The HTC Thunderbolt is one of the latest Android smartphones released. Its 4G connection is lightning quick, but it doesn’t end there. Being of the Android type, it sports a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Its display is 4.3 inch and WVGA, and its camera is 8 megapixels, making it one of the better phones around. In fact, many would argue that the HTC Thunderbolt is the best of the HTC smartphones, at least for its size.
The packaging is simple, yet effective. It is simply a strong box, completely black from the outside. No images, flashy writing, in fact there is nothing at all apart from the name of the phone, and that’s black too, so you have to feel your way to it, and the only reason you can actually read it is because of the embossment.
Once opened, the package may surprise you, as instead of black, it is now bright red. Inside, there are the usual pieces of phone, USB charger, and micro USB cable. The box, unlike many others, does not contain any earphones. That may be just as well, because if you do have a good phone, rubbish earphones can really spoil the sound, so it’s best to buy some decent ones, and in the Thunderbolt, you don’t have an option.
Once you take the phone into your hands, you can immediately feel the weight. It’s large, and quite heavy, but some would say that that extra weight does make it seem a bit more elite, although 20% more than the iPhone will certainly put some buyers off. The design itself is a relatively good one, one of its best features being the built in stand. The phone does feel slightly last generation, but that certainly does not make it bad.
The thickness of the Thunderbolt means that its camera is slightly back from the surface, so you don’t have to be worried where you put it down. The speaker sits just behind the kickstand, and is relatively loud, although the large piece of metal that is the kickstand doesn’t help with the sound, making it slightly quieter. The camera also has two LEDs which act as a flash.
Under the battery cover (which is very nearly impossible to take off) you find the very powerful 1400Ah battery and the micro SD card slot. Luckily, both the 32 GB micro-SD card and the battery come preinstalled, so there isn’t really much need to pry off the cover, except to insert your SIM card.
The screen is great, though it does look a tiny bit pixellated being WVGA and 4.3 inch. The audio is great, or at least good, and the only real problem is the muffling caused by the kickstand and the slight lack of loudness in earphones. The camera is good, as far as 8mpx goes, and has great video quality. There are however problems. A lack of macro mode means that close ups are a definite no-no and the light metering does cause problems with backlit shots.
The software and speed are some of the best on the market making this by far one of the fastest data handsets out there. All in all many say that this is one of the best Android phones, and even though it is still beaten, as far as looks go, by the Inspire, its speed does make it superb as a data handset.