What do you think of the droid bionic after a year?

[mjwalsh]

I am really beginning to dislike the Bionic alot and starting to think of buying an unlocked phone (most likely Galaxy Nexus) to get me by to my next free upgrade. The LTE data drops on Gingerbread OS were simply unacceptable, this is a serious bug which has still not officially been fixed a year later. Can you image if this had been a bug on the iphone !?! It would have been fixed in a week.

I am on the 232 ICS leak which I am much happier with, however, it has completely killed my battery, I can just about make it through a day. In the car dock it actually still loses charge even when meant to be charging. This really is a problem, as I am hesitant to use maps or music during the day.

I certainly would not go back to the iphone, the features on Android are much better BUT this has been an overall bad experience to go from awful LTE connectivity issues to now battery issues. I would never buy a Motorola phone again, the lack of support is awful. Will we ever get a stable ICS release?!?

I also know there had been a lot of debate about the pros and cons about the screen on this forum...but at the end of the day...for photos it really is crappy quality even if I can see them outside.

I think part of the problem is I got a nexus 7 (which I really like) last week with pure Jelly Bean, and it has made me even more annoyed about this phone.

Anyway rant over.....lots of things to like about this phone, but these two problems have been too big an issue for me. Never again.

 

[jkensinger]

I have been on the Bionic now since June and my phone rarely drops 4g. I'm on 4g about 98% of the time. For me the phone was a giant upgrade as I was on the Samsung Galaxy S and the specs on this phone blow it away. I would have been stuck on GB with the Galaxy S so knowing ICS & Jelly Bean (most likely) are on the way is a huge plus. While I'm anxious for ICS I can't complain at all the way this phone runs on GB. I got the phone for free (except the upgrade fee I had to put in Verizon's pocket) I would have been upset if I bought it out of the box and waited this long seeing new phones enter the market with less specs running ICS.

Also, the removable battery for me is a huge plus. For this reason, the razr would not suffice as I can swap out batteries and always have my phone with me instead of being connected to a wall charger all the time.

 

[Mooncatt]

In the car dock it actually still loses charge even when meant to be charging. This really is a problem, as I am hesitant to use maps or music during the day.

I've had this issue since day one and with an LG phone. In both cases, it's been the car was hot when I got in, which allowed the battery to get hot. This will keep it from staying charged and have the issue you mentioned. If your dock is window mounted, the sun beating down in it will make it hard to cool down. If that's the case, try running the defroster so the cold air blows over the windshield and phone, or try moving it out of the sun.

 

[Ry]

I've had this issue since day one and with an LG phone. In both cases, it's been the car was hot when I got in, which allowed the battery to get hot. This will keep it from staying charged and have the issue you mentioned. If your dock is window mounted, the sun beating down in it will make it hard to cool down. If that's the case, try running the defroster so the cold air blows over the windshield and phone, or try moving it out of the sun.

What type of chargers are you using?

 

[Mooncatt]

What type of chargers are you using?

12V lighter plug style USB chargers rated a good bit above the OEM capacity. Same thing happens when playing a graphic intense game on the OEM charger if the battery temps get high from use.

 

[mjwalsh]

What type of chargers are you using?

Whatever the original Motorola charger is that Verizon sold me when I got the car dock. Worked perfectly at charging when on Gingerbread.

Sorry, should have been clearer about car charger not charging, the loss of battery is when I am running google navigation, I had no issues and in fact charged when on gingerbread with nav running. Its not been particularly hot either recently which would explain this. Thanks for the tip at defrosting the windshield though...will give that a try.

Its now almost 8pm and I am down to a red battery....never had this issue with this in later versions of Gingerbread on Bionic...not even used phone today.

 

[Mooncatt]

It is known that GB doesn't fully utilize both cores of the processor and ICS does, meaning more power demand. That could explain it, but just another reason I hate USB for power.

 

[vegasvampire666]

I've had my bionic for 8 months now. I am very happy. This thing is outstanding. 4g lte is lightning fast. For a phone thats been out a year, it still keeps up or even surpasses my friends" latest and greatest" phones! Features galore, and put in a otterbox defender, ( yes, clunky, but I got used to it) and you have a powerhouse workhorse. My only complaint is the battery, but the thing is so much fun I cant put it down. I could care less about ICS or ANY updates for that matter. My phone is fine the way it is.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

 

[Mellimel22]

It is always so ironic when someone says pretty much the exact opposite of what everyone else is saying. It's one thing to say "this phone is not my cup of tea" or whatever, but call the phone "a piece of junk" is simply ludicrous.

This is my fifth smart phone since the whole thing began. I started out as a BB user and while they made pretty decent devices, I gave up waiting on them to catch up with the pack so I moved on to Android. Personally, I find the Bionic to be a fine "piece of hardware" and I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase, also about 1 week after release. I did encounter problems once and, after a factory reset, was up and running. Yeah, I had some data drops as well, but they were relatively rare and it's been a long while since it last happened.

Screen wise, I find the Bionic screen 10x better than any "Super AMOLED" screen out there. Color reproduction is quite excellent, contrast superb, whites are white and blacks and black and no over saturation or green/yellow tinting at all. While it may not match the iPhone's display, I'll put up with that sacrifice to avoid the iPhone.

I use an extended battery and have no problems with lots of use, making it through the day and all the way to late night bedtime, unless I'm streaming Pandora for 8 or 10 hours in which case, I may need a little boost.

As for VZW vs. Sprint, that argument is so laughable, I simply cannot begin to compare.

I looked at the SIII and liked it, but the SAMOLED thing simply turned me off.

Come to the westside of Chicago sprint kills Verizon on call quality and reception but att is worse

Sent from my Nexus S 4g rocking Jellybean using Tapatalk 2

 

[Syounger64]

@mjwalsh...are you using an extended battery? I use one and it made a huge difference.

---------- Post Merged at 01:15 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:08 PM ----------

@n8ter: I'm not sure why you have such a problem with the bionic screen. I've seen pals complain they can't see their phones outside in the sun while I can and internally/function wise the Charge doesn't hold a spark next to the bionic.

 

[EnergyPlus]

Can't say I've been there in quite a few years, so not familiar with cellular issues there. However, local reception, while important, is not as important to anyone that travels even a fair bit. I guess local would rank #1, but not too far ahead of what would be #2!

Come to the westside of Chicago sprint kills Verizon on call quality and reception but att is worse

Sent from my Nexus S 4g rocking Jellybean using Tapatalk 2

---------- Post Merged at 05:19 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 05:12 PM ----------

References to the pentile screen puzzle me. I've been a photographer for over 30 years and as such, I've developed a pretty keen eye when it comes to image resolution, color accuracy, sharpness, contrast, etc. I've spent countless hours in the VZW store comparing one screen to another. To me, while the Bionic doesn't have the BEST screen, it certainly has a good one, even better than good. I don't immediately notice pixelation but I DO immediately notice bad color, over saturation, weak contrast and heavy green/yellow tints such as I see with any "Super" AMOLED screen. There is simply nothing satisfying about looking at an SMAOLED device, regardless of whether or not there is any pixelation. The best screen I've seen thus far, overall, is the iPhone but we all know there's no point in going there, lol. When I considered all things, not only screen quality, but also performance, the choice at the time for me was clearly the Bionic and I'm still satisfied with my decision. I have been looking closely at the S3, really WANTING to like it, but that poor screen keeps getting in the way. To call the Bionic's screen "disgustingly pixelated" is such a stretch, so far beyond the imagination, that I can only say "some guys like blondes, some like redheads, some brunettes." Perhaps you just have dusty glasses on?

The Bionic has one of the most disgustingly pixelated penniless screens I've ever seen in my life. Comparenitnside by side with an Atrix 2. Looks like it has dots all over it. Charge screen is an older Amoled type but it is still superior to what's in the bio nice outside of ppi.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[titans30dude]

I got the razr as a isurance replacement from the bionic and the razrs screen is alot better then the bionics and ICS is just great. The blacks are so much more clear but bionic was a great phone until the screen vroke

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Android Central Forums

 

[EnergyPlus]

Wow...you think the blacks on the Razr are "a lot better?" Really? Ok, so you must prefer SMOKEY, over-saturaated, yellow/green tinted blacks as opposed to real blacks because that is exactly what they are. Here is a challenge for you (just for the fun of it). I realize you can't compare a Bionic any more, so just do this. First, find a photography website that has some professioanl quality images, including black and white images. Record the URL on your phone. Then, go into any VZW store and make a critical, side-by-side comparison of the same image on your phone compared to say, an iPhone or any non-"super" (love that word, super crap? lol) AMOLED screen. I reference the iPhone ONLY because they do have the best screen image, but I'm not asking you to compare sharpness, simply color purity. I haven't looked in a while, but I guess you can do the same on a Droid. Also, if memory serves, the LG Spectrum had a pretty good screen, speaking in terms of color quality. If you are honest about it, you cannot, in a million years, claim that the SAMOLED screens have "better blacks" or better whites or better anything, unless you like muddy, over-saturated effects.

 

[mjwalsh]

Its funny that even 12 months later, we are still arguing about the screen!

 

[Mooncatt]

Its funny that even 12 months later, we are still arguing about the screen!

And I'll still take my Bionic over anything with an SAMOLED screen.

 

[Hale34]

This is actually a really nice phone. I understand the data drop gripes but once you get yourself past that it really is an excellent phone.

 

[zachthebomb13]

Here is all I know. After having my last phone (OG Droid) for a year I was really jealous of other phones, and really wanted to update my phone as soon as I could. With the Bionic, yea, there are many other "better" phones out there, but I am completely happy with my phone, and I'm not itching for a new one yet. I know when my next upgrade comes I'll be excited, but the Bionic is going very well. Now, just give me some ICS!

 

[BBSeattle]

It was a good phone after the updates and the leaked ICS.
But....not good enough to keep me from jumping ship when the GS3 was introduced.

 

[mhans311]

Verizon just replaced my Bionic with a Galaxy Nexus because of data drop problems. I have to say, I really liked my bionic, but going to the nexus is like going from a Honda to a BMW. I'll have to see how the nexus holds up when I am back to my regular schedule of school and work tomorrow.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[iN8ter]

The bionic screen is bad with obvious pixelation. Every review damned that screen when it came out. Its the reason i didn't get it. There is too many white sub pixels. It looks like an odd chest board. Not cute at all, and somewhat disturbing.

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