HTC Thunderbolt Review (Verizon)

In a certain period of time each manufacturer has a special device that is distinguished from others. That model is called flagship, and now its the right time to meet you with the HTC’s current flagship that is also one of the first devices supporting Verizon’s 4G LTE network – the biggest with its size and subscriber base, so you can assume how hard HTC has worked to create a smartphone for such masses. But not everything went like clockwork, as its release was delayed several times and consumers thought it wouldn’t be launched ever. Joking. Of course the phone was ready for launch but Big Red and HTC wished to come up with a perfect handset. First, users were very pleasant of it but then it became clear there are some problems with upload/download speed, but then an appropriate update fixed all bugs.

However, with all advantages and shortcomings the HTC Thunderbolt remains the best smartphone ever launched by the company. These are not just words as its features speak for themselves. So let’s see whether what we see outside is correspond to the features inside the hood.

The HTC Thunderbolt was launched on March 17 via Verizon after long “suffering.” Verizon was prepared for its launch seriously, it can be seen from the ad videos the carrier showed to the public. And I have to say I like the way it introduced this gadget. Its price was higher than we had expected as $249.99 with a two-year contract is much in comparison with other Android high-end devices. Taking into account the HTC Thunderbolt is not the only 4G smartphone, it put a shadow on its reputation. Anyway, full retail price was $444.99 that is more either, and finally the SIM-free version was available for $599.99. Than everything has been changed, as usually happens, and Amazon required just $129,99 for it.

So the story of HTC Thunderbolt starts but stay with us for more.

Design

Being the successor of the HTC Evo 4G it has many common lines to it. The Thunderbolt is very comfortable to hold in hands, though it is a little bit heavier than the Evo 4G. So we can assume 122x66x13 mm dimensions are quite acceptable, but 164 g weight is much.

Anyway, the Thunderbolt looks like other HTC handsets but the fact it brings many useful features that no other handset owns makes it a little more attractive. Probably all that features make it a little thicker and heavier.

At the top edge of this smartphone we can find the lock/power button, as usual. And though there are other HTC handsets with rounded edges, this one doesn’t let to push it easily. Most likely, it was a result of phone’s bulkiness. However, that’s not a lack for the Thunderbolt, I guess. Here we can also see 3.5mm headphone jack and noise-canceling microphone. On the left side we can only find a port dedicated for charging, on the right side are located silver volume buttons. This is all we can note on the edges of the handset and during the HTC Thunderbolt review you’ll see the phone’s design support “the provisions of minimalism.”

Although the Thunderbolt is a classic HTC handset, something makes us to feel its solid view. It is presented on such form that everyone who look at it falls in love at first sight. Agree a 4.3-inch TFT LCD touchscreen is quite attractive, though it’ll be better to see a qHD display with resolution of 960×540 pixels instead of 800×480 pixels, anyway, we hope other high-end smartphone of the company will be packed with such screen. Above of the display we note Verizon’s logo proving we are dealing with the next flagship of the Big Red. On the bottom are located standard buttons for Android handsets – Home, Menu, Back and Search. And finally on the right top of the phone is a 1.3MP secondary camera designed for video calling.

I liked the back of the Thunderbolt as everything is designed very well taking into account every single detail. I am not talking about an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash that can record videos at 720p, but I mean the bottom of it where we can see the most beautiful part of this handset. At first I want to direct your attention to a “4G LTE” that shows one of the key features of this handset, under it is located a silver kickstand that is dedicated to adjust it for more comfortable view of showing videos and pictures. It also has another function-to hide the stylish external speaker. The bottom of the phone is made of another material which color is different from other parts of it and a round rubber circle that is a part of radio. Anyway, the main eye-catching feature is the kickstand that unlike the HTC Evo 4G is thinner, and wider. But here we can meet one of the main lacks of Thunderbolt—the microUSB port stops working when the kickstand is open so you can’t charge the handset while you are watching a movie. I can explain this situation no way.

The battery cover is open a little bit difficult, but once you do it inside it we can see some holes above the flashes that are used to attach an antenna contact. One more interesting fact–below and to the right of the camera lens is located a little motor designed for phones’ vibration functionality.

Hardware

Generally, the HTC Thunderbolt is packed with many awesome features that just couldn’t be there, as this gadget is the best smartphone the company has created ever. From the HTC Thunderbolt review you’ll get sure there is a feeling as developers had gathered all super features in one device.

The smartphone is equipped with a 1GHz Scorpion processor that is in a good cooperation with 768MB of RAM and as a result we see perfect performance. I think many consumers could be glad do meet a dual-core processor, but this one is not bad and according to the tests, the phone was overlocked to 2GHz. So, now you can calm down and realize this phone is not from those who yields easily.

The HTC Thunderbolt is one of the first 4G devices that supports Verizon’s LTE network. This functionality must provide the fastest connection speed we have ever seen, but a few weeks after its launch it was reported the phone is connection issues and was all time cycling between 4G and 3G networks. But before the Gingerbread update the company rolled out a software update that fixed all bugs.

In connectivity area the phone is well-armed as it supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot and for physical contact it provides micsoUSB 2.0 functionality. Of course, there is also Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR. Besides these the handset can be connected to the internet using computer’s modem. This is very useful when you are a place where are no Wi-Fi or any other connection types. So downloading special apps the Thunderbolt will allow you to not to “lose ground.”

Unfortunately, it’s not a world phone as the smartphone doesn’t support GSM network. This also can be considered one of the shortcomings of it. But this lack is being ignored when we realize the gadget doesn’t provide GPRS. These are from those omissions that remain unclear for us.

Display

During the HTC Thunderbolt review we were very attentive to the phone’s display and I have to say we are impressed of it. Look, 4.3-inch touchscreen provides 16 million colors that makes than phone to feel itself confidently when it comes to showing bright and color-rich content. And though many users complain of its resolution, its size proved very comfortable tapping and the videos/pictures are showed in the best way.

The screen is made by using Gorilla Glass technology that is one of its advantages, but some problems occurred when you want to see outside under direct sunlight. Probably it’ll be better if there was used ClearBlack Display technology as we see in Nokia’s high-end smartphones like the Nokia E7. Anyway, we can’t require much from the designers as if all the best features were used in it, the phone would cost too much.

Cameras

Being a high-end smartphone and supporting Verizon’s 4G network that provides the fastest connectivity, the Thunderbolt should have two cameras- one of them dedicated for video calling. That’s it. On front of the handset we can see a 1.3MP camera. It seems everything goes its way, but when we want to find apps that will work with this hardware, we meet many surprises: either apps like Skype or Qik don’t provide a video-chatting yet or the apps like Fring don’t recognize the camera at all. So we can conclude almost all high-end Android handset have front-facing camera without any app supporting this feature.

It’s a completely different story when we talk about the camera located on the back of the HTC Thunderbolt. It sports an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash and autofocus. This feature provides 3264×2448 pixels of picture quality. But this is not the main feature that helps us to take good pictures, as dual-LED flashes do the most part of the word providing HQ images even when they were taken in an extremely low light.

The 8MP camera is also capable to record HD videos at 720p and the video sample below shows its opportunities very well.

HTC Thunderbolt 4G sample images

Battery

It’s very surprising that HTC decided to pack the Thunderbolt with a 1400mAh battery. If the phone was designed for 3G network I can agree with such decision, but how it will provide a long life for the phone in Verizon’s 4G LTE network. So it is expected the device wouldn’t “withstand” no longer than 4.5 hours. It’s unclear why HTC didn’t develop an easy method to help users switching between 4G and 3G networks to save battery life. And though there is an app for such cases, but as I realized it is not welcomed by users. Anyway, there is always exit from any situation and Verizon being familiar to this problem offers a wireless charging system working on an inductive technology or an extended 2750mAh battery doubling the battery life time. But all these batteries are uncomfortable to use because the last one is enough heavy and adds thickness to the phone, and the wireless one is very expensive–$39.99. So we mush note HTC failed in this area.

Software

The HTC Thunderbolt is a classic HTC handset (I repeat this phrase for the third time) and on other hand it is classic Android device with all the goodies and bugs coming with them. It runs on Android 2.2 but this is cannot be mentioned as a lack because the phone will be updated to Gingerbread very soon. Generally, Android devices are being upgraded very often, moreover, if they are high-end devices you must be sure Google is more attentive to them.

It comes with the HTC Sense 2.0 UI that is on most of the company’s handsets. It is based on seven home screens with many pre-loaded widgets and apps. All your home screens can be customized easily. So you can choose one of six pre-customized sets (the “Verizon Scene” is on by default). Making different setups on your own discretion you can then switch between them in seconds. As I mentioned there are 6 scenes other 5 are “HTC,” “Social,” “Work,” “Play”  and “Travel.”

Sense 2.0 is quite different from its predecessor and now you can customize your handset straight from home screen. So this time all wallpapers, skins, widgets and icons are being changed from one place.

Pre-installed apps

There is a plenty of apps Verizon offers for Thunderbolt users, but it doesn’t mean all of them will be useful for you. It doesn’t prevent you to download other apps you’ll be needed during using the phone as there is also 2.5GB free space for additional software.

Phonebook

The HTC Thunderbolt provides not only the best hardware but also very intuitive way to manage your handset. So tapping on “People” icon on the desktop you’ll get in your contact list where people are presented in alphabetical order with their pictures on the right side. All they are integrated with your accounts of Google, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and even with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. Moreover, clicking on a certain contact you can get a complete information about it including details, messages, email, updates & events, gallery, and call history.

Messaging and E-Mail

The phone’s large display helps us not to think about a hardware QWERTY keyboard, as typing is very comfortable and easy on it. The phone allows you to setup your mail accounts automatically or manually. They all can be gathered in one place and once you did it all other attempts to check your inbox will show whether there is a new mail from GMail, Microsoft Exchange, Verizon.net, Windows Live, Hotmail and Yahoo accounts.

Video streaming

The Thunderbolt is capable to view YouTube videos as well as it is shown on HD TVs. This can be performed in a good way, because YouTube identifies HTC as a mobile device and sends files without a HQ resolution. And you don’t need 4G LTE support for this deal because Verizon’s 3G network is quite enough for such quality video streaming. I guess you understand things will get better when you watch a video from local file.

Conclusion

The HTC Thunderbolt review showed it is quite attractive device and it is not accidental Verizon decided to get its hands to this perfect handset. Regardless all the problems occurred after its launch the HTC Thunderbolt undoubtedly can be considered as a company’s flagship. It is one of the world’s first 4G smartphones and it is clear why people are so interested in it. Honestly, now the phone works very well in Verizon’s 4G network and that’s time to forget all stories related with upload/download speeds.

Cons

• Bulkiness
• Battery
• Android 2.2
• Incongruity of kickstand and microUSB port

Pros

• 4.3-inch touchscreen
• 1GHz processor
• Memory
• 8MP camera
• 4G LTE support
• HTC Sense 2.0 UI

Generally, the HTC Thunderbolt 4G is a mix of the best hardware and software features, and if you think there could be other super specs included, I think it is unwise as the phone’s price will be more and more expensive than we see on Verizon’s stores. Putting aside all positive and negative thoughts it is the first 4G smartphone that ideally delivers the promise of superior wireless technology. So it is worth to get one.

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