What No Verizon Galaxy S II Means for the Droid Bionic

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So, you may have heard the news. Verizon has taken a pass on the Samsung Galaxy S II. This is obviously a huge blow to those of you who had been banking picking up a Galaxy S II on Verizon next month and more specifically, those who were hoping there would be a 4G LTE Galaxy S II on Big Red.

Over the last couple of weeks, many of you have been wrestling with an internal debate about whether you wanted the Galaxy S II or the Motorola Droid Bionic and now, you’re left with only one of the two. And while I’m concerned for your mental well-being, I’m also interested in how this move might effect the Droid Bionic’s launch which will likely be taking place on September 8th.

What does no Verizon Galaxy S II mean for the Droid Bionic?

Let’s have a look.

The Good

The Motorola Droid Bionic is a 4G LTE smartphone with a dual-core processor. The first of its kind and quite frankly, the only one of its kind on the horizon. It’s also going to be the only new 4G LTE phone for the foreseeable future.

If not, the Droid Bionic is going to be the only real 4G LTE phone on the block for September at the very least and possibly even longer and guess what running unopposed in that arena means?

Verizon’s network is expanding rapidly and more and more people are being lured in by 4G LTE. With the Droid Bionic launching when it is, backed by a huge unopposed advertising campaign next month, this thing is going to sell a lot better than it would have had the Galaxy S II been released.

Now, I’m not saying that all of you that were thinking about the Galaxy S II are going to buy it, but I am saying that numbers will definitely be a lot higher and that’s fantastic for both Verizon and Motorola.

A lot of people have been down on Motorola this year, myself included, and this unopposed launch should launch them right back into the consciousness of the general public.

The Bad

Now, just because the Galaxy S II is out of the picture on Verizon doesn’t mean that the Droid Bionic has smooth sailing next month. Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone in the latter part of September. With the Galaxy S II out of the picture, Motorola is going to have to come up with creative ways to advertise against the new iPhone, a device that will definitely be landing on Verizon.

BGR is also reporting that Verizon will probably be launching a similar device to the Galaxy S II only it won’t have the Galaxy S II branding. Nexus Prime? Samsung Stratosphere? It’s unknown at this point but if it will likely add competition to the already crowded field.

And let’s not forget that the HTC ThunderBolt is still around and with the Droid Bionic rumored to cost $300, those wanting 4G LTE without having to bleed their bank accounts dry will likely turn to the ThunderBolt which isn’t my favorite phone but is certainly a capable one.

So, yes, the Droid Bionic will launch on Verizon’s 4G LTE network by itself come September and that’s great for its visibility and sales, for sure. But it’s still not out of murky waters yet.

Any of you that were planning on getting a Galaxy S II now planning on getting the Droid Bionic? Or is the price too high?

About the Author (Author Profile)

Adam is an editor based in San Francisco, California who loves his iPhone 3GS, iPad third-generation and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. He's also becoming intrigued with Windows Phone. You can follow him on Twitter or reach him by email at adam@notebooks.com.