The Motorola Droid Bionic, announced at CES, is a smartphone that provides cutting-edge speed both on the phone, with its dual core processor, and over-the-air on Verizon's 4G LTE network. That speed, together with the Droid Bionic's high-resolution, 4.3-inch screen, positions it to be one of the most popular phones for 2011.
Like the Motorola ATRIX, the Droid Bionic's NVIDIA Tegra dual-core processor runs at 1GHz, though it has 512MB of RAM versus 1GB on the ATRIX. But don't be disappointed, that should be plenty for it to power through most normal phone activities, and even handle graphics-heavy video and gaming.
To further position the Droid Bionic as a phone for media junkies, the 4.3-inch qHD screen will provide 960 x 540 resolution, much higher than the 854 x 480 resolution of the Droid X it replaces. In fact, the Droid Bionic's display resolution is just below that of the iPhone 4 (960 x 640). You will also be able to stream or mirror your phone's content onto the HDTV in your living room in full 1080p.
The Droid Bionic doesn't skimp on storage, either. It comes with 16GB onboard and supports an additional 32GB through its microSD card slot.
As with most new high-end smartphones, the Droid Bionic has both front and rear-facing cameras. The front camera is only VGA resolution (.3MP), which is a step behind some of the other new phones that are offering 1.3MP cameras for video chat. The rear camera is 8MP, has auto focus, an LED flash, and will capture 720p video. We won't know about picture quality until we have a chance to test it.
To power all this goodness, the Droid Bionic comes with a 1930mAh battery. For comparison, most other smartphones have batteries in the 1500mAh range. What this will mean for real-life battery duration we'll have to wait and see.
The main trade-offs for all these features are the weight (5.5oz) and size (2.63" x 4.95" x .55"). Not bad considering what you get.
The Droid Bionic will ship in Q2 2011 with Android 2.2 and support for Wi-Fi mobile hotspot. Pricing has not yet been released.
Droid for the win! I
From ImmaDroid on January 14, 2011 :: 11:54 am
Droid for the win! I have the original Droid and I am looking very forward to getting the Bionic when it releases! It’s a very impressive and exciting thing. I love Android! Like you said the only thing is the VGA front facing cam, which really is not a big deal for me. I will also have the Motorola Xoom tablet when that releases as well, so if I wanted to heavy video chat I’d use that. But for on the go pocket sized video calls, it’s perfect.
But I do wonder why they didn’t give it a higher res front facing cam? Can one phone not have it all yet?
Reply
Why cant one phone have it all?
From matt on February 09, 2011 :: 7:00 pm
Isnt it obvious? The new phones they come out with always seem to be lacking some VITAL part. I remember when some version of the Iphone didnt even come with a flash for the camera. How simple would this be to include? In my opinion, it gives them a simple and cheap addition to offer in the second series or release of version 2 that forces consumers to purchase another NEW phone that possesses the features that were intentionally left out on the last phone. FOR example, I bet this Bionic phone coming out will be awesome. I plan on purchasing. However, you can guarantee that when Bionic 2, or Bionic X comes out, that the front camera will be at least 1.3 mp. Its annoying but unfortunately whats being done intentionally. More importantly, when is Verizon going to start offering new every one? These phones are now outdated in 6 months and obselete in a year. Whos going to keep any phone for a year with the way they keep pumping out this new cool stuff? You have to adapt with the ever changing conditions and hopefully Verizon acknowledges this. Which they wont. Strictly because it equals less dollars at the end of the fiscal day. Just my random thoughts on the matter. Just wanna get what I pay for and I pay alot for my premium service and expect alot in return and rightfully so… As I write that, I realize that I spend at least $1500 a year on my current VZW plan. How many customers do they have?
Reply