HTC Thunderbolt vs Moto Droid Bionic

[greydarrah]

My point exactly, but he doesn't want it for android, he wants a "phone" that will be used like this...

- as a telephone primarily
- internet device
- communication device; ie texting
- and possibly for some apps like bar code scanning/shopping/etc

IMO, I wouldn't waste an Android device like that...

Well, I was just kidding (about the insane part)...I think. But the things the OP wants are just what he wants today, without having owned an awesome phone yet. Why limit your options? Go Android!

It's like saying that you need a car to drive to the office and back. As long as the cost wont cripple your bank account, why not buy a Porche instead of a KIA. Doing it in style, performance and comfort is best...or at least more fun.

 

[dbermanmd]

I have decided against the iPhone. My iPad drives me nuts with the lack of flash and the tight control Apple has over it. That is ok for my iPad since i use it only at home at night to read and some email and some internet stuff whereas my cell phone (internet device) will be with me 24/7/365.

I guess until HTML ### comes out or they bypass flash and open the iPhone up then i would consider it.

 

[DolfanCole]

Amazing amount of information flowing here, thank you to everyone i truly appreciate the insight and expertise.

1. Battery life is huge for me. I cant have my phone dying on me after only 8 hours. My current BB Storm's battery is lasting about that and its driving me nuts. I dont want to buy a new one and then get a new device in a few weeks.

I average 50-100 emails a day on top of about 25-50 calls. that does not include texting etc. above all, battery life is #1 because everything else could be the best compared to the other device and it does me no good if the battery dies first. the thought of having to carry a second battery brings back memories of my first cell phone when i had to unplug it from my car and plug it into a 10lb battery that had a strap to make it convenient to carry with me - circa 1989/90.

2. user experience - thank you for the correct term. my impression so far is that you cannot accurately compare until they are both out. it seems as though the HTC device has the early lead though.

3. Bootloader - sorry,, but what the heck is that and is it important for me?

4. the front facing camera is probably a bigger deal given the trend towards video talking - sorry about the terminology again.

again, thank you everybody,,, this has been great.

david

1. Battery life, I believe, is a huge discriminator between the two phones. There's also thoughts that the dual-core will be better on the battery than single-core. So, the Bionic really wins out here on both accounts.

2. This is one of the biggest and emotional issues between HTC and Motorola phones. In most cases, it's a love/hate relationship between Sense and Blur. It does seem that Blur has evolved though. If you can wait, my recommendation is to try them both yourself because you're the user.

3. For what you have stated you'll be using the phone for, I would say "no".

4. The front-facing camera on the Bionic is set for VGA, I'm guessing, for two reasons. One, that's going to be the resolution that you'll be viewing (meaning, if your phone's display is roughly VGA, there's no reason to go any higher in resolution than that since it would be reduced anyway). Two, the lower resolution means smaller required bandwidth for transmitting the video.

 

[dbermanmd]

i am guessing the $64,000 question is when will they be available? the best i can gather is that nobody knows, not even my contact at Big Red knows.

I have another fairly big contact at Google who says either should be fine

4. interesting

 

[dbermanmd]

I have i think a new order of importance...
1. battery life
2. user experience/interface
3. when they become available

 

[greydarrah]

I wouldn't get hung up on Sense vs Moto blur. There are apps out there (that do not require root) like Launcher Pro and ADW doing a great job of changing the UI to be customized to look the way an individual wants. Besides, locked bootloader or not, custom ROMs are another option that will run on both devices and again, provide a different UI for the user.

 

[thegoon9]

RAM
Thunderbolt has 768mb RAM to the Bionic's 512, but the Bionic's is desktop-grade DDR2 RAM for whatever benefits that might bring. I haven't found a good explanation of that yet. I'm guessing either will be fine.

I've heard that 512mb of the Thunderbolt's RAM is "desktop-grade" also.

 

[Mapex]

@Astrodroid, @thegoon9
I would wager that all smartphones possess Mobile DDR RAM today, just like the Droid X does, and that the Bionic and other dual core machines simply moved onto DDR2 RAM that offers higher performance at lower clock cycles (meaning more power efficiency). It may even help battery life, but I doubt it.

In the end, there is no reason to get the Bionic over the T-Bolt unless any of the following are true:
1) You plan to game or do other CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks very frequently. And I don't mean Angry Birds when you are taking a bathroom break; the T-Bolt is more than enough for that.
2) You are a corporate user who wants to benefit from Motorola's added security mechanisms
3) You absolutely need the HDMI out because DLNA isn't in the cards for you.
4) You love Motorola or Blur over HTC or Sense.

Manufacturer "skins" is a misnomer; they are entire bundles of applications and services that provide some extra functionality that base Android lacks. Motorola emphasizes corporate mail and security as they seem to want to compete with RIM whereas HTC emphasizes media consumption/recording/sharing, social networking, and customization for the average consumer. Even though you can root and flash a custom ROM onto your device, you usually don't want to throw away EVERYTHING that the manufacturer supplies, especially since many things they add are very beneficial to your experience.

These manufacturers are working hard to avoid becoming "just" hardware suppliers, so they will ensure they can get an edge wherever possible, even if it means making their own software modifications in house. Keep them in mind when you purchase future Android devices as these "custom skins" aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[greydarrah]

I've heard that 512mb of the Thunderbolt's RAM is "desktop-grade" also.

Recall the source? I've never heard that one.

 

[Forgetful]

If I had a bionic I'd need to root it. But with the thunderbolt, htc sense is so nice I actually wouldn't mind keeping it stock. The only things that interest me about rooting is free wifi tether, screen shots, and maybe messing with the cpu speed while in sleep mode. I really have no desire for custom roms.


But for you OP it sounds like you definitely need the bionic due to battery life alone. The only way the bolt would work for you is if you got an extended battery.

 

[DolfanCole]

I've heard that 512mb of the Thunderbolt's RAM is "desktop-grade" also.

From what I've seen the TBolt has DDR RAM versus the DDR2 RAM in the Bionic.

 

[SUB-dawg]

check out THIS thread I made awhile ago comparing the 2 phones.

 

[SUB-dawg]

From what I've seen the TBolt has DDR RAM versus the DDR2 RAM in the Bionic.

the tbolt has 768 mb of ddr ram.

 

[thegoon9]

From what I've seen the TBolt has DDR RAM versus the DDR2 RAM in the Bionic.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was incorrect. That may have been speculation from an unreliable source when it was first announced. I take back my statement

 

[dmevis]

Its about the battery life

HTC does many things very well. But they are pretty slow to learn. Many of their phones are known for having a short battery life. In spite of the fact that the addition of LTE is expected to dramatically reduce battery life, HTC has specified a battery the same size as their 3G phones.

I expect that both the Thunderbolt and the Bionic will be pretty great when it comes to general performance. However, I expect the Thunderbolt to have poor batter life and the Bionic to have much better battery life.

In my view, the battery life will be the primary differentiator between the actual usefulness of these 2 devices.

 

[DolfanCole]

check out THIS thread I made awhile ago comparing the 2 phones.

Yep. I knew there were a few threads already. You just did the search for me.

 

[DolfanCole]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was incorrect. That may have been speculation from an unreliable source when it was first announced. I take back my statement

No need. DDR RAM is still "desktop grade". Just a little older grade.

 

[dan1668#AC]

It all comes to how the developers will use each type of processor. Netflix has said they want to use the Qualcomm snapdragon chipsets for better security. If they don't adapt it to the tegra 2, then there could be issues. Also the duel core processor on the Bionic may or may not be good depending on how the fw to use both cores will effect the batt life. It could trounce the Tbolt if they spend time tweaking the FW to get the best performance and battery life. It all depends on how motivated the manufactures and carriers are.

 

[dbermanmd]

Obviously without the actual devices to compare on a first hand basis can any conclusion be reached as to the TB vs. the DB?

Is it going to be initially one over the other based solely on availability because the devices are relatively similar in terms of capabilities?

The only real potential difference for a customer like me is going to be battery life from what i can determine given the technical insight you all have kindly offered. Both phones will apparently leave me with lots of room to grow with over the two year contract with Big Red.

Any other thoughts or insights?

And again, thank you all for your time and expertise.

David

 

[elchip]

If battery life is your #1 concern, hold out for the Droid Bionic. It has a 1930 mAh battery vs. a 1400 mAh battery in the ThunderBolt.

Not only is the battery bigger, but in my experience something about HTC -- I don't know if it's something in Sense or what -- drains battery life faster than Motorola phones. Case in point: The original Droid vs. the Droid Eris/HTC Hero. By all metrics the Hero should have had better or similar battery life, but the Droid won out by far.