79
Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Reception and call quality I live in a 4G area, and I've never lost a 4G signal. Excellent reception and call quality is clear.
- Display Display is large. That 4.3" screen is great for gps. If it was higher res/better color reproduction, I'd rate it higher, but it does what it's mean to do.
- Battery life Here's the thing, I'm running a custom ROM on my phone, and I get a full 20 hours with calling, texts, and light internet usage.
- Camera No comments
- Ease of use Took me 2 days to figure out Android. Not as smooth as iOS, but pretty solid.
- Design and form factor Design is well shaped, not super stylistic, but it's simple and smooth.
- Portability (size / weight) It's kind of big, but I got used to it. For women's jean's pockets it might be a little too large. For men's, it's fine.
- Media support No comments
- Durability Very durable. The screen is made of gorilla glass. I've had this phone in my pocket with keys, and still no scratches after 5 months.
- Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) Android marketplace is expanding like crazy. The dock and webtop functions make this phone decent in accessories category. Did I tell you I got a case for $4?
Detailed review
DISCLAIMER* My phone is rooted, and is running a custom Eclipse ROM.
I got this phone for two reasons back in September. I didn't want an iPhone because you can't do anything after jailbreaking it. (I like messing with my gadgets) I wanted a 4G phone!!
Reception and Call quality: Here's the thing, 1 bar of 4G reception is 10x greater than full bars of 3G reception. Call quality is great and I've never had a call drop because of my end. The other end (AT&T) drops. (psst with an iPhone ;) ) For internet browsing, this phone is lightning quick and loads youtube videos brilliantly in 720p. Love 4G.
Display: The bionic has a Pentile screen. Meaning for each little pixel on the display, there is a portion which sends out White light. This makes the screen not as vivid or rich in colors as other screens. However, it can get super bright for the same amount of energy as a different screen. For outdoor use it's great. The 4.3" screen size makes it a beauty to use for surfing the net or playing games. It's easier to read text and the extra real estate is highly appreciated. I feel uncomfortable using my iPod Touch now because the screen feels so small compared to this phone. Not the best screen, but plenty bright and does it's job. It's also very responsive.
Battery Life: For all those people complaining about battery life, the 5.5.866 firmware had horrid battery life. The latest version, 5.9.902 has decent battery life. I have a custom ROM made by an amazing developer on rootzwiki.com who optimized the performance and made the phone much more lightweight. It also looks a lot better. The standard battery now lasts me a whole day like it should. I'm not afraid to keep 4G on at all times, and it lasts on average 1.5 days.
Ease of use: Android used to be a very rough system. Now, it's a kind of rough system. Motorola's stock UI is dreadful. It's full of bloatware and very slow. That's why the Android community relies on developers to make life better. My phone is very easy to use due to my ROM. Very happy.
I'd give it a 9/10 overall.
I got this phone for two reasons back in September. I didn't want an iPhone because you can't do anything after jailbreaking it. (I like messing with my gadgets) I wanted a 4G phone!!
Reception and Call quality: Here's the thing, 1 bar of 4G reception is 10x greater than full bars of 3G reception. Call quality is great and I've never had a call drop because of my end. The other end (AT&T) drops. (psst with an iPhone ;) ) For internet browsing, this phone is lightning quick and loads youtube videos brilliantly in 720p. Love 4G.
Display: The bionic has a Pentile screen. Meaning for each little pixel on the display, there is a portion which sends out White light. This makes the screen not as vivid or rich in colors as other screens. However, it can get super bright for the same amount of energy as a different screen. For outdoor use it's great. The 4.3" screen size makes it a beauty to use for surfing the net or playing games. It's easier to read text and the extra real estate is highly appreciated. I feel uncomfortable using my iPod Touch now because the screen feels so small compared to this phone. Not the best screen, but plenty bright and does it's job. It's also very responsive.
Battery Life: For all those people complaining about battery life, the 5.5.866 firmware had horrid battery life. The latest version, 5.9.902 has decent battery life. I have a custom ROM made by an amazing developer on rootzwiki.com who optimized the performance and made the phone much more lightweight. It also looks a lot better. The standard battery now lasts me a whole day like it should. I'm not afraid to keep 4G on at all times, and it lasts on average 1.5 days.
Ease of use: Android used to be a very rough system. Now, it's a kind of rough system. Motorola's stock UI is dreadful. It's full of bloatware and very slow. That's why the Android community relies on developers to make life better. My phone is very easy to use due to my ROM. Very happy.
I'd give it a 9/10 overall.
good review!
1 person found this review helpful