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Motorola Droid Bionic Gets Possible Pricing, Another Release Date

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We’ve seen the Motorola Droid Bionic pop up in just about every way possible. From some crisp shots showing off its design to a photo showing off its formidable 4G LTE data speeds, we’ve seen just about everything Droid Bionic related. And today, we saw just about every feature of the Bionic leak out which was just the cherry on top. However, there are still two big things that remain a mystery.

The release date and pricing of Verizon’s first 4G LTE smartphone. September 8th has been the rumored date for the Droid Bionic’s launch and I’ve guessed that Verizon is going to offer this thing for $250 on a new two year contract. Maybe even $300. Other retailers will likely have it for around $200 to $250. Guesses, nothing more.

Droid Bionic

Well forget all of that for a second because we now have another possible release date and retail pricing for the Droid Bionic courtesy of Android Central. They have a screen shot of an internal document that shows off the Droid Bionic being listed as $587 full retail price. Obviously, with a contract and rebates, that price will surely be a lot different. I am willing to wager that full retail might even be $600 when it everything is said and done with a $300 on-contract price tag.

I can’t dispute physical evidence though so $587 might actually be the real retail price. Strange number, though.

In addition, we have another possible release date: August 26th. Also odd, seeing as though it’s a Friday and Verizon loves to launch on Thursday’s. Now, obviously, this would come before Motorola’s projected September release date but the phone appears to be very ready for launch so I wouldn’t be shocked to see it come earlier than what was promised.

I think a lot of you would be willing to accept that as a sort of consolation prize for the long wait. Maybe not.

Anyway, August 25th or August 26th are now both possibilities and if you want the Droid Bionic off-contract, you’re probably going to have to shell out close to $600.

How does all of that sit with everyone? Or are you now waiting for the Droid HD instead?

64 Comments

64 Comments

  1. Contract Junkie

    08/17/2011 at 10:46 pm

    Honestly, considering the shelf life for cell phones, who pays these outrageous prices for them anymore? Also, with the crappy service I’ve been getting from Verizon lately, giving them $300.00 for a new phone (even though I desire to have the Bionic badly), is not going to happen.

    • Plucknbach

      08/25/2011 at 10:03 pm

      If the VZW got away with charging $299 +2yr contract with the DCharge, YOu can rest assured that the new DBionic with much better hardware and OS will be offered @ $349.00 with 2yr contract. 
      @641d37f9884e85a8faa862be10588fe4:disqus 
      Bet on it.  The DCharge with it’s older hardware and older OS retailed for $599.00. 

      You guys are going to pay up the yinyang for the DBionic.  It’s highway robbery i tells ya…

    • Alpinewil81

      08/26/2011 at 3:57 am

      Shelf life? My Droid Eris by HTC is amongst the first. Never a problem, not even a dead pixel. Once I loaded the right apps this thing can run two days without a charge. Its the user, not the phone, that makes its shelf life long or short. Granted I don’t agree on the exuberant costs for new phones, but if you treat it like you treat a car and just maintain it, it will live on for quite some time.

      To this date, and I’ve been with Verizon since it was Comnet Cellular back in the 90’s, I’ve not once had to warranty or even replace a phone for failure. I’ve merely chose to upgrade for my own benefit on about a 3 year basis if not longer.

      • Paul Decelles

        08/28/2011 at 2:23 am

        I agree. I love my Eris…OK not as much as I love my wife but I have not had any trouble with it. I am a photographer and constantly use it in conjunction with my SLR. I am due for an upgrade but unless the bionic is really really cool, probably will go with the Incredible 2. Maybe the Thunderbolt but I am not in an LTE area.

      • Paul Decelles

        08/28/2011 at 2:23 am

        I agree. I love my Eris…OK not as much as I love my wife but I have not had any trouble with it. I am a photographer and constantly use it in conjunction with my SLR. I am due for an upgrade but unless the bionic is really really cool, probably will go with the Incredible 2. Maybe the Thunderbolt but I am not in an LTE area.

      • Tony

        08/31/2011 at 4:49 pm

        My wfie and I have an Eris each. On both the touchscreens failed between 12-14 months. They’re slow, buggy, have VERY limited internal memory and are never updated. It’s certainly not the user in this case but the heap of crap phone. I’d suggest to say otherwise simply means you use it for little other than phone calls, facebook and the odd picture. In which case why bother with a Droid phone at all?

      • Tony

        08/31/2011 at 4:50 pm

        My wife and I have an Eris each. On both the touchscreens failed between 12-14 months. They’re slow, buggy, have VERY limited internal memory and are never updated. It’s certainly not the user in this case but the heap of crap phone. I’d suggest to say otherwise simply means you use it for little other than phone calls, facebook and the odd picture. In which case why bother with a Droid phone at all?

    • Alpinewil81

      08/26/2011 at 3:57 am

      Shelf life? My Droid Eris by HTC is amongst the first. Never a problem, not even a dead pixel. Once I loaded the right apps this thing can run two days without a charge. Its the user, not the phone, that makes its shelf life long or short. Granted I don’t agree on the exuberant costs for new phones, but if you treat it like you treat a car and just maintain it, it will live on for quite some time.

      To this date, and I’ve been with Verizon since it was Comnet Cellular back in the 90’s, I’ve not once had to warranty or even replace a phone for failure. I’ve merely chose to upgrade for my own benefit on about a 3 year basis if not longer.

    • Don

      08/28/2011 at 9:14 pm

      Shelf life? I’ve owed two cell phones in the last 8 years. I changed only because of new features. If you don’t drop the phone or treat it like a gorilla, the phone will generally last for years. Also, I’ve had fabulous service and connectivity from Verizon. No complaints. Reading your brief negative comments, one can only conclude you are a glass is half empty kind of person. I will continue to view the glass as being half full and enjoy it’s contents to the very bottom. Rainy days and Mondays may always get you down but I view them as a way to clean the sidewalks and water my beautiful garden.

      Cheers!  :D

    • Tigyr1000

      08/28/2011 at 10:25 pm

      Pricing is $299

  2. Lt. Dan

    08/17/2011 at 11:05 pm

    I really hope the new release date is true. I’ve been eligible for an upgrade since June and have followed this thing since January. I currently have the Droid Eris so needless to say I need a new phone. I’ve thought about waiting but there is the possibility that this Droid HD could not show up until next year and that’s a big uncertainty for me. I believe I’m going to go ahead and spring for the Bionic and see what happens in that 14 day return window.

    • patiently waiting...

      08/18/2011 at 1:33 am

      I’m in the same boat as you. I too currently have the droid eris and this thing is about to just die on me… I saw the droid hd but there’s also speculation that this phone may not even be 4g. Since my contract is good for an upgrade, and i can be grandfathered in with the unlimited data plan, I’m definitely going with the bionic once it’s finally released. August 25/26 would be awesome, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m still betting it’ll be that Sept 8th date.

      • Tom

        08/18/2011 at 5:21 am

        Ive been eligible for a release since February. The same time I heard about the Bionic. Im freaking dying here.

        • Jhammon30

          08/18/2011 at 7:30 am

          Poor souls. I dont know how you even function with such an outdated phone. You cant even properly play angry birds on that thing…

        • Alpinewil81

          08/26/2011 at 4:01 am

          Uh, yeah… thanks for pointing that out. But why fix what isn’t broken. Although my wife just got the new Droid 3 and downloaded Angry Birds. That makes me want to upgrade just so I can one up her. My phone may be a little slower as it is older, but its in mint condition. HTC has the best customer service. I dropped the thing over a year ago while drinking…. and lost the side keys and back panel cracked. Called HTC and a day later I had a new back panel and 2 days later the keys showed up. There isn’t eve a scratch on my phone now. I’m skeptical for Motorola as HTC has treated me well even if I screwed it up myself.

    • Austin Brister

      08/18/2011 at 12:06 pm

      Yeah, motorola has made it clear that you can’t rely on their future as far as release dates, upcoming phones, etc.

  3. whitecomet

    08/17/2011 at 11:07 pm

    300 nah 250 maybe if the i phone is 200 who will pay 300 for this. yeas it’s 4g but that should jump it only 50 more than the i phone.  If it’s 300 I will wait for the other option like the htc vigor. I will not pay 300 for a phone with a contract. The x2 is 200 so I understand paying 50 more for the 4g feature but that’s it.

    • Tom

      08/18/2011 at 5:24 am

      The iphone 4 16gb is $650 retail.. $200 with 2yr… the 64gb is $300.. then the Charge is also $300 with 2yr.. So I can definitely see the Bionic being $300.

    • Matthewdonovan

      08/23/2011 at 7:15 pm

      I agree but I dont think you are taking into consideration the other hardware on the phone. Like dual core with 1ghz each. In a phone… that could jump the price way up.

  4. Tama

    08/17/2011 at 11:12 pm

    Dude, look at that document again, the Quantity on the page is 2. 1 would be half of that, meaning the phone would be $293.50. That is if this document is legit.

    • Brettdemars

      08/17/2011 at 11:20 pm

      You are dumb as a brick lol

    • Look again

      08/17/2011 at 11:21 pm

      Dude, 2 phones, unit price $587, total price $1174.  It’s all right there…again if the document is legit

    • Alpinewil81

      08/26/2011 at 4:06 am

      What school didn’t you graduate from? It said that each unit cost is $587, times 2 that’s $1,174. The total is shown in the last column. I’m glad I don’t see you behind a register, I’d only get half my change back.

      Anyway, therefore the phone is $587 for 1 according to this document. So, considering its a $600 phone means that you can expect to pay at minimum $300 unless they do a huge promo for the first ones… they did a 2 for 1 for the Moto Droid 3 for several months. They may do it again here.

      PS, education and literacy are bliss… the rest is called welfare.

    • Pa Robert

      08/26/2011 at 7:09 pm

      gggggg.  Must be  BB employee.  Maybe even a manager…

  5. Dave

    08/17/2011 at 11:14 pm

    $587 is the COST to Verizon per unit, NOT the full retail price for the phone.  Full retail will likely be $599-$699. 

    • Alpinewil81

      08/26/2011 at 4:10 am

      Have you ever worked retail? They are trying to show a retail cost here so people don’t expect to get the phones for free. Never has Verizon ever paid that kind of money for a phone. Just like buying a TV at Wal-Mart vs. direct from Dell, you will see that the computer is made specifically for Dell and is half the price had you bought it from them directly. Therefore, this retail price is likely 25%-50% greater than what Verizon would actually pay per unit. How the hell else do you suppose they lose money on data plans but yet offer 2 for 1 deals on new Droid phones?

      Hate to tell you, but you should take a class in economics or sales/marketing. It may clear things up just a little…

      • Alpinewil81

        08/26/2011 at 4:12 am

        Edit my comment, the computers made specifically for Wal-Mart are half the price of those sold directly from Dell. Sony does the same for its televisions… my apologies as I was in a frantic state while typing.

        Carry on…

      • Paul Decelles

        08/28/2011 at 2:29 am

        You might be right about the mark up but if you think phone companies LOOSE money on their data plans I have a bridge to sell you. ;-)

  6. whitecomet

    08/17/2011 at 11:25 pm

    It is likley and this happens often that the 7 will be the date and the stores are starting to get them in. The vz corporate stors tend to get a qty the sales reps call the potential new lines and ask if they want it held once that is done they will have no more or a few left that they are allowed to sell as upgrades.

  7. Anonymous

    08/17/2011 at 11:27 pm

    There’s no chance that this would be priced anything less that 299 with upgrade. With better specs than the Droid charge, Verizon wouldn’t be wise to charge less for it.

  8. Blaine

    08/17/2011 at 11:35 pm

    I dont think this is true honestly I think its photoshoped like the previous comment sai Droid isnt capitalized. But even if its not you can see where it says “unit price” which could mean it was the store the store bought the phone to sell because I highly doubt someone will pay nearly 600 bucks for a phone.

    • Jhammon30

      08/18/2011 at 7:27 am

      I would ;-) and I will!

  9. Litigate1

    08/18/2011 at 1:04 am

    It would be smart to release August 26 given the Samsung Galaxy s2 announcement for August 29.  Motorola has to beat Samsung to the punch after the waiting and hype.

  10. Vdeprille

    08/18/2011 at 2:19 am

    If the Droid bionic comes out in august i’ll be so so happy. I want it for my upgrade, but my contract ends sept. 5th so the later launch wouldn’t have worked. Yay this just made my day:)

    • lordloki

      08/18/2011 at 9:51 pm

      you know you can keep having service when you aren’t on contract and wait a few days either way, right? …

    • M-Diddy

      08/21/2011 at 4:05 pm

      Yeah, what do you mean “wouldn’t have worked.”  I hope you don’t think that you have to buy a phone every 2 years.  My contract ended 3 years ago…still have a flip phone and now interested in making the jump.

      • Rory

        08/24/2011 at 6:21 am

        i have a env3 with the inside screen gonzo except the top right conner haha and i think i might even wait for the Nexus Prime instead of this because the delay and the penTile screen … i would have got it early august … i signed up for the verizon bionic email thing and havn’t gotten a thing  besides the you signed up email… this frustrated me and the delay made me not want to buy motorola

  11. Diablo

    08/18/2011 at 4:22 am

    I dont think i’m willing to wait any longer for any other phone.  I got my Moto Droid on launch date and was eligible for upgrade in July however I’ve decided to patiently and restlessly wait for the Bionic.  While the HTC Vigor and Droid HD sound nice i’m not willing to wait any longer for a phone that may or may not come out this year.  If for some reason the Sept 8 date does not pan out i’m going to say screw you Bionic and get the Thunderbolt, but hopefully i wont have to resort to that.  As far as price, 300 will hurt, but i’m willing to pay it if it means having a nice 4G phone that better last me the next 2 years.  

    • Chege

      08/18/2011 at 5:37 pm

      I certainly wouldn’t encourage you to settle on the Thunderbolt. I actually played with the bionic and its blazingly fast. It’s so responsive and the screen is so brilliant. It’s much better than the T’Bolt. I have the T’Bolt and its one of my favorite phones but this bionic is a beast.

      • Diablo

        08/19/2011 at 5:37 am

        Well assuming the Sept 8 date holds up i’m willing to wait. Guess i’ve waited this long why not a couple more weeks.  I just need something soon because my Droid lags and freezes often that i wanna throw it against the wall sometimes.  I need something and I need it soon.  From what i’ve heard and what you just said i know it will be worth the wait so come on Sept 8th.  

  12. Jobbie

    08/18/2011 at 4:45 am

    Iphone 5 FTW!!!!!

    • Brandon

      08/18/2011 at 5:08 am

      I use iPhones as coasters

    • Bishop

      08/18/2011 at 4:54 pm

      Good for you…. Lame apple fan

    • Same

      08/25/2011 at 12:15 am

      Yea the new iphone is supposed to come with a purse too!!!

  13. BrianB13

    08/18/2011 at 5:41 am

    The cost is where I thought it would be.  It has to equal the Charge.  Especially if Verizon thinks there is a large market for this phone.  The Bionic can come out anytime between now and mid October as I want to see what Samsung will announce, see what the Stratosphere and Celox are all about and be able to check out the HTC Vigor before making a decision.  I hope the people who buy these phones day 1 will give use some reviews.  There should be a number of good phones to select from over the next two months.  Yeah!!

  14. BrianB13

    08/18/2011 at 5:41 am

    The cost is where I thought it would be.  It has to equal the Charge.  Especially if Verizon thinks there is a large market for this phone.  The Bionic can come out anytime between now and mid October as I want to see what Samsung will announce, see what the Stratosphere and Celox are all about and be able to check out the HTC Vigor before making a decision.  I hope the people who buy these phones day 1 will give use some reviews.  There should be a number of good phones to select from over the next two months.  Yeah!!

  15. Anonymous

    08/18/2011 at 5:46 am

    Motorola Atrix is free on AT&T now.   It has 1gb of ram, a dual core and has been out for 8 months!

    Or the Bioped for $300?

    Ha a joke I say.

    • Diablo

      08/19/2011 at 5:49 am

      Yeah its free but it’s on a crappy network its on plus it’s not 4G. 300 is worth the blazing fast speeds on a RELIABLE network.

  16. randy:)cartman

    08/18/2011 at 8:35 am

    Do you guys ever wonder like me. It seems that every single site as well as this site always posts speculated dates for new phones to come out but then the phone doesn’t come out on the projected date. Then every single site again comes out with another speculated date for a phones release. I think companies like HTC or Motorola pay these sites to purposely do that to get people hyped up and wait for the phones release. After people realize the phone wasn’t launched on the date specified a new date is then re-issued and people are kind of in the mind setting “hey I just waited 6 to 8 months so what’s a few more months to get my phone I been waiting for this entire time”. It seems to me that this happens with every single major phone that is launched from HTC and Motorola. Intel does mal practices like these against AMD so it seems very possible this could be occurring. I still want to see just one time a site accurately state a correct date for a major phone that is going ti come out from HTC or Motorola. I bet the Vigor won’t be out till next year. I hope not but I guarantee it. By saying its going to be out in October now a bunch of people are hooked on it, like me :), and once hooked its like crack and you can’t get away from it so people will wait a longer to get their paws on it. I really phone companies are the cause of this. If they said the bionic wouldn’t be out till September 6 back in January almost nobody would have waited for it and Motorola would have lost a huge amount of money.

    • Paul Decelles

      08/28/2011 at 2:33 am

      Oh even better there is one phone site that had listing for an upcoming phone’s status as RUMOR and then proceeded to give detailed specs for the phone….

  17. Bishop

    08/18/2011 at 4:53 pm

    The verizon store here in my city just finished remodeling. Soooo is this a hint that their going to be releasing new phones? Possibility the Bionic?

  18. Rachel Susko

    08/18/2011 at 7:34 pm

    It’s kind of embarrassing how a potential release date only two weeks earlier than what I’ve been expecting has me basically foaming at the mouth.

  19. Moterola-android fan

    08/18/2011 at 9:01 pm

    300 for a phone on a two year contract I’d seriously thin about paying retail and keeping my credit for later….

  20. Billieshelton

    08/18/2011 at 10:16 pm

    Ok just so I get this right, Show phone a CES get everyone in full excited buy mode. Release thunderbolt with a crapload of problems. Leak release date, that passes leak another release date, and another and another. Ramp up hype for newly designed phone so the lemmings will pay big bucks to have the opportunity to beta test a phone that has been delayed forever. No wonder I went from buy mode to wait and see mode. Congratulations Verizon I found out I can wait, and it is not that bad. Let me know how it comes out.

  21. Fmr Motorola Customer

    08/22/2011 at 3:24 pm

    Who cares at this point! My OG Droid died at the end of June. I held out until Aug 1st. Since we didn’t have any hard evidence i opted for the Samsung Droid Charge. I love it. With a fully unlocked bootloader I’ve been able to customize my phone to my tastes. As for Motorola, they can kiss my a§§.

  22. Futuremlbstar

    08/22/2011 at 4:13 pm

    Dumb ass look at the quantity it says 2 so it’s not gonna cost as much as you say

  23. secretpenguin

    08/23/2011 at 2:13 am

    Nice thought on the Aug. Release, but that was quickly debunked. I’m sure y’all know that though.

  24. Silentkill15

    08/25/2011 at 7:47 pm

    Motorola Droid Bionic is going to be released on September 7, 2011. They will be $299 with a new contract and $649 retail.

  25. Plucknbach

    08/25/2011 at 10:05 pm

    If the VZW got away with charging $299 +2yr contract with the DCharge, YOu can rest assured that the new DBionic with much better hardware and OS will be offered @ $349.00 with 2yr contract. 
    @undefined:disqus 
    Bet on it.  The DCharge with it’s older hardware and older OS retailed for $599.00. 

    You guys are going to pay up the yinyang for the DBionic.  It’s highway robbery i tells ya…

  26. Dixon2386

    08/28/2011 at 7:57 pm

    Umm first 4G LTE? what about the HTC Thunderbolt, and DROID charge, and I also have had zero problems with the shelf life of my DROID 2 global

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