I didn't do too much research, but I did consult Anandtech's reviews of the phones.
I just picked up the Bionic for $20 on contract, and it's nice to see it will get ICS. My first smartphone. Still, the $30 data for 4GB is kind of overkill considering i'm always near wifi. Too bad they don't have lower tier data plans.
Why would I do that? Google isn't even continuing support for its flagship Android device, the Nexus One. Microsoft and Apple are actually supporting their products. I won't go back to Android.
Then there's the absence of the Droid Charge and LG phones. It's not just Verizon but the manufacturers themselves and Samsung has been pretty bad with updating their Verizon based phones.
Still, ICS on my Thunderbolt would be cool but not exactly necessary as it does everything I want very well on Gingerbread and my early upgrade will be activated by 2nd half of this year.
I know you should never invest in a smart phone expecting an update, but really Verizon? Motorola published a list of phones it was considering updating to ICS, and the Droid 3 was on it. The Droid 3/4 run on the same SOC and have very similar hardware specs (same screen size/resolution, etc...).
Honestly, how much additional effort would it take to update the Droid 3, which is practically the same phone as the Droid 4 except in a different shell. I think it would be worth it just for customer retention alone.
To the untrained eye, these phones will look exactly the same. But these are two very different devices.
The Droid 4 rocks a 1.2GHz dual-core processor which is a little bit of a speed increase over the 1GHz processor that the Droid 3 employs. The Droid 4 also has 1GB of RAM while the Droid 3 has 512MB. If you don’t think this increase will be noticeable in your daily usage, you’re crazy.
Both the carriers and phone makers have a huge incentive to keep customers churning through devices. Faster smartphones keep users glued to overpriced data plans while keeping margins consistent for phone manufacturers.
Im surprised the ICS list from Verizon is this long actually.
Yeah, the Droid 3 was supposed to be 4G, with the processor to go with it. I just traded up to the Droid 4. Think of the 3 as Windows Vista, which was really the beta for Windows 7.
Sony Ericsson promised ICS on all 2011 Xperia phones, so where is the Verizon version of the Xperia PLAY (R800x) in this list? Are they really going to reject a manufacturer's update?
I didn't think the Incredible 2 was going to make the cut.
But will it be a good move? Is ICS more demanding on the hardware, about the same, or less? I don't think the single-core CPU or GPU is blowing the doors off of any benchmarks.
Doesn't matter I am already running ICS on my Fascinate and it runs better than it ever has. Apparently Verizon overloads us with bloatware. Especially the Gingerbread update that kills Google Navigation in order to force you to buy their VZ Navigator service which is a rip off for something that Android should do out of the box.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
17 Comments
Back to Article
hechacker1 - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
I didn't do too much research, but I did consult Anandtech's reviews of the phones.I just picked up the Bionic for $20 on contract, and it's nice to see it will get ICS. My first smartphone. Still, the $30 data for 4GB is kind of overkill considering i'm always near wifi. Too bad they don't have lower tier data plans.
FATCamaro - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
ALL CAPS. Reminds me of that shitty UFC advertiser XIENCE.Embarrassing....
tayb - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
I own a Droid X that I purchased in November of 2010. I guess that phone is too old to receive new software.Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I'll check the "OS Fragmentation and lack of updates" box if Google ever asks why I ditched their mobile OS.
Death666Angel - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
Buy a Nexus branded phone then.tayb - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Why would I do that? Google isn't even continuing support for its flagship Android device, the Nexus One. Microsoft and Apple are actually supporting their products. I won't go back to Android.pixelstuff - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
"I own a Droid X that I purchased in November of 2010. I guess that phone is too old to receive new software."If you consider this list all inclusive it is even more pathetic that the 8 month old DROID 3 isn't on the list.
jesh462 - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
The droid x received its last update from verizon already. I would know. I have one, bought March 2011. If you want ICS, it's time to ROM it up.Source:
www dot unwiredview dot com/2012/02/15/motorola-posts-ice-cream-sandwich-timeline-no-device-will-be-updated-before-april/#
Omega215D - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
Then there's the absence of the Droid Charge and LG phones. It's not just Verizon but the manufacturers themselves and Samsung has been pretty bad with updating their Verizon based phones.Still, ICS on my Thunderbolt would be cool but not exactly necessary as it does everything I want very well on Gingerbread and my early upgrade will be activated by 2nd half of this year.
dragonsqrrl - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
Yep, no Droid 3... I should've known.I know you should never invest in a smart phone expecting an update, but really Verizon? Motorola published a list of phones it was considering updating to ICS, and the Droid 3 was on it. The Droid 3/4 run on the same SOC and have very similar hardware specs (same screen size/resolution, etc...).
Honestly, how much additional effort would it take to update the Droid 3, which is practically the same phone as the Droid 4 except in a different shell. I think it would be worth it just for customer retention alone.
BJRCollins - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
To the untrained eye, these phones will look exactly the same. But these are two very different devices.The Droid 4 rocks a 1.2GHz dual-core processor which is a little bit of a speed increase over the 1GHz processor that the Droid 3 employs. The Droid 4 also has 1GB of RAM while the Droid 3 has 512MB. If you don’t think this increase will be noticeable in your daily usage, you’re crazy.
staypuftman - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
Both the carriers and phone makers have a huge incentive to keep customers churning through devices. Faster smartphones keep users glued to overpriced data plans while keeping margins consistent for phone manufacturers.Im surprised the ICS list from Verizon is this long actually.
BJRCollins - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
Yeah, the Droid 3 was supposed to be 4G, with the processor to go with it. I just traded up to the Droid 4. Think of the 3 as Windows Vista, which was really the beta for Windows 7.CZroe - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 - link
Sony Ericsson promised ICS on all 2011 Xperia phones, so where is the Verizon version of the Xperia PLAY (R800x) in this list? Are they really going to reject a manufacturer's update?scook9 - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Holy crap....I though they were trying to abandon this handset asap - this made my Wednesday :DOmega215D - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Well HTC did note that many of their phones will be moving to ICS later this year anyhow.This list seems to be more of a manufacturer than Verizon doing.
peldor - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
I didn't think the Incredible 2 was going to make the cut.But will it be a good move? Is ICS more demanding on the hardware, about the same, or less? I don't think the single-core CPU or GPU is blowing the doors off of any benchmarks.
molosar - Sunday, March 11, 2012 - link
Doesn't matter I am already running ICS on my Fascinate and it runs better than it ever has. Apparently Verizon overloads us with bloatware. Especially the Gingerbread update that kills Google Navigation in order to force you to buy their VZ Navigator service which is a rip off for something that Android should do out of the box.