First Impressions - HTC Thunderbolt

As I have stated before, I wasn't that impressed with the iPhone 4. Despite years of anticipation because because of Apple's exclusivity with AT&T, who until this month wasn't here, I was back at Best Buy returning mine less than a month after getting it. So what's a Verizon customer to do for a smartphone if they don't want an iPhone?

Right now, the latest and greatest is the Thunderbolt from HTC which as of this writing can be had for around $249 with a 2 year contract.

With the Thunderbolt, currently the most spendy Android phone on Verizon, your $250 gets you the following specs:

Networks: LTE 700, CDMA EvDO revA
Operating system: Android™ 2.2 + HTC Sense
Display: 4.3” WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen
Camera: 8MP with autofocus, LED Flash (2x LED), 1.3MP front facing camera
Memory: 8GB emmc + 768 RAM Memory card, preinstalled 32 GB microSD™
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: 2.1 with EDR (3.0 when available)
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Battery: 1400 mAh
Special features: Dual mics with noise cancellation, Surround sound, Compass sensor, G-Sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB, FM radio, LTE SIM slot , TI audio DSP
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM8655, 1GHz, Qualcomm MDM9600

At first glance a couple of things catch your eye, first and most obvious is the LTE radio. The TBolt has the distinction of being Verizon's first 4G phone though your mileage on this will vary depending on where you live. Here in Sioux Falls, 4G is hopefully going live this summer but be prepared, surfing on 4G will likely make what little battery life you have, even worse.

On the negative side of the spec spectrum, the TBolt was released with Android 2.2 despite 2.3 being out in the wild for some time and a single core processor. The outdated version of Android will hopefully be rectified later this summer but neither issue should be acceptable for a high end phone.

And then there is the battery.

Whatever genius at HTC decided that this phone should be released with only a 1400 mAh battery should be flogged. Android is already notorious for having less than stellar battery life and when you mix HTC and Android it is even worse. (just ask anyone with an Incredible). The Thunderbolt's battery is so bad it has taken on a life of it's own with forums dedicated to the subject. Using the standard battery and light use in a 3G area I was lucky to get 4-6 hours before needing a recharge. Shame on you HTC!

Anyway, questionable specs and battery aside, the TBolt is a decent phone overall. The first thing I noticed is how heavy and well built it feels. The 4.3" screen dictates that this phone will take up a lot of room in your pocket and in my case, adding the 2750 mAh extended battery pretty much precludes the pocket idea altogether. Seidio has a belt holster that works with the extended battery so you do have other options.

The display is good but not great and can be hard to see in bright light, especially if you have your brightness adjusted lower to save your battery, and the touchscreen is responsive if not somewhat sensitive. Flipping thought the 7 screens doesn't exhibit any lag despite the added load from HTC's custom launcher, Sense. And speaking of Sense, don't expect the TBolt to get HTC's Sense 3.0 as the latest rumors have it being available only on phones with dual core processors.

The TBolt's 8mp camera is a definite plus. It includes a dual LED flash and initializes quickly taking pictures on par with what I experienced with the iPhone. With other Android phones I had issues with the phone lagging between photos often force closing but with the Thunderbolt I have yet to see anything similar.

Finally call quality, the TBolt is after all a phone, is excellent with little lag or echo noticeable and those I talk to say that they have no issues with quality on their end likely helped by the dual mics. I do have a slight issue with hearing the ringer and notification tones, even at the highest volumes I sometimes don't hear them when the phone is in my belt holster though I guess this could also be attributed to my advancing age.

I've had the TBolt for 3 weeks and in those 3 weeks I have noticed several ongoing and annoying issues. 2 days after getting the phone I returned it because it wouldn't stay connected to wifi. After extended periods on wifi it would say it was connected but would not access the internet requiring that I turn wifi off and back on it to re-connect. I have since found out that it was just not that unit because the replacement unit has the same issue. Further complicating the connectivity issues, I have also had problems with the phone losing 3G connectivity either going to 1X or losing data connectivity altogether. The only way I have found to fix this is by rebooting the phone, a ridiculously long process in its own right...very annoying and hopefully fixed by a software update soon.

In conclusion, the Thunderbolt is a workable phone with many nice features but is it worth shelling out $250? If you live in a 4G area I would say maybe if you just have to have a 4G phone right now. If not, Verizon has several other options including the soon to be released Samsung Droid Charge and the Motorola Droid Bionic scheduled to be released later this year. If 4G is not a concern, stick with any of the several fine 3G phones on Verizon. The Thunderbolt's connectivity issues and horrendous battery life make this a poor choice in my mind.