DX2 or Bionic next?

[Vance]

I don't want to ask this in either subforum because those there have probably already made up their minds, and you all are coming from the same D1 perspective as I am . . .

D1 getting old (I was first in line on release day at my local Verizon store), and I have been getting by with rooting and ROM's, but time is almost up.

I want dual core, so no tbolt, DINC2 or Charge. I don't necessarily need 4G because we won't get it in my area for most of the life of my next phone, I am guessing. I would have to wait for the Bionic, but I am a bit put off by the DX hard buttons, which are supposedly the same in the DX2.

Anything else compelling about either the Bionic or DX2 that I should be considering?

 

[mahashel]

I'm in the same boat. I love my OG Droid, and the myriad of ROMs and hacks have allowed me to push it faaaaar beyond its intended function. However, I'm jonesing for a new phone. I love the heft & build quality of my D1 so I'm leaning toward sticking with Moto for now. Consequently, the TB & Charge don't really excite me. 4G would be great, though I don't really need it. (except that 3G performance seems crippled lately, but that's another story)
DX2 doesn't really do it for me, probably because the DX1 didn't either.
Bionic looks awesome, but I've stopped following for the time being, now that it's been officially delayed for "however long it takes".
Droid3 is my new dreamboat, though I've not seen any rumors that include a solid launch date.

Anything else? The Targa looks good, but I suspect that the Bionic may well end up becoming the Targa. This wouldn't be a bad thing, but seriously how long of a wait are we talking about? Nobody seems to know.

My last NE2 comes up in July. I sure hope something lands by then.

 

[Vehtemas]

Really, anything with a dual core processor and a semi-strong battery that will last a full days charge.

 

[YankeeDudeL]

I'm with you'se, the Droid has been everything I ever wanted in a phone, but I've pushed mine to it's limit. It's def time to move in a new direction.

I have it in good faith that I'll have 4G in my area by Sept, if not sooner. I don't want to wait two years to get on the 4G train, so I'll def be going that route. Also, I'm craving dual core much for the same reason I want 4G, two years is a long wait with old technology.

For me, it's basically what are we going to see first: the Bionic, or the Galaxy S II? And we still don't know for sure if the SGS2 will be 4G or not (I don't believe they've actually confirmed that it's even coming to Verizon, but it's expected to, at the very least). Whichever beats the other is the likely direction I'll go.

One more thing I've lately been considering is the fact that I may have the ability to purchase one last 1 year contract. If that's the case, I'll investigate the Droid Charge. It's actually gotten pretty good reviews (one of which was done by our own Rob Jackson, who's opinion I've come to trust, link here: Samsung DROID Charge Review ), and I actually like the form factor. That and I've had the opportunity to play with phones like the TB and DInc2, and both are incredibly snappy phones, which the Droid Charge should be on par with. I could tolerate a phone like that for a year.

 

[jfe]

I am just waiting for a dual core phone on Verizon to jump. It doesn't even need to be 4G, but does need a FFC

 

[Vance]

I am also considering the Charge for the screen and the fact that it should be easy to root. I am concerned a bit about Moto's new wishy-washy attitude toward locked bootloaders. They say they are going to lock them down, then after the public outcry say that they will keep them unlocked, subject to carrier approval. Well, the carriers won't approve, that's for sure!

But I am also worried about the build quality of the Charge, with the plastic, and the lack of dual core. The DX2 at least solves both of these problems, but will have the same concerns regarding rooting.

So, I am a bit of a dilemma for now.

 

[YankeeDudeL]

I'm fortunate enough to have a family plan and a family that entrusts me to make the bulk of their cellphone decisions. I've got two upgrades right now and another coming in July. Thinking I may have to bite on the Charge and just hand it off when we finally get a dual core LTE phone, which doesn't look like it'll be till any earlier than late June, if then.

 

[SirVilhelm]

I got my D1 on release day and loved it. I rooted and rom'ed that thing almost weekly starting with DroidMod and ending with CM7. Like you I felt the D1 was reaching the end of it's life and like you started researching new phones.

I ended up going with the Thunderbolt, I have 4g in my area and duel core wasn't really an incentive for me. The Thunderbolt is amazingly fast, especially when compared to the D1. After rooting and rom'ing it I get about 14 hours of battery and 20MB down, faster than my damn cable modem!

Two things I would think about, one is that the longer you wait the more chance you will get hit my Verizon's upcoming data tier plan. Two, if you are into rooting as I am I would be extremely cautious with where Moto's head is at with them locking down their phones. I would never buy a Moto with a locked bootloader, that's what made the D1 in my mind.

Also, what is everyone's fascination with Dual core? It's going to be a long while before we see any benefit from Dual core. I wonder what battery life will be like.

Anyway, I know you are not looking at the TB but I just wanted to say from personal experience and coming from the same background as you that I am extremely happy with the device. No regrets from me.

 

[Vance]

Unfortunately, we don't get 4G here (a rural area) and it sounds like we may not for a while. My understanding is that Dual Core will help immediately with running multiple operations without any sluggishness, rather than any apps specifically built for it. But I could be wrong on that.

The Thunderbolt definitely is an option, since I like HTC phones (I got my wife and daughter DINC's), but the 4G will not benefit me at all since it may take another 18 months to get to me, and by then I may be in the market for a new phone anyway. So, of the two new technologies, only the dual core is relevant. Once the Charge and the DX2 come in, I will play with all them and see how they feel in real life.

 

[SirVilhelm]

Makes sense. I would wait a bit once they are released to give XDA a chance to root them. That might make your decision easy.

 

[Vance]

Makes sense. I would wait a bit once they are released to give XDA a chance to root them. That might make your decision easy.

Yes, and to see what bugs and issues come up. But, once I have them in hand, I may not be patient enough!! :0)

 

[YankeeDudeL]

Two things I would think about, one is that the longer you wait the more chance you will get hit my Verizon's upcoming data tier plan. Two, if you are into rooting as I am I would be extremely cautious with where Moto's head is at with them locking down their phones. I would never buy a Moto with a locked bootloader, that's what made the D1 in my mind.

Also, what is everyone's fascination with Dual core? It's going to be a long while before we see any benefit from Dual core. I wonder what battery life will be like.

That is really my thing here. I like my plan just the way it is. This is why I want to get on the 4G train as quickly as possible. I don't suppose it'll guarantee that I'll get grandfathered or anything, but it's def worth a shot.

And my thing about dual core is that maybe Android isn't fully optimized for it yet, but if I'm gonna be locked onto a phone for two years, it likely will be. But that's if I'm gonna be locked on. If I do have one last 1 year contract to use, than I might go with a Droid Charge.

I got to play with a TB (finally) and a DInc2. Gotta admit, the TB is one helluva snappy phone. That's as fluid as I've seen a phone be. The DInc was pretty much butter, too. Actually, I really kinda liked the form factor of the DInc2. If the Droid Charge is on par with them (which reviews indicate that it is, for the most part), then yes, I just may bite.

 

[Vance]

If I am on a contract now, wouldn't renewing for another 2 years just grandfather me in to my current plan? If not, and I am just starting fresh, I might tell them I will go elsewhere, maybe Sprint which has better pricing, and take my entire family with me. They usually respond to that.

 

[YankeeDudeL]

If I am on a contract now, wouldn't renewing for another 2 years just grandfather me in to my current plan? If not, and I am just starting fresh, I might tell them I will go elsewhere, maybe Sprint which has better pricing, and take my entire family with me. They usually respond to that.

Well, that's what we're not sure of. We don't know what's going to happen once there's a full rollout of LTE. I know right now you can get a 4G phone without making a single change to your plan other than renewing. I would imagine that would grandfather you in until renewal time. After that, who knows?

But it's def my motivating factor. I want to get on the 4G train now so I can get grandfathered. I don't want to change my plan at all. Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid that.

 

[Sportster]

Never upgraded before. What's that get me? I'll be eligible end of July and am anxiously awaiting a new phone. The D1 is just so slow and the memory issue,screen size,crap camera,etc it's time for a new phone. Am considering the Bionic. Want cutting edge so I can go awhile with the next phone. DNLA, dual core, large screen, plenty of internal memory.

 

[drone46]

The last I heard the Bionic has no release date and there has been some question if it will get released at all. The DX2 on the other hand started shipping demo units to costco today. So if you are planning to upgrade soon the DX2 is your best bet.

 

[Vance]

Well, I finally decided, and am surprised at the direction I went: the Thunderbolt. I kept playing with the Droid X at the Verizon store and ultimately I just didn't think I could get used to the physical buttons. And with more RAM I decided the TB would give me more immediate bang for my buck in performance. Lastly, the build quality and "feel in the hand" clinched it. So far, I love it. When dual core really becomes essential with new OS and application optimization for it, I may feel differently, but maybe then I will had this TB down to my son and buy a "superphone" with everything!

 

[skilaufen]

Well, I finally decided, and am surprised at the direction I went: the Thunderbolt. I kept playing with the Droid X at the Verizon store and ultimately I just didn't think I could get used to the physical buttons. And with more RAM I decided the TB would give me more immediate bang for my buck in performance. Lastly, the build quality and "feel in the hand" clinched it. So far, I love it. When dual core really becomes essential with new OS and application optimization for it, I may feel differently, but maybe then I will had this TB down to my son and buy a "superphone" with everything!

Congrats. A number of my friends have the TB and love it. I now have a new standard also in addition to the 4g. I want a phone that will support Netflix. Occasionally I am stuck for extended periods of time with nothing to do so it will be great having 4g and Netflix. I will just be waiting a little longer I think.

They say patience is a virtue, but I'm not feeling very virtuous as time goes on.

 

[breadnatty08]

Congrats. A number of my friends have the TB and love it. I now have a new standard also in addition to the 4g. I want a phone that will support Netflix. Occasionally I am stuck for extended periods of time with nothing to do so it will be great having 4g and Netflix. I will just be waiting a little longer I think.

They say patience is a virtue, but I'm not feeling very virtuous as time goes on.

BTW, I've got Netflix running on my Droid, streaming just fine. I'm currently on Liquid GB 1.8. Give it a shot!

 

[skilaufen]

BTW, I've got Netflix running on my Droid, streaming just fine. I'm currently on Liquid GB 1.8. Give it a shot!

Really, where did you get the apk from?

 

[Most Wanted Monster]

Really, where did you get the apk from?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=594235&d=1305231009

 

[skilaufen]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=594235&d=1305231009

Thanks, I had found it over at XDA. Already loaded and running fine!