IS THE DROID CHARGE WORTH THE MONEY???

[JayCee1]

I currently own the original droid and have been researching on my next phone. I have narrowed it down to the Droid Charge or LG Revolution. I leaning towards the Charge. Any suggestion, comments or thoughts.

[GreenRobot]

My opinion is wait. The Charge is a very nice phone but for $299 it's totally not worth it. The Revolution I don't know cause I haven't tried it but when I looked at it in stores it just feels cheep to me. I still have my OG Droid hooked up to wifi and running Cyanogen mod 2.3.3 and everyday I see it sitting next to my Charge I ask myself " should I hook it up and use it for the day? " but resist because I have a $300 phone. I have had both the OG Droid and the Droid X, since then I have had the Thunderbolt and the Charge and neither have satisfied me like my Motorola phones have. If rumor has it and the Moto Bionic is coming you might want to wait just a little longer. Or if you don't need a front facing camera or 4g then the DX2 might be a good idea. To simply answer between the Charge or Revolution I'd pick the Charge. 

[txbikerdude]

i just got a charge for my GF and I. So far I love it. Yea it is expensive tho

[Ray999]

After using mine for a little over a month, I would have to say no. It is an OK phone but not anything spectacular with the exception of the screen and some of the multimedia functions. It has a whopping 328MB of RAM of which the OS, bloatware, and VCrapps use a little more than half. Mobile data can be a real PITA at times. Many times it works great, a lot of times it just doesn't until you do something like reboot or fiddle with the wireless settings to coax it back. The stock interface tends to lag between pages, GO launcher remedied that for me. Overall, the Charge is a fusion of mediocrity with a few great features.

[ArnettH_VZW]

Hello happy forum members,

I have the Droid Charge & I absolutely LOVE this device. My favorite feature is the 4G mobile hotspot. This feature is currently free until 7/6/11 as a promo. You can connect up to 10 devices to the internet, all with 4G speeds. Also, I love the 8MP camera. The pictures I took on vacation are superb! I think that you will truly enjoy owning this device. Currently the prices is $299.99 with a new 2-yr agreement. I'm not sure what will the price will be during the holidays but this is a device that I couldn't wait to have! You can do some more research on the device as well as read reviews here.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedP...

Hope this helps with your decision.

[Booch]

Is the Droid Charge worth the money?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.

What good is a phone when you pay for a data package, and it constantly drops?  Do yourself a favor and do not get the Charge and if you can, switch to another carrier such as AT&T or Sprint.  I have tried to beg and plead with Verizon to look into the dropping data issue with my Charge and they act as if the problem doesn't exist.  The customer service at Verizon is terrible.

The comments by ArnettH_VZW are laughable.  I especially liked "I think that you will truly enjoy owning this device."   I don't enjoy when my data connection drops five times per day and have to restart my phone each time!!!

[flustered]

RUN SCREAMING!!!!!  

DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE IF YOU EXPECT ANY KIND OF CONSISTANT NETWORK SERVICE.

Look at the other threads on this phone!!!

There are TONS of people having the same problems and no offer of a solution from Verizon.

I don't know what you're looking for from your phone, but at the very least, you want coverage......  YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT WITH THIS PHONE.

Don't spend this kind of money on a phone that can't even support the most basic need - a connection....

[vidguy7]

---

ArnettH_VZW wrote:

Hello happy forum members,

I have the Droid Charge & I absolutely LOVE this device. My favorite feature is the 4G mobile hotspot. Hope this helps with your decision.

---

My least favorite 'feature' is the frequent loss of data while showing a nearly full set of bars.  My next favorite 'feature' is not being able to hold on to 4G signals or being in "4G areas" according to the VZW map and having no 4G data.

Where do those rank in your list of favorites?

[flustered]

You have got to be kidding me!!!

Obviously - you have not read the comments from your Verizon customers in MULTIPLE threads on this phone and the lack of service from Verizon technical and customer support.

Let us know when you get back on planet Earth.

[PurdueGIrl05]

I'm sorry you are experiencing the problems you are, but who is your last response to, flustered?

[AZSALUKI]

flustered appears to be flustered

[Soulchaser]

Absolutley worth the money, I have had ZERO problems with my Charge from day 1. No connectivity issues, does 3 and 4G service like a charm, screen is wonderfull, camera is great!

[Davidoo]

I love the phone also and it would take something really huge to ever get me to leave Verizon.  Usually I am the one that gets the lemons and has problems with internet, cable, computers, etc.  Maybe I am lucky this time. 

I live in Phoenix and we are solidly covered by 4G, EXCEPT in my neighborhood where it is partly "4G extended."  I knew going in I might not get solid 4G at my house.  I get 3G downstairs and 4G upstairs.  I have not had any issues at all going back and forth between 3 and 4G.  I walk upstairs and it switches up and when I walk down it switches down.   Not really a big issue at home anyway as I just connect to WiFi and get an average of 13-25mbit connections.  I do understand how frustrating it is when you pay good money for something and it doesn't work.  Just in my particular case here I have no problems. 

I think some of the problems with people losing 4G connectivity is related to WiFi signals.  I notice on mine as soon as I get near my house the phone picks up WiFi and the 3G/4G light goes right off.  I don't think it is designed to get WiFi and 4G at the same time.   

[EdW_VZW]

---

Davidoo wrote:

I love the phone also and it would take something really huge to ever get me to leave Verizon.  Usually I am the one that gets the lemons and has problems with internet, cable, computers, etc.  Maybe I am lucky this time. 

I live in Phoenix and we are solidly covered by 4G, EXCEPT in my neighborhood where it is partly "4G extended."  I knew going in I might not get solid 4G at my house.  I get 3G downstairs and 4G upstairs.  I have not had any issues at all going back and forth between 3 and 4G.  I walk upstairs and it switches up and when I walk down it switches down.   Not really a big issue at home anyway as I just connect to WiFi and get an average of 13-25mbit connections.  I do understand how frustrating it is when you pay good money for something and it doesn't work.  Just in my particular case here I have no problems. 

I think some of the problems with people losing 4G connectivity is related to WiFi signals.  I notice on mine as soon as I get near my house the phone picks up WiFi and the 3G/4G light goes right off.  I don't think it is designed to get WiFi and 4G at the same time.   

---

Thank you for your feedback. In adding to what was stated, the device does have is some good points making it a worthy value.  However, using the Wi-Fi at the same as 3G and/or 4G are two separate functions. When using Wi-Fi, your not on the Verizon Wireless's network until you've disabled the Wi-Fi connection to then be connected to 3G or 4G; where the specific type of coverage can be accessed. In other words, you would either be on one or the other. For steps to enable/ disable WiFi, please use this link. From this link, drop down to Wi-Fi and click with mouse to open up to the connect to network tab for a walk though step by step of the process.

[PurdueGIrl05]

I hate the bloatware. I cant even believe how much crap comes on this phone. It's really ridiculous.

Besides the price, I think it's a decent entry level droid. I came from four years of Blackberry use, so there are a lot of nice features compared to my BB.

I tried to hold out for the bionic and use my last "new every two" credit on a nicer unit, but my BB want functioning and I needed a device. I used the credit on my other account and plan to switch this phone back to my mother's line as soon as nicer 4G LTE units are released.

If you can wait, for the price if the droid charge, you will likely be able to get a nicer device towards the end of the 3rd or 4th Q when they have the 4G network in more areas and it's more stable. They aren't going to release the best phones until they have a bigger market for them, and with such limited 4G network access, they will wait.

Also, remember, there will always be as "bigger and badder" phone to be released. Phones now are like computers.

[AZSALUKI]

another thing to keep in mind is that as more 4g devices launch, prices will come down. $300 is the most verizon has ever charged for a device on a 2 year contract (matching the 32gb iphone). i suspect the tbolt, charge, and revolution will all be $50-100 cheaper closer to fall.......and if you can hold out until the holiday season, there may be smokin deals. then again, i believe that you will have lost your last new every 2 discount by then????

[phillthedrill]

If you have a membership for costco, they are $179.99 or you can try to call different Best buy locations like I did, and find one that will price match.  I was lucky I found one store out of six I called that would price match.  I had a giftcard from xmas that I hadn't used yet, so I ended up getting the phone for $155 plus tax.  I think it's worth it when you can get it for $179.99.

[PurdueGIrl05]

I think this is a great discussion and is well rounded. I have have had no complaints with Verizon and I refuse to switch carriers. I think it greatly depends on where you live. Verizon has always been good to me, has helped me with broken/malfunctioning handsets, overage, etc. and I will continue to show my loyalty to them. But, I think that it depends where you are. That being said, I hope I never experience what some people on the forum have experienced because I would hate to give up multiple accounts with almost 10 years on each.