Thunderbolt? Or wait for the Bionic?

[King Nothing]

I do not currently have an Android powered phone. My plan is up on May 2nd and I will be purchasing my first Android...I love the Thunderbolt and I am very satisfied with the way it is and what it does. To me, it seems to be one of (if not) the best Android phone that Verizon has to offer currently.

I am the type of person who does his research before he goes out and blows hundreds on something. So after doing my research it seems that the Bionic is the only phone that Verizon is coming out with that can compete with the Thunderbolt...at least thats how I am understanding it when comparing the specs between the phones out now as well as the phones that are coming out (Charge, Xperia Play, Incredible 2, etc.).

When I purchase the TB I plan on purchasing an extanded battery, car charger, case, as well as insurance. However, I am unsure how Verizon's insurance works with Android phones (smartphones) so if someone could enlighten me on that then that would be great.

One thing I'd like to add is that even if there is a better phone coming out (like the Bionic) I probably will not wait for it unless its going to be a MAJOR difference and is truly worth the wait.

Also, the current phone I am using now is the LG EnV3...if that helps.

Thanks and if I have anything I need to add then I'll post.

 

[slinky]

All the 4G phones will compete with or exceed the specs of the Thunderbolt - with the exception of RAM. I don't know how that might make a difference but I always see about 128MB free ram, which makes me wonder about that extra 256MB and its usefulness.

Bottom line is this -- Verizon is rumored to be going directly to tiered 4G pricing and 2 year contracts. If you don't care about either, then you might want to consider waiting for the Thunderbolt. Those are not trivial issues. The differences in specs between the two phones aren't huge for most purposes (unless connecting the phone to your TV via HDMI happens more than once in a lifetime, high end game playing is a priority and battery life *may* be better.) If you've got an extended battery, the life on the device is excellent, but it is noticeably larger.

 

[Zetsumei]

Depends on what you want from your phone to be honest.

SIZE Both are pretty much the same size 4.3" screens qhd vs SLCD, bionic has more pixel density vs the TBolt, but at the same time that will make icons text smaller etc. I don't know about you but 4.3 inches is already small enough, so I don't need my icons/text even smaller :d.

HARDWARE

Processor - Single core on the Tbolt but it's from a 2nd or is it 3rd gen snap dragon processor clocked @ 1ghz (I've been able to run @ 2ghz for benching for the lulz.) But for every day usage 1.2-1.4 is good enough imo. Bionic dual core tegra clocked @ 1ghz and here is where the whole "more cores = better" arguement comes into place, and with this statement I ask you to take a look at todays hardware and software, honestly besides rendering ,and graphics design, image editing what applications and few select handful of games will actualy utilize dual, quad , hex to their fullest? Dual core is a fading standard soon to be replaced by quad eventhough there isn't much out there that will even utilize 4 + cores (note i'm talking about everyday users not enterprise servers/use). Android 2.2 and most applications on the market will not even gain any benefit, and if they do it will be quite marginal from the extra core the Bionic has to offer. Will 2.3 offer dual core support? We'll just have to wait and see, even if GB does support DC we'll still need app developers that will actually take the extra time to code for DC.

The fact is there are still several smart phones that are coming out that are still utilizing a single core processors, so I really wouldn't let the whole single core vs dual core influence your decision here. Yes there are going to people and reviews saying omg single core obsolete, let's face it dual core phones just recently have been introduced, eventhough the tegras have been out for awhile, it will take TIME before the dual cores come properly utilized. Also don't let quadrant and smart bench and neocore readings influence your purchase as well as they truly do not reflect the performance of your phone (although some do swear it does but I'd rather not go down this road it's my own personal opinion).

At this point I personally feel that software needs to be optimized for all the android phones, better hardware acceleration is needed. Hell I was playing w/ a xoom at the vzw store and the scrolling was still jerky and not buttery smooth as you'd think it would be w/ the dual core processor, even w/ the honeycomb optimizations. My friend at work has the atrix and I compared my stock TB to his stock Atrix and there is practically no difference at all in scroll speeds etc, and we played the same games and notice pratically no difference in performance. They also say dual core = better battery life etc etc, I'm not going to even bother opening that can of worms since battery life on ALL smartphones in general blows. So in the end it's up to you if you want the processor to be the deciding factor (I personally was torn by this decision as well) it comes down to 2nd 3rd gen single core snapdragon processor vs 1st gen (for phones) Tegra (not 100% about this) I know the tegra has been around for awhile, but not sure how long it's been implemented into the mobile market for smart phones.

RAM - It's stated that the Bionic has 512 MB of DDR 2 RAM vs the TBolts 768 MB of DDR (not sure if its 1 or 2) if it's standard DDR vs 2 then the whole arguement of amount of ram vs speed of RAM comes into play. I know for computers DDR2 generally has speeds up to 10.6 GB per s vs 6.4 GB/s w/ DDR 1, DDR2 generally will be better w/ heat and power consumption as well, but hell what do we have on our smartphones will be that intensive anyways? I know people say to do 1080p video playback flawlessly you need dual core blah blah which is bs in my opinion (again personal opinion since i dont notice any stuttering when playing back via DLNA, don't want to open this can of worms as well).

Cameras - Both are 8MP back facing both have dual LED flash. Both have front facing TB has 1.3MP vs the .3 MP on the bionic. I could care less about front facing camera, but to each their own. Both do have great back facing cameras.

Storage - This is the main thing that pisses me off about the T-Bolt the fact that it only has like 2.32 GB of internal memory (from 8GB) available, but it comes w/ a 32 GB class 4 SD Card (which you get about 29.71 GB) so that makes up for it a bit. But losing so much space due to all the trashy HTC bloat and VZW bloat = fail. Bionic 16 GB interal but doesnt come w/ a SD card, not sure how much space will be available after all of moto/vzws trash is installed.

Sound Quality - I must say I am impressed w/ the sound quality from my T-bolt the back speaker is loud and crisp, even at lower volumes and the kickstand makes this phone optimal for view videos (netflix soon pl0x). As for the Bionic, I can't really judge that but from my friends atrix if they are going to be similar the back speaker isn't that loud at all, but sound quality from the earpiece is excellent as well, which is to be expected from Motorola)

Software

Okay this is the major factor in my opinion, are you going to root or use the phone stock? If you are going to use the phone stock it's pretty much the decision of HTC Sense vs Moto Blur I personally dislike both (cept for the clock/weather widget from sense). Both are designed for soical networking although blur looks like it was designed by a preschooler w/ the color scheming. Sense has another nice feature pinching the screen to have the 7 windows that + skins, but that can easily be achieved w/ a home replacement program like ADW launcher. Now here is where HTC has the advantage vs Motorola. The fact that HTC's bootloader has been cracked will allow for true custom roms and custom kernels for voltage tweaking and overclocking (which can lead to better perfromance and battery life). With HTC phones (when RIL gets fixed) you will be able to load up AOSP ROMS which means you won't have to wait for HTC to release software updates, and if you're not a fan of sense you wont have all the extra bloat, that and it allows developers to customize more. Motorola's bootloader is locked so you cannot load custom kernels, or use AOSP ROMS, and you rely on Motorla for software updates before you can get anything new. Also if Moto stops developing software updates for the Bionic, you're pretty much SOL. But that might not be a huge issue since most people like to upgrade every 1 - 1/2 years anyways. If you want full custom software go for the TBolt, if you don't care then either phone will suffice. To my knowledge moto's bootloader to date has not been cracked, and it seems like the Bionic will be locked down even harder than the x, d2 and d2-g, so who knows if we'll be able to even root the phone, only time will tell.

Well in the end the choice is truly yours, but I hope my rant has help shed some light on your decision. pz banana man :icon_ banana:.

 

[alboboy10]

I have the extended battery and I took it off for the past two days because that thing was getting me an easy full day with 4G all day, using it heavy all day still having 40% at the end of the day.

It is larger though

Tbh, the phone has its glitches. I've seen that, the more I use it the more glitches I encounter but other than that it's a great phone.

I would go with the TB.

 

[Pizza33]

The only thing I dislike about my Thunderbolt is the lack of a HDMI port.

 

[King Nothing]

Thanks Zetsumei, and others.

I do not plan on rooting my phone. I'd be scared to mess it up at first....honestly...I dont even know how to do it, lol.

Anyways...I have played with most of the Android phones out there and I prefer Sense over the others. I feel on the Thunderbolt everything is very smooth and I just like the interface better than blur.

I also am aware of Verizon changing their Data services...However, me getting the TB on May 2nd I should be grandfathered into the unlimited data for 2 more years (Yes, I'm going with a new 2year agreement).

So far the only way to rid the Bloatware on a stocked TB (as far as I know) Is to root it and delete it. Another thing that concerns me about rooting a phone is that I'm unsure if insurance still covers it and that is a major thing for me.

I also forgot to mention that I really dont care about the HDMI Port.

 

[Zetsumei]

Thanks Zetsumei, and others.

I do not plan on rooting my phone. I'd be scared to mess it up at first....honestly...I dont even know how to do it, lol.

Anyways...I have played with most of the Android phones out there and I prefer Sense over the others. I feel on the Thunderbolt everything is very smooth and I just like the interface better than blur.

I also am aware of Verizon changing their Data services...However, me getting the TB on May 2nd I should be grandfathered into the unlimited data for 2 more years (Yes, I'm going with a new 2year agreement).

So far the only way to rid the Bloatware on a stocked TB (as far as I know) Is to root it and delete it. Another thing that concerns me about rooting a phone is that I'm unsure if insurance still covers it and that is a major thing for me.

I also forgot to mention that I really dont care about the HDMI Port.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/th...dated-easy-root-available-3-step-process.html

That shows the rooting process which is actually quite simple, root and then if you have root explorer you can delete some of the bloat, or load a simple debloat ROM which is as close to stock as possible. If you do have an issue with your phone you can always go back to stock using by loading the PG05IMG.zip that is also in the tbolt hacks section using hboot. It's a simple automated process and you'll be 100% back to stock w/ s-on. Yeah that was another factor for me on getting the t-bolt, getting the 29.99 unlimited data plan for 4G that + discount and 10 dollar per month discount from vzw for 12 months = win. dancedroid . If you do buy the T-bolt you won't be disappointed for sure, I know I'm not even though I had really bad luck getting DOA's :icon_evil:.

 

[alboboy10]

^if u root the phone you will lose everything that you have in it already right?

Settings, numbers, apps?

 

[Zetsumei]

^if u root the phone you will lose everything that you have in it already right?

Settings, numbers, apps?

W/ the 3 step process yeah it'll wipe it all. But google contacts ftw!

 

[King Nothing]

^if u root the phone you will lose everything that you have in it already right?

Settings, numbers, apps?

W/ the 3 step process yeah it'll wipe it all. But google contacts ftw!

I'm not concerned about losing contacts...can always write them down.

So I shouldnt be concerned about rooting my phone? I cant screw it up basically.

Yeah I seem to just be in love with the TB...I like the design and the features a lot...I can just picture it being my phone for the next year or two for sure. I just want to make sure I'm not buying a phone that will suck in the near future...which from what I see and hear it wont.


So between me loving the phone and the way it feels/works. I love the fact of being grandfathered into 29.99 a month for unlimited data.

Now do you guys suggest rooting the phone or leaving it stock? and please leave reasoning to why rooting a phone is good and what exactly it would do in my case. Thanks!

 

[alboboy10]

ahhh contacts are simple to sync, but it's the apps that I need to download all over and the damn settings!

ehh, I'm a little nervous to root still...I'm gonna wait a little more until I meet a droid genius in real life to help me lol

 

[Suuperflie]

I'm in the same boat, except my NE2 is up now and I can upgrade at anytime. I'd really like to see the Bionic first, though, before I make a decision. On the other hand, getting locked into the $29.99 4g pricing is the most important factor to me. Also, I'd like to be able to customize the phone at some point, but also would be SoL if I bricked it. What are the odds of bricking a phone if you're just rooting to delete the bloatware and then unrooting it? Will I still be able to receive updates so Verizon wouldn't know what I've done? I'm not a hacker by any means, but I would like my device to work at it's optimal level.

 

[Zetsumei]

^if u root the phone you will lose everything that you have in it already right?

Settings, numbers, apps?

W/ the 3 step process yeah it'll wipe it all. But google contacts ftw!

I'm not concerned about losing contacts...can always write them down.

So I shouldnt be concerned about rooting my phone? I cant screw it up basically.

Yeah I seem to just be in love with the TB...I like the design and the features a lot...I can just picture it being my phone for the next year or two for sure. I just want to make sure I'm not buying a phone that will suck in the near future...which from what I see and hear it wont.


So between me loving the phone and the way it feels/works. I love the fact of being grandfathered into 29.99 a month for unlimited data.

Now do you guys suggest rooting the phone or leaving it stock? and please leave reasoning to why rooting a phone is good and what exactly it would do in my case. Thanks!

It would pretty hard to mess the process up. To be fair all technology is pretty much outdated the moment it goes into our hands. But this phone will easily last you for 1-2 years no problems at all.

 

[remnant]

Have you seen the galaxy s 2?

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums

 

[52brandon]

You don't have to lose any apps or settings if you root via adb. And you can use titanium backup premium to freeze all the bloatware and it won't run or show in your app drawer without having to load a custom ROM, however there are some nice ROMs out there too