Just got my Bionic today and. . .

NFL said:

I literally just walked in the door with my new Bionic, it's all set up and ready to go, and I come online to post for the first time ever, and see that the first photo of the Prime leaked this morning!

Can I have your honest opinion please? Should I return this thing now and wait? What do you guys think?

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to each his own, and you seem unhappy with the news, so for YOU, you probably should return the Bionic. Me--I'm fine with mine. Go with your gut.

I agree with Dave to each their own. As soon as the Prime comes out there will be the next big phone a couple months out that will replace that phone as well.

IMHO Motorola builds the best phones. Yes it sucks that the encrypt the bootloader, but the phones themselves have the best radios and are the best built phones you can buy. How much time do you have (14 days???) I would keep it for a few and if you are not happy with it then take it back.

I have had mine for 17 days now and could not be happier, it has not disappointed me in anyway.

Here's my opinion:

Best Buy

Weighing out the options:

Samsung Pros

Larger Screen The Prime is rumored to have a 4.65" screen (could be bad for some...for me 4.3 inch is probably as large as I want to go)

Best display - Samsung has got the screen quality locked down. I don't think anyone comes close. (Bionic is not horrible by any means)

Unlocked Bootloader - I can't imagine a Google Device coming out with a locked up bootloader. If you are a "ROMer", this only makes your life better. (Bionic Roms are coming along really nice though).

Stock Debloated - Everything that I have read states that the Prime is not going to be pre-loaded with a bunch of "Verizon" garbage apps that can't be removed without being rooted. (Not that huge of a deal if you plan on rooting).

Ice Cream Sandwich - The Prime is supposed to be releasing with the newest Android OS version. (This doesn't mean that the Bionic will never get it. Heck, I am pretty sure that when ICS releases, we will see updated ROMs for the Bionic with all the new dessert goodies).

Samsung Cons

Battery Life - From a general consensus from my wife and friends that own Samsung devices, there is a trade off with the beautiful screen...Poor battery life. My wife has the Fascinate and my Bionic with its dual core processor and other beefier specs outlasts her device with not problem.

Screen Size - Rumored to be 4.65", the Prime is getting to be borderlined Tablet sized. Once you hold a 4.3" device in your hands, for me anyways, it wouldn't seem comfortable going any larger.

Sound Quality - I have friends with Galaxy S devices of all models and they all complain about the same thing...Sound quality. This includes the microphone, earphone, and exterior speakers. (I think this is something that Motorola has locked down).

Updates - Now things could be different since this is a Nexus device, but from a general standpoint, Samsung is really slow on releasing updates. It was almost 6 months before my wife could use her GPS on her Fascinate. And my buddy who had a Galaxy S Captivate over on AT&T never got an update that fixed the GPS on his device. (Motorola may not be the fastest with updates, but always faster than Samsung)

General Build - Every Samsung device I have ever held gives me the same opinion of it ... Cheap. I don't know what it is...maybe too much plastic, but I feel like I am going to break it just holding it. (Bionic is pretty tough feeling and also comes with Gorilla Glass).

Overall, I think both devices are going to be great. You just have to make sure whatever device you choose you are going to be happy with it for a long time (unless you have plenty of money to upgrade when you please.)

NFL said:

Thanks guys, for your input. I've been testing the camera out on the Bionic this morning, and I think that's the main reason I might be taking it back.

I'm following the iPhone announcement, and the guy actually said:

""I don't know what Droid Bionic customers have to do between taking pictures... like, go get coffee."

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Lol. That's funny.

Not sure where you purchased your Bionic but I would at least use it through it's return period. No harm no foul, right? You can test out the 4G signal because if you are in a 4G area, I bet you'll love it. It might help you out in your decision making.

Iphone vs Bionic vs Prime vs Vigor

It's been discussed ad nauseum, but this is always going to be the case. If you hold out for the Prime, the minute you get it home you're going to see a leak for the Droid HD (RAZR) or whatever. It comes down to what you need vs what you want vs how long you're willing to wait.

There's def some things that leave me yearning for better. For instance, the idea of a better screen (especially after how much video and live streaming I've been using) is especially enticing. But I also know that a better screen isn't going to be as good in sunlight, and is going to impact battery life, two things I've also come to greatly value (especially with battery life, this thing is great).

Then take into account where you purchase your phone from. With the Costco bundle, even if I was capable of waiting for the next phone, that deal was going to be hard to pass up. It will not be offered with the Prime, if it comes to Costco at all (come on, you know we got the best deals ).

The only cons I have found with the Bionic are the qHD display is pixelated and the bad camera quality; other than that, it is a great phone. Other small issues will be addressed with software updates, which will hopefully also fix the camera. The only issue is the qHD screen, which is good and bad; the bad being the lower screen quality, but the good being the outside visibility and battery life.

If Prime has the better HD display then I might go for it, other than that, I am happy with the Bionic and feel that it is a very solid phone. Even though, pure Android would be nice to have.

I refuse to get a phone bigger than 4.3", 4.3 is big enough, anything better and I wouldn't be able to hold the damn phone...

YankeeDudeL said:

It's been discussed ad nauseum, but this is always going to be the case. If you hold out for the Prime, the minute you get it home you're going to see a leak for the Droid HD (RAZR) or whatever. It comes down to what you need vs what you want vs how long you're willing to wait.

There's def some things that leave me yearning for better. For instance, the idea of a better screen (especially after how much video and live streaming I've been using) is especially enticing. But I also know that a better screen isn't going to be as good in sunlight, and is going to impact battery life, two things I've also come to greatly value (especially with battery life, this thing is great).

Then take into account where you purchase your phone from. With the Costco bundle, even if I was capable of waiting for the next phone, that deal was going to be hard to pass up. It will not be offered with the Prime, if it comes to Costco at all (come on, you know we got the best deals ).

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Droid HD (Spyder/Razr) doesn't interest me at all as it seems to be just slimmer Bionic.
Your comment on Prime at Costco got my attention. I'm fine with not offering bundle for Prime. But is Costco not going to carry Prime after Verizon releases it?

Vehtemas said:

I refuse to get a phone bigger than 4.3", 4.3 is big enough, anything better and I wouldn't be able to hold the damn phone...

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I refuse to ever buy a phone smaller than 4.3; same as I refuse to ever buy a glossy screen monitor (either laptop, or stand alone monitor). Once you go matte, you won't go back!

I still see many people complainign about the Camera. It's not the camera itself that makes it so horribly slow, its the stock app used to take pictures with. I've bought Vignette and have absolutely no problem with taking it pictures, it takes awesome pictures if you ask me. Well worth the $3.99 with all the effects and support (I've sent 2 E-Mails to them and got personalized response on both of them with solutions).

Something I don't understand guys. If the new ice cream sandwich is supposed to be coming out, then wont the bionic upgrade to that soon after it does? isn't that usually how it goes lol Tell me if I'm wrong, but that's why I'm confused about the point of waiting for the prime if the bionic will update to the ice cream sandwich...

hurricane630 said:

Something I don't understand guys. If the new ice cream sandwich is supposed to be coming out, then wont the bionic upgrade to that soon after it does? isn't that usually how it goes lol Tell me if I'm wrong, but that's why I'm confused about the point of waiting for the prime if the bionic will update to the ice cream sandwich...

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I am sure that the Bionic will see the update to ICS. Motorola has been decent with rolling out updates. But once ICS is released, Motorla has to test it and then Verizon has to test it and when they say it is okay they release an update. All depends on how fast they both test and feel comfortable with the build.

And to the OP. I am returning my Bionic on day 13 of my return window.

I miss HTC Sense, I am going to wait for the Vigor. The screen on the Bionic is not great at all.

For a $300 smartphone the screen looks like it belongs on a phone thats $150. The camera is garbage! I should not have to buy or change any app to take a good picture. The stock app/camera combination is horrible.

My apps disappear if I have them moved to SD Card when I turn my phone off. Seriously? It is quick though on 4G. That is about all it has going for it.

I don't think I ever really wanted to keep the Bionic, I was bored with my Incredible so I bought one and was always planning to return it. I would not want to keep it with phones coming out soon.

I don't think we will see any game changing phones for at least 4 months after the Vigor, Prime, Spyder release.

How is the Prime a game changer? Nobody is 100% sure what the processor speed is, but assuming it's 1.2Ghz, Dual Core w/ 1GB of ram, what's new? I mean the Atrix has similar specs and it's been out for months at this point.

I agree, the Prime will edge the Bionic spec-wise, but I don't see it blowing it out of the water. And this is all assuming it doesn't have some sort of fatal flaw, like a crappy battery or a dumpy radio. I had the Samsung Charge, and if that's any indication of what Samsung is doing radio-wise, I'll pass.

I'm on day 7 with my Bionic, and I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to keep it or not.

The only thing I'll give the Nexus is that if it is eventually released on all carriers, accessories will be plentiful. In my opnion, that's still the only thing iPhone has over Android - a total boatload of accessories.

^Thank you.

No one really gives the Atrix credit or dismisses it. In Android land it was the first or one of the first phones with a higher screen res, dual core, 1GB ram, 4G way back in Feb. Throw in the docks and the Atrix was/is a real game changer IMO.

NFL said:

Thanks guys, for your input. I've been testing the camera out on the Bionic this morning, and I think that's the main reason I might be taking it back.

I'm following the iPhone announcement, and the guy actually said:

""I don't know what Droid Bionic customers have to do between taking pictures... like, go get coffee."

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I too felt the stock camera app was slow, download FXcamera, and pics are much faster