TBolt vs. Bionic (if they unlock the bootloader)

treylaramore

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Ok, I know there has already been a TBolt vs. Bionic Thread - but I searched for it and it must be pretty buried by now...

not only that, I wanted to add a variable to the equation:

What if Moto gives the Bionic an unlockable bootloader similar to what they did with the Xoom? It seems to me this could possibly be the new way Moto is planning to handle the Bootloader situation, especially since they have hedged on the issue lately...

Question 1: do you think this is a likely scenario?

Question 2: If they do give it (the Bionic) an unlockable bootloader, does this change your mind between the two phones? - it seems if they do this, the only advantages the TBolt holds onto are the build quality + kickstand - and obviously more RAM

I won't lie, the qHD screen is calling my name - and while dual core isn't all that useful at the moment, it surely doesn't hurt - maybe a little more "future proof" (yes, we all know that's an absurd concept with phones these days).

Thoughts?
 

htowngator

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A little bit, yea. Would love to get Bionic if its definitely unlocked, but build quality is better on HTC for these phones, apparently.
 

greydarrah

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They are NOT going to unlock the bootloader, but I don't know why that would matter. It won't let the phone function as a jet pack, or make you invisible. We have a locked bootloader on the X, but still root and ROM our days away. However, if you know that you'll be an incomplete person as long as the bootloader is locked, then don't get the Bionic.

Having said that, I think the TB is just a sad situation. It's getting delayed until who knows when, it's probably going to have a horrible battery life (like all HTC's) and the only thing it has going for it over the current top performance dog (the X), is LTE, which most people can't even get. Wait on the Bionic...duel processor, PC quality RAM and the highest quality screen. At least this phone will stay king of the mountain for 12 to 18 months (until quad processors hit).

I've always found the build quality on Moto to be awesome. The X is like a tank.
 

rookie83

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I will probally get the tb for now on 1 yr contract so I can try droid os Im coming from a BB so and talking with some freinds they say go with the TB. One freind has a droid moto he likes it but he is going to HTC and we discused and and decided the sence may be better for us the motobur
 

DolfanCole

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For me, I've always preferred the Bionic over the TBolt regardless of the bootloader situation. I've never had an Android phone, and thus, no experience with Sense or Blur, or using custom ROMs. I've had Motorola phones before and build quality was never an issue. So, I'm mainly going off of hardware specs where the Bionic is clearly ahead of the TBolt in this respect. That said, with the anticipated/rumored release dates, I was planning on getting the TBolt on a 1-year and later picking up the Bionic. But, the closer the TBolt release gets to the Bionic release, the less this path makes sense for me.
 

greydarrah

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I will probally get the tb for now on 1 yr contract so I can try droid os Im coming from a BB so and talking with some freinds they say go with the TB. One freind has a droid moto he likes it but he is going to HTC and we discused and and decided the sence may be better for us the motobur

You'll love having a droid (any droid) over bb (I was a long time bb user). Keep in mind that motoblur (or any phones UI for that matter) can be made to disappear in the 30 seconds it takes to download a different home app like Launcher Pro or ADW. The TB will be a good phone, but based on all other HTC devices, it will run for 3 to 6 hours before having a dead battery. I consider that absolutely unacceptable.
 

aggie

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Im paying full retail so my path is TBolt and then sell TBolt and get Bionic. I've got an atrix right now and if it had LTE and unlimited data I wouldn't even be considering the bolt. I just cant make the full switch back to AT&T so the Atrix must go back. Love the qHD screen and the overall speed and responsiveness of the device. And that 1930 mah battery will come in handy with the added power hunger of a 4g phone.
 

experiment 626

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Unless Moto does a better QC job with the Bionic than I'm reading about over in the Atrix section there's nothing that would make me pick the Bionic over the Thunderbolt.
 

I am Fake Jesus

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thunderbolt is sexy, bionic is fugly. its like bad drunken night with a creature from the bar, u did it but you wont admit it. which means if i bought it id never pull my phone out in public.....
 

DolfanCole

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thunderbolt is sexy, bionic is fugly. its like bad drunken night with a creature from the bar, u did it but you wont admit it. which means if i bought it id never pull my phone out in public.....

No offense, but I just don't see this. For the most part they have the same form factor (their dimensions are almost identical). I just can't see that much difference between the two. Are you talking about the interface or the physical appearance?
 

spas2k

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If the bootloader is locked, can you still root and stream wifi? That is the only thing I'm concerned about. I need to be able to stream wifi to a tablet and I am NOT paying verizon for the privilege to shuffle data around.
 

DolfanCole

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If the bootloader is locked, can you still root and stream wifi? That is the only thing I'm concerned about. I need to be able to stream wifi to a tablet and I am NOT paying verizon for the privilege to shuffle data around.

Yes, you can still root with locked bootloader.
 

mclarryjr

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If the bootloader is locked, can you still root and stream wifi? That is the only thing I'm concerned about. I need to be able to stream wifi to a tablet and I am NOT paying verizon for the privilege to shuffle data around.

Both phones will be able to run Wifi Tethering app.

I plan on sticking with the TB regardless of the bootloader is locked on the Bionic or unlocked. I have been very satisfied with my HTC Incredible and expect to have the same experience with the TB. I really enjoy using Sense with all the nice little added features it brings. I want to wait for the second generation of dual core phones before I make the move.
 

bnsteele5

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The TB beat it in benchmarks and I was watching hands on videos of the bionic and they were saying UI was a little sluggish for a "fast" phone. HTC just seems to do it better. I have a D2 but sure wish I would have gone for an incredible.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
 

banderbe

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So what CAN'T you do because of the locked boot loader?

I think the only thing you can't do is over clock because you can't replace the kernel.

Right?
 

Joelist

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The TB is an LTE phone with SDVO and Sense, which is far and away the best implementation of Android. Frankly I see no reason to go Bionic.
 

DolfanCole

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The TB beat it in benchmarks and I was watching hands on videos of the bionic and they were saying UI was a little sluggish for a "fast" phone. HTC just seems to do it better. I have a D2 but sure wish I would have gone for an incredible.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

I've heard people say this, but I have yet to find where they got this from. All the benchmarks that I've seen show that the TBolt is in the 1800-1900 range Quadrant score and the Bionic is around 2100-2200. I've never seen where the TBolt beat the Bionic in a benchmark.