Motorola DROID BIONIC Review

Introduction:

We’ve heard the good old saying that timing makes all of the difference with things, but in the case of the Motorola DROID BIONIC, its journey has transcended most others namely due to the constant uncertainty surrounding it. Come to think about it, we managed to grasp the handset way back in January during CES 2011 – and now it has taken nearly 8 months to materialize in the flesh. On top of that, it’s now the fourth 4G LTE smartphone with Big Red, which might not seem as profound as if it were launched much sooner, but it’s able to differentiate itself for being the first 4G LTE smartphone to pack a dual-core processor.

Already, the stigma attached to Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones is that they’re chunky, unwieldy, and pack vociferous appetites for battery life. Well folks, it seems that Motorola has been doing some tweaking and tinkering during the long journey as the Motorola DROID BIONIC attempts to shed those associations seeing that it’s the thinnest and lightest of the bunch – while offering the highest capacity battery as well. Possessing a combination of impressive advanced functionality and wicked hardware under the hood, there’s no kidding that the handset is future proof. But at $299.99, it’s still one pricey investment that will make some people reconsider – let’s see if it’s worth it!

The package contains: 

Motorola DROID BIONIC
microUSB cable
Wall Charger
Getting Started Guide
Product Safety & Warranty Information

Design:

Having received a significant redesign from the one we first saw at CES, the Motorola DROID BIONIC is stilla nice looking phone – and that’s all we can say about the device. It’s not great nor overly compelling like the original Motorola DROID X, but rather, it stands out amongst the 4G LTE pack for its lightweight (5.6 oz) feel and attempt to be streamlined at (0.43” thick) its thinnest point. However, as much as Motorola wants to tout its thinner design, it actually bulges towards the top where the camera’s sensors are placed – much like what we see on the DROID X. Nevertheless, it feels solid all-around thanks to its tough plastic exterior, beveled contours, soft touch rear cover, and metallic looking paint job.

The Motorola DROID BIONIC has a lightweight feel and is less than half an inch thick at its thinnest point"

You can compare the Motorola DROID BIONIC with many other phones.

By now, it might not have the same effect as before, but that doesn’t stop the DROID BIONIC’s 4.3” qHD(540 x 960) display with Gorilla Glass to be one of its standouts. Again, it’s not something new to the table since we’ve seen it done by the DROID X2. Obviously, we’re mesmerized by its brilliant and detailed output, which is further supplemented by its radiant color production. However, it suffers from the same poor viewing angle issue plaguing the DROID 3. Specifically, tilting the phone just a bit away from a straight 90-degree angle results in colors fading tremendously.

Sitting beneath the display are the usual cast of capacitive Android buttons that are less prone to accidental pressing since they’re positioned far enough from the edge of the handset. Meanwhile, a front-facing VGA camera sits directly above the display, which makes good use of Google Talk’s video chat feature since it’s an Android 2.3.4 device.

The capacitive buttons below the screen	Video call camera

Unfortunately, we’re not fans of the handset’s volume rocker and dedicated power button since they’re narrow and difficult to make out with our finger. Even worse, the straight edge that the power button is sitting on makes it even more frustratingly difficult to activate the button.

In addition to its microUSB port and 3.5mm headset jack, the microHDMI port of the DROID BIONIC offers deep Webtop integration with some of Motorola’s optional accessories for the handset. Still, connecting it to an HD television will get you the usual mirrored experience that we find ever so useful.

Left	Right	Top	Bottom

Besides all of the brandings plastered on its back, we find its speakerphone notch, directional microphones, and 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash. Removing the all soft touch back cover, we aregreeted to its beefy 1,735 mAh battery, which is the largest one to grace an LTE smartphone thus far. Moreover, we find the 4G LTE SIM card and microSD card slots tucked on top of one another.

The backside and camera of the DROID BIONIC

Interface:

Taking the cake for being the very first 4G LTE smartphone to be equipped with a dual-core processor, the Motorola DROID BIONIC operates at a fanatical pace – though, dual-core processors are nothing new nowadays. Nonetheless, the 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM, enables the DROID BIONIC to accomplish most takes with minimum effort. From navigating across its homescreen to running apps, there’s very little pause or instances of detrimental lag for this peppy handset. And even though its scores are not off the charts with some benchmarking apps, we’re glad to see the handset running effectively with relatively smooth movement in execution.

Needless to say, it would’ve been one thing if the DROID BIONIC were the first to flaunt the latest customizedMOTOBLUR (or whatever they want to call it) skin, but the DROID 3 managed to beat it to the punch – thus, it lacks that profound impact. Yet, it’s one beautiful interface running on top of Android 2.3.4 since it’s filled to the brim with some fancy looking 3D effects and transitions to keep your eyes content. Additionally, most of the Motorola inspired widgets available on the handset are resizable to any size – and their layouts automatically change to accommodate the new arrangement. Getting some love as well, the app panel might retain the usual grid-like layout with apps, but the 3D effect as you’re moving between panels shows the kind of attention to detail that Motorola places with the entire experience.

Lock screen		Homescreen	Applications list
The MOTOBLUR interface of the DROID BIONIC

If you’re big on the social networking stuff, you’ll take pleasure with the deep integration that the interface has to offer. In fact, the Social Networking app manages to aggregate social networking content in a single place – and it offers these nice looking 3D window panels as you’re looking through posts. But instead of running the app, you can still get your quick fix by using the available social networking widgets on the homescreen.

Contacts:

Essentially, the contacts app retains the fundamental elements we come to expect – like synchronization with our Google account. Besides that, we also find social networking integration that allows us to check out profiles, ‘poke’ friends, and view their most recent tweets. Of course, the listing can become somewhat disorganized looking after adding all of your accounts, but it’s nice to see some filters in place to make it easier to view. And oh yeah, you can always resort to clicking the magnifier icon to search for specific contacts – as opposed to scrolling through a never-ending list.

Phonebook		In call screen	Adding a new contact

Organizer:

Not surprisingly, there’s nothing new with any of the core organizer apps since they provide all the logical and traditional set of features we come to expect out of any Android smartphone. So whether you’re using the calculator, calendar, alarm, or timer, there’s absolutely nothing different about them in any way. Still, it’s nice being able to sync calendars from multiple accounts as well – plus, they’re color coded for better organization.

Alarms	Calculator	Calendar

Messaging:

With so much real estate to play around with, the Motorola DROID BIONIC is one handset that’s adept to dishing out a quick text message of some sort. Using either the multi-touch or Swype keyboards, we’re able to compose lengthy messages effortlessly with little mess-ups thanks to its spacious layout and lightning fast response. However, we’re careful with our rate of input when using the portrait option since buttons are placed closer to one another.

Swype	Multi-touch keyboard

Aside from the fact that scrolling is kept at a minimum with the Gmail experience on the handset, there’s nothing else beneficial that we can find about it. Luckily, the setup process is unchanged with its user-friendly approach by requiring only our email addresses and passwords for automatic setup with most generic accounts. In some instances though, it might ask for additional pieces of information, like server addresses and ports, to set up properly.

Gmail

Performance:

Wow! The Motorola DROID BIONIC is probably one of the best devices we’ve had the pleasure of using for phone calls. In fact, calling quality is superb on both ends of the line as we’re treated with distinctive voices with no evidence of any background noise or static muddying things up – and it helps that the earpiece is boisterous in tone too! Moreover, the speakerphone presents us with a similar experience since it doesn’t distort voices in any way.

Strangely, the handset appears to have some issues with signal strength seeing that we experienced it dropping from 4G LTE to 3G connectivity on numerous occasions – all in the same spot even. Still, even though the handset displays an average connection to the network in high coverage areas, we didn’t experience any dropped calls during our testing.

Leading the 4G LTE pack, the Motorola DROID BIONIC is packaged with one massive 1,735 mAh battery that manages to impress us by offering 10 hours of continuous voice calling on a single charge, which is spot on with the manufacturer’s rating. Setting it on ‘nighttime saver’ mode, we’re only able to get 10 hours of juice with normal usage consisting of web browsing, emailing, texting, and the occasional phone call. Honestly, it still has one vociferous appetite for sucking the juice out of the battery – meaning, you’ll need to charge this one constantly if you want it to survive through a normal working day.

Conclusion:

Without a doubt, the Motorola DROID BIONIC is a long time in the making, but after checking all the fanfare regarding it, we’re actually not all that impressed mainly due to the fact that everything it has to offer has been done already. Sure it claims to fame as being the first 4G LTE smartphone with a dual-core processor, but when you break it down, there isn’t one sole new thing found with it.

For example, dual-core CPUs are all the rage amongst smartphones. With 4G LTE connectivity, we’ve already seen three other devices beat it to the punch. How about that new MOTOBLUR whatever interface? Well, the DROID 3 managed to nab that prestigious spot. And finally, the Motorola ATRIX 4G introduced us to the available accessories that provide Motorola’s unique added functionality with Webtop.

So you ask, what’s great about the Motorola DROID BIONIC? Well, it’s the one handset that’s actually able to combine everything perfectly into one device – thus, setting the bar in what we expect out of a top-shelf smartphone. Yes, its late arrival on the scene is preventing it from fully expressing itself as an out of this world smartphone, but if you simply look at it as regular high-end smartphone, we guarantee you won't endup disappointed. There's really a lot to like about the DROID BIONIC, even if it's advent doesn't involve arange of “firsts”. The only thing that's left to be considered is its premium price tag of $299.99, but when youfactor in the fact that it performs so competently on a number of fronts, it looks like the Motorola DROIDBIONIC justifies it.

However, if you don't feel like shelling all of that cash out right now, we should say that the tried and trueHTC ThunderBolt is still a pretty decent option. Well, it is a bit chubbier, and lacks the dual-core chipset, butif you're ready to compromise with that, it will too bless you with its expertise on the 4G LTE front.

Software version of the reviewed unit:

Android version: 2.3.4

Build number: 5.5.1_84_DBN-55

Kernal version: 2.6.35.7-g790a33c

PROS

• 4G LTE connectivity
• Fast dual-core processor
• Great calling quality
• Motorola Webtop functionality
• Shoots great looking 1080p videos

CONS

• Late arrival
• Signal strength issues
• Poor viewing angles with its display
• Expensive