Possible upgrade

[SekiTimewalker]

So I am up for upgrade and tomorrow I am getting my new phone. I'm leaning HEAVILY towards the Bionic, but I've heard that it is supposedly being discontinued and I've heard there are some possible major issues with some of the phones dropping data coverage. Is this a good phone to get (I'm currently using the OG Droid) or is there a different recommendation? I'm asking here because I want the users of the phone to tell me, not just people who have done research on other boards.

 

[stoney bones]

data drops aside...since thats not just the bionic...its a nice phone but i was just told on the phone with vzw today there is a new motorola device coming out in the coming months he was just trained on...i was too interested with my issue to care though...he may have been talking about the razr maxx which i would take over a bionic to honest as long as its all they advertise.

i have a feeling the bionic will be outdated fairly soon....also given the fact that verizon plans to have there 4g coverage in one year as wide spread as 3g right now, i bet there will be a lot of new phones in 2012


edit: the bionics camera is horrible in my opinion..maybe its just software issues but it blows big time..

 

[Deanie]

Stony Bones posted just before I did...I would also wait to see what the Razr Maxx is all about. I really like my Bionic, but I do have data connection drop issues. I'm just hoping those get fixed in the coming upgrade, whenever that is.

 

[SekiTimewalker]

I already have a camera app that I use that I got for ten cents during the holiday, and the major reason that I wanted the bionic was simply for the replaceable battery. It was very similar to the razr in everything that mattered to me, the battery was just the tipping point. The problem with waiting is that I have the money now, and I am very horrible with money. By the time a new phone comes out, I know I'll have spent it on something else. I was mainly asking (but didn't specify which I should have) to any phone that is currently out. I do appreciate the posts though, the dropped data is my main worry with getting the Bionic. I don't use the connection often (mainly just for texts and the marketplace), but it is still a major strike against the Bionic for me. Are there any phones out now that are similar to the Bionic/Razr and have a removeable battery so I can buy a longer lasting one?

 

[stoney bones]

point is...any phone that is 4g on verizon network is potentially prone to the data drops...they tried switching people onto razrs and rezounds...some fixed, some still dropped data. so dont use that as a mark against it. its a network problem.


if your stuck on the fence, heavy pockets, itchy trigger finger....just get the bionic..given its specs, currently, its hard to get a phone that really can shame it.

 

[SekiTimewalker]

Ok then, thanks for the info. I'm going to get the new phone on Tuesday, and I heard that the stock battery lasts about as long as the OG Droid so I'm also getting the longer lasting battery. My OG Droid gets about a 12 hour battery life with me reading about 6 hours during the day, so I expect about a 18-24 battery life with the new battery (leaning more towards the 18ish).

 

[doogald]

The Razr Maxx is going to have a larger battery than the Bionic extended battery. (The Bionic extended is 2760 mAh, the Razr Maxx is 3300 mAh.)

As for similar phones with removable batteries, there's the Rezound, which has generally better specs than the Bionic, and the Galaxy Nexus, of course.

 

[breadnatty08]

I'd wait at least until the Droid 4 comes out, should be within a few weeks. If you need another physical keyboard, it should be a great phone.
You can also check out the Razr now as the Maxx is essentially the same phone but with a HUGE battery and a slightly better processor.

 

[Thom]

Based on the original question of needing to choose immediately ... there are three options Galaxy, Razr, and Bionic. Galaxy has ICS and isn't yet ready. Razr is a slightly faster and thinner Bionic with an unremovable battery.

I suggest that you handle all three look at the options on that day and factoring in the price that day pick the one that feels best to you. You will be handling it a lot after you buy it. If you are doing it today, the comparison sould be Razr vs. Bionic.

If you can wait a little ... what is on the horizon? Based on what has been written ...

-- Droid 4 - slightly faster and thicker Bionic with a mechanical keyboard.
-- Razr Maxx - Razr with battery larger than Bionic extended battery so battery life will be about the same as Bionic with extended battery.

For me it was the Bionic. The Razr felt "wrong" and the Galaxy is simply too soon. In addition, if the battery needs repair on the Razr or Razr Maxx you get to hand in your device and you will get a reconditioned unit that someone else had previously had. I don't like this idea at all.

... Thom

 

[desmofan]

I recently changed up form an OG Droid to a Bionic. I'm pretty happy with it overall, and it works SO much better than my Droid. I experienced a lot of data connection issues when switching from Wireless to 4G/3G connection. It would quite often not connect at all, unless I switched Airplane Mode on/off or rebooted the phone. I don't think it's a 4G issue, but more like a switching issue. Something along the lines where the phone thinks the wireless is still connected, so it keeps the data connection off. However, I recently switched the SIM card at Verizon, and have not had any connection issues, or random reboots at all! I really think this issue with the Bionic is sporadic across a selection of phones.

With all tis said, I would strongly recommend this phone, but would not use an upgrade for it. I bought mine used, so I still have my upgrade available when something amazing comes out down the road. There are a bunch of Bionics available on Swappa.com or Craigslist for about the same price as an upgrade through Verizon.

 

[global2]

I, too, had an original Droid. Loved it and used it for business and personal. Lots of apps. Started to get quirky, so I researched for quite a while and settled on the Bionic, which I bought using my Verizon update.

The 4g/3g issue is real and I find it interesting and retro to use the airplane mode workaround -- but hey - it works.

The biggest surprise to me was how much work I would have getting my new Bionic cloned to match my screens and apps that were on the original Droid. Literally hours and days getting all the apps, screens, widgets back in familiar territory. I had thought having a gmail-based system would make the transition seamless, but not so. I had Lookout backup enabled, but that didn't seem to help. Biggest hassle was trying to remember some of my usernames and passwords (too many senior moments).

In fact, if someone has a good app to recommend that truly backs up a Droid, I'm all ears. Luckily, I didn't trade in my old handset, so I had the ability to reference the old phone for app names and URLs of my favs.

And for those of us that still speak to humans using smartphones, I must say the voice quality is much better than the original droid.

Still can't figure out why Motorola felt compelled to move the on/off switch to the other side, and juggle the four home buttons. My muscle memory still causes me to hit List instead of Home!

 

[kingnut]

Bionic is a great phone especially coming from the OG droid. Ive used the razr but didnt like it as much as my bionic. Also the extra width of the phone really annoyed me. Go play with all the new phones and see which one you like best.

 

[stoney bones]

i dont get the upgrade.....as in i dont understand...i was counting down the days till my upgrade was eligible and on that day i got a whopping $30 off of full retail.

so someone please fill me in on why to wait for an "upgrade" discount?

are the discounts different depending upon device...or..customer?

sorry this is slightly off topic but upgrade discounts have been mentioned multiple times and i didnt want to start a whole thread for this question...

 

[doogald]

i dont get the upgrade.....as in i dont understand...i was counting down the days till my upgrade was eligible and on that day i got a whopping $30 off of full retail.

so someone please fill me in on why to wait for an "upgrade" discount?

are the discounts different depending upon device...or..customer?

sorry this is slightly off topic but upgrade discounts have been mentioned multiple times and i didnt want to start a whole thread for this question...

Until you are 20 months into a 24 month contract, you must pay full retail price for a new phone. At the 20 month point, you are eligible to upgrade at the advertised new customer price to extend your contract. Additionally, they used to have a loyalty discount of $50 that is phased out - everyone who upgraded in the last year has used their last loyalty discount.

So, before 20 months into your existing contract, a new Bionic would cost you full retail of $589.99 (though your contract end date would remain the same.) If you are 20 months into your contract, you can get the phone for $199.99, with potentially another discount of $30 or $50 (though you will no longer get a discount like that going forward), but your contract is extended 24 months.

 

[BucYouUp68]

My Camera Is Fine, this was shot with the panorama feature. No Edit. So not sure what the issue is.

 

[breadnatty08]

My Camera Is Fine, this was shot with the panorama feature. No Edit. So not sure what the issue is.

There's a panorama feature on the Bionic?? Never saw it when I had mine. Are you using a 3rd party app or stock camera? Love it on my Nexus, but if I can get it on my wife's Bionic, she'll love it.

 

[Thom]

In Camera app ... Settings | Mode | Panorama.

... Thom

 

[BucYouUp68]

In Camera app ... Settings | Mode | Panorama.

... Thom

Yep, Droid X has it too.

 

[jimvit1]

The bionic is as good as any of those devices out there and I bet some of the people who jumped ship for the much glorified nexus are having as many problems with that as with the bionic although you won't hear about until the new wears off and then you will hear that it has it problems also. Go for the bionic.

 

[marine one]

I too am happy with my Bionics camera. Some of the photos I've taken rival those taken with a Canon Rebel XTi Digital SLR. It's also got some cool features, like sketch. Photo below was taken with the camera then saved as a sketch:

 

[breadnatty08]

The bionic is as good as any of those devices out there and I bet some of the people who jumped ship for the much glorified nexus are having as many problems with that as with the bionic although you won't hear about until the new wears off and then you will hear that it has it problems also. Go for the bionic.

No problems with my "glorified nexus"
Hey, the Bionic is a great phone and was a huge upgrade from my D1. But, the fact that the Nexus is a dev. phone and is the only one currently/officially with ICS made me jump on it. Will there be a better phone in a couple months? Absolutely.

 

[breadnatty08]

In Camera app ... Settings | Mode | Panorama.

... Thom

Wife is at work so I can't see the feature now, but does it work like the Nexus where you just move the phone or is it a shoot and stitch method like the DX?

 

[PowerBomb]

I've been debating about which phone I want to upgrade to, so I've been browsing the VZW website just about every day looking around. This morning I noticed a few prices changes, and I noticed the Bionic can now be purchased certified preowned for $29.99. That's great for me if I end up wanting a Bionic, but I wonder if that's a bad sign for this phone going forward. The TBolt and other phones are still in the range of $69.99 preowned. Not sure why they're selling these so cheap.