Trying to decide between Verizon iPhone and DROID BIONIC?

Rene Ritchie

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Anyone trying to decide between a Verizon iPhone and a DROID BIONIC? If you absolutely can't wait for next month and a possible iPhone 5 to consider, and have to get one of these phones now, this is the thread for you.

If you have questions or need help deciding, fire away!
 

DannyMichel

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I have to be honest, on Verizon at least, android phones are better in every way. You're cripples with a Verizon iPhone. As I type this message from my Verizon iPhone, I'll tell you I PREFER iPhones period, but I acknowledge that it's crap on verizon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DannyMichel

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Please explain.... why is the iPhone crippled on verizon?

from another thread i posted in
Ok, i'll say it again...(note: im on Verizon)
Other than the obvios talk and surf thing-
You cannot merge a call unless you are the original caller
Even when a call is merged, you cannot hang up on just one of the callers
3G is slower on Verizon
Verizon iPhone internet won't get any faster with any newer iPhone any time soon because 4G LTE won't be available on an iphone for the next couple of years at least. AT&T however, will not only still be faster than Verizon's 3G, but it will get even faster with 3G HSPA+

CRIPPLED
And i'd like to add that if you turn your GSM iphone off and receive text messages while it is, and turn it back on, you will get timestamps for the times the texts were actually sent. On Verizon? of course not. the time-stamp is for the time you turned the phone on
 

RemmyZero

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i would hardly call those reasons valid enough to say the iphone on VZW is "crippled".

everyone quotes the "talk & surf" thing but i don't know anyone who talks and surfs simultaneously. i really don't believe most people can multitask that well to pay attention to the conversation and for what it's worth most people text now anyway.

i also don't see any huge benefit to having a 3-4 way call capability. once in a blue moon maybe, but not often enough to consider it "crippling" not to have it.

yes, 3G is slower on verizon but works in more places than at&t 3G. the fact is that big red has much better service, although i realize this isn't a debate on who has better service coverage.

personally, i just gave up my android after having had the droid x, incredible 2 and thunderbolt. android is faulty because the developers simply aren't "polishing" the software. that having been said, you can truly do more with the android phone. my iphone still crashes and locks up, it's not perfect. typing is very difficult at times and the word prediction/spell correction sucks horribly. on the flip side the battery is way better and the phone just runs smoother in general. i'd say go and try the bionic in the store first if you haven't.
 

Wildo6882

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My opinion will be slightly biased since I've been using an iPhone for roughly 18 hours, after coming from Android, which I used for the past 13 months. So far, I do really like the iPhone. The OS is obviously polished, everything is basically seamless, and it looks damn nice. I am, however, holding all final judgments until I've used it for 2-3 weeks.

Right now it's really too new to me to really say my ultimte opinion. It's slightly different than Android and somewhat (mildly) confusing, simply because I'm learning a completely new phone which does essentially the same things, only in a little different way. The few things I do not like are the notifications, and I know that will be changed come iOS5, but for the time being they suck. Android definitely has that one better. It's also easier to add downloaded ringtones. And personally, I like the browser on Android better, but only marginally. Other than that, so far, I don't see a ton of differences, just the average "I have to look in a different spot to get something accomplished" thing. To me, so far, there are a ton of similarities. And millions of reasons to love both.

That being said, if I (and this is just me) had an upgrade to blow right this second, I'd get the Bionic as long as my area had LTE. And for further disclosure, I have used two Motorola Android phones (Droid X, Droid 3) and an HTC Incredible 2. Or I'd wait to see what the iP5 has to offer next month, or the next batch of Android LTE phones in the coming months, and so on and so forth.
 

dcgore

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I think the gap between android and iOS is closing everyday and making a purchase decision is becoming more difficult. I'd say that at this point in time i would probably go with android. I've had all the iphones to date and the little things android allows you to do that iOS doesnt are an advantage.

Having said that, i hate how i can never be satisfied when buying an android device. Let take the Bionic for instance. If i make the jump in a months time the vigor and the prime will be out. So i wait for those and some other better phone is due a month later after that. It's just nuts.

So with iOS i know i will be ok with the phone for a year and i don't have to worry whether or not my phone manufacturer will go from gingerbread to Ice cream sandwich, etc.
 
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Eileen89

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I have to say that I have been looking at info about the Bionic for some time now. However, I don't think it would work out for me due to Verizon's spotty coverage where I live.
 

Corey

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I think the Bionic is a great phone for two or three months ago. At this point in time, I think it's just a place holder in the Verizon lineup until the next group of super phones hits. They delayed the release too long for it to be an important phone in the Android lineup. And, at the end of the day, it looks more like the appropriate follow up to the Droid X than the next milestone (no pun intended) in Android development. The biggest edge that I think the phone has over the iPhone at the moment is the LTE antenna. I have yet to see any monumental increase in speed on the dual core phones over my old Droid X. The OS still isn't optimized to take advantage of the potential of dual core chips, and, aside from some games, neither are the apps. You can overclock those things out to almost 2ghz if you want, but without the optimizations, it's just a paper trophy.
 

realdealio

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I think the Bionic is a great phone for two or three months ago. At this point in time, I think it's just a place holder in the Verizon lineup until the next group of super phones hits.

Pretty much. How long ago was CES now? I was almost certain the bionic would be my next phone at the time, but after waiting and waiting AND waiting, the iphone still seems the best right now, and the next gens are right around the corner. Although, if money was no concern, I would just buy a Bionic now, what the heck.
 

madisonjar

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for me who has used both ALOT, it comes down to polish of os/apps and ios wins hands down in that area for the apps I use. It is night and day on the programming side, where I would have freeze ups and resets all the time, with the iPhone I don't see that. Also people say its not real but I am here to tell you it is, and that is fragmentation of the OS. My example is this, Name 3 phones that Google voice with video works on without hacking and tweaking, you cant. I had to install a 3rd party app called Vtok that was a HUGE battery hog, then I downloaded skype only to find out it didnt have video chat (which I kept reading it did), also if you downloaded a Skype from another place other then the market it could be big time spyware. So we downloaded Tango which video was great, audio was TERRIBLE. All I wanted was for my two boys to see my wife when she was in the hospital having our 3rd child (hospital rules are strict about young children coming in and visiting). And final thing and this is a 3g over 4g preference for now (and we know for sure that apple wont use lte without perfecting this) is battery life, I have a droid charge and it SUCKS I have been at home not really using my phone and it dosent last but 6-7 hours with light to moderate use on 4g where as I use to get all day on 3g (my area just flipped the switch) so I am reactivating my iphone and am done with android, I will look at it again as it does show promise, its just not there yet.

edit: Anyone care to explain why People are pushing qhd screens making them seem like they are brand new, when hasn't the iPhone been at that resolution for awhile? or am I wrong someone explain.
 

roll-tide

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I happen to have the Bionic...got it on launch day actually. I've had a few different iPhone 4's over the past several months, and my wife still has hers. I've also had several different android phones over the years...and I can honestly say that FINALLY, there is an android phone on Verizon that I cannot complain about..at all. It's fast, and I do mean FAST...no quirky glitches that I've noticed on previous android phones (LG revolution, Inc2, DX2, Fascinate, Droid 1, Eris). Battery life is honestly better that the iPhone 4 with the extended battery...with the standard battery, it's close but not as good as the iPhone 4. The screen looks really really good, and I've read about some people saying the screen looks pixelated and just looks like crap in general....I don't see it, it looks extremely close to the retina display IMO.

I was going to try and wait for the iPhone 5, but it irritates me how Apple doesn't release ANY information in advance...if I knew some things about it, like if it would support 4G, if the screen was going to be bigger, stuff like that then I would have waited. But, because of that, I went ahead and got the Bionic...and I have actually been extremely satisfied. 80% of the stereotypical android complaints can be thrown out the window...at least in my experience with this phone.
 

Genericmessage00

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Well the bionic has more horse-power. (way more powerful processor)
It has HDMI out
It does full 1080p video recording
It has a gig of DDR2, that's insane!
It has LTE
The screen is larger
It has that laptop dock ability that is really sweet (if you've ever used it, you know what I mean)

We all know about the iPhone, and we can argue until the end of time.

The Bionic has specs that blow the iPhone 4 out of the water.

But do I like my iPhone? Yes! In-fact I just bought another one just two days ago.

My only complaint about the bionic (other than moto-blur, even though it is rather attractive now), is that the model I had spent time with had terrible screen responsiveness. This has been the case with every android phone I've ever had since my original Droid.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Is the Bionic bigger, badder, and more powerful in every aspect? Yes.

Is the BETTER? That's opinion.

In a perfect world, I'd have both.


And P.S. STOP WITH THE ANDROID FRAGMENTATION ARGUMENT OVER iOS! iOS is a fragmented OS as well. Geez.
 
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jexner325

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Having had Android and Apple, I have to say that if you like to customize and don't mind glitches or so-so apps, Android is a fine option. I loved the widgets and notification system on Android. My biggest issue with Android was the lack of refinement and stability of the operating system. One thing that also gets neglected is that there really is not a iTunes solution for Android. Meaning, everything is done through the cloud and transferring movies to your device is not as seamless as on the iPhone.

With respect to iPhone 4 vs. Bionic, I would be very hesitant to lock into a contract with a 4G phone right now. I have a feeling that we will still see a lot of refinement to 4G (i.e. LTE Advanced) prior to seeing mainstream adoption which is why Apple may be holding out, so I wouldn't want to be the Test Animal for Verizon and Motorola while they work out the kinks and issues. That being said, the iPhone 4 is fantastic device and I truly have a hard time finding things wrong with the hardware; the software will continue to get updated.
 

Wildo6882

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Having had Android and Apple, I have to say that if you like to customize and don't mind glitches or so-so apps, Android is a fine option. I loved the widgets and notification system on Android. My biggest issue with Android was the lack of refinement and stability of the operating system. One thing that also gets neglected is that there really is not a iTunes solution for Android. Meaning, everything is done through the cloud and transferring movies to your device is not as seamless as on the iPhone.

With respect to iPhone 4 vs. Bionic, I would be very hesitant to lock into a contract with a 4G phone right now. I have a feeling that we will still see a lot of refinement to 4G (i.e. LTE Advanced) prior to seeing mainstream adoption which is why Apple may be holding out, so I wouldn't want to be the Test Animal for Verizon and Motorola while they work out the kinks and issues. That being said, the iPhone 4 is fantastic device and I truly have a hard time finding things wrong with the hardware; the software will continue to get updated.

Just an FYI, there is a free app called DoubleTwist. It essentially works through iTunes. You can sync each and every folder, checked items, etc. the same way you do through iTunes. Works seamlessly. If you want to spend $4.99, you can also get it to wirelessly sync via WiFi.
 

Gary86

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i would hardly call those reasons valid enough to say the iphone on VZW is "crippled".

everyone quotes the "talk & surf" thing but i don't know anyone who talks and surfs simultaneously. i really don't believe most people can multitask that well to pay attention to the conversation and for what it's worth most people text now anyway.

i also don't see any huge benefit to having a 3-4 way call capability. once in a blue moon maybe, but not often enough to consider it "crippling" not to have it.

yes, 3G is slower on verizon but works in more places than at&t 3G. the fact is that big red has much better service, although i realize this isn't a debate on who has better service coverage.

personally, i just gave up my android after having had the droid x, incredible 2 and thunderbolt. android is faulty because the developers simply aren't "polishing" the software. that having been said, you can truly do more with the android phone. my iphone still crashes and locks up, it's not perfect. typing is very difficult at times and the word prediction/spell correction sucks horribly. on the flip side the battery is way better and the phone just runs smoother in general. i'd say go and try the bionic in the store first if you haven't.

I have to disagree. Today alone I've talked and looked something up on the Internet. If a grown adult can't multitask then they have bigger issues then worrying about which phone to purchase. I personally love being able to do 3 way calling and talk/surf. I've had many conference calls with co-workers regarding work and other things.
 

madisonjar

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And P.S. STOP WITH THE ANDROID FRAGMENTATION ARGUMENT OVER iOS! iOS is a fragmented OS as well. Geez.

Can you give me some examples? and caps on are for yelling, there is no need for yelling here we are just having a conversation, if you talked to me in real life you wouldnt be yelling at me, trust me ;)


the fragmentation that I am talking about is not software numbers but rather software that dosent run because of so many hardware/screen/ram/manufactures out there...with apple they have pretty much a few models, that is it, so even if there is some fragmentation..at least all the apps run and run good, so please go ahead and tell me about your fragmentation?
 

adam1882

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Well the bionic has more horse-power. (way more powerful processor)
It has HDMI out
It does full 1080p video recording
It has a gig of DDR2, that's insane!
It has LTE
The screen is larger
It has that laptop dock ability that is really sweet (if you've ever used it, you know what I mean)

We all know about the iPhone, and we can argue until the end of time.

The Bionic has specs that blow the iPhone 4 out of the water.

But do I like my iPhone? Yes! In-fact I just bought another one just two days ago.

My only complaint about the bionic (other than moto-blur, even though it is rather attractive now), is that the model I had spent time with had terrible screen responsiveness. This has been the case with every android phone I've ever had since my original Droid.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Is the Bionic bigger, badder, and more powerful in every aspect? Yes.

Is the BETTER? That's opinion.

In a perfect world, I'd have both.


And P.S. STOP WITH THE ANDROID FRAGMENTATION ARGUMENT OVER iOS! iOS is a fragmented OS as well. Geez.

You are definitely correct there is fragmentation on iOS but not as much as android.
But I've said this b4 and ill say it again. I have an iPhone 4 when can I get iOS 5, on day one of release that's when. When will the bionic get the next android update that's anyone's guess six months after release, maybe not at all it just depends on how much Motorola decide to butcher it. For this reason and this reason alone iOS wins everytime for me.

I guess this update issue won't be that important to many people but for me it's android biggest issue i know I could get a nexus s and get updates fairly quick but the phone has no class it looks like a little toy IMO.
 

Timhewitt

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Fragmentation in iOS? Hardly.

We develop apps for iOS and Android, as well as a number of other mobile platforms.

iOS has virtually no fragmentation, with device specific options limited to one or two specific features.

We have more than 20 Android configuration builds now, and we add more with practically every contract. The Android platform will die because of this fragmentation, as the cost to develop a meaningful "universal" Android App is more than three times the cost of developing that same App on iOS with a fraction of the revenue opportunity.

With no hardware restrictions whatsoever, the chances of one of our apps running on the next new platform to show up without significant modification is next to nil.

Contract programming on Android is more than three times the cost of the same app for iOS when we bid it out, and we are rarely under bid...

Support contracts are also more expensive as the OS still has significant issues with stability.

-t
 

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