Is this a bad time to get a Droid X?

A

aslenderhelen

New member
I have an original droid on VZW. The screen is a little small and I like the larger Doid X screen. I can't see moving to an iphone, despite being a Mac guy, and downsizing screen. Is there anything out that is better than the Droid X or is a replacement due anytime soon that would make me regret getting a Droid X now? I don't want to lock in for a year and then have a new generation phone appearing a month later.

Advice greatly appreciated.

Dave
 
There is always a new smartphone every month. Month after month after month. If you're worried that your phone will be outshone the next month, its a guaranteed. There is going to be phones more powerful than the Droid X.

But if you buy phone A later, there will always be phone B, and then phone C. There is going to be plenty of new phones coming to Verizon and every one of these carriers.

If you don't give a fracking crap about obsolescence, the Droid X is a very powerful phone with lots of memory and it will last you for a while. I do have to say, this model has been out for months and new phones like the Thunderbolt and the dual core Droid Bionic due in the 1st half of 2011. The Thunderbolt may come out this month.

So the question is on the following:

How important is 4G for you? Lots of 4G phones on the pipeline but expect a premium.

How important is having dual core for you? Dual core phones are coming, the first one for Verizon maybe the Droid Bionic.

How important is having the latest Android OS update is to you?

Please note the following: its likely if you go with 4G, an additional premium will be added to your contract.

If there is the latest technology, the last generation though can be available in decent prices. Thus the latest phones you have to pay higher prices. An older phone like the Droid X is likely to be discounted. In fact, the initial prices of the Droid X is very cheap nowadays. You won't get bargain prices with the new phones until they in turn, are getting "old" in the market. So how important is pricing is for you?

If you like a little that is "more" with the technology, there is also the Droid 2 Global with a 1.2GHz processor.

Personally, the Droid X is a tough, tank like phone. I am very impressed with the body and the way its constructed. New models are not necessarily better with body construction. The screen is large, clear and sharp. The large internal phone memory and the 1Ghz processor made with the 45nm process will last any user humming for a long time. It is definitely quite a leap over the original Droid. I can see myself using one, but i already have a Droid Incredible.

The new Verizon Android for the month is likely to be the HTC Thunderbolt. CPU Power and specs wise, roughly equal to the Droid X. But it has 4G LTE connections. The HTC Sense interface looks better than Motoblur. How much HTC vs. Motorola as brands weigh for you.

2nd quarter of 2011 maybe the release of the Droid Bionic. Motorola also, 4.3" screen with dual core nVidia Tegra 2 processor and 4G LTE. Yes, its a power gorilla of a phone.

I only mention this two as these are the immediate ones with Verizon right now. The field grows much bigger if you involve models with other carriers, ergo like the Motorola Atrix of AT&T.
 
my advise is for you to wait until the MWC announcements to see if something will catch your interest. You may regret it if you settle for impulse buying
 
MWC doesn't count much though since much of the new intros there tend to be international. Verizon releases stuff somewhat independent of that.

In any case, there is a leak to establish that at least these will come out with Verizon in the next six months:

1st quarter 2011
HTC Thunderbolt
HTC Droid Incredible 2 or HD (maybe priced lower than Thunderbolt and 3G only)
Samsung 4G LTE phone (currently unnamed but looks like an improved Galaxy S)
Palm Pre 2? (with a GHz processor and WebOS 2)

2nd quarter 2011
Motorola Droid Bionic
LG Revolution (Android)

Two Blackberry phones of note too to be added on 2nd quarter releases:

Blackberry Storm 3 (1.2Ghz, Playbook OS?)
Blackberry 9900

The release of HTC Thunderbolt is imminent, I mean like a week or two from now. But it will be more expensive maybe $250 plus the contract. Might have premium charges for the LTE.

Your consideration for getting the Droid X should be on price, since it is being discounted now, and get a cheaper non 4G plan. But of course, 4G with the Thunderbolt is much more future proof --- having the 4G more important in real time "speed" benefits as opposed to dual core or processor speeds. Plus the dubious advantage of getting data while using voice simultaneously if that matters to you.
 
I would definitely hold off for the Thunderbolt or Droid Bionic, in my case. If you're willing to get a Gigantophone (tm), you might as well get the best. Saving a bit up front on the device doesn't really matter much if you're on contract for two years.

On the iPhone, don't assume that 3.5 inches necessarily makes it feel small. The Droid feels small to you partly because of the aspect ratio: it's narrower and taller than the iPhone, so it feels cramped. Apple's design is wider and sometimes actually feels bigger. Plus, the on-screen keyboard is still overall better than a similarly-sized Android phone unless you really like Swype (and get a phone with it), and the 960x640 screen definitely helps for legibility.

The big phones' advantage is in eliminating some of the complaints about the stock Android keyboard (if it's big enough, mistypes are less common) and for comfortable video viewing at greater distances. I personally like phones that don't bulge out of my pocket.
 
Back
Top