A week with the Bionic - Impartial Review

[BL4Z3D247]

I agree that the daylight viewing is a definite plus, something that will be essential in the future. The battery savings I'm not so sure about, as it seems users are pretty split on how well the Bionic's stock battery is doing overall. That's not to say the screen isn't helping, it just doesn't seem to be helping enough to sacrifice a higher quality viewing experience.

I got one full cycle on the stock battery, 15 hrs so far and I'm at 15%, moderate use.

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[tgyberg]

Who knows what a non pentile screen, dual core chip and 4G would do to a battery? Could be that what we get now is great compared to a non pentile. Anyway, I'm fine with it. Strange, I do see some pattern if I really look but not all of the time?!

 

[pilot12]

Good write up. I come from the same phone background; rooted, o/c'd, Gingerbread D1. I'm in a 4G city and haven't roamed much yet.
Battery life (standard) is about 75% of the D1. Cell Standby is eating almost half my battery while the display is only 20%.
Screen looks fine to me, but I don't like the speaker. Not near as loud or clear as my D1. (I think this means my eyes and ears are BOTH failing me!)
I miss the mechanical camera shutter button.
I don't think it takes any better pics than the 5MP on the D1, but I'm still working on it.
The docks aren't as user friendly as the ones I had for my D1. Can't hook to a computer while docked. (Somebody tell me how to get current local weather back on my docked alarm??) The HD dock is a nice feature.
I agree it's a hassle getting used to the moved buttons and I wish I could move the app drawer.
But....I love the phone and consider all the above to be minor annoyances compared to the BIG difference in smoothness and speed and added capability.
I'm sure I'll be looking forward to the next upgrade and only hope I can wait 20 months. (It would be nice if the next one fit all the accessories!)

 

[jroc]

I am with you 100% JaCelica2k. I was impressed overall, but just felt as though I was settling. The screen really did bother me. I tried to talk myself out of it, but I just couldn't shake it. It is however, THE BEST screen I have used in sunlight. Wow!

The speaker next to the camera on mine didn't work. The noise from the earphone jack also annoyed me. It was the sum of all of that, along with the screen that brought me to the decision to send it back.

Maybe I'll regret it, maybe I won't? We'll see, I guess. I do miss the speed now that I'm back on my OG.

*customized tapatalk signature*

I dont think thats actually a speaker. Look at the iFixit tear down, Step 7, it only had 1 speaker. I'm guessing that at the top is an opening so sound can come thru it too? It fooled me too...seeing how its has a speaker grill n everything...

I couldnt really appreciate outdoor viewing until today. I have a Droid X1. At work I have to sit right next to windows to use my phone for talking or 3G when I'm in the basement. It was hard trying to play HR Battle 3D network game mode, keep a good connection and see the screen at the same time. I was in a break room that's all windows, we call it a sun room. On the bus on my way home, I watched Netflix. It was fine on the bus. The walk home when I got off the bus was pointless trying to watch it.

 

[kevsgroove]

This is my actual phone I posted in the official Bionic thread last week, albeit the screen isn't set to black, it might give you an idea of why I say I see none of these issues:

​

Of course there is going to be some glare on the screen due to the angle it was shot at...

Must say, I agree with you. I have no pixilation issues with my Bionic screen.

 

[kevsgroove]

I have to agree with most of your points. I too picked up the Costco bundle and have yet to use or unwrap the desk dock. Love the car mount and as you mentioned I have to remove the silicone case for good power connection and so that the on/off button isn't depressed. As you found out, the clip on the case rotates and easily holds the Bionic and cover......nice addition. As for screen protector, the screen on the Bionic is the same at the Droid X, so instead of the generic that needs to be cut to size, I used on from my X pack that fits perfectly leaving the capacitive buttons and FF camera uncovered.

The phone works like a charm and the Bionic performs. It was a nice touch to have the Data usage widget already on one of the home screens, while the rest of the social networking MotoBlur stuff, I simply removed from the home screens never to be opened again.

 

[pastor_rob]

I was considering getting a Bionic ... and this review and its posts have really helped me out. Once again DF comes through ... great post and thanks for your unbiased review!!! dancedroid

Peace

 

[Shadez]

I was considering getting a Bionic ... and this review and its posts have really helped me out. Once again DF comes through ... great post and thanks for your unbiased review!!! dancedroid

Peace

So what did you decide?

 

[unbesorgt]

A thoughtful and fair review. Good job. dancedroid

I wanted to comment on the confusion around the PenTile display in the overall thread. What some refer to as "pixelation" is actually something a bit different. PenTile technology uses 2/3 the number of subpixels to render each pixel, which saves power while also producing a brighter screen. What people call the "screen door" effect or "pixelation" is actually pattern visibility. In certain color combinations the patterns created by the subpixels become visible -- green on black is a common one, which you can see in the battery indicator of the notification bar. Some people are distracted or annoyed by the patterns, while others can hardly see them or just ignore them. Personally after using the beautifully crisp OG Droid screen for almost 2 years, I was afraid the PenTile screen would put me off the Bionic after reading about it. However, after seeing it firsthand in the store and now after a week of owning it, I can say it doesn't bother me one bit. I can sometimes see the patterns but they don't distract me, I basically just "look through them" and they disappear. For some people though, it's so annoying as to be a dealbreaker. I would highly recommend for anyone considering the Bionic to take a look at one in person before deciding. It's highly subjective.

One thing I am sure of though is the power savings. On my OG Droid, Display was always #1 in the Battery Usage Stats screen, often as high as 90% of total battery life. On the Bionic this is reversed, with Display only using about 10% of battery life. Of course, this is offset by other power-hungry components (4G radio, I'm looking at you) so overall battery life is in the same ballpark (although I'm still getting somewhat better battery life I did with my OG Droid).

 

[SSHGuru]

I don't have a problem with the Pentile Display at all. I don't notice it ever. I think the screen looks terrific.

My OG Droid battery was lasting very little at the end there and this Bionic can last all day. Even so when I'm down to 60% I plug it in - I have the plugs everywhere so why not keep charged. I have yet to have it run out of juice.

The camera takes some great pics but it's not perfect. It's more than good enough for me.

The Video Camera is second to none.

Love the Moto Blur widgets. I've become accustomed to the bottom 4 and I agree the one that opens the apps on the right should have a different look - I still get confused sometimes.

Overall I can easily live with the Bionic for the next two years. It's blazing fast and does everything I want it to do.

 

[N2Wind]

This is a screen shot I was sent, someone else also posted this in another thread, but this is an example of what some people are reportedly experiencing:

I haven't this issue, if you do, I would exchange asap.

My screen looks like that when the display is off and the phone is in bright light. I have no problems when the display is on.

 

[Oxymoron]

I dont think thats actually a speaker. Look at the iFixit tear down, Step 7, it only had 1 speaker. I'm guessing that at the top is an opening so sound can come thru it too? It fooled me too...seeing how its has a speaker grill n everything...

Ha! I even read that iFixit article before I bought the Bionic, and totally missed that. Oh well. The reason I thought it was a speaker was of course the grille, but also because the "other" speaker didn't seem to be very loud. I assumed the low volume was a result of only a 50% audio output.

The 3G radio in the Bionic is far better than my OG, and so is the battery life.

I do miss the Bionic a little, but I think I made the right decision based on my personal wants/needs in my next smartphone.

*customized tapatalk signature*

 

[JaCelica2k]

Ha! I even read that iFixit article before I bought the Bionic, and totally missed that. Oh well. The reason I thought it was a speaker was of course the grille, but also because the "other" speaker didn't seem to be very loud. I assumed the low volume was a result of only a 50% audio output.

The 3G radio in the Bionic is far better than my OG, and so is the battery life.

I do miss the Bionic a little, but I think I made the right decision based on my personal wants/needs in my next smartphone.

*customized tapatalk signature*

I will definitely miss the Bionic......but honestly with the Bionic there are some things I miss about my OG Droid....Don't think I should.

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[lazarus2297]

i took mine back after less than a week and got a Droid Incredible 2 off craigslist (and normally i am a moto guy) I have it rooted and running a custom sense 3.5 rom and to be honest it's just as "snappy" as my bionic was and IMO the camera and screen are better.. I can honestly say that i don't miss my bionic at all, now I am waiting for something else to try out...

Hopefully whatever the Moto Droid HD turns out to be will be a phone i can love...

 

[JaCelica2k]

i took mine back after less than a week and got a Droid Incredible 2 off craigslist (and normally i am a moto guy) I have it rooted and running a custom sense 3.5 rom and to be honest it's just as "snappy" as my bionic was and IMO the camera and screen are better.. I can honestly say that i don't miss my bionic at all, now I am waiting for something else to try out...

Hopefully whatever the Moto Droid HD turns out to be will be a phone i can love...

Not a bad idea.....I just kind of hate to pay a couple hundred dollars for a phone now just to replace it in a couple months...