Droid 3 vs. Thunderbolt... my perspective

[benstange]

We are new parents so a good video and still camara are important (in case we don't have the seperate ones with us). Also we would like to video chat (on 3G) as I'm away from home for days at a time. Other than that, just email, FB, and the random little apps that everyone else uses. For our situation (no 4G, good camara, ability to video chat) is there a standout winner? Thanks for your time.

The video quality of the Droid 3 is very good. The still camera quality, not so much. I was very disappointed in the quality of the pictures. The cameras that HTC uses are definitely better for still shots. Video chat should essentially be a wash between phones as none currently have anything that really makes them stand out from others on that front.

Between the relatively poor camera and the wealth of issues I had (bad battery life, random reboots, etc), I returned my Droid 3. I really wanted to love it, but it just wouldn't let me. Motorola has acknowledged some of the issues in their support forums, so I'm sure fixes are on the way. If they could adequately address the issues, the Droid 3 would be a knockout 3G phone. But as it currently stands, I think it falls short.

If you're wanting to buy a new phone now, and 4G isn't a concern, I'd give the Droid Incredible 2 a look if I were in your situation. Great screen, great battery life, great camera, and a front facing camera for video chat. It's single core, but it has more ram than the Droid 3. It's basically a Thunderbolt without 4G, a slightly smaller screen (4" instead of 4.3"), and much better battery life. Everything else between the Incredible 2 and the Thunderbolt is essentially the same (processor, ram, camera, etc). One of the most solid all around 3G phones I've ever used.

Hadn't even considered the Incredible 2. Thanks I will look into it for sure!

 

[greenstuffs]

Actually call quality in the bolt is pretty horrible, well terribad compared to an iphone 4 or a moto handset that is my own opinion, but i think HTC has the worst speakers in the smartphone market.

 

[darkmatter]

battery is hit or miss it seems. some people say that their battery drains in a couple hours by 20% or so. Most nights, I don't even feel the need to plug my phone in while I sleep (I usually keep it plugged in at work, I spend a lot of time in a vehicle.) and I generally don't plug it back in until I'm back at work, and then its only at, say, 70-80%. So, thats 16ish hours of light/moderate use with the battery nearly full.

When I wake up, the battery icon isn't even down the first notch. Sometimes I don't even plug it in at work, and then I'll be at 20+ hours off charger with plenty of life left. My battery experience with the D3 has so far been fantastic.

 

[Budman17r]

After I turned off Global Roaming under mobile networks (and then cancelled/do not remind me to turn it back on) I had a random reboot. Since then However I'd say my battery life has improved at least 25-50%.

For example 90% charge yesterday, I played 2 hours of Plants vs zombies, browsed facebook for about 40ish minutes combined, downloaded zombie booth, etc, (I got a new toy i'm playing with it.) Prolly 3-4 hours of moderate to heavy use, It only went down to 40ish%.

 

[ConqSoft]

Actually call quality in the bolt is pretty horrible, well terribad compared to an iphone 4 or a moto handset that is my own opinion, but i think HTC has the worst speakers in the smartphone market.

You must have had a bad one. Call quality on my Thunderbolt blows away any Moto I've had, including the Droid 3.

 

[BenLand150]

Actually call quality in the bolt is pretty horrible, well terribad compared to an iphone 4 or a moto handset that is my own opinion, but i think HTC has the worst speakers in the smartphone market.

You must have had a bad one. Call quality on my Thunderbolt blows away any Moto I've had, including the Droid 3.

I wouldn't say blows away.. but yes, using my brothers phone the tb has better call quality. But the droid 3s isn't bad still. Luckily if it was, Im more of a texter unless talking to my girlfriend or people just calling about something quick.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[rushmore]

Actually call quality in the bolt is pretty horrible, well terribad compared to an iphone 4 or a moto handset that is my own opinion, but i think HTC has the worst speakers in the smartphone market.

You must have had a bad one. Call quality on my Thunderbolt blows away any Moto I've had, including the Droid 3.

Both the TB and the all Moto devices have clear call quality, so not sure about the margin better that you imply.

 

[hisself]

Can the D3 be rooted?

 

[camack7827]

Actually call quality in the bolt is pretty horrible, well terribad compared to an iphone 4 or a moto handset that is my own opinion, but i think HTC has the worst speakers in the smartphone market.

You must have had a bad one. Call quality on my Thunderbolt blows away any Moto I've had, including the Droid 3.

I wouldn't say blows away.. but yes, using my brothers phone the tb has better call quality. But the droid 3s isn't bad still. Luckily if it was, Im more of a texter unless talking to my girlfriend or people just calling about something quick.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

There must be some major variance within manufacturers then. I'd read about poor call quality on the T-Bolt before I got mine, and was dissappointed with the hissing and REDICULOUSLY low volume on bluetooth devices. That said, I have been blown away by the call quality on both my D1 and D3 on the handset itself as well as through bluetooth.

 

[ConqSoft]

All I can say is, going from my D1 and my X to, first, the Droid Charge, everyone raved about how much clearer I was. And those raves continued when I switched to the TB.

 

[DroidXDoes4G]

Can the D3 be rooted?

Not yet, but it will be.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[Maverick0984]

All I can say is, going from my D1 and my X to, first, the Droid Charge, everyone raved about how much clearer I was. And those raves continued when I switched to the TB.

What sort of boring conversations are you having where you are talking about call quality with *everyone*?

Did noone else notice this? lol

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