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We’ve seen plenty of HTC Thunderbolt cases showing up over the past week, despite the fact that a rumored February 14th release date seems to be giving way to an a second rumored February 24th release date. While the first group of cases we saw landed at Best Buy, if I’m not mistaken this is the first group to be found at a Verizon retail store.
The bunch features three different cases: a “high gloss” silicone cover, a snap-on hard cover, and a combo hard case with gel cover all with kickstand cutouts. Interestingly, the hard cover alone and the hard cover/gel combo both cost $24.99, while the gel cover by itself goes for $19.99. We would love to sprinkle in some “well the cases are at Verizon, maybe it will show up sooner than the 24th” speculation, but with the way this release date keeps fluctuating we don’t want to add to the fire. At least we know that when it does show up casing options will be ample.
why are people so excited about Thunderbolt?? it’s not even dual core like the optimus 2x, atrix 4g, or bionix…. it’s just EVO 4G for Verizon (as far as features.. 8 mega pixel, front facing camera, 4g) what is so good about thunderbolt that people are craving this phone?? (i’m not trying to bash thunderbolt i’m just curious) plus to me i think HTC phones are boring now…. they all look the so similar evo4g, thunderbolt, shift 4g, G2, hd2, hd7, etc…. i wanna see some changes like LG, Samsung, and Motorola is doing…
Hehe can’t wait to check out the ThunderBolt, one of my co-workers is buying one and I’m going to help him mod it and all. :)
@ DAVE,
I agree!! It’s just a rebranded Desire HD. And with the Desire HD 2 supposedly going to be announced in a few days, those buying the Thunderbolt for a whopping $249!! are the same people that thought buying the Verizon iphone4 is a great idea!
first of all its a lot faster than the evo..and verizon doesnt have a evo 4g so thats y we want one? who cares if its not “dual core”..honestly if u think dual core is that much faster than the thunderbolt or any of these phones with the new single core processors than you dont know what ur talking about..and to me motorola is boring.. i have one right now..nothing special at all..HTC FTW
From my understanding the thunderbolt is more than just a renamed evo for verizon. It has more memory and the updated UI as well. Not to mention the latest snapdragon. It does suck it isn’t dual core, but at this point in time phones wouldn’t be able to fully utilize the full capability of that anyway. For the majority of potential buyers, this is more than enough phone. For others, (on verizon) the bionic may be worth the wait for dual core. Though Moto Blur isn’t quite as well liked in general. Both blow the iPhone4 away though no doubt.
I am on the Eris right now. This phone is well worth the upgrade. My contract is due now and I do not want to wait until June to upgrade because of how slow my current phone is. I am running the latest roms but the device is just too underpowered for what I need. Bring on the Thunderbolt!!!
Anyone who says the Thunderbolt and Evo are the same are very blind, to put it nicely. Ryan (#5), you sir can see the light! Besides, the Thunderbolt is on Verizon so you can actually get a signal. It’s alrady been confirmed, on here, that the Bionic will not have Moto Blur.
The thunderbolt looks to be a proven design. A few thing about the dual core phones is they are just now coming out.
Supposedly the current version of Android does not fully support dual core processors. Also looking at the specs for the processor, the thunderbolt draws 500mA max as most dual cores draw about 1 to 1.2 amps when fully utilized.
Haha its a single core only the niave would buy this rebranded phone.
I wonder if its back on feb 14th schedule with the poor iphone demand
i can has dual core?
Its a bigger faster 4g incredible is how i look at it, which has been by far the best most reliable phone i have ever had. With upgraded sense, latest snapdragon, and its not motorola, its most certainly the best option out there as of right now. Only reason i was ever jealous of droid x was screen size, and now it’s almost here….
@ aberkae
“Haha its a single core only the niave would buy this rebranded phone.”
Only the absolute clueless would think that until software is written for it, and the system supports it, that dual core means a darned thing. Please actually do some research before posting.
@ aberkae
“Haha its a single core only the niave would buy this rebranded phone.”
Only the absolute clueless would think that until software is written for it, and the system supports it, that dual core means a darned thing. Please actually do some research before posting.
The Thunderbolt is superior to the evo in all kinds of areas. If you can’t figure it all out, I’m sorry for you, but I’ll give you a hint…it’s the fastest phone on what is by far the fastest 4G network on the planet (confirmed at CES 2011).
What a nice V-Day surprise if this comes out on the 14th. If will be even nicer if it is fully functional. My wife will hate it though because I’ll be playing with mine most of the night.
The Thunderbolt is superior to the evo in all kinds of areas. If you can’t figure it all out, I’m sorry for you, but I’ll give you a hint…it’s the fastest phone on what is by far the fastest 4G network on the planet (confirmed at CES 2011).
What a nice V-Day surprise if this comes out on the 14th. If will be even nicer if it is fully functional. My wife will hate it though because I’ll be playing with mine most of the night.
There are plenty of differences between the evo and thunderbolt, including a lot more storage and faster RAM for the TB. check out this video comparing the two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-3MOvuPFvU
I dont care if is not dual core or single care, for me I dont like Motorola Phones periods, Jeez its a phone not a PC I want to run Crysis on. I love the Thunderbolt because of the formfactor, i like the 768mb of Ram and the 1.2 Newgen Snapdragon. I loved the what the Evo felt in my hand, and the ThunderBolt Resembles it so much plus it comes with LTE. Im so excited for its release on the 24th.
this is NOT a rebranded EVO. it is an updated snapdragon processor which blows away they old one that the evo runs. sure, the dual cores will be faster….in 6 months or whenever they may actually launch. i’ve been waiting a year for a front facing cam (i skype often) and i happen to be in an LTE market. so if i can get an LTE device with a front face cam now, then i want it. maybe the bionic and the others will be worth the wait to some of you. i prefer htc to moto and since samsung STILL hasn’t upgraded to froyo, they are simply NOT an option. this also has 8 gigs internal (evo has 1) and is loaded with a 32 gig micro sd (evo ships with a 16 gig i think?). skype is built in (not an app. but if you really want to see them head to head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-3MOvuPFvU
Ryan pretty much hit the nail on the head, not to mention those of us that were tied to a contract with Verizon until recently were not able to get the Evo. So a game changing phone like the Evo being slightly upgraded ( an Evo 4gs if you will) being offered on my network of choice is a huge thing imo.
HTC Pyramid will put this to shame
I think this is more than enough to say why this is superior to the EVO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-3MOvuPFvU
One thing for sure, you don’t have to doubt the performance of this device. Everyone who has reviewed it has said it’s really fast and super smooth. People don’t get it. LTE gives this phone the killer advantage with zero latency on Verizon’s awesome new network. This alone makes the Thunderbolt a must-have device. Besides, Nvidia is just the first to drop their Tegra 2. We still have the new chips from Qualcomm and Texas Instruments that have yet to be released, but are right around the corner. Bottom line, do you really want to wait until summer for the Pyramid or Bionic or do you want a new phone now? (avoid Samsung and LG if you can help it)
I dont care if is not dual core or single care, for me I dont like Motorola Phones periods, Jeez its a phone not a PC I want to run Crysis on. I love the Thunderbolt because of the formfactor, i like the 768mb of Ram and the 1.2 Newgen Snapdragon. I loved the what the Evo felt in my hand, and the ThunderBolt Resembles it so much plus it comes with LTE. Im so excited for its release on the 24th. Hardware wise the ThunderBolt is nothing like an Evo and if you believe that your “Naive” called BestBuy and Rep told me 24th.
@Nathan.. My friend is stuck with the Eris another six months and says its hardly functionally and not supported for any updates. Is this inaccurate and if so, could you tell me how to help him?
I cant believe people are actually saying they want to wait for the dual cores…You misewell wait for the quad core phones while youre at it. Technology is everchanging and if youre always wanting the latest technology, well, you better have a lot of f*$#%&* money. I thought about waiting for the Iphone 5…but whats the point? HTC thunderbolt is solid. Why do we need dual core phones anyway? If you want to game on your phone or load a website 3 seconds faster, buy a PSP or something.
People are wxcited about it because although it is not dual core it has 700 MB of Ram opposed to the 500 MB of Ram on the Dual Cores. Therefore making it similar in overall speed. Also, the bionic does not take updates to its software( if android updates its software the bionic takes a step back from other phones that can).
Last point is Battery life has yet to catch up with cell phone capabilities. a power hungry dual core can only mean a even shorter battery life
We know dual cores are out on the horizon, but that is 6 months away, who knows what the battery life will be? I hear there are issues right now with it. We know this new snapdragon is the fastest thing right now. Dual core could be a failure in phones, you never know what will happen. No use buying a DVD, HD DVD is on the horizon, we know how that turned out.
Wow.
everyone saying dual-core is so much better is obviously very “Hypey”. Every review is basically showing the dual core to be a bit laggy and slow. this obviously means that phones can’t utilize dual-core abilities in normal phone function as well as they should. As far as i’m concerned, i’m going to be getting the best phone on the market with 40GB of memory, a 2nd gen 1Ghz chip, and a beautiful sense 2.0 UI, not moto-crap
As much as I was all about the Bionic during CES coverage, I’m not sure how much I’d actually need the dual core processor. The Thunderbolt is supposed to be really fast (faster than the Bionic using the current OS, but who knows how much better it’ll be when android is optimized for dual-core…), and it’s coming out this month, whereas the Bionic is coming out this summer. I figure if I get a 1 year contract now, by the time the bionic comes out I’ll be 1/3 of the way to my next upgrade :)
i want that double-cover when i get this phone
i want that double-cover when i get this phone
Reason to get the Thunderbolt: Ummm because the dual core phones are months away. Also the unliited plans are going to disapear and from what i know the Thunderbold will still be $30 unlimited!!!!
Simple answer its a win win….oh and by the way…please explain to me what the point of the DUAL CORE phone is? When there are ZERO apps on android that use the single to its max!!! Android is what it is…. there are no applications in the market. HTC gives you a more polished os!!!! The games the demod on the dual core droid phones are the same games that have been on th iphone for a year. The galaxy S was to be the gaming phone…. ummm what games?
Reason to get the Thunderbolt: Ummm because the dual core phones are months away. Also the unliited plans are going to disapear and from what i know the Thunderbold will still be $30 unlimited!!!!
Simple answer its a win win….oh and by the way…please explain to me what the point of the DUAL CORE phone is? When there are ZERO apps on android that use the single to its max!!! Android is what it is…. there are no applications in the market. HTC gives you a more polished os!!!! The games the demod on the dual core droid phones are the same games that have been on th iphone for a year. The galaxy S was to be the gaming phone…. ummm what games?
@Donny,
You are one of the few that actually gets it. I commend you. Everyone else: spec whores! That said, for what the phone is, it truly is a bit pricey. I hope we don’t see this trend in smarthone pricing creaping up. That just had to squeeze hat extra $50 out of the MSRP.
Why is this phone still “rumored” and not “upcoming” on Phandroid?
At any rate, I agree that people are bound to be excited about the Thunderbolt because this is the first Verizon 4G phone. I’m due for a new phone Feb 22nd and will be picking this up myself… Nothing better is coming up on Verizon for months.
So the 14th or the 24th for the release date?
TO be honest to all of you motorola already stated that they optimized and tweaked 2.2 so that dual core will be fully supported. There not just going to bust out dual core and not have it supported. They stated this at ces. So people that want to beleive that dual cores wont be supported are just dillusional because they cant wait anymore to have a new phone like the thunderbolt. Now for the last peice, Thunderbolt is going to be a good phone ffc first one on verizon more ram new chipset and reviews that already say its smooth the only problem that I have is HTC sense it is just bad and I dont know how anyone likes that skin
@bella yeah it is a bit much. But i think there testing the market for the 4g Phones.
I dont really understand why people are bashing this phone. it will be a great phone. Yeah, there are phone that are coming out down the line that will be better but guess what..there will be phones that will be better than those coming out not too long after those are out too. its an endless cycle people so stop bashing this phone saying that there are better ones coming out. There will always be better ones coming out. I had a G1 for over 2 years and the screen went out on me over a month ago so i had to buy a temp phone to get me through until this comes out. The Droid Bionic has some features I really like but there is no chance i can wait that long. I’m more of an HTC guy anyway.
I just left my local Best Buy and they said their instructions for release still say “February 14, subject to change”. I just want to get rid of my BB!!
Even if moto does have an optimized os for dual core, still wouldn’t matter much as the apps arent
lol
this phone looks so good its has mobile hot spot it will support upto 8!!!devices. it beated the drois in both quadrant standar scores and neo gaming scores!! its faster than the dual core motorola. this phone is the best no doubt
only thing is i wished it had a better front facing camara
ALL,
THE THUNDERBOLT WILL BE OUT ON THE 14TH OF FEBRUARY. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY.
i got the iphone on verizon i could wait till 24
all Android phone OS are the same…..
Pics of Thunderbolt’s Advertising materials that were pulled from a verizon kiosk
Not all android phones are the same, there are proprietary versions of the launcher. HTC’s Sense UI is quite nice, smooth feel and fancy widgets. But my Sprint Hero, w/ its 512MHz, just doesn’t have the balls to run it. Laggy. Evo, and certainly the Thunderbolt, runs it quite nice.
For keeping the phone feeling young by rootin, OCin and quicker ROMs. Tryin to keep from buying an Evo to see what comes to Sprint next. (Sprint 4g not here til Q3 or Q4 anyway. :P)
All iOS are the same …. but atleast android offer alot of SELECTION on hardware while iphone is either 16gb or 32gb
How about.. HTC = ROOT
Moto..not so much..
Look, the Thunderbolt is THE fastest phone in the world on quadrent scores with a 1987, over 30 higher then the MyTouch 4G. And there are speculations as to if the dual core will even be able to use both at the same time. Also, the Bionic is so far away, that the unlimited data plan might be gone! Compared to the Evo, it has a newer version of the 1ghz Snapdragon processor, and more RAM, allowing its quadrent scores to almost double. As far as price is concerned… I think it is stepp because its 4G, not because of some change in phone prices… there has to be a reason in there somewhere, and I believe that’s it.
You say a thing enough times people will continue to say it as if truth.. There was even a post here on Android from NVIDIA, telling you that the OS and apps DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DUAL CORES.. but again.. on the next story about a dual core phone.. somebody will again say.. “but the OS does not support the dual cores”.. not true.. That does not mean that this single core phone is not a good phone.
@Rob
Apparently some people don’t know the difference between Rooting and a locked bootloader.
I think it is a matter of opinion and what everyone sees as important to them… Nathan (#6), I agree with you. I currently have the Droid Eris and it is VERY outdated. I have had it only a year and the phone is ridiculously slow. I personally can’t wait until the Thunderbolt gets here. Don’t really understand the dual case though… I guess I just need to see outside-the-box pics.
Well to the all looking the same thing, I have a my touch 4g and it’s both fast, and looks a little different. Also these new snap dragons are lewis and bounds better than the old ones. I had a evo before this phone so I know. This thing is buttery smooth at everything gpu test with the nexus s and quadrants at 2700. Fps steady 60. I’ll wait for quads/duals to be made reliable.you saw the first snapdragon and second ones, would you rather have T2 or T3.
Dennis, the os does not yet support it. That is fact.
@tim242
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4144/lg-optimus-2x-nvidia-tegra-2-review-the-first-dual-core-smartphone/7 …..
Just so you dont have to read too much.. Android is, and has always been based upon the Linux kernel.. which supports multi-threading and multiple cores.. and has since day one.. Anandtech proves it in their review. All the BS about not supporting came from rumors and speculation of delays on some phones.. people thinking that Android had to be reworked, and this was why such and such was delayed.. THIS IS A FACT.. Android supports multi cores
Yes, it will support multiple cores. Individual apps won’t support them at the moment but if you have multiple apps running or background syncing enabled you should be able to see a difference.
I just talked to 2 BB reps and they are telling me it is coming out today (2/14). How is there no article about this on Phandroid? I’ve seen Thunderbolt ads on this site along with CNN.com today.
The original release date for the htc thunderbolt was pushed back to avoid the possibility of customers looking to return their iPhone 4 within their 14 day trial period to get a piece of Verizon’s first 4G phone wtf is a iphone 4 sounds out of date me to
for that said it wont drop till the 28th of feb not the 14th not the 24th but the 28th ahh kick rocks if ur hatein on the thunderbolt
I’m most excited about the fact you can be on the phone and internet at the same time. Also it’s on Verizon the best network. Built in mobile hotspots for up to 8 phones.
By the time it’s actually released there will already be 15 “better” phones planned for release within a couple months. Instead of jumping the gun, I’m going to wait until summer and have a few choices to compare. Although HTC makes nice phones, I’m seeing some shortcomings on the Thunderbolt.
The battery is whimpy (a 1400mAh??? even the Evo has a 1500mAh and it’s BIGGEST problem is/was battery life!!)
Android 2.2 (STILL?!!!)
single core processor (I’m sure it’s fast enough and FINE, but it should drop the phone out of the PREMIUM PRICE category!!!! single 1ghz processors are standard base processors now, NOT high end!!!)
WVGA display (but can record in 720p HD? why not play in HD too? Especially since it’s got Dolby SRS… hear in good sound, but not watch in HD? again NOT PREMIUM PRICE material!!!) (a side note… what good is Dolby SRS on a cell phone speaker???? waste of money)
no HDMI port (how are you going to output those 720p videos you can record to your HD TV?)
This doesn’t seem much better than the EVO. I know the EVO is a GREAT phone, I love the EVO… but the Thunderbolt costs $50-$100 more than the EVO and it’s not much different. And since it’s so similar to the EVO, why is it taking so long to release? Even the Evo 4g is available aready on Sprint. It’s not actually much better than the Incredible either, aside from the larger screen. I had been excited, because I know HTC has a good record and makes really nice phones… but I’ve been excited for 2 months now and it’s waning… quickly. This is entering as a Premium Phone, but really is a midrange standard now… should only cost $150.00