Might be joining the club

[PowerBomb]

Nine tenths of the way towards deciding on a Bionic. I have an upgrade coming up and I started out thinking 4G didn't really matter to me and got interested in the DInc2, then it kinda occured to me that I might as well get grandfathered in on unlimited data with a 4G device. I was on an HTC kick at the time so I started looking at the Thunderbolt. But then VWZ started up this certified preowned sale online where the Bionic would cost me even less than a Thunderbolt would, and since I tend to commit to one device for at least a year or two, I figure dual core, HDMI, and the other features would make the Bionic a better choice.

I would have been 100% decided on the Bionic a few days ago already, but I got hung up reading the debates about the pentile display. I'm the type of person who will let those little details bother me, so I was concerned hearing that you can see pixelation on the screen and people reporting that it hurts their eyes. So I knew before deciding I better check it out in person at the store. I think the display is fine. I can see how the battery icon looks a little grainy, and I did load up a website where it was blue text on a red background and it definitely had this weird effect where it looked blurry and the letters were almost floating off the screen. I could see that being heacache inducing after a length of time, but I can't think of many situations where I'll really be loading up text or images with such a strange color scheme. Regular black and white text looks fine and even totally zoomed in I did not see any blurriness around the edges. When you scroll through black and white text you can see the black letters get the diagonal lines going through them. But I hear that the pentile display is supposed to benefit battery life so I think that's a fair trade off. The Rezound display looked amazing but is currently not in my price range. The RAZR looked nice but was a lot dimmer than the Bionic, and again, this isn't on sale either.

Anyways, that's my rant. Is the Bionic a good choice? I see the controversy about the data drop issue, but I live in a good 4G area and some people are reporting that flashing certain updates has really improved the issue anyway. Is Bionic a good candidate for a phone likely to see ICS?

 

[hurricane630]

The bionic is a very good choice. But I also think the nexus is a good choice as well. The data drops can be annoying and I am currently experiencing one. I am in a constant 4 bar 4g area and get a drop on occasion(not often). The screen has never hurt my eyes or given me a headache. The screen is spectacular! especially in sunlight. Brightest screen i've ever seen in sunlight by far! Mine has been durable and I haven't had any problems. I'm pretty sure that we were told we would get ICS in the first half of this year, so we should have it in a few months hopefully!

 

[doogald]

Anyways, that's my rant. Is the Bionic a good choice? I see the controversy about the data drop issue, but I live in a good 4G area and some people are reporting that flashing certain updates has really improved the issue anyway. Is Bionic a good candidate for a phone likely to see ICS?

Let me first say that I exchanged a Bionic in my two week exchange time for a D3 because I had data problems with the Bionic. Yes, the Bionic is a good phone. If you can get it at a good price, I'd go for it. I'm sure that there will be great phones coming out in the next few months with ICS from the start, but they will not be at a certified pre-owned low price for a long time, either.

You may want to think about the extended battery as well.

 

[tehsusenoh]

Well, if you do join the family, we'll all welcome you!

The pentile screen takes a day to get used to, but after 4 months and 16 days with this phone, I don't even mind. It's great in terms of brightness and battery life.

 

[Somniferum]

I would have been 100% decided on the Bionic a few days ago already, but I got hung up reading the debates about the pentile display. I'm the type of person who will let those little details bother me, so I was concerned hearing that you can see pixelation on the screen and people reporting that it hurts their eyes. So I knew before deciding I better check it out in person at the store. I think the display is fine.

Since you have tried out the display in person and say it doesn't bother you, I think you will be fine. I'm very sensitive about display clarity (my last phone was an OG Droid, which I still think has one of the sharpest displays around) so I was concerned about all the harping on the PenTile display, but after trying it in the store I found it didn't bother me at all. I can see the difference (it's actually not pixelation like everyone says -- the technical term is "pattern visibility" which is caused by the type of subpixel rendering that's used, but that's just FYI).

After 4 months I'm still happy with the screen, and with the overall phone. I love being able to see it in sunlight, which was a problem with my OG. The "data drop" issue some report has not affected me -- I live in a strong 4G area but switch to 3G or WiFi most of the time to conserve battery, and all the radios work fine for me. Occasionally I need to toggle Airplane Mode after switching from one radio to another, but that fixes it every time and it's quite rare (once or twice a week tops).

Another great thing about the Bionic is its physical customizability. There are a ton of accessories available, such as the HDMI dock which I love using in Webtop mode with a wireless USB mouse and keyboard. I recently installed a 32Gb Class 10 Micro SDHC card (can't do that with a Nexus) and a 2000 mAh slim extended battery (can't do that with a Razr). The only drawback in this area is the locked/encrypted bootloader, but it's still possible to root and debloat if you're into that kind of thing. Just don't expect to be flashing tons of ROMS with custom kernels.

The only other drawback to my mind is battery life, but that's an issue with all 4G phones at the moment, and the Bionic has above average battery life compared to other 4G phones from what I've seen. Plus you can install an extended battery if needed, either the slim profile 2000 mAh one I mentioned, or a bigger 2750 mAh or even a 4000 mAh beast if you don't mind adding extra bulk to the phone. Again, lots of options.

Overall from reading your post it sounds like the Bionic would be a good choice for you. If the screen looks good to you in the store then I wouldn't let that hold you back. Good luck!

 

[PowerBomb]

Thanks for the replies.

Hurricane - yeah, I like the Nexus too, if money were not an option for me I would probably go with that for the plain Android/Google experience. My 2nd choice after that would probably be the Rezound, it was beautiful in the store. Buuut unfortunately I don't have a lot of extra money to spend right now so I'm trying to upgrade for fairly cheap.

Doogald - I picked up the D3 for a second while I was there and it was very nice. I'm trying to get myself to finally give up the physical keyboard though, as much as I loved it on my Ally. I'm not sure why I'm determined to break this habit. As I held the Bionic in my hand I felt myself trying to slide it open and remembering there is no keyboard lol. Guess I just feel like adapting to the slab phones finally.

tehsusenoh - Yeah, I can see that in certain situations the pentile just behaves a bit differently and I'd have to adjust to that. But frankly when I first walked up to the Bionic in the store I thought "wow, display looks great to me", probably because I had such a horror story built up in my mind from people reporting that you'll see zigzags and pixelation everywhere. It looked good, I watched a few HQ YouTube videos and loaded up the Golf game that it had, both looked very nice. I had to make an effort to find a webpage where I would zoom in and notice that it looked a little funky. I'm sure I could get used to it. And I have heard a lot how nice this display looks outdoors or in sunlight, that would be a plus.

Somniferum - Thank you for your detailed input about the Bionic. I actually wasn't aware that the Bionic was still locked down pretty well and won't have a lot of ROMs to offer. I do enjoy messing around with ROMs and flashing new stuff, this is actually what appealed to me about the Tbolt, seems to have a huge dev community. But the Bionic seems to be a pretty beastly phone as is, whereas I only rooted and ROM'd my Ally so much because it was a slow/bloated phone that really needed the benefit of some custom ROMs. I'm prepared to deal with the 4G battery life (Tbolt is one of the worst and I already had myself thinking I'd be okay dealing with that), Bionic supposedly fares a little better than most 4G phones so that's a definite plus.

Well basically, the preowned Thunderbolt had been on the VZW site for $69.99, but recently disappeared, so it's no longer an option for me (not gonna pay $99 for a new one, the Tbolt seems to have a great dev/support community but it's getting up in age and lacks some features of the newer phones). The LG Revolution would be free, and the Bionic and Charge are $29.99. I still have my last loyalty discount waiting for me too, so if that ends up being $30, the Bionic would be free for me. I looked at the Charge in store, and I had heard that the Samsung screens can tend to have a blue tint, but man, that thing was BLUE. Almost to the point that I wonder if that display model was defective or something. I've been an LG fan for a while but nothing about the Revolution really interests me.

So at this point it's looking like I'll have a Bionic. It may not be ideal in every aspect, but regardless, it'll blow my old Ally out of the water and might end up costing me nothing except a contract renewal.

 

[teslas]

Hey powerbomb,
Before picking up a Bionic, you might want to go check out the phone price at Costco. It's cheaper than Verizon, plus they are still offering the bonus pack which is worth a lot if bought separately. Just a thought.

 

[tehsusenoh]

Hey powerbomb,
Before picking up a Bionic, you might want to go check out the phone price at Costco. It's cheaper than Verizon, plus they are still offering the bonus pack which is worth a lot if bought separately. Just a thought.

This. I got mine there on release day. Free car charger, desk dock, car dock, battery, case and screen protector. It's a wonderful deal.

 

[xmr405o]

This. I got mine there on release day. Free car charger, desk dock, car dock, battery, case and screen protector. It's a wonderful deal.

Yep, It's priced way better at Costco. I will always recommend Costco if a person's budget is a concern. These are tough times we gotta be smart about how much we spend on items that we would more than likely replace (upgrade) in two years.

 

[PowerBomb]

Wouldn't you need a Costco membership in order to go through them? I don't have one. Besides, Bionic should end up being free for me with my loyalty discount. All those accessories would be nice but I have never gone through a 3rd party when I renew or upgrade, I've always just worked directly with Verizon.

 

[tehsusenoh]

Wouldn't you need a Costco membership in order to go through them? I don't have one. Besides, Bionic should end up being free for me with my loyalty discount. All those accessories would be nice but I have never gone through a 3rd party when I renew or upgrade, I've always just worked directly with Verizon.

I've found that 3rd party vendors aren't always the best, but my family's been a Costco member since they put one by our house. They're great. They even told me the release date early. And one of the sales associates met to see the Bionic a week or so before the release as well so was able to give me all of the little details.

As for being a member, I believe that you do, but I'd go back to this old thread from YankeeDudeL for the info.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-d...iscussion-thread-including-q-yankeedudel.html

 

[teslas]

Wouldn't you need a Costco membership in order to go through them? I don't have one. Besides, Bionic should end up being free for me with my loyalty discount. All those accessories would be nice but I have never gone through a 3rd party when I renew or upgrade, I've always just worked directly with Verizon.

if you have a friend or family member that is a member of costco that's all you need. Plus costco has the best return exchange policy. You can't beat it anywhere. So its worth at least checking out. because of my wife's razr from there and got the whole package.

 

[YeloSub7]

I just bought a bionic because it being only $30 for a certified pre owned. Only had for a couple days now, but it is awesome upgrading from the DINC. The screen was different at first, but I already don't even notice it. Can't beat the price either for being a dual core 4g phone. Better than $300! I say buy it you are on a budget, definitely worth it in my opinion. Otherwise buy whatever your heart desires.

Sent from my BIONIC from Tapatalk

 

[PowerBomb]

if you have a friend or family member that is a member of costco that's all you need. Plus costco has the best return exchange policy. You can't beat it anywhere. So its worth at least checking out. because of my wife's razr from there and got the whole package.

Yeah I've heard about their exhange policy and that would be the biggest benefit in my mind. I'll have to ask around to see if anyone I know still has a membership but otherwise I'll just have to bite the bullet and go through Verizon.

I just bought a bionic because it being only $30 for a certified pre owned. Only had for a couple days now, but it is awesome upgrading from the DINC. The screen was different at first, but I already don't even notice it. Can't beat the price either for being a dual core 4g phone. Better than $300! I say buy it you are on a budget, definitely worth it in my opinion. Otherwise buy whatever your heart desires.

Sent from my BIONIC from Tapatalk

Thanks for contributing your input. I agree with your logic, can't really beat the Bionic at its current price.

 

[teslas]

Powerbomb. You know your situation the best. So make a choice that best fits your needs.

 

[page2171]

I just bought a bionic because it being only $30 for a certified pre owned. Only had for a couple days now, but it is awesome upgrading from the DINC. The screen was different at first, but I already don't even notice it. Can't beat the price either for being a dual core 4g phone. Better than $300! I say buy it you are on a budget, definitely worth it in my opinion. Otherwise buy whatever your heart desires.

Sent from my BIONIC from Tapatalk

I went with the $30 CPO Bionic also. Mine, however, is still on its way (just ordered yesterday), so I have no experience to relate. I went with the Bionic because I was on a budget and the Bionic seemed to be the best bang for the buck deal.

 

[PowerBomb]

Mine shows that it should arrive tomorrow. I got my case in the mail today, so I can sit here like a dork and hold the case with the little cardboard insert that looks like the Bionic in it.

 

[page2171]

Just checked...mine is due to be delivered on Thursday...going to be a long wait. btw...what case did you go with? I am leaning towards the Otterbox Commuter.

 

[PowerBomb]

I just went with an inexpensive TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) case. I like the feel of the material and it looks like it'll provide more than enough protection for the whopping $4 I spent on it.

 

[amazinz5]

Just checked...mine is due to be delivered on Thursday...going to be a long wait. btw...what case did you go with? I am leaning towards the Otterbox Commuter.

Otterbox Commuter is a winner. If you don't mind spending $30. The defender I've heard has a weak belt clip and it keeps falling off. It'll add some bulk but you'd have to try (or do something really dumb) to damage the phone. The only problem is when I play n64oid sometimes I need to use the volume rocker for Z and R and I have to take it out of the case to make it easier to press.

 

[PowerBomb]

Been messing with my new CPO Bionic for about an hour now. Seeing it in the lighting of my own home compared to the VZW store, it's easier to see the zigzags on the screen but I think I'll get used to it. Have to adjust to no physical keyboard coming from the Ally as well. This thing is blazing fast compared to what I'm used to though. No problems with my 4G connection so far but I know it's early lol. Not sure how soon I'll want to try rooting and ROMs, maybe tonight.

 

[Thom]

Been messing with my new CPO Bionic for about an hour now. Seeing it in the lighting of my own home compared to the VZW store, it's easier to see the zigzags on the screen but I think I'll get used to it. Have to adjust to no physical keyboard coming from the Ally as well. This thing is blazing fast compared to what I'm used to though. No problems with my 4G connection so far but I know it's early lol. Not sure how soon I'll want to try rooting and ROMs, maybe tonight.

My opinion ... don't change anything for a week ... then make changes slowly ...

... Thom

 

[PowerBomb]

Haha thanks for the input. Yeah I probably won't mess with it for a bit.

 

[page2171]

Otterbox Commuter is a winner. If you don't mind spending $30. The defender I've heard has a weak belt clip and it keeps falling off. It'll add some bulk but you'd have to try (or do something really dumb) to damage the phone. The only problem is when I play n64oid sometimes I need to use the volume rocker for Z and R and I have to take it out of the case to make it easier to press.

I saw some Otterbox cases on different phones and decided to go for it. Found it for sale on Amazon for $20.

 

[PowerBomb]

Battery came half charged and I killed it pretty quickly, just finished getting it back up to 100% so I'll get an idea of how long the batt will last with my usage.

I love it so far. It's funny how different I look at my Ally now when I pick it up off my desk, it's like a big clunky toy.