Motorola’s new Droid Bionic got its reveal this weekend in newly published FCC filing details that may have uncovered more than what Motorola leaked itself. The user manual shows a “global phone” section that claims the Android 2.3 device has GSM hardware for world roaming. If so, it would be Verizon’s first LTE-based phone usable with voice outside of the US.
A view of the exposed back has also confirmed that the new Bionic is the Targa. Motorola has always tried to portray the new Bionic as a modification of the original, but it’s now known to have been started virtually from scratch just a few weeks after the first Bionic design was shown at CES. Officially, Motorola has acknowledged that LTE-capable hardware issues were the reason for the delay, and most outside of official channels believe it’s a conflict between the LTE chipset and the original NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.
Verizon should sell a wireless (inductive) charging back for the Bionic to serve those who have a matching charging plate.
A chance exists that the pre-release manual is using boilerplate copy and that the Droid Bionic won’t have any GSM. Motorola’s own specs so far make no mention of it.
The 4.3-inch, dual-core smartphone is due to ship in September, most likely towards the early part of the month. Verizon’s tendency to charge a premium for 4G phones could push the Bionic up to $250 or more on