So who's super disappointed?

[Hugh Jass]

I rarely, rarely make a thread...but this one pretty much speaks for it's self, I'm disappointed...not at specs, but at the sell method. Why keep catering to the carriers when you have a bad-ass flagship phone that would sell very well on the Play Store and make everyone win? They could have ate some cost to put a ultra affordable device in the hands of everyone, doing the work of expanding the advertising snowball and word of mouth even without the $500 million in marketing behind it. Instead they follow the same old crap model, give it to the carriers to put the screws to the consumer, forcing stupid rules and regulation on top of a contract... or pay outrageous ~$600 full retail at the store. They had a chance to break the chains and start a new wave of change in favor of consumers by skipping the middle man rape. Part of me wishes that this device would flop (even though it can't) just to spite the missed opportunity, what a shame.

This model is broken and as much as I love this device I'm done playing and paying into this system. Looks like the Bionic is in my pocket for the foreseeable future, not until someone changes.

 

[bweN diorD]

i figured some of the rumors about the x wouldn't come true as soon as vzw announced the new 3 line up.
if the x had sold cheap and released early, that would have tanked part of the new 3, and that's just not good business.
although, releasing it around the same time as the new 3 is probably going to make some of them tank anyways, so that doesn't make sense either.

i was going to get it, but now im having second thoughts...

 

[djspy]

If I were to throw away $600+ on a phone if rather spend $70 more and get the Droid Maxx.

 

[morcguy]

If I were to throw away $600+ on a phone if rather spend $70 more and get the Droid Maxx.

Exactly

 

[Yellowhammer]

I was holding out for moto, but tonight I placed my order for an S4.

 

[77Pat]

I was holding out, with hopes of something $300-$350 off contract. I have a year to go on my Unlimited Verizon contract (bought the rezound right before the cut off to save unlimited data. I am on a family plan and not the main line.). From having to charge the battery so frequently, the usb port broke. Now I have two batteries and it is an inconvenience having to switch (without the option of usb battery packs, which I have two).

In my use, I am not a power user. I use a decent amount of data through Music Unlimited and Netflix. I do not need the highest specs, just good battery life/screen time. My commute is 2.5 hours each way and no wifi. I have other mp3 devices (Cowon D2, Sansa Clip+), but it is nice to be able to carry around just my phone and not need to carry my backpack to hold multiple devices without my pockets bulging. Would be nice if Google Play teamed up with Cowon for file support and sound quality.

I was looking forward to this phone for the software optimization and smooth experience. I do not root and mod (cannot afford extra phones if I brick one). But at the same time, I want more options than Apple (I have Holo and Nova launcher on the Rezound).

Now I will most likely get a Razr M off of Swappa or Craigslist (I find the size to be almost perfect). I have liked a lot of the smaller phones: HTC Aria (fast, but too small to text frequently), LG Lucid (liked, but mostly as a phone I would own for 6 months before wanting a new one). The Note II has held its value too well for me to really consider it at the moment.

I have found that I usually get the itch to upgrade around 8-9 months of ownership, so I don't really see spending $500 for the phone.

I would consider leaving Verizon, but on my family plan I am paying $80/month. If I switched to T-Mobile it would be the same for the family plan with $50 contract+ $10 insurance+ $20 device. I don't think I would be able to convince my family to switch though.

 

[IIGood]

Yeah, the prospect of a $350 (or less) phone off contract - with Verizon even as one of the players - was rather enticing. But with the pricing info that was announced I'm no longer interested. Just like any other subsidized phone out there. I've got till April of next year with my G-Nex and it's contract and I was kinda hoping that unsubsidized plan would've actually happened. Ah well...you know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true.....

 

[Mustang02]

I was holding out for moto, but tonight I placed my order for an S4.

If it wasn't for the reception issues that I've seen with Samsung I'd be all over the s4.

Sitting next to a coworker my bionic has full 4G, hers has 3G until she leaves the building.

 

[JohnFH]

Yeah, the prospect of a $350 (or less) phone off contract - with Verizon even as one of the players - was rather enticing. But with the pricing info that was announced I'm no longer interested. Just like any other subsidized phone out there. I've got till April of next year with my G-Nex and it's contract and I was kinda hoping that unsubsidized plan would've actually happened. Ah well...you know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true.....

You make a great point about things that sound too good to be true. Post after post in several forums speculated about a low off-contract price for the Moto X. But what if anything was the basis for this speculation?

 

[Dalvik_Cache]

I personally have an X Phone in my hand, as we speak. It's an OK phone, but nothing spectacular. Out of the box it scores just over 8400 on Quadrant, which isn't bad. The UI is snappy, but the phone is super small compared to what Im used to. I wouldn't personally own one.

 

[Hugh Jass]

You make a great point about things that sound too good to be true. Post after post in several forums speculated about a low off-contract price for the Moto X. But what if anything was the basis for this speculation?

It just made sense. The timing would have been impeccable. They exposed a huge demand for a subsidized device with the N4. Rumors of the N5. Then the exposure of the Moto X and it's potential to fill the void of the missing N5. The market is shifting and the flagships of yore will be relics of the past soon, the singularity is within view so there's no justification to have 9GB of RAM or 37 core chips, the benefits simply are not there with current battery technology. With mid to high end sets pushing into the market from no name companies like Huawei offering similar experience for half the price, it's a no brainier to be more budget conscious at this point. The smartphone market is losing momentum very quickly, and the reasoning behind a $600 phone is no longer there. Mid tier phones are selling world wide at blistering
pace but these big blockbuster phones are waning. That's why we're seeing a model of build a phone then build a "mini" replica just to keep the sales up.

It's sort of how the PC market went, all PC's were expensive as hell, then the market became flooded with a hundred companies fighting for the budget PC market. Sure you
can pay thousands of dollars for an Alienware gaming PC, but is it worth it for everyone to buy one? Hell no. I predict over the next 2 years the swing away from these uber devices
will fade away giving life to new, truly innovative ideas instead of spec bumps AT A GREAT PRICE LIKE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE HERE AND NOW, and personally I can't wait.

Google had they offered to eat the overhead as they did with the N4 could have launched the most successful android device of all time, with no doubt from me at all. Word of mouth alone that there exist a phone that you don't have to buy through a carrier subsidy and contract at an affordable price would have been headline news. The prospects are enormous, but instead of letting the device sell it's self the way it should they've instead marked it up and are throwing $500 million in marketing at it to force it to sell as everything else.

Someone out there is going to get this model right, and when they do they will dominate the market the likes of which have only been seen by Apple with the original iPhone.

 

[JohnFH]

Thanks, Hugh. This is an excellent answer to my question.

 

[mountainbikermark]

It just made sense. The timing would have been impeccable. They exposed a huge demand for a subsidized device with the N4. Rumors of the N5. Then the exposure of the Moto X and it's potential to fill the void of the missing N5. The market is shifting and the flagships of yore will be relics of the past soon, the singularity is within view so there's no justification to have 9GB of RAM or 37 core chips, the benefits simply are not there with current battery technology. With mid to high end sets pushing into the market from no name companies like Huawei offering similar experience for half the price, it's a no brainier to be more budget conscious at this point. The smartphone market is losing momentum very quickly, and the reasoning behind a $600 phone is no longer there. Mid tier phones are selling world wide at blistering
pace but these big blockbuster phones are waning. That's why we're seeing a model of build a phone then build a "mini" replica just to keep the sales up.

It's sort of how the PC market went, all PC's were expensive as hell, then the market became flooded with a hundred companies fighting for the budget PC market. Sure you
can pay thousands of dollars for an Alienware gaming PC, but is it worth it for everyone to buy one? Hell no. I predict over the next 2 years the swing away from these uber devices
will fade away giving life to new, truly innovative ideas instead of spec bumps AT A GREAT PRICE LIKE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE HERE AND NOW, and personally I can't wait.

Google had they offered to eat the overhead as they did with the N4 could have launched the most successful android device of all time, with no doubt from me at all. Word of mouth alone that there exist a phone that you don't have to buy through a carrier subsidy and contract at an affordable price would have been headline news. The prospects are enormous, but instead of letting the device sell it's self the way it should they've instead marked it up and are throwing $500 million in marketing at it to force it to sell as everything else.

Someone out there is going to get this model right, and when they do they will dominate the market the likes of which have only been seen by Apple with the original iPhone.

With the new model for carriers pricing it would've been a game changer but alas they've missed the boat as you wrote. Imagine Verizon or ATT selling the same phone at the same off contract price as Virgin, Net 10, Straight Talk, etc. The carriers would be forced to once again give the customer something besides reputation and half false advertising for their money.

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A Rezound phone was used for this Tapatalk post

 

[BostonBill]

I have the Bionic and unlimited data from Verizon and use it as a hotspot having moved and cut cable and Internet. I was excited at the prospect of a new phone at an off contract price of around $300. Oh well.

 

[Yellowhammer]

If it wasn't for the reception issues that I've seen with Samsung I'd be all over the s4.

Sitting next to a coworker my bionic has full 4G, hers has 3G until she leaves the building.

Are you on the same carrier?