I just switched to the Bionic from the Thunderbolt and am happy with the switch (even though my Thunderbolt had a custom ROM since the bootloader was unlocked). The screen quality on the Bionic doesn't hold a candle to the Thunderbolt as far as vivid colors and such, but it is Gorilla glass, and the pentile screen supposedly gets better battery life. IMO, the screen is the ONLY drawback to this phone. But if you don't like it, don't expect it to get any better...

 

Overall, I'm going to have to disagree. IMO, the TB is not better than the Bionic. Of course, that's my opinion. The TB is not a bad phone either. My friend likes his TB but he has definite battery life and signal strength issues compared to my Bionic.

Also, I would probably suggest that you also look at the Droid Charge. I think that has the best screen out of all the 4G phones that are on VZW if that's most important to you.

One other suggestion, make sure you have VZW notate your account. I heard that CS might say something but it usually only for a limited time. So if you plan on taking advantage of the early upgrade option that they presented you, then it's better to act fast rather than holding on the Thunderbolt. I'm not sure if that offer they extended will be still valid by the time the Vigor comes out.

Best of luck to you and I hope you get the phone you really want.

 

The TBolt from a spec standpoint and performance is inferior.

Bionic has:

More storage
Far faster chipset (N64 emu is slow on Tbolt and smooth on the Bionic)
Better video codec support
Better audio quality due to better DAC
Higher resolution
Looks way better in sunlight
World phone
Smaller footprint
Sd card is hot swappable
Mirror mode

 

As far as Moto blowing it with issues at launch...

The GS2,....yes the mighty GS2.... had some that probably got fixed with an update:
Galaxy S II KE7 update brings better battery life, fixes "pink spot" camera bug -- Engadget

The T Bolt is doing better than when it launched and some updates under its belt.

The Bionic just came out....As great as the GS2 seems to be, even it wasnt perfect out the box. Exchanges in case you have a bad phone or updates could fix any issues Bionic users are having right now.

 

I had a Thunderbolt for two weeks. While the screen looked nice indoors, it was almost impossible to see in direct sunlight. The Bionic can be easily viewed, at hi noon, with the sun beating directly on the screen. Very important to some of us who like to be outdoors.

 

My g/f has the tbolt and loves it. But one thing that sucks about it is she IS ALWAYS charging the damn thing. Hard to get ahold of her sometimes because its always in the room charging.

 

Can we keep the thread about analysis of the two devices, comparatively, rather than bickering about which is "better," etc?

 

I had the Thunderbolt from launch day and sold it right before picking up the Bionic on Thursday. Extremely pleased with my decision for one huge reason - battery life.

Although I noticed the pentile screen and it bothered me at first......it has grown on me....especially using it in sunlight.

It is still early on in my purchase but my opinion right now is the advantage goes to the Bionic.

 

OK I just got the bionic on Saturday, still debating to keep it or go back to my rooted thunderbolt here is what I've noticed so far:

What I dislike about the Bionic:
—LED notification is not as bright as in the Droid X, that was my main concern with the tbolt it was hard to see text messages when the led is behind the grill thing. It doesn't even turn on when the phone is charging!
—hate the fact that the on/off switch is on the left
—the screen isn't as nice sometimes (some images online look really bad)
—scroll bar doesn't have the quick access menu, and i.e. Turn wifi bluetooth etc, also text message notification is only displayed once you can't see the message until you open the message app(I think this is just Motorola blur)
—battery is just as bad as my tbolt (I was expecting this), I just hoped the 1735 mAh battery gave it a little more juice
—camera quality isn't that great especially in low lighting, your best bet is set it to 8MP because the 6MP widescreen looks awful, but I'm still giving it the benefit of the doubt because I haven't taken any pictures outside
—haptic feedback (vibration) isn't that strong, but it works well if you work in a quiet place like I do
(funny as I'm writing this a bionic commercial is playing, and the machine knows I'm talking bad!)

Now the good
—very fast, way faster than my tbolt
—a lot lighter than my tbolt
—hdmi out with full mirroring
—front facing camera seems to be better
—great phone sound quality
—fast GPS lock

I know there is more but I can't think of it now.

Overall it's a great phone, but I'm still not sure if tbolt users should jump on it

 

Give it a few charge cycles. My battery life since Thursday launch day has drastically increased

 

Me 2!!

 

If you're going to buy the HTC Vigor, please don't let it be for Beats "technology." it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

I want the Prime or the next phone to run on Qualcomm Krait soc. That's dual core cpu and second generation LTE antenna.

 

I have both, the Bionic is significantly better

 

The screen is about the only thing the TB has on the bionic, which is hardly even a noticeable difference.
The bionic is my first non-htc android phone, so if anything I'd consider myself an HTC fanboy. However, after spending all weekend comparing the two side by side (my brother-in-law's), the bionic is far superior in speed, battery life, and handles the OS much smoother.

There is really no contest between the two. IMO HTC really blew it with their first-generation 4g.

I don't understand how people are saying the Bionics battery is bad and just as bad as the TB. You must have your entire app list running in the background because aside from the insane speed, the battery life is the other major far superior feature. I'm thinking these 'battery issues' are user caused.

 

Everyone likes what they like, and that's a beautiful thing. We're not iPhone fanboys here, we have options to own a phone that can truly be our own, ones that cater to the individual needs of the individual to promote individuality. We're not sheep, we're consumers with diff needs. This is why we chose Android, and that's something to be embraced.

It seems there are many people who passed on the Bionic because a phone with the most beautiful and vivid display on the market is of a high priority to them. And if dual core was right up there next to it, I have no problem with them waiting for the Vigor or Nexus Prime. If dual core is further down the list, but 4G is up there along with needing a phone asap, the Charge is a great option.

Screen quality was never that high on my list, at least not in comparison to dual core, 4G, and battery life. But even I can plainly see why those same people passed on the Bionic. It's noticeable, and if you're going to have a phone for at minimum of 20 months, you'd want it to be something you're going to enjoy looking at.

In terms of smoothness, HTC Sense is not going to be beat by any phone on the market as of now. I loved how fluid the TB was when I first played with it. However, it's at best a hair faster than Blur on the Bionic, and with LauncherPro on it, they're equals in speed.

The Bionic is a great phone, but I understand it's not for everyone. That's why the Vigor and Prime are being manufactured. It's why Motorola is working on the Droid HD and Dinara. There's always going to be another option. I hope the next one that comes out meets your needs. But until then, you have to watch us rule all machines.

 

Bah,

I simply compared specs and performance, since used both the Bionic and Tbolt. For those two perspectives, the Tbolt is not on the same higher level of good. I have the Droid 3, so not a Bionic fanboy and dislike how Webtop leeches ram and storage, even if not using the device. RAM is not much an issue though, since the D3 performs fine and has less. The several gigs of missing flash storage is an issue for us storage freaks.

added:

Still, more storage than the Tbolt. Given the OP title, comparing specs and performance are the least subjective things.

 

Rock on, brother. And when you find the phone that will be in your pocket for the next two years, remember to get that phone at Costco.

 

Costco Fanboy!

Do you think they'll get the Vigor or Prime when it comes out? I'm thinking what I'll do (try to do with MUCH patience...) is wait for all of em to be out and then compare side by side to see which truly "rules all machines".

 

Unabashedly.

It's hard to say for sure. We've had every other major VZW phone, so I don't see why we wouldn't, but you just never know. I trust we won't have the same deal with the accessory bundle, though. That appears to be a once-a-year thing.

You've heard it a thousand times and you'll hear it a thousand more, but I def caution waiting too long. By the time all of these devices are out to be compared side-by-side, there will be whispers of quad core phones. And how tempting will that be? lol

 

These ARE dual core phones. I know you probably meant quad core....

 

Thanks. And fixed.