Droid 3 is coming tomorrow, still thinking about Bionic

[cwbcpa]

I went to Verizon last Friday and spent time with both phones. I like them both and could not decide which to get. The sales rep actually was leading me more towards the Droid 3. Mostly because 4G is not fully rolled out in this area. The phones seemed to perform pretty close to the same when I messed with them. (No 4G in the store I was at.) There is 4G around me, but not right where I live. It's not a big deal as I would use wifi at home anyway. The keyboard on the Droid 3 is great, but not a deal breaker to not have it. I am just wondering if having double the RAM and slightly bigger screen is worth the extra $100. I can go straight to the Verizon store and trade for the Bionic. Has anyone used both these devices that can give me some advice? Any help is appreciated. I will have another upgrade available this time next year so I only have to make this phone last a year really if I want to. Thank you.

 

[Chizzele]

I never had any of these phones but i would go with the bionic cause its newer, stronger and more likely to get software updates first. It will stay current for much longer.

Sent from my Sourcerized D1

 

[cwbcpa]

I never had any of these phones but i would go with the bionic cause its newer, stronger and more likely to get software updates first. It will stay current for much longer.

Sent from my Sourcerized D1

You did hit on my other concern. With Android phones coming out so fast I was wondering how much support the Droid 3 would get compared to the Bionic. Thank you for the comment.

 

[revelated]

If I were you...

If I lived in an area that was not dominated by 4G, I would go for a 3G phone that was just as functionally good. My opinion on it anyway.

 

[saintlikesniper]

I have a d3 and its a great phone sure 4g is fast but if you don't have it look in to when you might get it. So you can capitalize on the unlimted data. Or when most people get 4g and 3g is left the 3g phones will get a large boost because of less overall bandwidth consumption. Bionic and d3 will rival in development both identical really. Bionic has a slightly increase of ram but some is used for lapdock witch hampers the actual future update size when the d3 doesn't have to worry about that. Both phones run off DDR2 RAM and the same ti omap processor

Both are good devices. It really seems to go down in aesthetics. Do you enjoy how the device feels, looks? Is the screen clear good enough for you? Do you really need long or short battery life. Do you enjoy faster web browsing without wifi. Do you plan on using a virtual or physical keyboard more often.?

As for me chose battery life physical keyboard tad bit thicker same screen but 4inch is a good form factor. I like the way the droid 3 looks as well

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[k1ngr4t]

I have a d3 and its a great phone sure 4g is fast but if you don't have it look in to when you might get it. So you can capitalize on the unlimted data. Or when most people get 4g and 3g is left the 3g phones will get a large boost because of less overall bandwidth consumption. Bionic and d3 will rival in development both identical really. Bionic has a slightly increase of ram but some is used for lapdock witch hampers the actual future update size when the d3 doesn't have to worry about that. Both phones run off DDR2 RAM and the same ti omap processor

Both are good devices. It really seems to go down in aesthetics. Do you enjoy how the device feels, looks? Is the screen clear good enough for you? Do you really need long or short battery life. Do you enjoy faster web browsing without wifi. Do you plan on using a virtual or physical keyboard more often.?

As for me chose battery life physical keyboard tad bit thicker same screen but 4inch is a good form factor. I like the way the droid 3 looks as well

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

I had a D3 for a few days right before my Bionic. It's definitely a great phone. But I'm very glad with my decision to get a Bionic. In my opinion the only three advantages D3 has is global ready, keyboard and price. If those are deal breakers for you, then D3 without a doubt. However, 4g is rolling out pretty fast, I'd say it'll be in most, if not all but the most rural of areas in the US in about a year. Not to mention a 4g hotspot with an unlimited data plan can come in VERY handy when you might least suspect it. But as saint said, as long as those 3 perks aren't essential, it's going to come down to looks. To clarify, in most cases the Bionic doesn't have "short" battery life unless you're a heavy user. On my stock battery I got about 14 hours of moderate usage a day. It does seem like there was a bad batch of batteries in release phones or something. Or maybe I just got lucky. Also I think the $25 extended battery deal might still be going on and when the phone get's to be this size, the larger battery is hardly noticeable. I love the 4.3in screen and tbh, I can't wait till my next upgrade cause I'm sure there'll be a sweet 4.5in out (4.7 might be a bit much...or is it?) But, again, the Droid3 was a great phone when I had it, and I prefer the virtual keyboard (swype) but I did really enjoy the physical one and the "slide open" feeling is just so rewarding.

I'd say consider those 3 things, if you still can't decide, go back to the store and literally hold one in each hand if possible and decide which one you think looks cooler.

 

[cwbcpa]

I just wanted to say thank you for the input. I ended up keeping the Droid 3. I spent about an hour comparing the two phones in the store and I really liked the feel of the Droid 3 better. The keyboard is nicer than I thought it would be. I just did not think the Bionic had any advantages that I need right now. If 4G were all over my area I may have gone with it for that alone. I can't wait to see what will be out in a year from now. Off to play with my Droid 3. Thanks again guys!

 

[DessoThumbs]

Enjoy. My daughter has the D3 and loves it for it's keyboard.

 

[Human_Droid]

Get the Bionic. When u do end up in a 4g area you'll enjoy the benifits of 4g. Its a no brainer
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[jcardona1]

I finally went in to a Verizon store yesterday and tried the Bionic. It's a beast, and I actually liked it better than their current lineup of other LTE phones. The 4G is stupid fast. Did a few speed tests and averaged 15-18mbps download speeds in my area (Sacramento, CA). The phone performed great and experienced no lag whatsoever, granted I only played with it for about 15 minutes.

 

[SANhacker]

Get the Bionic. When u do end up in a 4g area you'll enjoy the benifits of 4g. Its a no brainer
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

I'd agree it would be a "no brainer" if the Bionic didn't feel so cheap compared to the D3. But if he doesn't have 4G, it is a "no brainer" the D3 is the better choice. Different strokes.

 

[k1ngr4t]

There are no "no brainers" when it comes to choosing a $200+ smartphone. Though the last part you said is true SAN, it all depends on them.

 

[cwbcpa]

I feel like I made the right choice in going with the Droid 3. I spent hours with it last night setting up email, calendar, tasks and various other apps. I also had to send some emails so I used the keyboard and I love it. I know that 4G is amazing and all, but 1) it's not fully rolled out in my area and 2) I just like the way the Droid 3 feels in my hand better than the Bionic. I was looking forward to the release of the Bionic all year and really thought I would end up with it too. I'm not saying it isn't a great phone. I'm just saying that for me, right now, the Droid 3 was the best choice. I can't wait to get my 4G phone next fall when there are more choices available. Thank you again to everyone that posted comments. It is great to have a place to come "talk" through a purchase like this.

 

[TyrantII]

Also got the D3. Any performance issues should be resolved with the next update, and any that arn't will be easily fixable with root, rom and de-bloating. It's a quality device, better on battery, and should be a fun new toy.