Is it that bad?

[Mac58]

Im looking to switch to Verizon and get a family plan for me and my fiance, in Lieu of the release of the Galaxy Nexus . My fiance however, is not a power android user. She has a captivate and it works for her, it has some problems, but its still ok. I was thinking of getting her the Droid Charge because it has a similar interface as the captivate so she wont have to re-learn anything and it has a pretty nice screen. However, it seems like every one in the forum HATES this phone lol. Is it really that bad? Do you guys advise against buying this? All of your input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Simpson8]

Its not that bad. Most of the gripes are about the lack of updates from VZW and Samsung. My only issue with it is that the GPS takes longer to lock on the signal than my other smartphones have.

 

[Mac58]

Its not that bad. Most of the gripes are about the lack of updates from VZW and Samsung. My only issue with it is that the GPS takes longer to lock on the signal than my other smartphones have.

Thanks for responding!

Yeah I noticed that with the captivate as well. Is this possibly a samsung issue? Also, so thats the only problem you have with it? If so, it isnt that bad since she wont ever really be using the GPS.

 

[papa54]

Thanks for responding!

Yeah I noticed that with the captivate as well. Is this possibly a samsung issue? Also, so thats the only problem you have with it? If so, it isnt that bad since she wont ever really be using the GPS.

my son has a Captivate and he has no complaints, and i own a charge,, as far as i am concerned its the best of what i've had.. mind you i had a Fascinate that played games if you needed no signal but pissed away its useage..
this charge that i now own .. is fast enough to stay ahead of me.. i am running a non stock ROM.. and it works well.. good screen to watch netflix movies on when i am gone from home,, alsoi use dropbox to dump movies etc in and when i am gone i connect to dropbox and walla theres more movies...
dont even rely on the Samsung Media Hub.. you get 25 bucks of free uses.. buy etc etc etc..
but then what you download cant be hdmi'd to anything.. the HDMI works well on my charge and as for the GPS,, well what can i say.. by the time i get into my truck and sssstart it,, the gps is correct within a few feet.... directions are right on and streets names etc are right on and if you look ,,you can see a rd's name coming up as you travel and be ready to turn when ya get to it,,, the GPS on my charge ..so far,,, has never failed me... not once,,no matter whose Rom i was using at that time...

is there anything i migt buy other than what i have ..nope i'll stick with the charge untillm y 2years are up than and its a maybe ,,but i might switch to the nexus if Google is still in charge ..

 

[SOTK]

When frequenting forums, we need to keep in mind that forums usually represent the vocal minority. In other words, people usually only come to forums like these to complain and/or are power users looking to tweak and better their experience. Know what I mean? For example, I have had virtually none of the purported problems others complain and nag about. I do wish the battery life was a tad better and sometimes getting a decent GPS lock is bothersome. I have managed to tweak my phone with custom Roms and kernels and battery calibration in order to improve battery life. I've used a couple or GPS aids from the Market that have significantly improved the GPS.

A reliable developer I follow on twitter and at xda forums has posted that a new gingerbread leak which will be released imminently (tomorrow probably) is supposed to be handsdown the best release thus far with an improved radio and a better OS framework. Its version 2.3.6 which is the newest gingerbread. Purportedly, its going to be the official Verizon release. So, this is exciting. Its been my experience that if you hang tight with Samsung phones, the os updates just get better and better not to mention the developing of newer and better custom Roms.

In my opinion, its not a bad time to be coming on board the Charge.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

 

[Mac58]

Thanx everyone for the responses.
I noticed that you guys said you flashed cutom roms. I have rooted aplenty phones and flashed a few roms, however, this is going to be for my girl and she isnt into all that. I just want to get her a phone that will work out of the box without having to do these things. My question is, can the charge do that for her?

 

[bakerbert]

If she can handle a tiny bit of lag, Then Yes this phone will be great for her.
The screen is nothing short of amazing, LTE is fast....very fast and the phone is fairly light and slim.

It will be everything an average user needs and a whole lot more.

 

[trigun123478]

The charge has issues though, to be real about it. Frequent data drop outs, and random call issues. Like all of a sudden the person can't hear you any more and you can hear them. Or the other person will hear nothing but static and you have to restart the phone to fix the issue. The screen is amazing the battery life sucks but its lte. The biggest things she will hate because my gf has the charge is the data drops, and the bad battery life. Also its really slow compared to the fascinate I had. It lags when scrolling through your home screens and you get redraws a lot. I can't recommend the charge because its really frustrating me. Oh yeah and the phone is dead in the water Verizon is pretty much abandoning it.

 

[richs10]

I've owned the Charge for a few months now. It is a nice phone, but the battery life is just deadly. And as time goes by, I am having more and more problems with the lag issue (especially repopulating the home screen after coming out of an app) which is kinda frustrating. I think the phone is under-powered (no dual core, low onboard RAM). With all the new dual core/1 gig RAM devices coming out so soon after I bought the Charge, I'm developing some buyer's regret. If I could, I would go with a dual core phone at a minimum.

I'm also upset that neither VZ nor Samsung will give us any indication of when we may get a software upgrade to GB. It's kinda silly that this "high-end" 4g device is still running Froyo at this point. I'm hoping GB may help some with the lag/battery issues.

Just my 2 cents
Rich

 

[kakistocrat]

Agreed, go for the Razr, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SII, or Bionic. Support for the Charge has basically been dropped by VZW and Samsung (ie: no more major updates, no ICS). The Charge is an amazing phone, but for the same price you can get one that will have better longevity. If you do get the Charge, look for the Hyperion extended battery on Amazon. With stock battery, phone was super light and thin, but only lasted half a day with light use. Now lasts 24hrs with heavy use. Also feels better in my big manly man hands

 

[sv_one]

Buy her a new phone. It is NOT just the people who complain on a forum who think this phone is buggy and laggy. I know 3 other "non-techie" people who have this phone. And they're all hitting the software update button every day hoping that they'll be an update to fix the problems with the phone. Why would you buy a NEW phone that is on FroYo anyway? Why not just spend a teeny bit more and get faster hardware (dual-core instead of single-core) and a more up-to-date OS with an upgrade path that is much more likely to see multiple upgrades in the future. (The Razr, for example, will get ICS -- will the Charge?).

I know people like to defend their phones....but it isn't a question of is this phone good enough for the OP. The question is: should he wait and pick up a newer phone. Clear answer = yes.

 

[arctic388]

the screen is awesome. that is the only positive i can say about the Droid Charge.

if you do get it for her i highly recommend get her the desktop charger cradle if she can use it. i used to have a charger cable everywhere i went but since i bought the desktop charger its not so bad maintaining battery. I also carry and extra battery with me at all times.

if at all possible wait till the nexus comes out and has a few real world use reviews.

actually just remembered there is gong to be quite a few used charges for sale when the nexus comes out if your budget is tight. lol

 

[davey11]

She doesn't use gps and can put up with some lag is good. The screen is wicked. You can find some deals on used charges, then this phone will be fine for her.
You probably will have to root it, and get a theme on it cos she probably won't like the stock brown and orange colors.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

 

[Bobrowe78]

I agree the screen is awesome and that is the only good thing about this phone. this phone would of been ok if it came out in may of 2010 but almost 2012 and it's still on 2.2 I made a huge mistake buying this phone and would not recommend it to anybody

 

[CBMC]

My biggest problem with the charge is the lag. I have teamgummy ROM on it, and it still is laggy. I have a thunderbolt also, and to me, the thunderbolt is faster (almost no lag on CM7). The charge does have a better screen and slightly better battery life (though if you use the thunderbolt extended battery you will have no problems).

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[GMC MaXx]

I've been running the gingerbread leaks and the only issues I've had is with the GPS taking 5-10 minutes to lock in. I just installed the latest leak Gingerbread 2.3.6 and the GPS is fixed now. It locks in within seconds. That being said, I will be upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus and giving my Charge to the wife who has been using a Blackberry Storm 1. It will be a HHHUUUUUUGGGGGE upgrade for her. All she does is check Facebook anyway.

 

[JihadSquad]

I've been running the gingerbread leaks and the only issues I've had is with the GPS taking 5-10 minutes to lock in. I just installed the latest leak Gingerbread 2.3.6 and the GPS is fixed now. It locks in within seconds. That being said, I will be upgrading to the Galaxy Nexus and giving my Charge to the wife who has been using a Blackberry Storm 1. It will be a HHHUUUUUUGGGGGE upgrade for her. All she does is check Facebook anyway.

Lol I upgraded from a blackberry curve 8830 the silver model with a roller ball and 1x... Think about how I felt when the internet speed was faster than my home internet

 

[gdiego]

I too switched from an older basic BB. I purchased my new Charge about 3-4 weeks ago after visiting the Verizon store. I've been eligible for an upgrade the last 5 months or so. In hindsight (after listening to the rants here) I wish I had waited. To hear that this phone is "dead in the water" and not expected to recieve any upgrades, it is disheartening. It is also discouraging to see this phone on sale at Best Buy yesterday for nearly $100 less than I paid 3-4 weeks ago. I doubt Verizon would be sympathetic if I went back asking to switch phones.
That being said, the Charge is a huge upgrade from my BB. And, I have not experienced the problems others encountered. At first, I was upset there was no notification light, but after D/Ling "NoLed" it has solved the problem. The screen is great and locking on to GPS is not that annoying. Presently, I do not have 4G in my area but with luck, some time soon. I wanted a new phone prior to a 10 day trip to Las Vegas and this seemed to be the best in the store at the time. ...Live and learn...?

 

[SOTK]

I try not to always listen to EVERYTHING that is said in forums. This thread is a good example. You have people claiming Verizon and Samsung have dropped us from firmware support (just today, as I already claimed in this thread, we have a new unofficial firmware drop) and people say that the phone lags, etc, etc. I don't know about anybody else but I left Blackberry to come to Android for the freedom of phone customization and poweruser tweaking. While its true that we don't have a current stock official update from Verizon, there are plenty of options to tweak your phone to superb functioning levels. Rooting and flashing is really not difficult with this phone. Really. And, I have it on good authority that the firmware which was released this morning is going to be official from Verizon and let me tell all of you that it is awesome. It sports better memory management, better browser experience, better battery performance, and I'm getting near instant GPS locks. AGAIN, as I have already stated, people should be more patient. This phone is only 5 months old. Almost every phone is released with somewhat buggy firmware. It ALWAYS gets better. Don't listen to ALL the negativity. This is a great phone!

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

 

[sv_one]

AGAIN, as I have already stated, people should be more patient. This phone is only 5 months old. Almost every phone is released with somewhat buggy firmware. It ALWAYS gets better. Don't listen to ALL the negativity. This is a great phone!

So, not to totally disagree with you but...to partially disagree with you:
Most phones just aren't this buggy.

I've never had a phone that spontaneously rebooted (frequently).
I've never had a phone that when the battery is low and you take a picture, crashes.
I've never had a phone that randomly doesn't work with bluetooth devices it successfully paired with.
I've never had a phone that took 10 seconds (randomly) to redraw the screen.
I've never had a phone that ran out of battery power within about 4 hours with any level of heavy use.
[EDIT ADDITION: I've never had a phone that doesn't lock on to GPS consistently or within 20-30 seconds.]
I've never had a phone that required a third party launcher to make the basic functions work fast enough to not drive me insane.

And, well, I've had about 10 different blackberries, 4 iPhones (iPhone 3, 3GS, 4, 4S), 10 Palm devices and others, Good devices, and many other devices.

The only thing I've never had before is an Android device. But from what I can tell the other Android devices don't behave like the Charge. (DO THEY?!) You seem to be implying this is par for the course with mobile phones. I can assure you it isn't for non-Android phones. And my bet is that it isn't for Android phones either. Right?

I'm personally looking forward to the Galaxy Nexus, if only because I'm certain it will get regular updates.