Droid Bionic Review
After having anticipated the arrival of the Droid Bionic on shelves for many months, I was excited to put the Bionic through a thorough review and see how it stacks up to the HTC Thunderbolt, which I had been using full time since it was released.
Unboxing/ Activation:
As is the case with most Verizon phones I have received recently, the DROID Bionic packaging strikes an appealing look and is earth-friendly by being just large enough to fit the contents of the device and included accessories.
Included in the DROID Bionic packaging was the device itself (obviously), a thin 1735 mAH Li–Ion Battery, battery cover, 16GB microSD card, charger (which can also be used as a USB cable), as well as a User Manual.
Since I switched to the Bionic from the Thunderbolt, activation was a breeze and simply involved switching my 4G LTE SIM Card out of my Thunderbolt into my new Droid Bionic. One thing I will mention at this time is that I found it challenging to remove the SIM Card out of the Bionic, but that may only become a frustration if you are a user who switches phone constantly.
Phone Setup:
After popping in my SIM Card and Battery and booting up the phone for the first time, the phone walked me through a short setup, which included linking my Google Account. Setup, as on other Android devices I have used, was quick and painless. My only frustration with the setup process is the fact that applications I have downloaded from the Market onto my Thunderbolt are not automatically downloaded to my Bionic. I was forced to log on to the Google Market on my computer and force each application to download to my Bionic.
Phone Design & Feel:
I find the design of the Bionic elegant and sharp. The phone is the perfect weight (for a 4G LTE device) and feels sturdy. I am not afraid that this phone will break the first time I accidentally drop it (well…depending on what it lands on I guess).
Battery Life:
Considering the Bionic is a 4G LTE device, the battery life has improved over the Thunderbolt (as should be expected with a battery that is slightly bigger than that on the Thunderbolt). In areas of weak LTE signal, or areas where you are at the edge of LTE, forcing the phone to 3G will result in much better battery life. When forced to 3G, I can easily get a whole days’ use out of the phone and I am very impressed by how little battery talking on the phone uses.
Call Quality/ Reception:
Smartphones today do so much more than make and receive phone calls, but I am most impressed with the voice quality of the Bionic. The sound is crisp and clear and background noise is cancelled out very well. I find reception on the Bionic to be above average, as expected from a Motorola device. The only time I have run into issues is at the edge of LTE coverage areas, where the phone may sometimes lose data service completely, unless I force it to 3G (which can easily be done in the phone’s setting menu). One issue I have experienced is that during a call, while the proximity sensor has disabled the screen, I am unable to adjust call volume and must move the phone away from my face to adjust the volume.
Although this won’t apply to most people, one issue I have faced is that while connected to a 3G Network extender, the Bionic will not show a data connection whatsoever and can just be used for calls and SMS, unless WiFi is used for data.
Processing Speed/ User Interface:
FAAAST!!! The Dual-Core processor on the Bionic allows for smooth and snappy operation, and I have most definitely been able to feel the improved processing speed coming from a single core device. There is virtually no lag in the User Interface and I have not experienced applications force closing or hanging. Overall, I have been very impressed with the interface and processing speed.
4G LTE:
While in a 4G LTE coverage area, the phone is capable of simultaneous voice and data. Coming from a Thunderbolt, I was somewhat disappointed that the Bionic does not allow for simultaneous voice and data while in a 3G-coverage area, but with the rapid expanding 4G LTE footprint, this will become less of an issue over time. 4G LTE speeds have been very impressive with download speeds generally between 15-50 Megs.
Screen:
Although I don’t find the screen on the Bionic to be as crisp as that of the Thunderbolt, I have not had issues with the Bionic screen even in direct sunlight, which can be an issue on the Thunderbolt and other devices. Overall, while the Pentile display could be better, it gets the job done.
Camera:
I have found picture quality on the Bionic to not meet my expectations. The auto focus takes some getting used to and is slow (especially in comparison to some other devices). Video quality, however, is crisp and clear.
Bluetooth:
I connected the Bionic to my in-car Bluetooth speaker system and found the Bionic to connect quickly and found no issues with my use of Bluetooth.
Messaging:
Messaging overall is smooth and the phone allows for words to easily be added to the dictionary. Auto correct works well, but one big item missing for me was a T9 keyboard, which I have become addicted to. I ended up browsing the market and downloading a T9 application and have been using this full time.
Web Browsing:
The 4.3 inch Display certainly helps make web browsing easy on the eyes. The browser was snappy and fast and I did not have any issues browsing even regular web pages with lots of content.
Navigation and GPS:
Certainly one thing Android excels at and is one of the many reasons I continue using Android. Navigation on the on the Bionic was pleasant, as it has been on other Android devices I have used. The only issue I sometimes faced has been the fact that the GPS sometimes takes a few minutes to acquire my exact location. Aside from this, navigation has been flawless.
Summary and Recommendation:
Overall, I have very much enjoyed using this phone. And while there are certain things to get used to (like the power button being on the top left side of the phone), the Bionic is a powerful and sexy Android device that I would strongly recommend to anyone looking for the latest and most powerful 4G LTE device.
As a member of the Verizon Wireless Customer Council, I have received free equipment from Verizon Wireless or its partners for the purpose of evaluation and testing. This review may be the result of that evaluation and testing.
