*DROID DNA reaction, discussion, and first impression thread*

[211275]

Check out the sharpness and clarity of the screen next to the iPhone 5, wow!

 

[zscuro]

Well, crud. Been waiting patiently for the GN2 on VZW and now this guy looks pretty awesome. Have the Galaxy Nexus Google phone from the Google Play store (a ccompletely clean phone is amazing) but I'm getting on LTE.

Okay, so I don't have a million apps and I go back and delete pictures I don't care about. My current phone has 13.3 gigs open, so no sd slot isn't that big, I guess. Wireless charging is cool, but for $10 you can mod the GN2 as well with Palm parts.

So, aside from the $100 less, what does this phone have over the GN2? I can't decide right now.

 

[211275]

So, aside from the $100 less, what does this phone have over the GN2? I can't decide right now.

A much better display, arguably better CPU and GPU, its thinner and lighter, Sense instead of TouchWiz and better build quality.

 

[Rippin508]

Thanks, NightAngel for the additional hands-on info. Very helpful.

 

[Jocelyn84]

A much better display, arguably better CPU and GPU, its thinner and lighter, Sense instead of TouchWiz and better build quality.

It's not thinner
DNA 9.73mm
GN2 9mm

 

[Rippin508]

You gotta give props to HTC and VZW for the pricing. In the day of $299 super phones, they got this right. Might need to transfer my wife's upgrade for this one.

+1

And $599 Full Retail price is on par with the Motorola Droid Razr HD and the Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB.

 

[Rippin508]

NightAngel, I am guessing Isis is not set up on this phone yet.

 

[Rippin508]

NightAngel, another question.

How does this phone fit into your pocket? I know some people with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 say it fits fine while some others have problems.

 

[NightAngel79]

NightAngel, I am guessing Isis is not set up on this phone yet.

Not sure what Isis is off top of head...

NightAngel, another question.

How does this phone fit into your pocket? I know some people with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 say it fits fine while some others have problems.

So far its been fine, I can def notice the difference from my rezound with extended battery though.

 

[AntimonyER]

+1

And $599 Full Retail price is on par with the Motorola Droid Razr HD and the Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB.

If you have a family plan, a subsidy over $350 means its actually cheaper to add a line, buy said phone, swap a dumbphone onto the new line in order to be able to take the data package off, and move the new phone to your existing line, than it is to buy outright. Plus then instead of paying it all upfront, you are paying $199 up front, and the rest over the two year contract for that new line. Add in the sales tax savings of $400* your rate, and its a healthy $50+ savings in addition to not needing it all upfront.

 

[AntimonyER]

Not sure what Isis is off top of head...

Isis is VZW's answer to Google Wallet.

 

[Rippin508]

If you have a family plan, a subsidy over $350 means its actually cheaper to add a line, buy said phone, swap a dumbphone onto the new line in order to be able to take the data package off, and move the new phone to your existing line, than it is to buy outright. Plus then instead of paying it all upfront, you are paying $199 up front, and the rest over the two year contract for that new line. Add in the sales tax savings of $400* your rate, and its a healthy $50+ savings in addition to not needing it all upfront.

Yeah I know about this. I know some people who have used this 'workaround' to keep their VZW Unlimited Data Package. I was commenting on the Full Retail price is the same for the other two phones I listed, in case somebody is interested in paying Full Retail price for the phone.

 

[AntimonyER]

It's not thinner
DNA 9.73mm
GN2 9mm

Welcome to AF, Jocelyn84!

Haha, well, ok, congrats on your first post, I see you have been a member for two years!

 

[WuBoy]

Saw this phone and got happy at first. The specs look really good, but the batt life and limited memory really kill it for me. I've had a Thunderbolt for the past two years and the crappy battery life has really been an issue. I'm not trying to set myself up for that problem again. And the lack of memory is just puzzling. I can't understand why they'd only offer 16 GB and no other alternatives. I don't even consider myself a memory hog and even I am using more than 16 GB of total storage on my phone.

 

[rivera02]

The phone looks awesome and I'm sure if i had to i could get used to the battery, but 11GB of storage is a definite no go for me. This is why HTC is spiraling downward, because they're either too stubborn or stupid to get everything right with one of their phones. VERY disappointing.

 

[Bearcats]

If it had more storage it would be in danger of being the perfect phone, since that is never gonna happen I can live with the storage.

I may have to adjust some of my habits but I don't think this will be an issue

If its not personal, what would you need to adjust? I dont use my phone for games but movies in the future...?

I see TDKR and Asphault as primary storage hogs...

 

[dwagner88]

So disappointed. Such a nice big display and no way to store more than about 3.5 hours of 1080p video. Automatic deal breaker for me. I carry about 14 gb of music on my phone at all times. Can't afford to stream it all day thanks to shared data. Boneheaded move HTC. You lost a sale. Holding on to my GN2 preorder.

 

[WuBoy]

So disappointed. Such a nice big display and no way to store more than about 3.5 hours of 1080p video. Automatic deal breaker for me. I carry about 14 gb of music on my phone at all times. Can't afford to stream it all day thanks to shared data. Boneheaded move HTC. You lost a sale. Holding on to my GN2 preorder.

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me about this. If I upgrade, I lose my unlimited data, so being able to store things on my phone rather than having to stream it makes all the difference. Very disappointing.

 

[AntimonyER]

Yeah I just checked my phone, and I don't actually use up that much storage space. (With the exception of Nandroid back-ups, I have 7GB of those, but I can watch those to make sure I only have one at a time on my device)

 

[Thunder22]

The battery size and storage are a deal breaker from me. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt and I won't deal with battery problems again.

 

[NightAngel79]

The battery size and storage are a deal breaker from me. I'm coming from a Thunderbolt and I won't deal with battery problems again.

Well you won't have that to worry about with the DROID DNA, the battery has been leaps and bounds better than I expected

Storage is regrettable but I will see if it actually makes a difference in long run

 

[Thunder22]

Well you won't have that to worry about with the DROID DNA, the battery has been leaps and bounds better than I expected

Storage is regrettable but I will see if it actually makes a difference in long run

I hope you're right, I'm going to hold off on upgrading my Tbolt until I get some hands on with a DNA and see what the battery life is like when the phone is activated.

Thanks for all of the info, great job.

 

[NightAngel79]

I hope you're right, I'm going to hold off on upgrading my Tbolt until I get some hands on with a DNA and see what the battery life is like when the phone is activated.

Thanks for all of the info, great job.

Glad I could help

But phone has been activated all day now. So far kicking butt still, tomorrow is the real test. Start off day full battery, use phone all day at work on lte and see where I stand after my shift

 

[TangledThorns]

I just preordered mine. I am disappointed by the 16Gb memory but I think I can live without it. Finally decommissioning my DINC1 that I've had since before they originally hit the shelves, a real trooper of a phone. I'd keep it around but it keeps overheating when I'm pushing a 3G signal.

 

[rdalcanto]

I am curious to see the diplay in person. I prefer the brightness and colors of LCD over Amoled in general. But, I don't know if I will notice the difference between 720p and 1080p on a device that small. When I was shopping for TVs and Projectors, what I always read was that over two screen diagnals away from the unit, the human eye can no longer tell the difference. If that is true, than on a 5 inch display, if you are 10 inches or more from your face, you can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080. Now my 13 year old son can hold the phone 5 inches from his face and still be in focus. But, I am starting to notice my age, and I am getting to that 10 inch zone soon. I will definitely check this phone out in person, but I'm leaning toward the Note 2 for the bigger screen, super battery life, S pen, and expandable memory. I did not like the screen in my brothers S3 very much, but was blown away by the Note 2 screen, in terms of brightness, color reproduction, and lack of pixelation/sharpness to my eyes.