Upgrade to Bionic?

**mhans311** · 05-28-2012, 09:57 PM

I currently have a Droid X but I just saw today that Verizon is selling the Bionic for free with an upgrade. I have an upgrade on my account and this is enticing. Do you guys think this is worth the upgrade? I don't really have $200 to spend on a new phone. I do have another upgrade later this year on another line so I won't be stuck forever with the Bionic if I don't like it. Thoughts?

Ry · 05-28-2012, 10:13 PM

Do it.

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**thirsy1258** · 05-28-2012, 10:16 PM

No spend the extra hundred and get a razr. Its free for a reason.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

**WebOS Refugee** · 05-29-2012, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by thirsty1258

No spend the extra hundred and get a razr. Its free for a reason.

Yep: the marketing droids (no pun intended) at Verizon have decided that they can wring more profit out of the customers if they push the new, shiny RAZR and divert attention from the old, shabby BIONIC. Except the BIONIC is neither old nor shabby.

My advice to the OP would be more along the following lines: it's a cost/benefit analysis. If you like the BIONIC better than your X, go for it: it's free. If you like the RAZR enough better than the BIONIC to make it worth $100 to you, and you have a hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket, ~~get the BIONIC and send the $100 to me~~ -- uhh, I mean, get the RAZR.

**KillerG** · 05-29-2012, 02:33 PM

This is the greatest deal I've ever heard of...such a great piece of hardware for free. I'd recommend the phone to anyone, it's really good after some of the recent updates. It holds its own against the Razr, Nexus, and many of the newer phone models. The Razr's clock speed is slightly faster (it's basically just the same CPU overclocked of course), and is thinner. Don't forget the non-removable battery. The Nexus is awesome, it has a great HD screen and is already running Ice Cream Sandwich, but it's still $200 and doesn't have a microSD card slot.
If you like the Bionic, get it. It's a steal. The phone will last for quite a while, and you can use that upgrade to switch it over to someone else if you want later too.

**3rdpig** · 05-29-2012, 02:34 PM

As someone who gets to play with most of the phones available, I still consider the Bionic to be one of the better Android phones available to VZ customers. It's well made, has great radios, a removable battery, dual core processor, front and rear cameras, an SD card slot and with the 902 update is rock solid.

The battery in the Razr is not big enough for a non replaceable battery and the 3300 mah monster in the Maxx is nice but that phone is going to set you back $200. The 2700 mah extended battery for the Bionic is more than adequate and it's only $25

The camera isn't that great, but neither is the one in the Razr.

For free I think it's a smoking deal.

**hokiesteve** · 05-29-2012, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by 3rdpig

As someone who gets to play with most of the phones available, I still consider the Bionic to be one of the better Android phones available to VZ customers. It's well made, has great radios, a removable battery, dual core processor, front and rear cameras, an SD card slot and with the 902 update is rock solid.

The battery in the Razr is not big enough for a non replaceable battery and the 3300 mah monster in the Maxx is nice but that phone is going to set you back $200. The 2700 mah extended battery for the Bionic is more than adequate and it's only $25

The camera isn't that great, but neither is the one in the Razr.

For free I think it's a smoking deal.

I agree with what everyone else is saying. For free, it's a steal. The hardware is solid and the battery life is descent. Regular and extended batteries are cheap. It's also scheduled to receive ICS in the 3rd quarter of this year.

I almost forgot, it's very easy to root as well.

**garebear22** · 05-29-2012, 07:11 PM

I just picked one up last week (before it went free, I'm not particularly happy about that), and I think it's awesome. It's only my first smartphone, but it works well enough for me. For free, I think it's a great deal.

**SterlingVT** · 05-29-2012, 09:43 PM

I just upgraded to the Bionic from a DX last week despite the negative comments I read about it. Glad I did. Two days after I did the upgrade they made it free, so I called Verizon this morning and the credited my account for the difference, without any problems.

**bigsapz** · 05-29-2012, 10:42 PM

Do it. A frickin LG Chocolate would be an upgrade from a Droid X

Sent from my Xclipsed Bionic

**mhans311** · 05-30-2012, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by bigsapz

Do it. A frickin LG Chocolate would be an upgrade from a Droid X

Sent from my Xclipsed Bionic

Lol my wife used to have a chocolate. I actually love my X. Decent development and rock solid.

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**rosser** · 05-30-2012, 06:03 AM

I just got mine on Saturday and I love it!
The 4G is amazing, the big screen is great and there are a ton of ROMs out there!

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**bigsapz** · 05-30-2012, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by mhans311

Lol my wife used to have a chocolate. I actually love my X. Decent development and rock solid.

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You must have been one of the Lucky ones. Me and my wife had em. They were a nightmare. Hands down the worst smart phone I've ever used. The Bionic is like a breath of fresh air after being stuck in a coal mine for 2 years

Sent from my Xclipsed Bionic

**KillerG** · 05-30-2012, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by bigsapz

Do it. A frickin LG Chocolate would be an upgrade from a Droid X

Sent from my Xclipsed Bionic

I had an LG Chocolate 2 and an LG Chocolate Touch. They were awful. My friend had an X (upgraded to a Nexus now), and he loved it. I used it and that and my other friend who had an Incredible convinced me to buy Android. Otherwise there's a good chance I would've gone Windows Phone 7 because I had no clue.

**RickyBionic** · 05-30-2012, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by garebear22

I just picked one up last week (before it went free, I'm not particularly happy about that), and I think it's awesome. It's only my first smartphone, but it works well enough for me. For free, I think it's a great deal.

Same bs happened to me

**rswain64** · 05-31-2012, 11:48 AM

Thinking hard about the switch from DroidX. I want to get into a 4g phone on my unlimited data plan before Verizon switches to tiered data this summer. I snagged one of the Bionic lapdocks from Verizon yesterday for $42.50 after discount. Trying to see if the RAZR Maxx will hook up with the Bionic lapdock or should I just get the Bionic for free after upgrade.

**ChanceNC** · 05-31-2012, 06:19 PM

I made the move and ordered a Bionic on Tuesday...it's waiting on me at home as I type this. I've been using a Droid X since last October and once it's rooted and ROM'd it's an awesome device. I would keep on using the X for the foreseeable future, but the upcoming policy change at Verizon regarding unlimited data plans compelled me to go ahead and re-up under my current terms, which were established with Alltel and have been with me ever since. I have no doubt I will be happy with the Bionic...for free, it just makes sense, you know?

**cindylike24** · 05-31-2012, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by colbypaperboy

I made the move and ordered a Bionic on Tuesday...it's waiting on me at home as I type this. I've been using a Droid X since last October and once it's rooted and ROM'd it's an awesome device. I would keep on using the X for the foreseeable future, but the upcoming policy change at Verizon regarding unlimited data plans compelled me to go ahead and re-up under my current terms, which were established with Alltel and have been with me ever since. I have no doubt I will be happy with the Bionic...for free, it just makes sense, you know?

Congrats on getting the Bionic! You will absolutely love it! I went from the LG Enlighten to the Bionic and am so happy I did. It has more memory than the LG Enlighten which lets you put more programs on it without affecting the phone's performance.

Enjoy your phone!

Cindy

**KillerG** · 05-31-2012, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by colbypaperboy

I made the move and ordered a Bionic on Tuesday...it's waiting on me at home as I type this. I've been using a Droid X since last October and once it's rooted and ROM'd it's an awesome device. I would keep on using the X for the foreseeable future, but the upcoming policy change at Verizon regarding unlimited data plans compelled me to go ahead and re-up under my current terms, which were established with Alltel and have been with me ever since. I have no doubt I will be happy with the Bionic...for free, it just makes sense, you know?

Well when the Razr and Nexus are so close in terms of hardware, what's better than free?

**hokiesteve** · 05-31-2012, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by KillerG

Well when the Razr and Nexus are so close in terms of hardware, what's better than free?

Not to mention that the only real advantage the Nexus has at the moment is pure Google ICS and an unlocked bootloader. If that's not a priority then it's a no-brainer.

Also, I think the Motorola hardware build quality and industrial design is a bit better than the Samsung phones.

**mhans311** · 05-31-2012, 10:26 PM

These are all very good points. I think I have convinced my wife to let me use her upgrade. The only thing I worry about with the bionic is the screen. I have heard bad things about the pentile screen on the bionic. Anyone had any problems with the screen?

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**hokiesteve** · 05-31-2012, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by mhans311

These are all very good points. I think I have convinced my wife to let me use her upgrade. The only thing I worry about with the bionic is the screen. I have heard bad things about the pentile screen on the bionic. Anyone had any problems with the screen?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

That's another advantage for the Nexus. It definitely seems much brighter and nicer. Personally, the pentile screen hasn't been a big problem for me, but tons of people do complain about it. I'd check it out in person in the store and see which one works for you. With the price difference though, it might be pretty easy to deal with the pentile screen.

**ChanceNC** · 06-02-2012, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by mhans311

These are all very good points. I think I have convinced my wife to let me use her upgrade. The only thing I worry about with the bionic is the screen. I have heard bad things about the pentile screen on the bionic. Anyone had any problems with the screen?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

I activated my Bionic yesterday morning and have been using it quite heavily in the last 24+ hours. I'm loving it so far, and I reckon it's *the* 4G device of choice for a Droid X user (lover). That said, I will say that the screen is not quite as good as the one on my Droid X. Colors look a bit more accurate on the X, particularly yellows and oranges, while these colors on the Bionic have a bit of a cast to them. The Bionic's display is also a little too contrasty for my taste. Still, I don't consider the screen to be a problem. It's still very good, bright (especially in brightly-lit environments), and sharp. In fact, the only app where its shortcomings stand out is when I'm playing Words With Friends. The color of the tiles (orange/yellow) is a bit off. For all other uses, it's lovely.

So far, however, that's my only gripe with the phone. It's a speedy device--dual cores and 1 gig of RAM make a huge difference. It's operation is so satisfying that I have no desire (yet) to root or look at ROMs. Getting it set up close to how my X was set up was a piece of cake. It really is the perfect evolution of the Droid X-Droid X2 lineage.

Today I used a penny and did the ol' Verizon logo removal trick. Looks like a million bucks now, especially in its sharp-yet-cheap Diztronic TPU case (HIGHLY recommended...I can't believe it only cost 10 bucks). Guess it's a keeper now, eh?

**tedbearclaw** · 06-02-2012, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by mhans311

These are all very good points. I think I have convinced my wife to let me use her upgrade. The only thing I worry about with the bionic is the screen. I have heard bad things about the pentile screen on the bionic. Anyone had any problems with the screen?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Coming from iphonr 4 and DROID charge the bionic screen is lacking.. Not bad screen but there is a noticeable difference. However this device has so much more good than bad my only 2 complaints are camera and screen

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**mhans311** · 06-02-2012, 06:47 PM

Thanks for the replies. I just ordered my bionic tonight. I checked it out I was the store and I was impressed overall. I did notice the jagged edges that people complained of on the display. It was especially noticeable on certain things like the battery icon in the top right corner and some of the app icons. I took a few test shots with the camera and it seemed to perform slightly better than my X, but not by much. There are definitely better smartphone cameras out there but I'm not looking to replace my regular camera with it. It's good enough for what I need. Other than those two things it was nice. I like the look and feel and it was very speedy.

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