked a lot better. On the plus side, you can tether with the bionic without paying the extra fee for hotspot.

All in all, the hardware is pretty solid and the software leaves a bit to be desired. The price is great now too.