Are you committed to the Bionic?

[rogue_slc_vzw_rep]

There are a lot of frustrated threads in this topic usually ending with folks getting a different phone and moving a lot to another android device. I have been lucky to not experience any negatives with my bionic and am actually pretty pleased with it. My need for always having something new has kept me trolling the rezound/RAZR MAXX/Nexus threads wondering which I should upgrade to next as I pretty much always have an upgrade available. I cant bring myself to leave the bionic though as its mostly comparable specs wise, in one way or another, with everything thats out now or will be out as far as I can see. Any phone thats out right now feels like it would be a lateral move. The locked bootloader thing with MOTO makes me unhappy until I realize that right out of the box the phone doesnt really needed to be modded or I cant find a reason to have an unlocked bootloader at the end of the day.

I have found myself pretty dedicated to this phone. Buying the extended battery and a diztronic case kinda seals the deal for me as small investments in the phone.

Is anyone else around here, (maybe besides Thom because that guy loves his bionic ) sticking around with the bionic for the long haul? Are you looking past those that tell you to call vzw and complain enough to get a different phone sent out to you? Do you see these angry threads pop up about people leaving and just cant relate? I'm curious to get some feedback from those that are because most of the posts in this topic are complaints.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say about your bionic

 

[Thom]

Sorry ... I don't love the Bionic. I don't love anything that doesn't breathe (or at one time breathed). I like the Bionic a lot.

The alternatives that seem to attract some away from the Bionic are to me not at all attractive. Neither is a step up. Both just don't "feel" right to me and I have to handle this thing a lot.

What I want is a Bionic that works right. Because of heavy WiFi use I am less impacted by data drops then many others. I sure would like to know if I am going to use it to visit the contractor's plant in a city I have never been to if the Bionic Navigation app was going to get me there.

The fact that when I got my 4G phone in September the expectation was the Keene would have 4G now. The statement that it will be December sux.

So what exactly is "the long haul"?

The remaining problem I see is data drops and the reports say 5.9.901 (and the 5.9.902) have just about totally eliminated the remainder.

So are you asking about 45 days or two years?

... Thom

 

[rogue_slc_vzw_rep]

The long haul is I guess the 20 months you locked yourself into or longer.

 

[Thom]

For me ... since I got it in September it seems to be upgradeable in about 15 months.

45 days - absolutely
12 months - CES 2013 will occur with real alternatives
14 months - new devices will ship
15 months - seems likely

But the real answer is simply this ...

Insufficient data to compute.

... Thom

 

[New Rising]

I'm with you rogue, I'm still happy with my Bionic. I have a dual core processor and 4g, which is what i wanted my upgrade to be. I've looked at the razr, rezound, and the gnex. None of them have made me consider wanting to upgrade to one of them because none of them have really impressed me compared to my Bionic. I've never had problems with data drops like everyone is always complaing about. The only phone that i do envy a little bit is the razr maxx, that 3300mah sounds mighty nice. My upgrade is in october, and im guessing (hoping) we'll have ice cream sandwhich by then. So until then The Bionic will hold me off just fine.

 

[amazinz5]

I couldn't really ask for anything more out of my Bionic, short of playing skyrim on it (maybe in 2020). I did my research before buying it. I knew a lot of people had issues and that a lot of people didn't. I'm okay with that. I LOVE my Bionic and am more than content with using it for the next ~22 months.

 

[jkeller00]

I liked my bionic a lot and I dont feel the need to have the latest and greatest always. I do expect my phone to work as advertised though. There's no way im paying 300 bucks and settling with having to rely on WiFi mostly to keep it working. Hopefully the update Verizon and moto are working on fixes issue with the rest of those affected. Good luck !

 

[Somniferum]

I made it 20 months with the OG Droid, so I don't foresee any issues making it 20 months with the Bionic (got mine on release day in September, so 15 months to go). I haven't had any major issues though -- if I was getting frequent data drops like others it would be a different story. I had a few minor issues with .886, such as apps disappearing from the Media Area, but .893 completely fixed that. And now that I'm rooted and debloated I love this phone more than ever.

The hardware specs of newer phones are still comparable to the Bionic, so no envy there. The one exception would be the Razr Maxx with that slim 3300 mAh battery .... drool. Still don't like that it's not replaceable though. I bought the Mugen 2000 mAh slim battery for my Bionic which helps somewhat. I've also invested in an HDMI dock, bedside dock, Diztronic case, and 32 Gb Class 10 SDHC card, so that adds to the commitment level (although the card can be used in other phones of course [minus the G-Nex]).

Overall I'm very satisfied and don't anticipate upgrading until my contract is up.

 

[NashMob68]

I purchased my bionic in late Sept. I live on the fringe of an original 4G area. I had a lot of data drops on 4G/3G. These drops also occured in stronger 4G areas.

Received the OTA .893 in Dec. and the drops were worse on 4G than before the OTA. So I switched to CDMA only. No more data drops at all. Great batt life too.

Mid -Jan, I switched back to CDMA/LTE. Seems like the 4G is a lot stronger. The switch between 4G/3G is better. I still get some data drops when on 4G but they recover on their own and much faster than before. I don't have a reason it is better. I have not changed anything on my phone.

Besides the data issue, I have no complaints towards the bionic. I will be moving soon into a strong 4G area so hopefully that will take care of the data.

I have liked the bionic since CES 2011. The phone is smooth, fast and has great accessories. IMO, the bionic is at or near the top in every category. Even when the 4G doesn't work, it is one of the best 3G phones available.

I am content with my bionic beyond the contract.(5/13) Norman, OK

 

[SirEagle]

I got my Bionic in mid Oct. and see no reason to get rid of it. I get some data drops but use wifi at home. Usually turning 4g off and on will bring data back anymore. I came from an Eris which I had for 20 months, had to root it to be happy. Haven't had a need to root the Bionic yet. Just waiting to see what the next update and ICS have instore. None of the newer phones are worth drooling over.

 

[kingnut]

everyone is committed to the bionic... by a 2 yr contract.

 

[page2171]

everyone is committed to the bionic... by a 2 yr contract.

That describes me pretty well since I just ordered a Bionic yesterday...

 

[SirEagle]

everyone is committed to the bionic... by a 2 yr contract.

Some people have to much money and like to spend $600 on a new phone every couple of months. Not me though.

 

[mamawm]

Got mine on release day. I knew what was about to come out and wasn't impressed with what they had to offer. I'm still not impressed. I love this phone. I was happy with my little Eris for 22 months so I don't see myself wanting to switch to anything else before my 20 months is up with this phone.

 

[New Rising]

everyone is committed to the bionic... by a 2 yr contract.

not me, added a family plan and i got my bionic on a new contract but kept my number. my upgrade will be in October.

 

[rdsok]

I try to no use words such as "committed" and/or "institution" ... makes me nervous...

I am keeping my Bionic though... and I like it just fine. As others have mentioned, speed is excellent and the phone operates very smoothly.

I've have very few data issues with mine. Most of my data issues that were seen with the phone were better described as a very slow or sluggish switching to or from 3G/4G/WIFI... during those moments I wouldn't have a connection until after it finally completed the switch. Those issues were seen on 5.5.886 when I first got the phone and slightly less on 5.5.893 after the update. I finally got curious enough about 5.9.901 and installed it.. it's been rock solid since ( except when the network itself was down ).

The only downside is the locked bootloader... I miss most being able to completely backup my phone ( I've not yet rooted it ). Secondly, I'd also prefer to have more control over which apps run in the backgound... IMO it is idiotic that something I don't use, or use very seldom needs to be running for any reason. I feel these are not important enough to steer away from the phone, but none the less they are still important to me at least.

Even with those limitations... the Bionic is so much nicer than my OG Droid that I'm very happy to be using one now. I'll happily stay with the Bionic --- all throughout my 2 year contract and possibly beyond.

 

[billd]

I like my Bionic just fine. I haven't experienced data drops except in some very sketchy coverage areas where I couldn't get 3G or voice or anything -- and others with other phones and other carriers had similar problems in those areas.

There are some annoyances:

1. It does have a tendency to sometimes randomly crash when docking/undocking with the lapdock. Hopefully they'll fix that. It doesn't happen often enough to be a major problem.

2. I can't run Cisco AnyConnect with the lapdock. Apparently that will be fixed with ICS.

These are not enough to make me ditch the phone.

 

[jimvit1]

I will be staying with my bionic. I like everything about the phone and am hoppy with the screen that everyone was complaining about. It is very easy to see in bright sunlight. When I got it there were some folks saying it was horrible which was not the case. If I'm having data drop problems its happening when I'm not watching it. Over the weekend I was in san jose and noticed that every thing was running prett fast so I did a speed test and came back with a 40.98mbps and a 25.20 mbps. Battery life has been good except when on lte then it drains pretty fast so I keep it on cdma most of the time. Will last all day with moderate use. Yes I'm happy with my bionic. Its running stock with 5.5.893

 

[attyple]

I started with the OG Droid and thought that was a great phone. Absolutely no issues for 2 full years. Stock all the way. Heard about the Bionic when it was first announced and thought that might be a terrific upgrade. Waited patiently and bought it on release day. Was blown away at the difference between the 2 phones and totally happy with my purchase.
I experienced some data drops and battery drain but that was it. (not thrilled with the camera, but got Zoom FX and thought it was ok). Was part of the "soak tests" for the update to 893 and found it to be a good fix. Looking forward to ICS but otherwise I'm very happy with my Bionic and don't really have "phone envy". By the time of my upgrade in 15 mos, I'm sure there'll be something else.

 

[amazinz5]

I'm glad this thread was made...potential bionic buyers probably get scared away every day because most of the talk about it is haters. Idk how strict the mods and guides are about stickying but this thread should at least be considered.

 

[tehsusenoh]

I'd love to get a different phone... I'm sorry Bionic...

But I know that I'm going to have this for another 2 years, so I am going to make the best of it for myself and anyone else I can help.

I dismiss all phone envy cases, because I know that I won't be getting something anytime soon. Tablets however...

 

[YankeeDudeL]

I'm def loving it. I know it's not a perfect device, but rooting it has taken care of almost all issues I may have had with it. I have five Android devices on my plan, have owned three others, and an Android tablet, not to mention I sell phones for three diff carriers, so I feel I got a pretty good handle of what's available for Android, and how each performs. There's still not a phone on the market that I can say I'd rather have than this one. Certain phones best it in certain areas, but as an overall whole and taking everything into consideration (including price, and available deals), this was by and large the best phone decision for me.

I pushed my OG Droid to it's limits, far exceeding the expectations I had for it. It took the announcement of the Bionic for me to get excited about a new phone to replace it. I suspect, as others have said here, it'll be CES before I truly "need" another phone. As it is right now, I have an upgrade lying in wait, but there's just nothing out there that screams I need it more than my Bionic.

 

[xmr405o]

This phone will be in my family until it breaks just like my D1. I don't usually sell or trade my old phones especially if it's still usable. I might get a new phone but this bionic will end up with my wife or my son.

 

[PowerBomb]

I've only had mine for 12 hours so yeah I'll be sticking with it for a good while. Don't want to jinx myself, but I have had zero issues so far, certified preowned straight out of the box, not rooted or anything yet. Used data all throughout the day and no connection problems. No reboots, no death screens. Not even gonna mess with rooting it right now even though I'm tempted to.

 

[RDKamikaze]

I love my bionic! No, I'm not "committed to it" or "enduring it" or "stuck with it," rather I am "enjoying it while it lasts" before I have to hit my next upgrade! In due time, I will part with my bionic but not the day my contract is up.

In reality, I'm only looking to upgrade my phone when I have to upgrade my phone months after my contract is up and then will buy the next tested and epic phone.

The bionic isn't perfect, but no smartphone is (except the iPhone, it's perfectly boring in every way!).