Buy the Thunderbolt now or wait a few weeks for the Bionic?

**GJSNeptune** · 03-20-2011, 09:31 AM

Last year we were at a Verizon store and talked to a rep about how to save money. He knocked us down to some loyalty plan. The website lists it as NATIONWIDE FAMILY SHARE 550. It's $50.

**lazarus** · 03-20-2011, 02:49 PM

i had the same decision to make and i sold my droid x and got the thunderbolt.. i will say so far i'm happy but the battery is nothing close to what i had with the X.. when i am on 4g the speeds are pretty fast although i am not getting the crazy 40-50's dowload speeds I have seen others reporting..

the main reason i went with the upgrade now is that i have another upgrade available in july so i can see what pans out over the next couple months

**Eckono** · 03-20-2011, 08:38 PM

I bought the Thunderbolt and replaced my iPhone 4 on Verizon. The Droid Bionic is gonna be great but the thunderbolt will be able to carry its weight. This thing gives me a whole new perception of Verizon. My iPhone was slow, never could hold a 3G signal, and never got speeds over 300kbps. The thunderbolt even when not in 4G works great over 3G and u can talk and surf over 3G. I also got this phone with hopes of getting grandfathered into the unlimited LTE plan.

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**LeroyTheGreat38** · 03-21-2011, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Eckono

I bought the Thunderbolt and replaced my iPhone 4 on Verizon. The Droid Bionic is gonna be great but the thunderbolt will be able to carry its weight. This thing gives me a whole new perception of Verizon. My iPhone was slow, never could hold a 3G signal, and never got speeds over 300kbps. The thunderbolt even when not in 4G works great over 3G and u can talk and surf over 3G. I also got this phone with hopes of getting grandfathered into the unlimited LTE plan.

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Thinking about doing the same. I'm not disappointed with my iPhone but I'm worried that by the time I do get a 4g phone, I won't be able to get unlimited data. Plus I also want the speed! I live an hour away Boston, but when I messed with the phone at the store, it didn't have 4g. I was a little sad because I want to see how fast 4g is but I guess I'm too far away to get it.

**mick4394** · 03-25-2011, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by GJSNeptune

Last year we were at a Verizon store and talked to a rep about how to save money. He knocked us down to some loyalty plan. The website lists it as NATIONWIDE FAMILY SHARE 550. It's $50.

There's nothing that would stop you from purchasing and using a thunderbolt on that plan.

**milan03** · 03-25-2011, 08:58 AM

First of all I wouldn't say few weeks, but few months till Bionic hits the shelves. Second, If you wanna play with fire and risk not to get unlimited data option than wait, otherwise get Thunderbolt NOW.
I've used more than 10GB of data in a week since the launch and I wasn't even trying hard.

**GJSNeptune** · 03-25-2011, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by mick4394

There's nothing that would stop you from purchasing and using a thunderbolt on that plan.

If I don't get it through Verizon, sure.

**mick4394** · 03-26-2011, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by GJSNeptune

If I don't get it through Verizon, sure.

There's no reason that anyone from vzw would have to change your plan to purchase the phone. Whoever you spoke to that told you that your plan would have to be changed is misinformed, or has their own motives.

**_KC_** · 03-26-2011, 10:25 PM

Yeah, what mick said. That plan will work fine on the Thunderbolt ( or any other phone for that matter).

**rage151** · 03-27-2011, 01:54 AM

Personally, I would wait for the Bionic or Targa.

I got the TB on launch day and was impressed, but it quickly wore off. Returned it this afternoon and reactivated my old D1. Here's why:

Signal - No 4g in my area yet, but 3g became a little spotty. I even saw 1x in Lowe's, which never happened with my D1. Moto makes the best radio, period.

Call Quality - It is hard to describe how they sounded. It's like there wasn't enough bass in their voice. Callers even said it was hard to understand me.
Related to the RF issue, both parties voice broke up...while being stationary in my living room.
Also, background noise is bad. The TB doesn't cancel it out good at all. (Moto excels here)

Screen - I thought with it being a new phone, the screen would be amazing. I was really wrong. Pics I copied from my D1 were not as clear on the TB. Even pics from the internet were somewhat grainy with some contrast issues. Droid X screen is much clearer.

Notifications - My D1 is rooted and I have installed more ROM'S than I can count. With that said, I have never not gotten gTalk, gmail, SMS/MMS notifications on my D1 like the TB did. The LED just didn't work half the time. I had to reboot a few times so that MMS msgs would come through. gTalk and gmail simply didn't deliver most if the time either. It was nice using gTalk today on my D1. Maybe it was my TB, but gTalk was pretty much unusable - I couldn't trust it.

Photos - Picasa cannot be sync'd. You can upload directly to it, but you cannot view pictures in the native HTC gallery.

Battery Life - Sure, it's a hog. I am a heavy user anyway, so I kind of expected it to use quite a bit. It will use some juice.

Speed - It is fast, but not earth shattering. Sense seems to only move so fast anyway. My D1 is oc'd to 1.1ghz. Also, it doesn't matter how fast the processor is if the memory only charges/discharges at a set rate. The TB has standard memory...so there has to be some kind of speed hindrance even with a 2nd Gen Snapdragon. The Bionic should definitely show some respectable numbers here...with DDR2 memory. This with a dual core processor might be the right combination.

Keyboard - Swype does not come preinstalled. I have the beta Swype, but like it better when it's an OEM option (Like on recent Motorola's).

Anyway, IMO, if one is in a 3g area, the X is a superior handset. Hold out for the Bionic to get a little larger cell phone evolutionary leap than what the TB brings to the table. I don't feel that that the TB is enough of anything to even justify using a 1yr contract upgrade. Save your upgrade for something more than primarily a 4g radio.

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**GJSNeptune** · 03-27-2011, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by mick4394

There's no reason that anyone from vzw would have to change your plan to purchase the phone. Whoever you spoke to that told you that your plan would have to be changed is misinformed, or has their own motives.

It was a chat rep. But the website was forcing me to change as well. I could probably have Verizon re-downgrade my plan afterwards, but Verizon wouldn't work with me at all. So no Thunderbolt for me.

**mick4394** · 03-27-2011, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by GJSNeptune

It was a chat rep. But the website was forcing me to change as well. I could probably have Verizon re-downgrade my plan afterwards, but Verizon wouldn't work with me at all. So no Thunderbolt for me.

If you want the phone, i'd just purchase it in store or through CS. A rep can make sure your plan sticks with the order, and there's no difference in pricing.

**GJSNeptune** · 03-27-2011, 08:49 PM

With the battery life so poor and the buzzing speakers, I'm not sure I want one anymore, although it's due mostly to not being eligible for a discounted upgrade. BlackBerry is getting boring, but the battery life can't be beaten. After getting a Nook Color, I definitely have the Android itch. The Bionic is supposed to have a larger battery, and who knows what else will be available later this year.

**Extraordinary** · 03-28-2011, 02:27 AM

So far I have held off. I wills save my $600+ tax and see what comes along soon. No 4G here yet anyway... Hopefully unlimited will stay and the Bionic or something else will hit the shelves soon.