Considering getting the DC

[Bravozero]

Hey everyone, I'm a current Droid X owner and I love this phone, but it's time for a new toy to play with. I got an email from Verizon saying I am due for an early upgrade now and have been looking at the current batch of phones VZW has to offer.

Now, don't slap me in the face for the ignorance, but I was under the impression that LTE phones needed an add-on to the current data plans or have a completely separate data plan that was tiered. Come to find out by a tech at the local VZW store, if I currently have Unlimited Data on my X, then I would also carry over that plan and it works with 4G LTE as well... I didn't know that! He said it's the mobile broadband devices that are tiered. He also said that the current data plans will be branched off into separate tiers in the future, which worries me.

At first, I wasn't interested in LTE because I thought it wasn't included, but now I am. And the location I'm moving to is in the LTE coverage area, that's awesome. The tech also suggested making a move and renew my contract soon to lock in the current Unlimited Data plan for the next two years, so that had me worried. I'm thinking it's time to part ways with the X and get an LTE phone.

So, with all of that said, I do like the Droid Charge, it's a neat device and is basically on the same level as the DX, just with a nicer screen and LTE capabilites. Same amount of RAM, same processor speed, same screen size, same megapixel camera... which is fine with me, I don't run a thousand apps at one time, so I'm not in any need for a "dual core" phone right now. Sure, the DX has 54 more pixels (854x480) than the DC (800x480), but it's really not that noticeable in my opinion, so I'd rather have the nicer S-AMOLED plus screen.

Any former Droid X owners here that bought the Droid Charge that can give some feedback? Does anyone else have any feedback as well?

 

[Cruiserdude]

If you want 4G, and want to upgrade before you lose the unlimited data option, its by far your best choice. Bionic is still coming, but we still don't know when, and it likely won't have as nice of a screen. Not to mention that reliable sources still say late August, by which point unlimited data will likely be gone.

 

[Bravozero]

Not to mention, if the Bionic has the same exact screen as the DX2, then that is a big time no-go for me. I am very disappointed in the DX2's screen more than anything. So I agree, the Charge's screen is hard to beat.

The only other phone that caught my attention was the Galaxy S2 (forgot what the Verizon name was), but I doubt it will release by the end of summer, if at all.

 

[Cruiserdude]

Not to mention, if the Bionic has the same exact screen as the DX2, then that is a big time no-go for me. I am very disappointed in the DX2's screen more than anything. So I agree, the Charge's screen is hard to beat.

The only other phone that caught my attention was the Galaxy S2 (forgot what the Verizon name was), but I doubt it will release by the end of summer, if at all.

Everything written about the first Bionic, the Etna, indicated it would have the same qHD pentile LCD screen as the Atrix and now the DX2. What little we've heard about the redesigned Bionic indicates a qHD screen as well, so I highly doubt its much different. It may be, but Super LCD's, IPS displays, and AMOLED screens are all in short supply at the moment, and already being made for competing devices, so its doubtful Moto could change the screen tech in such a short amount of time. You could wait and see, or you could just get a Charge now.

The GS2 very likely won't be LTE anytime soon. Current LTE radios won't fit inside, and gen2 radios have yet to be approved. They are coming soon though. If the GS2 comes out in the next few months, it almost certainly will just be 3G. If they are able to fit a gen2 chip inside of it without changing the form factor, we may see one as soon as this fall, but even that early and unlimited data will no longer be an option, and I MUST have unlimited data. Most likely it won't be till Q4 or even Q1 of next year until we see a GS2 with LTE. I could be wrong, but there isn't much chance a 4G GS2 will come out before the Bionic, and who knows if either will come out before unlimited data dies. So my reasoning was that if you know you want unlimited 4g, getting a Charge now is probably the best option.

 

[saillling4life]

Agreed, if you plan on getting an upgrade I would say that the charge is your best option.

 

[Bravozero]

Thanks folks, I'll see about picking one up this week and locking my Unlimited Plan in for the next two years!

 

[Bravozero]

Also, I've read where users claim it doesn't have 512MB of RAM, it has 300-something instead. The DC is advertised with 512 RAM. I installed OS Monitor onto several DC models and did see the upper 300k range for physical memory, whereas my DX has 412k of physical memory, also advertised with 512 RAM.

Interestingly enough, I played with a Nexus S at Best Buy and saw that after installing OS Monitor, it also shows up as upper 300k physical memory range, and also advertised with 512 RAM. Could it be that Samsung does use 512MB chips in their phones but never comes close to being an actual 512MB?

 

[experiment 626]

Thanks folks, I'll see about picking one up this week and locking my Unlimited Plan in for the next two years!

IMO, you're making the smart move.The Thunderbolt has serious battery life issues unless you buy the extended battery.Do I even bother mention the Bing-infested LG Revolution? Nothing but rumors about the Bionic(which seemingly won't even have the NVIDEA Tegra 2 processor anymore).The upcoming SGS2,D3, and everything else just released are 3G so the Droid Charge seems to be the best LTE option for at least the rest of 2011.

 

[redskinsnut]

Also, I've read where users claim it doesn't have 512MB of RAM, it has 300-something instead. The DC is advertised with 512 RAM. I installed OS Monitor onto several DC models and did see the upper 300k range for physical memory, whereas my DX has 412k of physical memory, also advertised with 512 RAM.

Interestingly enough, I played with a Nexus S at Best Buy and saw that after installing OS Monitor, it also shows up as upper 300k physical memory range, and also advertised with 512 RAM. Could it be that Samsung does use 512MB chips in their phones but never comes close to being an actual 512MB?

I am puzzled by this as well. Anyone?

 

[reflekt2099]

check this video out of the alpha version of altered beast. and this could very much sway your opinion on getting the charge or not.

i was blown away after watching the video. I can't wait till they get a fully fledged out version of the ROM. if the alpha version looks this good and runs this smoothly, wow...

YouTube - ‪Altered Beast Alpha Demo‬‏

 

[Halcyon]

That's awesome.

 

[Cruiserdude]

I definitely stand by my recommendation. Bionic may or may not be out before tiered data takes over, still looking like August according to reliable sources, which is really pushing it. Besides, dual-core phones aren't yet showing much of an advantage over powerful single-cores except in certain games and benchmarks. If the Bionic doesn't have as good of a screen, its hard to imagine the more powerful processor will actually make it more desirable.

I personally am keeping the stock ROM and kernel for a bit longer in order to make sure the hardware is good, and allow time for the devs to get things a bit more stable. But I plan on getting into that soon, DXC's Altered Beast is looking pretty beastly! And already there's a ton of dev interest, so I'd expect heavily-tweaked custom kernels to improve performance and battery life won't be far off. If Moto doesn't implement their new policy on the Bionic and it comes with a locked bootloader, I wouldn't expect to see any custom kernels, just like the DX. Who knows, we may even see CM7 for this phone before long, considering the development done on the Fascinate. With just the rooted and optimized stock ROM, however, this phone does everything you'd expect with no lag to speak of.

So you could keep waiting, but I can assure you that you'll be very happy with the Charge, and you'd HATE to miss out on unlimited LTE because you waited too long.

 

[saillling4life]

I definitely stand by my recommendation. Bionic may or may not be out before tiered data takes over, still looking like August according to reliable sources, which is really pushing it. Besides, dual-core phones aren't yet showing much of an advantage over powerful single-cores except in certain games and benchmarks. If the Bionic doesn't have as good of a screen, its hard to imagine the more powerful processor will actually make it more desirable.

I personally am keeping the stock ROM and kernel for a bit longer in order to make sure the hardware is good, and allow time for the devs to get things a bit more stable. But I plan on getting into that soon, DXC's Altered Beast is looking pretty beastly! And already there's a ton of dev interest, so I'd expect heavily-tweaked custom kernels to improve performance and battery life won't be far off. If Moto doesn't implement their new policy on the Bionic and it comes with a locked bootloader, I wouldn't expect to see any custom kernels, just like the DX. Who knows, we may even see CM7 for this phone before long, considering the development done on the Fascinate. With just the rooted and optimized stock ROM, however, this phone does everything you'd expect with no lag to speak of.

So you could keep waiting, but I can assure you that you'll be very happy with the Charge, and you'd HATE to miss out on unlimited LTE because you waited too long.

The only other advantages that I've heard of for a dual-core phone is that Ice Cream Sandwich is supposed to do something for dual cores, but I can't remember what.

 

[Bravozero]

The only other advantages that I've heard of for a dual-core phone is that Ice Cream Sandwich is supposed to do something for dual cores, but I can't remember what.

Even so... I don't think we're going to see ICS implemented on anything until next year.

 

[saillling4life]

That is very true. Not saying it's worth getting a dual core just saying that that will be an advantage.

 

[Bravozero]

That is very true. Not saying it's worth getting a dual core just saying that that will be an advantage.

Oh I can see dual core becoming the standard in the future, even the lower-end devices might have dual core processors. But it would be neat to see how an OS can take full advantage of both processors.

Anyway, I will be stopping by tomorrow evening and picking up my new DC. Can't wait!

 

[reflekt2099]

look how long it's taking for phones to finally get Gingerbread. It's pretty sad.

so thoughts of phones getting ice cream sandwich any time soon should definitely be squashed. my guess is, we see the first phone get ice cream sandwich (in the US), in 2011 December. and then only a handful more phones getting ICS by June of 2012. sounds pretty much the same with how it's going with Froyo and gingerbread right? lol...