By This is admittedly one of the shortest hands-on videos we’ve done in our lives, but regardless, it allows you to take a closer look at the HTC Thunderbolt. It’s HTC’s first 4G phone for Verizon and it’s due out in the next few months:
Specs include:
- 4G LTE on Verizon Wireless
- 4.3-inch display
- 8MP camera with HD video capture
- Front-facing camera with Skype video chat
- No pricing or availability announced
I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed by the lack of HDMI out since most higher-end smartphones have it these days, but I’m also guessing that to MOST users its more of a trophy than a feature benefit- I don’t know many friends/family who use HDMI out. For the mass market looking for a 4G Verizon phone, the Thunderbolt will be pretty awesome, but the highest tech demanders might pass.
Damn, no HDMI AND no dual core? I have a feeling this will end up like the Shift, upper-mid-ranged priced, $149.99 area. With what the the Droid Bionic brings to the table, it should be a no-brainer to someone looking to renew to go with the Bionic. This is basically the Incredible vs. the X, if they had been released at the same time last year!
dedicated camera button?
Does HTC have a pantent on kickstands? Can’t understand why every phone doesn’t have a kickstand.
So I guess the atrix is kickin all mobile ass
@dirrtydrunkdave: What? Seelriously? The lack of hdmi and a second core make it midrange? I have hdmi on my Evo. Haven’t once even considered using it. Dual core is no big deal to most either. It will work great without it. You are delusional if you think this will sell for less than $199.99! Now, where are the rest of the specs?
So this is the Desire HD with a FFC & Kickstand…. lol…. wow.
That phone is dope!
It’s as simple as this when it comes down to the HTC thunderbolt, it’s going to be 4G and Q1 release its that simple. If your not looking for 4G in Q1 stick with the droid x! I would take HDMI out over a front facing camera anyday I attach my phone to my tv to watch videos with friends more then I video conference. I’m going to wait for the motorola Bionic in Q2 thats when the game steps up with the dual core processor
Holy Hell! This will be top dog in 2011. I CANNOT see any android phone topping that. If Verizon wasnt so damn expensive, I would drop my Nexus One in a heartbeat!
Droid X has HDMI, but it only works for stuff in the cruddy Motoblur gallery, so it is pretty much useless. I’ve never gotten it to display anything other than a picture or video that was taken on the device itself.
Not worth the space it takes to write “HDMI” on the spec list.
What about battery specs ?
Actully a dual core would make a huge difference and is a huge deal for a smart phone. It will make the phone more efficient, a longer battery life, it will be more fluid and if you really want to go all out making over clocking the phone that more interesting. I’ll just wait for the release of the rumored HTC Scorpion.
no dual core I will pass f that shit.. Where the hell are all the dual cores fuck these single core peice of shit and I am sorry I had high hopes for this phone but this phone looks terrible. Screen looks bad I dno HTC messed this one up rushed it I think
if you want your droid x to show everything and not just pix and vids get the app real hdmi from the market youll love it
If this phone would’ve released back in December it would’ve sold like hotcakes. But with the announcement of the Bionic and Revolution the TBolt just doesn’t measure up. Very disappointing, I thought this was going to be my next phone but I’ll have to go with one of the other two.
I already love and own htc products and i really wanted this phone to blow me away.Didn’t htc’s ad say it’s not your dream phone, it’s the one after, really…what a joke. Aside from the front camera, and LTE what makes the phones hardware specs so much more impressive than the HD2 which is almost a year old now? The winner for me would have been a dual core and a higher-res screen. sorry HTC.
HTC…. I wanted you to show up so bad this year at CES. Gonna have to go elsewhere. Total let down
Yup…looks like evo 4g but verizon version. They could have done better. Looks like I will hold on to my dinc a bit longer!
Yep, evo on verizon, that’s all it is. I’ll pass.
It isn’t an Evo on Verizon. It has the newer generation Qualcomm processor (better graphics/3D), 756MB of RAM (Evo has 512MB of RAM) and a Super LCD display.
idk y all of you are crying cuz it dont got HDMI out and a duel core processor..this phone will be faster than any phone out so the single core is still guna be fast enough believe me, and the HDMI out you barely use so who gives a fuck…im defin choosing this over the bionic..HTC>motorola
Based on specs and opinions what do you guys think the best phone out right now thats 4g lte and on big red is?
@jen89, you might wanna see the HTC website then, the Scorpion has been confirmed as the HTC Inspire. Read it and weep.
Processor Qualcomm® QSD8255, 1GHz Scorpion™
Operating System Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense™
Internal Memory 768MB/RAM 4GB/ROM
Display 4.3” inch WVGA resolution with multi touch
Network HSPA/UMTS Dual-band (850/1900) and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) for AT&T and Telus
I think jen meant the dual core Scorpions.
@TouchyTim242
Keep your shirt on. Yes, this phone will do ok, but only because it will be released before the Bionic, and because the masses don’t know any better. But the avid phandroid reader will know that it would be wise to wait for the Bionic. I doubt anyone here is running out right now to get the X. Why? Because they know the Thunderbolt is a better buy. And this will be the same situation when the Bionic drops, however we already know what the Bionic is all about. And this device may sell for $200 or more, but you’d be nuts to pay that for a phone that you know will be old news in a couple months.
Bionic comes out hours before boasting dual core and HDMI. You’re already behind the game HTC!
Scorpion is just the name of the snapdragon cpu in the htc desire hd and mytouch 4g, but any way you slice it this phone sorely fails to measure up with the exception of its included 32gb sd card. Also it seems not to be apart of the Droid line and as i am use to the Droid notification tone I think I’ll have to sit on my hands and wait for the Bionic with its desktop grade memory and duel core cpu
Bionic is bigger than the Droid X! No thanks!
It doesn’t have HDMI, but notice that the guy mentioned it was DLNA capable. So look at it this way, you would have to buy a special HDMI cable for the phone or you could just buy the HTC Media Link and use a standard HDMI cable. Of course if your TV supports it, then you don’t even need this. An HDMI port would be really nice but at least the functionality is still there.
Pretty disappointed, I was really looking forward to this phone, I’ve had the Eris and the Incredible, and now it looks like I’m might have to get my first Motorola with the Bionic. Unless they come out with a dual core in Q2.
Question, so if the iphone 4 comes out this quarter on verizon, including the 3 new 4g phones, which one would be the best to grab up? I’m due for an upgrade and want to wait until all these come out as well as the iphone. I’ve always been partial to the iphone but would never switch to At&T. What do you all think?
If it has the same battery as my EVO then I will not bite. I don’t necessarily need the dual core either, just let me have a bloody phone that will make it through the entire day. I don’t wanna hear, “just carry around a spare”. If you really need a spare then in my estimation it has already failed. Battery better be good, otherwise I will be moving on.
I can’t believe people are whining about HDMI out, most true tech junkies have a pc hooked up to their big screen. I mount my phone to my pc and I can stream all the videos and pictures STRAIGHT from the phone to the screen…get a real entertainment center if you can’t do this
I need the durability, screen size, and processing speed hands down no options till then guess I’ll find me a used Droid x because I have a full upgrade. So IM PATIENTLY WAITING! !!!!!!!
I’d take this over the Bionic because of an unencrypted bootloader and Sense>MOTOBLUR. Sure the Bionic has the specs, but the day Motorola stops supporting it, you will be SOL.
Also, do a Google search for LG Star Benchmarks (Star has the Tegra 2), then do a Google search for HTC Desire HD Benchmarks (this processor). They are comparable with the DHD being slightly better. The Tegra 2 is good, but if you want a dual core phone, it is probably a better idea to just wait for a phone packing the Orion (Samsung) or MSM8x60 (Qualcomm) which probably won’t come until late 2011. Couple that with the locked bootloader on the Bionic, the disappointing Revolution (no Tegra 2 even) and I’d say that this is the best of the first batch of LTE devices on Verizon.
I plan on getting the thunderbolt and would take it over any Motorola phone. Duel core out not. My wife has used the droid, droid x, and now the droid 2 and is done with motorola. Motorola’s phones are buggy and full of issues, and she’s constantly had to replace them. The droid x would restart on her every 10 minutes and would freeze up. The droid 2 keeps trying to use the voice search even when the phone is locked. Motorola phones and software are crap. Droid-life said that the thunderbolt is fast duel core or not and should be taken seriously.
Looks sick, but feature-wise is pretty weak. Dual-core and HDMI should be ubiquitous by now. Separate video adapter would be nice too.
Looks like they dropped the sensor/wheel from the design. Why?
Good points Ace. I do prefer the Sense on my Dinc to the Blur on my bro’s X. And i wasn’t aware of the benchmarks that these processors were putting up. My only concern about it not being dual core is how the battery life will fair at only 1400 mAh.
And i wouldn’t be so sure to count out the support that the Bionic will recieve. VZW usually takes care of their flagship devices. (Original Droid is still recieving updates)As a matter of fact, i believe this being exactly like the Moto Droid and Droid Eris was back in ’09.
Motorola makes the worst phones HTC forever Motorola is always glitchy and hard to mod why would anyone want that all HTC phones are smooth and made well.
Yes. Motorola and Verizon have been great about updates. All of their devices are up to spec. The Motorola Droid has really been favored over the years. It is interesting because the Droid Bionic seems to be coming to market around the time most Droid OG owners would be up for a new 2 year contract. Motorola’s high end devices are all on 2.2 and most other major midrange devices are on 2.1. Only one that got stiffed on Verizon was the Devour, and that was a crap to begin with. Although outside of the US Motorola hasn’t been as reliable. Just like Samsung here.
Say what you want but Verizon has been pretty solid on making sure their devices are taken care of.
I know I will pass on the Thunderbolt because I also want the Dual core but I hope the Bionic gets a bump in ram/rom. Plus Motorola is miles better on Battery life.
@Robert Manser
Yes. The HTC devices are made well, but I have yet to meet anyone who can get a full days use out of one. Yes Motorola is hard to Mod, but honestly most aren’t modding their phones. I know I can’t use an HTC device because I am out a lot and may not be able to charge it on the go as much. I prefer sense over blur, but I can just overlay adw or Zeam if that is the case.
i don’t do single-core, mid-range phones. #Fail
I can’t speak to the single vs. dual core until we can see side by side benchmarks…but no HDMI…are you serious!? I mean come on…I want my phone tied to my TV with a cord just like I once did as a kid with my TV remote.
I mean who wants wireless connection to our TV…I hear all the time people crying about the cord missing on their remotes…
4 Letters…DLNA
This isn’t a midrange phone, it is a high end phone. It will probably come out before the Motorola dual core devices making it the best phone in the country for a couple of months or so. The only dual-core announced in the US is the Motorola Atrix/Bionic with the Tegra 2. And based on benchmarks (from the Tegra 2 LG Star), this isn’t a huge step down (if it is a step down).
I, too want dual core but it might be better to wait for the Orion (Samsung) or MSM8x60 (Qualcomm).
I have been Incredibleized for months and I do like the HTC devices, but the battery… SHIT… I’ve got the double thick 2150 and I still have to charge it every night. I’m gonna wait for Bionic… By then, I will have had two or three months to play with the Xoom and I’ll be ready for a smaller platform to drive my wife crazy with.
those of you moaning about no hdmi – it does support dlna so you can stream it to your tv/xbox/ps3/pc and htc talked about a box which would support dnla and would connect to your tv back in september when the desire hd was launched
So I was a little disappointed about no HDMI or dual core but the thing that makes this phone worth it is sense UI. the moto”blob” software is junkie in my opinion. why would I want a phone that is buggy and slow? sure the droid phones are “fast” but when it comes to navigating around its really clunky and should be embarrassing for motorola to have it on such high end phones. to me the screen size + sense are the selling points. besides what in the hell are you going to be doing with the phone that would necessitate having a dual core processor for average daily use? and be honest with yourselves on that one.
This thing cant touch the Bionic. The Revolution maybe..
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The Bionic has too many features over it:
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HDMI mirroring, there will be no need for the Droid X HDMI app. (props to the dev for making that.)
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Dual core that is supposed to improve battery life, offer better multi tasking, increase performance
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Tegra 2 gpu that already has games optimized for Tegra 2
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A Tegra 2 app store. (payments for apps will be done thru Google payments)
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Higher screen res for a sharper display, 2nd only to the iPhone 4’s and that Chinese Android phone, the Meizu.
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Ships with a 1900 mAh battery, thats an extended for most phones.
……
The Thunderbolt has:
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More Ram, Sense UI and Super LCD. Hell, Samsung has already went one step further with Super Amoled Plus.
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Only Sense UI and 4G will save this phone…