Droid 3 Performance

[Androcop]

Hi everyone,

I currently own a HTC Hero and I need to upgrade to a new Android. I am eying both the Droid 3 and the still unreleased (at the time of writing this post) Samsung Captivate Glide. First, I don't even know whether I will be able to import the Glide to Australia even after its release in the US but a Verizon branded Droid 3 is definitely available for purchase.

I am aware that the Droid 3 has only 512MB of RAM and a crappy camera app that produces blue tint on the images. I am also aware that Camera360 fixes this blue tint in the camera shots. I am also aware that there is a only click root for Droid 3.

I have choice - I can get a Samsung Galaxy S2 for a lower price than the Droid 3 but it doesn't have a keyboard and I've had it with soft keyboards - I can't take it anymore but the S2 has a bigger screen than the Hero 3.2 - still, I don't know how comfortable it will be...

- Can you please describe what's the performance like with the Droid 3 with only 512MB of RAM? Does it feel laggy and irritating or is it snappy due to its duel core 1GHz chip? I have seen various reviews on YouTube but I want to hear from you, actual owners that own this phone and use it every day. My HTC Hero is unbearable and it's always low on RAM.

- What's your RAM status? How much RAM are you floating on? 200MB? 300MB? And what additional apps are you running in the background (launchers and widgets etc)?

- After restart, how much RAM is there remaining?

I really want to hear this from you.

Cheers

 

[ncvikingx97]

I loved my droid 3. Much better performance than my iphone. Amazing keyboard. Overall good phone, although I had a couple of issues, like it randomly powered down one........

 

[akhi216]

Hi everyone,

I currently own a HTC Hero and I need to upgrade to a new Android. I am eying both the Droid 3 and the still unreleased (at the time of writing this post) Samsung Captivate Glide. First, I don't even know whether I will be able to import the Glide to Australia even after its release in the US but a Verizon branded Droid 3 is definitely available for purchase.

I am aware that the Droid 3 has only 512MB of RAM and a crappy camera app that produces blue tint on the images. I am also aware that Camera360 fixes this blue tint in the camera shots. I am also aware that there is a only click root for Droid 3.

I have choice - I can get a Samsung Galaxy S2 for a lower price than the Droid 3 but it doesn't have a keyboard and I've had it with soft keyboards - I can't take it anymore but the S2 has a bigger screen than the Hero 3.2 - still, I don't know how comfortable it will be...

- Can you please describe what's the performance like with the Droid 3 with only 512MB of RAM? Does it feel laggy and irritating or is it snappy due to its duel core 1GHz chip? I have seen various reviews on YouTube but I want to hear from you, actual owners that own this phone and use it every day. My HTC Hero is unbearable and it's always low on RAM.

- What's your RAM status? How much RAM are you floating on? 200MB? 300MB? And what additional apps are you running in the background (launchers and widgets etc)?

- After restart, how much RAM is there remaining?

I really want to hear this from you.

Cheers

I can't address all of your concerns but I can say a few things. There is never a RAM issue with the D3. The Droid Bionic is the same phone as the D3 with the exception of 0.3-inch bigger screen, no keyboard, 4G radio and 1 GB of RAM compared to the D3's 0.5 GB of RAM. Both phones run the same minus the data connection when the 4G LTE radio on the Bionic is turned on despite the fact that the Bionic has twice the RAM. The only reason that it has all of that RAM is to ensure that it can run Webtop/Lapdock functions, thus it isn't necessary. The D3 is pretty snappy the majority of the time. My only problem is that it lags when apps are put on the SD card, which is a shame considering all of the built-in SD card space on the phone. The D3 is running on Android 2.3, which doesn't allow for the dual-core processor to truly be utilized but that will change with ICS. I'm fairly certain that if you get the phone you won't run into any low memory problems.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[googlelover]

^^why are you moving apps to the SD card?? It should have plenty (afaik) of internal memory for apps. Also, the bionic doesn't have 1GB just for webtop, it has it because its the expected amount for high end phones, which imho it needs, if you look at it now 512mb is fine, but 2 years down the road? 1GB is going to be needed. And android has had mutlicore support since it was released.
Edit: having no real world comparisons here I think the Sgs2 would be the better phone, going for the hardware keyboard extremely limits your choice, and typing on the newer phones has gotten better especially because of the bigger screens.

 

[akhi216]

^^why are you moving apps to the SD card?? It should have plenty (afaik) of internal memory for apps. Also, the bionic doesn't have 1GB just for webtop, it has it because its the expected amount for high end phones, which imho it needs, if you look at it now 512mb is fine, but 2 years down the road? 1GB is going to be needed. And android has had mutlicore support since it was released.

I was referring to installation of apps the Media Area/built-in SD card as out if the box there is only 1.5 GB of space available for downloading and installing apps. My point in mentioning that 512 MB of RAM on the D3 shouldn't be a problem was the fact that the Bionic, which runs the same processor and software, currently offers the same performance as the D3. Now that might certainly change once ICS gets put on it, but that's how it is now, and if it does come to a point that 512 MB of RAM doesn't cut it for Android phones any more, I will happily move on and never look back.

Edit: ...if it does come to a point that 512 MB of RAM doesn't cut it for Android phones any more, I will happily upgrade to an Android device that meets that then-current spec in the future.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[googlelover]

Oh, well its not a built in SD card ill tell you that, it's just like a partitioned harddrive. And the performance is of course going to be the same, unless you open a few memory hogging apps at the same time and you need to remember plenty of people (including me) buy a phone to last 2 years and can't afford to do otherwise so that future part wasn't necessarily pointed at you

 

[akhi216]

Oh, well its not a built in SD card ill tell you that, it's just like a partitioned harddrive. And the performance is of course going to be the same, unless you open a few memory hogging apps at the same time and you need to remember plenty of people (including me) buy a phone to last 2 years and can't afford to do otherwise so that future part wasn't necessarily pointed at you

Ok big guy. The SD card-like partition of the internal hard drive..how's that for you? I assumed that since installing apps to an SD card on a device that has internal memory that isn't partitioned in that manner that it would be understood since apps 2 sd is what is generally called; especially considering the fact that apps 2 sd apps' names don't change to acknowledge such phones' internal storage partitions...oh well. The thing about the Bionic having 1 GB of RAM as opposed to the D3 having 512 MB is that while the Bionic will have all of those extra apps running draining juice while the D3 would've closed whatever app that it was coded to consider no longer needed. Remember, the more the RAM used the more the quicker the battery dies. If you use an app on the Bionic that's used to conserve power that has special permissions, the Bionic will end up closing as many programs as the D3 in that situation if not more due to the additional strain on the battery from the power-hungry 1st generation LTE chip in it. The op doesn't live in the US thus the LTE chip would be a non factor if the radio was turned off. The op doesn't live in the US and needs a device with a keyboard. Currently there are no phones with a slide-out keyboard that have at 1 GB of RAM (except an overseas Galaxy S II variant?) that he can get, I was just letting him know that there are no glaring low memory issues on the D3 at this time as you don't see the Droid 3 forums flooded with low memory error complaints, and being an owner of a Droid 3 myself, I can attest that I've never had a low memory issue... My point is that coming from the now dreaded HTC Hero, he should find that Droid 3 is the most solid phone right now that has a keyboard. Of course in the future that may change as I read some hands-on reports from people who've used the Droid 4.


Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[googlelover]

Did I annoy you or something? I was just saying its not an SD card, so the performance issue shouldn't be there as its the same memory your other apps are stored on... And of course the battery will die quicker, that will happen when you use any phone to its full extent, but what does that have to do with anything? Also, I never disagreed with your first post the Droid 3 is a solid phone, other then a few bugs, and if he must have a hardware keyboard it looks like his best bet. Telling him it would be wise to get a phone with 1 GB of ram is just thinking of the future if he's signing into a new 2 year contract because if he is he (I'm just assuming here) won't have the option of upgrading to a new and better phone if 512 MB isn't enough in the next few years.

 

[akhi216]

Did I annoy you or something? I was just saying its not an SD card, so the performance issue shouldn't be there as its the same memory your other apps are stored on... And of course the battery will die quicker, that will happen when you use any phone to its full extent, but what does that have to do with anything? Also, I never disagreed with your first post the Droid 3 is a solid phone, other then a few bugs, and if he must have a hardware keyboard it looks like his best bet. Telling him it would be wise to get a phone with 1 GB of ram is just thinking of the future if he's signing into a new 2 year contract because if he is he (I'm just assuming here) won't have the option of upgrading to a new and better phone if 512 MB isn't enough in the next few years.

I'm not easily annoyed.

I agree that performance issue involving the SD card shouldn't be there. It's most likely due to bad coding by Motorola.

No problems chief, we're both trying to help the guy.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[joshhh]

Doesn't the bionic not even use that full 1 gig of ram? If im not mistaken it takes 512mb of that, and sets it aside for webtop stuff, and it never touches it until in webtop. I may very well be wrong, but this is just what I've been told. The droid 3 is amazing. Its solid, fast, and has an amazing keyboard. Takes an hour to get used to, but then you'll be blazing fast. Droid 3 vs bionic, depends whether the keyboard or the 4g is more important for you. Otherwise they're identical.

Sent from my DROID3

 

[akhi216]

Doesn't the bionic not even use that full 1 gig of ram? If im not mistaken it takes 512mb of that, and sets it aside for webtop stuff, and it never touches it until in webtop. I may very well be wrong, but this is just what I've been told. The droid 3 is amazing. Its solid, fast, and has an amazing keyboard. Takes an hour to get used to, but then you'll be blazing fast. Droid 3 vs bionic, depends whether the keyboard or the 4g is more important for you. Otherwise they're identical.

Sent from my DROID3

Actually the myth about extra RAM for Webtop/Lapdock functions was debunked. The Bionic/Atrix/Photon do in fact utilize the extra 512 MB of RAM when they're not placed into the docks. When they're placed into the docks, apps running that are using RAM that is needed to run the Webtop/Lapdock functions that are deemed no longer needed get killed to free up space. It was discovered that the functions don't require more than 200 MB of RAM to run.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[joshhh]

Well thank you for that. Good to know

Sent from my DROID3

 

[akhi216]

Droid 3 vs bionic, depends whether the keyboard or the 4g is more important for you. Otherwise they're identical.

Sent from my DROID3

Op doesn't live in the US, so 4G isn't a factor for him. The Droid 3 is a global phone. He can can use a sim card and have T-Mobile/AT&T-class 4G.

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[akhi216]

- Can you please describe what's the performance like with the Droid 3 with only 512MB of RAM? Does it feel laggy and irritating or is it snappy due to its duel core 1GHz chip? I have seen various reviews on YouTube but I want to hear from you, actual owners that own this phone and use it every day. My HTC Hero is unbearable and it's always low on RAM.

- What's your RAM status? How much RAM are you floating on? 200MB? 300MB? And what additional apps are you running in the background (launchers and widgets etc)?

- After restart, how much RAM is there remaining?

I really want to hear this from you.

Cheers

Right now I have 145 MB of RAM available. It fluctuates from 75 MB to 150 MB depending on how much I have running. By default there are four widgets on the homescreen and I put 6 more on. I run the stock launcher. After a restart I'll have anywhere from 165 MB to 200 MB.

When no apps are stored on the SD card, the phone is instantly ready to go as soon as the SD cards are prepped, which only takes about 2.5-3 seconds. I would like it if the app drawer would open a little quicker. There's absolutely no lag when speed-flipping through homescreens; this may be able to be attributed to the dual-core processor. The camera seemed rushed and uninspired.

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[Androcop]

Thank you all (especially akhi216) for your replies, I really appreciate it. As far as SD card app performance is concerned, that could also be related to the type of SD card (read/write speed etc).

Yes, I think I did see somewhere that when the phone is restarted, it floats around 160MB of RAM and I am a heavy tweaker. On my Hero, I have installed Go Launcher Ex, Go SMS Pro, Go Locker, Go Bookmarks, Go Calendar, Go Task Manager (most of the Go tools) as well as TouchPal dialer and I keep floating around 30M constantly. If I install that on the Droid 3, I estimate additional 30MB so I'd be around 60MB and by the time I launch a web browser, market or a text editor....it will probably go down even further. Still my odds don't quote add up as the Hero does manage to run them all (but it's very slow).

I am still very interested about this phone but I will never forgive Moto for punishing us with 512MB only. There is a review on YouTube about the S2 and after a restart it has like 650+ I think. I will try to hold on to the Hero until...it truly pieces me off with its sluggish performance and then I will decide if I have to go with the Droid 3 or Galaxy S2 (which I hope will give me better precision with keyboards due to its large screen). I still hope I will be able to import the Glide somehow...

I read somewhere, these phones are locked only within the US and if we use it outside the US, it would be Ok (restriction free) so I can use a Telstra, Optus or Vodafone sim card...not sure if it's true though.

Also, if we put ICS to Droid 3, it will probably use even more RAM. Most of the RAM is probably taken by Motoblur and the Verizon bloatware (especially) anyway.... If we put a custom ROM, that would make things better.