Mobile
What No Verizon Galaxy S II Means for the Droid Bionic
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?
bye bye VZW
08/25/2011 at 7:44 pm
None of the above. I’m leaving the Big Red Arse for Sprint. Their 4g crappy version is better than Verizon’s 3g speeds, and they have better phones.
THE WEZ
08/26/2011 at 12:57 am
I work the cell sites for VZW,ATT,and T-Moble. I see the networks from the inside. VZW is the BEST ! Ther is no question when they say The MOST reliable netwok. All NEW equipment at cell sites. Enen the roads to the towers have new gravel
THE GUY
08/26/2011 at 2:21 pm
joke/sarcasm or just someone who can’t spell?
Jhoiby
09/07/2011 at 8:28 pm
I have to agree. I recently installed some new T1 circuits in a Verizon location and I was seriously impressed. Verizon has the cleanest and best organized equipment and racks I’ve seen outside of a high end server facility.
Nate Carroll
09/06/2011 at 1:03 am
Hate to say it but Verizon does have killer coverage and easily the best having worked for 3 of the 4 major companies. Still, it depend son your area. Sprint has the most issues though and are for good reason #4 and why’re partnered with so many other companies like Wal-Mart, Virgin, and more.
I left Verizon again for TMobile and very happy paying $80 less for two android phones, unlimited wi-fi which let’s me use my phone overseas in wi-fi bars with no annoying extra costs (USN), and I get data more places than friends that have Verizon. I have not been back south since that’s when I went to back to Verizon after TMobile ’cause they’re not strong in the south. Like I said, depends on location. Metro sucks but if you’re in a true Metro area you’ll have great service. Just check your coverage area and assume it’s not as good as it shows but close.
bye bye VZW
08/25/2011 at 7:44 pm
None of the above. I’m leaving the Big Red Arse for Sprint. Their 4g crappy version is better than Verizon’s 3g speeds, and they have better phones.
The Joker
08/25/2011 at 7:51 pm
Sprint sucks. Good luck with that.
BrianB13
08/25/2011 at 9:13 pm
No kidding. My daughter has an Epic 4g on Sprint in a 4g area and the coverage stinks. Its in a metropolitan area and the 4g signal is in and out when it is even there.
BrianB13
08/25/2011 at 7:53 pm
I wonder if the Samsung Celox is considered a SGSII class phone? I hope not. I thought the Samsung Stratosphere is the Nexus Prime on Verizon. There is the HTC Vigor and LG Revolution 2 rumored to be coming in October on Verizon and they pretty much have to be 4g LTE since they are supposidly replacing the Thunderbolt and Revolution.
Nathan McConnell
08/25/2011 at 8:03 pm
Hmm… $299. I don’t know about that. How soon will any other rebates kick it to make it $199?
Michael Henshaw
08/25/2011 at 8:17 pm
I still don’t want the Bionic. Bad interface, VZW bloat, the screen isn’t great either. A really bad day to be a VZW customer. I’ll have to hold on to my OG Droid and hope something decent comes along.
Duhdonutman
08/26/2011 at 12:41 pm
i’m with you. i was all set for the Bionic, but now I’m thinking 3 months to the Dinara which will serve me well so long as I don’t watch 2012 CES. Oh well!
Cniel
08/25/2011 at 8:23 pm
Verizon is a piece of SH#T!!! I waited months for the GS2, they better have something better coming and it better not be a F%$king brick with no battery life like the charge or thunderbolt!!!
Ryan_harper24
08/25/2011 at 8:54 pm
I dont think im going to buy the bionic just bc they have delayed it so long im over it. The iphone may be a different story if it is 4g lte. The samsung celox, the motorola spyder, the motorola dinara, and the nexus prime are all still out there in the forest of hope. The big reason i will skip the bionic is bc it is probably going to be as thick or thicker then my origanal driod. That would not be a big deal but its also longer and wider then my droid. I would rather have the celox or the sypder (if it has 4g) both of these handsets look to be a reasonable size and weight.
Tom
08/25/2011 at 10:48 pm
Mu sentiments also. I have a second generation Motorola Droid and was eager to upgrade to the Galaxy S II. If the Bionic has had problems, hence the delay, I’m not thoroughly convinced all the problems are fixed as it could be a balancing act to rush to market vs. even longer delays. I bought the first generation Blackberry Storm (hunk of junk) and was left holding by VZW because I was 1-day past the return policy cutoff when I called. It was so bad I went back to my RAZR. Not taking big chances again.
Anonymous
08/25/2011 at 9:21 pm
Verizon really needs to get its act together. They are denouncing the phone that is the king internationally (Galaxy SII). If they make a comment such as we have something similar in specs to the Galaxy SII then they need to reveal it! They need to give a time line, so people aren’t waiting around forever. This is similar to the Droid Bionic saga. Where people have been waiting for 6 months, and there is STILL NO CONFIRMED release date, just rumors and rhetoric. Other companies such as Spring and other companies seem to get much better phones without the cloak and dagger. If their service was comparable to Verizon’s. Verizon would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. For God’s sake the customers of Verizon are paying hefty prices for these phones ($300 + 2 year contract) the least they could do is let the customers in on the “secrets.” After all this isn’t kindergarten, or is it? Verizon is pathetic. Android rules!
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 1:53 am
I read an article a week or so ago indicating that iphone 4 sales are weak right now, likely due to rampant rumors of an impeding iphone 5 release. This, along with suppliers poor track record of delivering phones on time (Bionic is only the latest and most egregious) is exactly why carriers don’t tell us what is going on. They want us to buy what is sitting on the shelf in store today, not sit on the sideline for months waiting for the phone we want.
Anonymous
08/25/2011 at 10:08 pm
Its just like the Bionic commercial says “One machine to rule them all”!!!. Apple isn’t ready to compete and now Samsung is to afraid. It looks like the Bionic will dominate at least until sometime next year.
Tom
08/25/2011 at 10:54 pm
Or possibly VZW is afraid the Bionic sales effort would be a failure in light of the Galaxy S II and wants to sell as many Bionics for Motorola before they actually DO release a rebadged Galaxy S II. It smells a bit like a bait and switch, unfortunately. If they can sell Bionics to would be Galaxy S II buyers, and then sell Galaxy S II work-alikes a little later, they’d sell Bionics, Samsungs, and the turn around and resell the used Bionics.
Anonymous
08/25/2011 at 11:22 pm
If the Galaxy S II was 4G you might have something but its not. Its actually no surprise. The S II is 3G overseas so why would that change in the USA but that’s Samsung so who really cares anyways. Now if the Apple iphone5 was going to be 4G that would give the Bionic some competition but Apple is very good at innovation but very poor at keeping up with technology so you will have to wait on that. I have been waiting since January and will wait no longer!
vbscript2
08/26/2011 at 4:01 am
You do realize the Galaxy S II has been consistently outselling iPhone in the places where it’s available, right? Samsung phones eat Apple phones for breakfast. Apple can’t compete with Samsung in the open market anymore, so they head to the courts.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 1:01 pm
wrong, the GS2 will be 4G in the US, I think Tom hit the nail on the head. It makes no sense why VZ isn’t selling the GS2…for the first time ever I can’t believe t-mobile is getting such an awesome phone first.
Guest
08/26/2011 at 3:18 pm
Probably because sammys are junk. Always have been, always will be. Their quality is WAY below par. Every sammy I ever had was terrible. Now moto, that’s a different story. I’ve had a good number of motos in my time and always had consistant quality. I have one of the first moto bag phones that Alltel carried. If I plugged it in and could get it activated, I could make calls on it now. It’d sound like crap, but that’s because of the technology, not the quality. Every smartphone moto has put out has been, by the sales, a homerun. The Bionic will be no different. They’ll hit it out of the park. Coupled with vzw coverage and service…look out!
Soon2beproudownerofSGSII
08/26/2011 at 4:52 pm
If Sammys are junk, why did El Goog go back to them for the new Nexus line. I understand what you’re saying, the older phones are bantha fodder. The Galaxy S and beyond consistently destroy the competition in hardware benchmarks. Also, just because its 3G overseas doesn’t mean they’ll release here with only 3G. That wouldn’t be a very smart business move for Samsung, or any of the carriers, with all the 4G phones in the market and consumer demand for 4G. Tim Cook probably paid VZW a lot of money to keep this phone of the shelves in Verizon stores because it’s slated to destroy the iPhone. Peiod. Dot.
Scotty Braun
08/25/2011 at 10:14 pm
Verizons service is the best by far, I wish they just would focus on putting out more great phones.. I have great service wherever I go in this country with Verizon over the last 10 yrs. I was in Charleston, SC on monday an got to play with the 4G LTE, and I was averaging 24-32mbps download. and 4-11mbps upload. Thats nuts, puts my home internet to shame! Wimax couldn’t dream of that!
Hojaec
08/25/2011 at 10:29 pm
I have a hard time believing that what is essentially a tiny computer in your pocket, a dual core one nonetheless, people want to pay less than $299 for. Im only 24, I grew up in the computer age, so unless everyone who posts on these things is of the younger generation, you’ve all become spoiled brats when it comes to technology. I’ve been waiting the 7 months for this phone using a decrepit samsung rogue that i jumped into the pool with in my pocket for more than 2 years now, I had an upgrade in July. So sit tight, shut up and be excited about the ONLY Verizon dual core 4G LTE phone thats going to be available. As Lewis C.K. once said. “No one ever says, look at what my phone can do”.
Anonymous
08/25/2011 at 10:41 pm
You tell em Hojaec!!! By the way you did not grow up in the computer age, when I was 24 a 300MG hard-drive was as big as a washing machine and now you can get a Terabyte smaller than a deck of cards. My first computer had an 8 inch floppy disc-drive but I can appreciate where your coming from. $299 will be the going rate until something comes out that’s better which won’t be for quite some time and Verizon knows it. I have a $50 upgrade discount coming so at least I get a little break.
AlphaEditor
08/25/2011 at 11:05 pm
Agreed. The Samsung GSII is certainly not king of phones internationally. I admit it to be a great phone, but not the best. I’ve waited patiently for the Bionic and I’m not disappointed by the looks of it thus far. A 4G LTE, dual core phone, with a good battery sounds perfect in my book. I think we’ll see a change of heart from a lot of people upon the Bionic’s long awaited release. I’d rather a company delay and perfect a product, rather than rush a product in shitty condition.
Anonymous
08/25/2011 at 11:40 pm
Your right most people in the USA don’t even own a passport and have no idea what its like overseas other then what there fed on TV. If Motorola was available overseas they would be throwing there Samsungs in the trash. Only wish the Bionic had a 4.5 full HD screen. Now that would be an awesome user experience.
Jenks
08/26/2011 at 4:20 am
Well put! I can’t believe how picky and finicky some of these people are. When something only known by rumors and speculation changes, they flip out and act as if Verizon or motorola just personally punched them in the face. People just like to whine about anything and everything. I really feel bad for those people cuz they must never be satisfied with anything. It’s a shame. As for the bionic, I’m very excited for it. Hopefully it will live up to the hype and speculation that it has brought about. As for the SGII, bummer, but life goes on. Two months from now there will be more new phones that all those nay-sayers can complain about, and two months after that…more phones. Oh the wonderful world of technology.
Jenks
08/26/2011 at 4:20 am
Well put! I can’t believe how picky and finicky some of these people are. When something only known by rumors and speculation changes, they flip out and act as if Verizon or motorola just personally punched them in the face. People just like to whine about anything and everything. I really feel bad for those people cuz they must never be satisfied with anything. It’s a shame. As for the bionic, I’m very excited for it. Hopefully it will live up to the hype and speculation that it has brought about. As for the SGII, bummer, but life goes on. Two months from now there will be more new phones that all those nay-sayers can complain about, and two months after that…more phones. Oh the wonderful world of technology.
Cunger89
08/26/2011 at 1:22 pm
You’re an idiot. People do NOT expect to pay $300 for the latest flagship smartphone. The original Droid, Droid 2, and the latest Droid 3 (dual-core processor, clocked at the SAME SPEED as the Bionic) were ALL $200 on contract to start. Same goes for the Droid X and X2 (dual core as well) and both the Incredible and Incredible 2. I believe the Thunderbolt was 250. The hardware on the Bionic is hardly an upgrade from the aforementioned models. And don’t say that 4G capability is worth $100 (50%!!) more, because you PAY for 4G in your contract!!
$300 is a ridiculous price for the latest smartphone. Period. Don’t be nice to these companies. They squeeze every penny out of us.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 2:38 pm
As of right now Verizon rules the wireless airwaves with the best network by far, they are second to none. With the money they make on contracts they could easily offer all there phones for free but it helps offset the cost of all those stores and employees and there are a lot of people willing to pay top dollar for the latest and greatest so were stuck with Verizon and there selection of 4G smartphones. The money is in the 2 year contract not the phone, why do you think there are so many resellers (wirefly, amazon, cosco, sams club…) out there. If our Government ever gets serious about slave labor around the world expect the price of smartphones along with all your other electronic gadgets to go way up but don’t worry American stock holders will keep that from happening. In the mean time you have lots of options to save money.
Tony Perez
08/26/2011 at 2:39 pm
I agree about not paying full retail (see above for two good options). However, I’m not going to pay one cent more for 4G service than I paid for 3G. I’m grandfathered in. I do see how new customers will pay more for data but until VZW is 100% national with 4G, new customers will be nailed with a higher price for the 3G/4G system. Back to the handsets. Only because I’m getting my $50 loyalty credit will I get the Bionic. $250 is more palatable than $299.00. Use phonescoop.com or other similar site to compare the Bionic to the phones mentioned by Cunger89. You may find the Bionic had more than only 4G that beats the new 3G handsets.
Hojaec
08/26/2011 at 3:24 pm
hey buddy, namecalling hurts my feelings, relax :)
Tony Perez
08/26/2011 at 2:32 pm
I’m 47 and when I was a Sophomore, I got my first Atari game system. My Junior year of high school, computers were finally appearing but mainly to teach us to type on a computer keyboard and to learn BASIC. That was the beginning of the CONSUMER computer age. Enough history, I thought about your point and I disagree. It’s about the “big picture” for a lot of consumers. Many take the actual costs spread over the two-year contract period. I’ve been with VZW for years because, until two years ago, I lived in California and wanted the best service for the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada. I’ve consistently had the best service of most people I know and it’s resulted in several of them moving to Verizon because they couldn’t deny the quality. That’s about the VZW network. That’s why I pay a premium price for the service.
When it comes to the handsets I buy. Like anything else, why would I want to pay full retail? Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t expect to pay the price of a cheap Chevy for a Rolls Royce. I don’t expect the Bionic for $10. However, because I believe both Motorola and VZW handled the public relations part of the release poorly, we deserve some kind of incentive. Here’ what I suggest to everyone from what I’ve had time to learn over the extra months I waited for the Bionic:
1. If you CALL into Verizon Wireless and talk to a telephone sales rep, they apparently have more authority to bargain. I did this for my daughter’s Thunderbolt in March. (BTW – No problems of any kind on her handset). I did pay the retail price for the handset of $250.00 but the price also included (at no extra charge) the car mount, car charge, and Skull Candy earphones. I only paid the sales tax for the extra items which I was OK with. I was going to purchase the items anyway so I adjusted the cost for me (for the handset) to less than $180.00 That’s the price being offered by Amazon.com and Wirefly.com TODAY. Also, if you make an order using their phone service, you automatically pay the price AFTER any rebates which means you don’t have to fill out any forms to get the rebate weeks after purchase. You get the (rebate) discount immediately.
2. Another option is to check out Best Buy. After speaking to two wireless department sales reps weeks apart, they both said the same things and once I verify it in writing, I’ll likely get my next VZW handset (Bionic) from them. With Best But, you pay the after rebate price too and you can walk out of the store with your new handset immediately. What impressed me is that they offer an enhanced warranty that apparently provides much better coverage than the one through VZW. Although the one through Best Buy costs about $2 more a month, there is NO DEDUCTIBLE if you need to replace your handset and few limitations on coverage. So, considering that most deductibles start at $80 and are likely more for smartphones, the extra $48 dollars over a two-year period doesn’t bother me. I hear that some wireless companies also have a limit on how many times one can make a claim before the insurance/warranty gets cancelled. The one from Best Buy is apparently more liberal. It will get billed separately from my VZW bill because it comes from a non-VZW source but I’m OK with that too.
Because of the delay in the release of the Bionic, I now get my $50 dollar loyalty discount so as long as Best Buy can apply the $50 credit to my purchase, they will likely get my business for this upgrade. I know I can get my accessories from any one of hundreds of sources.
Good luck to everyone! -T
Anonymous
09/05/2011 at 8:16 am
Verizon’s insurance extends factory warranty to 2 years. Came in handy when my OG Droid’s screen freaked out.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 1:19 am
This definitely makes the choice easier. Going to any other cell provider is ridiculous especially if you’ve been grandfather into the unlimited data plan.
Paul
08/26/2011 at 2:13 am
TURNED OUT THAT BIONIC IS JUST A PHONE. no NFC, no finger print ID, no AMFM Radio, no 4.5″ screen, no lazers, credit card capability w/o the chip built in. so much for LTE Long Term Evolution. Now its Long Time Ewasting, for nothing phenomonal. if i did get the dual core i sure would have to talk faster.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 12:15 pm
AMFM Raido.. they got an app for that. Why add something that will use more battery. Try Tune In Radio. Works great for Radio.
Guest
08/26/2011 at 3:29 am
Same old VZW and their sucky phones, mainly Moto’s. Anything good come along, like one of the best selling phones in the world, they pass on it. They will never change. Think I will wait to see what Apple iPhone offers and look at the HTC Vigor. Not really impressed with what I have seen with the Bionic so far in the various leaks. Especially the video showing it only hitting 4.5 Mbps on Speedtest the other day. Sad. Friend’s TMO phone on HSPA+ averages 6.5Mbps on a bad day; expected more from Bionic on VZW LTE network.
Dave
08/26/2011 at 3:48 am
That videos showing just 4.5mbps was with only 1 bar of service. Other videos/pics online show typical speeds between 22-34mbs.
Jonathan Stripes
08/26/2011 at 6:59 am
I have been happy with every verizon moto I’ve owned, and so far that has been 4 different ones. Moto makes (mostly) high quality phones, and I pray the Bionic will be no exception. BTW, look at that video again, and check the signal strength. It pays to pay attention before spouting your mouth off
Kfnjunk
08/26/2011 at 5:16 am
I’m completely bummed. I have been holding on for months with terrible screen delays, battery drain, and low memory on my original Droid, waiting for the Bionic and GSII. I was hoping for a competitive choice between the two and was leaning toward the Samsung to avoid the pentile screen on the Bionic and hoping for NFC, which I’ve heard nothing about the Bionic having, as I expect it to be the next must-have feature. Sigh. I’ll probably have to go ahead with the Bionic because I’m so desperate for a beefier phone. But between the delay and now this, VZW has made this decade-plus customer extremely unhappy. And I’ll probably use another line’s upgrade to ditch it if anything better comes along soon on VZW.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 1:42 pm
buh bye VZW, I’m going elsewhere now.
Anonymous
08/26/2011 at 1:42 pm
buh bye VZW, I’m going elsewhere now.
121GW
08/26/2011 at 2:30 pm
My “New for 2” isn’t due until November (I have Droid Gen 1). I won’t dismiss the Bionic, but I won’t jump on it either. I want to see Bionic in person against other direct competitors (LTE & dual core); Samsung has to have something like this in the mix coming out soon. So, I’m just going to wait. iPhone5 might still be in play,if iOS5 and the hardware are right.
Bottom line – You better put out a really phenomenal product if you want me to upgrade and shell out $300,
Tony Perez
08/26/2011 at 4:15 pm
Couldn’t have put it better myself. I intend to wait at least 30 days after release to let others put the Bionic through it’s paces. To those that will jump on the Bionic on release day, THANKS!
Jonathan Stripes
08/28/2011 at 4:50 am
I will be be happy to do that for ya ;) My OG is failing…. End of Life is upon it!
121GW
08/26/2011 at 2:30 pm
My “New for 2” isn’t due until November (I have Droid Gen 1). I won’t dismiss the Bionic, but I won’t jump on it either. I want to see Bionic in person against other direct competitors (LTE & dual core); Samsung has to have something like this in the mix coming out soon. So, I’m just going to wait. iPhone5 might still be in play,if iOS5 and the hardware are right.
Bottom line – You better put out a really phenomenal product if you want me to upgrade and shell out $300,
Everettedl
08/26/2011 at 4:50 pm
Looks like it’s just gonna be Motorola and HTC heading off thee 4g super smartphone pack. Motorola has the Bionic and HTC has the Vigor (it’s still a rumor, but it’s would be unlike VZW if it wasn’t true). I’m gonna sit and wait for the Vigor and see what develops
Earleepa
08/26/2011 at 8:09 pm
This is a huge fail on Verizon’s part.
Skywyze
08/26/2011 at 10:14 pm
Moto now locks their bootloaders :(
I was excited when I heard that Samsung gave Cyanogenmod four Galaxy SII devices to makes sure a custom ROM would be ready at launch. Now it’s a waiting game, maybe something 2 core and 4G will and unlocked will hit VZW by Christmas.
Amanda Shearer
08/27/2011 at 1:16 am
I think its coming down to Android/Google vs iPhone/Apple these days. Motorola is focusing more on its public safety radio communication.
Amanda Shearer
08/27/2011 at 1:16 am
I think its coming down to Android/Google vs iPhone/Apple these days. Motorola is focusing more on its public safety radio communication.
Guest
08/30/2011 at 11:04 pm
What it means, is I definately made the right decision buying the Droid Charge :) I would have been disappointed if the SGS II came out with LTE four or five months after I bought my Charge. After being spoiled by the screen, I can’t see going to a phone without an OLED screen or without an unlocked bootloader.
Jerry M Potter
08/31/2011 at 3:39 pm
To all of you who think $300 is too much to pay; it’s
nothing compared to what we pay for the service and I intend to purchase the
Bionic when it’s finally released.