Conclusion
Conclusion
Many have wondered if it’s a wise idea to jump on the Thunderbolt, or any single-core device, when dual-cores are starting to come to market. In six months, the Thunderbolt will likely seem a bit slow – but given the pace of the smartphone market, it’s virtually guaranteed that any device you purchase will feel outdated within six months no matter what you buy or when you buy it. There’s no way to future-proof.
The Thunderbolt is in many ways nothing more than a slight evolution of the 4.3” smartphones HTC had produced for other carriers, such as the Evo. That’s not a bad thing. HTC seems to understand the tradeoffs associated with building a 4.3” smartphone better than any other company in the world. Yes, the Thunderbolt is heavy, and it’s big, and it doesn’t have great battery life. But it’s a joy to use for web browsing, and the combination of a vivid display and excellent audio quality makes this an ideal smartphone for watching video on the go.
And then there is the network. Like it or not, phones are tied to a network, and the quality of that network is important. While AT&T and T-Mobile now have phones with processors that will whoop the Thunderbolt, Verizon’s incredible 4G LTE gives it a clear advantage when it comes to anything network related (provided you live in a 4G LTE area, of course).
Compromise is the Thunderbolt’s theme. It’s bulky, offers merely good processor performance for a new flagship smartphone, and the battery fails to amaze. But it also has an incredible network, brilliant display, great audio quality, and comes equipped with one of the better stock Android themes. The Thunderbolt has too many disadvantages to make it eligible for an Editor’s Choice, but for the right buyer it will prove to be the right phone, and it’s likely to remain the best phone available to Verizon customers until the flagship dual-core phones with 4G LTE roll out over the summer.
I’d really like to see a
I’d really like to see a phone of that thickness, but with a hardware keyboard. My n900 is kind of a brink in that regard :P.
With a 4.3″ display, is this someone that would only fit comfortably in a coat pocket?
On second thought, never mind. I don’t want to know. I must resist phone upgrades!! 😛
It’s actually fine in a jeans
It’s actually fine in a jeans pocket. It is big for a phone, but certainly no thicker than your average wallet.
I have a DroidX 4.3″
I have a DroidX 4.3″ phone.
It fits great in my back pocket…and a nice feature of the DroidX (IMHO) is the camera bump.
It makes pulling the phone out of the pocket a breeze.
It makes orienting the phone in my hand automatic because of it’s aysmetric design.
Also, I’m 6’2″ tall… the droidX is easy to use with one hand, including dialing.
I’ll never go back to a sub 4″ screen again.
My $.02
Oh I Forgot to make a
Oh I Forgot to make a suggestion to Thunderbolt owners.
My friend has one… he took a dremel tool and cut a slot out of the kickstand.
Now the audio sounds fine when the kickstand is closed.
The slot looks natural and part of the phone also..he did a nice clean job.
I have a Droid X. Might not
I have a Droid X. Might not be as thick as the Thunderbolt but as for the size, you do adjust. Just takes practice. I can now dial phone with one hand but that rarely happens anymore. Between my contacts and the integrated contacts that come from my social services, I just use voice to dial. I use Vlingo.
I for one when upgrading next will be looking for another large phone. I love my Droid X but do look forward to a dual core phone. Hopefully by then the battery life will be better
As for a 4.3 screen fitting in your pocket? I have no problems putting mine in my pocket. Just takes up the whole pocket 🙂
heh, good point 😛
I just
heh, good point 😛
I just hope that when I do eventually have the money to upgrade, I’m able to find a phone with both a hardware keyboard (I can’t type on touch keyboards nearly as accurately :P) and a good display with the latest Android OS. I will miss Maemo thou lol.
I bougt my Thunderbolt about
I bougt my Thunderbolt about 2 weeks ago. One week ago we drove 1,300 miles to attend and video my grandson’s recital.
From only 2 rows from the stage, the video was great but the AUDIO WAS BARELY THERE AND USELESS. When I took it to the Verizon store, I was told that, “it’s just one of those things that hasn’t been worked out yet”. Had I known that, I would have made another choice. I am extremely disappointed.
Any suggestions?
Frankly, I’m not too
Frankly, I’m not too surprised. I doubt many phones would hold up well in that situation.