HTC Thunderbolt: Verizon’s 1st 4G LTE Phone

The HTC ThunderBolt is Verizon’s first 4G LTE phone and so far is being reported as doing very well in the performance department. Verizon’s 4G LTE network is proving to be a real, next generation improvement with super fast download and upload speeds, lower latency connections, better response speeds, and a phone that matches all of these features with fast hardware of its own.

The HTC ThunderBolt has a 1.0 device does have a few issues though, that potential customers should know before buying it.

Potential Customers

Studies on the HTC Thunderbolt have shown that it is one of the fastest mobile devices out so far, and loads applications, websites, videos and documents at speeds close to that of a desktop computer, according to users. The speeds of between 10 and 20 Mbps on Verizon’s LTE network can be attributed to part of this speed, but the phone has also proven to work well on 3G and Wi-Fi too.

Because of this, it’s recommended for those who are on the road alot and need a device that can deliver, plus a phone that will still be worthwhile in two years, and the HTC Thunderbolt is that phone, according to all the reviews.

What issues does it fix?

The HTC ThunderBolt is seemingly the nation’s very first smart phone to actually experience real 4G speeds over 30Mbps with hardware than manages to stay the course. Even though some Samsung phones have been running on WiMAX in South Korea, those phones didn’t experience latency advances like Verizon has created with LTE and the phones were not as powerful as the ThunderBolt, which has an upgraded 1GHz Snapdragon, Adreno 205 GPU, and MDM9600 chip for LTE.

Using the 4G LTE phones, Verizon has, in addition, solved the problem of combining voice and data at the same time. Previously, users couldn’t call someone and surf a website at the same time due to Verizon’s CDMA limiting that feature. However, with the addition of the 4G, Verizon uses CDMA for voice and the LTE for data.

Best Features

• Extremely Fast Performance – The combo of the most modern Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (single core), a dedicated GPU (Adreno 205), LTE chip (MDM9600), 768MB of RAM, and 8GB of integrated eMMC storage makes the HTC ThunderBolt an extremely powerful device.

• Top of the pack in its hardware – Besides the high-end chips, the ThunderBolt also comes with a brilliant WVGA display, an 8MP camera on the back, a 1.3MP camera on the front, a 32GB SD card (included), a 1400 mAh battery, and up-to-the-minute modern digital sensors. The Thunderbolt’s camera is also an improvement over the old HTC models.
• Extra strong form factor – The HTC Thunderbolt’s unibody aluminum frame combines the unibody frame like that of the Google Nexus One and the HTC Desire with a square body like that of the HTC EVO, resulting in a strong, nice looking body. The back battery has a steely finish that looks like metal. The phone may be a bit large and heavy, but it is considered one of the best hardware designs available.
• HTC Sense UI makes it more valuable – The HTC’s Sense gives it UI elements along with valuable widgets and services.

Any Problems?

• 4G battery life – With the fact that the HTC Thunderbolt gets such brilliant bursts of speed, it tends to use battery life very quickly, with only about four hours when you put the phone on 4G. It’s recommended that if you use the 4G, you have to manage your battery power, use an extended battery, add on another battery pack or recharge it during the day to make it last a full 24 hours. However, you can switch to 3G or WiFI to save on battery power if desired. But, this defeats the whole purpose of having it in the first place, even though it is still pretty fast on those choices.
• It has no dual core – Another issue with the HTC Thunderbolt is that it only has a single-core Qualcomm processor. The other high end Android phones all have dual processors, mostly using hte NVIDIA Tegra 2. If it had a dual core, it would address and help the battery problem mentioned earlier.

All in all, the HTC Thunderbolt is being rated at the top of the Android phones, especially with the iPhone 5 being delayed until sometime this Fall.  Even with the battery issues, it is still a strong phone and sets a new standard for future smart phones.

It is a very speedy device on 3G and Wi-Fi, and is capable of extremely fast burst of speed using the 4G capabilities when needed. Add to that the fact it has a great design and great software and it makes it one of the best choices of Android phones this summer.

Specifications

• Carrier: Verizon Wireless
• OS: Android 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense UI
• Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8255), Adreno 205 GPU, and MDM9600 chipset for 3G/4G
• RAM: 768MB
• Storage: 8GB internal, 32GB microSD (pre-installed)
• Display: 4.3-inch WVGA with 480×800 resolution
• Battery: Lithium-ion with 1400 mAh capacity
• Ports: microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, SIM slot
• Weight: 6.23 ounces
• Dimensions: 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.56 inches
• Camera: 8MP with auto-focus, dual LED flash, HD video capture, 1.3MP front-facing camera
• Sensors: Accelerometer, A-GPS, digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
• Keyboard: Virtual QWERTY
• Networks: CDMA 800/1900Mhz (2G); CDMA2000 EV-DO (3G); 700Mhz LTE (4G)
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
• Tethering: USB + mobile Wi-Fi hotspot
• Price: $249 (with 2-year contract)