I chose my ThunderBolt over the overrated Iphone4

Stevessvt · Jun 15, 2011

I chose my TB over the iPhone I had previously, but we are talking about a 2 month old phone vs. a year old phone lets not forget.

paduncan · Jun 15, 2011

JoJoCal19 said:
I have had the Verizon iPhone 4 since launch (had an AT&T one last year) and I had been looking at the Thunderbolt since before launch. I have had the original Droid, Droid X and Fascinate and I have missed the customizability of Android and the widgets so I had been wanting the Thunderbolt since launch. I picked one up last Friday to try out along with my iPhone 4.

I agree with your assessment except for the camera and the apps. No way in hell is the TB camera better. Under the right circumstances the TB takes almost as good photos but the iPhone 4 takes much better pictures in every other instance. The speed with which the iP4 snaps the shots with or without flash makes a huge difference when snapping pics of a child. I took several pictures of various objects and places on both cameras and compared them on the phone and on my laptop. iPhone 4 wins hands down. Video capture is also butter smooth on the iPhone 4 and is amazing, especially in outdoor shooting. The TB camcorder is good but not as smooth in its video capture.

As for apps, for the most part you can find a specific app in either store when it comes to major companies apps but I can tell you the quality of the iOS app is better, visually, functionality-wise and performance. Some apps just off the top of my head that are better than their counterparts on Android are BoA, Weatherchannel, KBB.com, Dropbox, Twitter, Flixster, ESPN ScoreCenter. Those are some that I'm using on both. Also I know I've been flamed before for saying this but Google Voice app is so much more polished and works better on the iOS app than the Android version.

At this point I'm having issues with the Thunderbolt randomly dropping data. I'm at the edge of 4G coverage but should still have it. When I pick up the phone and hit the power buttoon I have 4G but then it always drops to 3G, sometimes dropping to no data at all then 3G. I continually had instances where the phone would drop 4G coverage and come back. I tried factory wipe with no luck. I then did the MR2 leak and it does the same thing, however GPS is super fast.

I'm probably going to return the TB and wait for HTC to release a phone comparable to the Sensation or Evo 3D, on Verizon.

I've had a ton of experience with both iOS and Android and I like having both platforms. Each has their positives and negatives.

Excellent comparison.

I had a TB that did the same thing with respect to data dropping. I believe this to be a hardware issue. After swapping a new SIM card (which didn't fix the issue) I returned the phone for a CLNR and the phone I got does not have this problem at all.

One thing you can do to check is to go to a Verizon Wireless store and see if their display model is tracking what your phone is doing with respect to the data radio. If it isn't, you have a bad radio.

I am still glad I chose the TB for my phone over the iPhone - the removable battery alone makes this choice for me.

I also have an iPad 2 and I can appreciate each market (Apples vs. Android) and the pros and cons of each one. A phone I believe needs to be able to be tweaked more and be more personalized, while videos etc. are better handled on a tablet (so the netflix issue isn't an issue for me at all on the TBolt).

I much prefer the iTunes method of browsing / buying / downloading movies and music and the other apps for the iPad are just really smooth. I just got the Golf Digest app and it is f---ing sick. Interactive, with audio, etc. Ads just pop.

grossie · Jun 15, 2011

No one mentioned the fact that while the battery does suck on the tbolt (not as bad now that I'm rooted, I can go a whole day), at least it's changeable/removable. So, for less than $20 you can get 2 or 3 spares and when you travel and can't be by your charger you pop out the dead one and put in a new one. Pretty big advantage if you spend any time in coach class playing games or watching shows/movies on your phone. With the iphone the only option is to buy an external battery powered charger, which is certainly do-able, but not as cheap or easy as spare batteries.

paduncan · Jun 16, 2011

grossie said:
No one mentioned the fact that while the battery does suck on the tbolt (not as bad now that I'm rooted, I can go a whole day), at least it's changeable/removable. So, for less than $20 you can get 2 or 3 spares and when you travel and can't be by your charger you pop out the dead one and put in a new one. Pretty big advantage if you spend any time in coach class playing games or watching shows/movies on your phone. With the iphone the only option is to buy an external battery powered charger, which is certainly do-able, but not as cheap or easy as spare batteries.

Actually, I did - in the post right above yours:

I am still glad I chose the TB for my phone over the iPhone - the removable battery alone makes this choice for me.

My battery doesn't suck at all. I would say that I get about 2/3 the performance that I used to have on my Blackberry Bold; which didn't have nearly as large a screen, and I was on the BIS and not getting push mail. I have peak times setup on the TBolt between 7am and 2pm with push mail from work, and mail every 15 mins from my personal account. I can easily get through a day with the phone.

I think the top battery savers on the TBolt are:

-Kill the Blockbuster auto update
-Set your screen to 25% brightness, or at the least, auto
-Don't use push mail if you don't have to, or at least set peak times
-Make sure your data connectivity isn't jumping around from 4G to 1X. If it doesn't go to 3G and have a reasonably stable connection when you are in a 3G area, you have a faulty device.
-Turn off 4G if you aren't using it. I only turn this on if I plan on using my phone as a wireless hotspot. In general, 3G is fast enough for casual browsing; and only using 3G prevents the phone from switching back and forth from 4G to 3G. Yes, I know we all bought the TBolt for the 4G but as someone put it, battery technology just isn't there. Combine this with the huge screen, and the limited 4G coverage so the phone hops back and forth from 4G to 3G and you have a faster battery drain.
- If you really like to have the screen on all the time, get the extended battery. I personally like how the phone feels in my hands better with it, and it is easier to hold the phone between your shoulder and ear.

Whatstreet · Jun 16, 2011

The iPhone is for girls.

Karuk · Jun 16, 2011

Whatstreet said:
The iPhone is for girls.

200+ million women need tech support.

UBRocked · Jun 16, 2011

Yeah okay...we don't like the iPhone...we get it.

But no gender bashing please.

NoRegrets78 · Jun 17, 2011

Whatstreet said:
The iPhone is for girls.

Yes it is, hot sexy women who constantly have questions about what they can do with their phone and ask me about it because they know I'm into that stuff

chris2k5 · Jun 18, 2011

Thunderbolt is horrendous. That is why it isn't a hot seller and it has a huge return rate.

Treknologist · Jun 19, 2011

chris2k5 said:
Thunderbolt is horrendous. That is why it isn't a hot seller and it has a huge return rate.

And you have the data to support this claim, right?

dmunz · Jun 20, 2011

paduncan said:
Excellent comparison.

<snip>

One thing you can do to check is to go to a Verizon Wireless store and see if their display model is tracking what your phone is doing with respect to the data radio. If it isn't, you have a bad radio.

<snip>

How do yo do this? And besides working/not working what can it tell you?

TIA
DLM

amblue · Jun 21, 2011

I've actually been very pleased with my TB. The only issues I've had are with the phone getting slow after too many text messages filling the inbox but I can easily overcome that by either deleting the old text messages or using a different text messaging app. I previously had an IPhone 3GS and spent a lot of time considering getting the IPhone 4 based on my positive experiences with the 3GS, the amount of apps I had for it, and the fact that I wasn't sure how easy it would be to put all my iTunes music onto an android based phone. Fortunately, I spent some time looking at some android based phones that my friends have and doing some research and decided to give the TB a try.

Overall, I am very glad I got this phone and I like it more than the IPhone 4. The IPhone is more user friendly and has a longer battery but I haven't even had that much of an issue with my Thunderbolt's battery. I lowered the screen lighting, turn off the 4G unless I'm using it, blue tooth, and a few other small things and my phone lasts me easily my whole day. So far my phone hasn't gotten below 60% even though I'm making phone calls, check mail, send text messages, and listen to music. I had ordered an extended battery fearing the worse but once I started using the phone I realized I didn't even really need one.

I think that the TB has a lot more to offer with its 4G speeds, fast processor, 32 gigabyte micro SD card, unique customization, and even the kick stand comes in handy quite a bit more than I thought it would. I recently found some podcasts that I wanted to listen to that weren't supported by iTunes. I tried to download those podcasts to my old iPhone but it wasn't recognized by the phone because it didn't come from itunes. I then tried the same thing with my TB and had no issues at all.

Nomad1600 · Jun 21, 2011

I went from an older Apple iPhone 3G to the Thunderbolt and have been extremely happy with the phone so far. The iPhone battery length and simplicity are better than the TBolt and the display is brighter and easier to see in sunlight, but the call quality and sheer performance of the TBolt weighs the advantage to the TBolt.

I have also noticed that after adding JuiceDefender, making a few minor changes in settings (eg lowering screen brightness) the battery seems to be lasting a lot longer and I may just get an external charger and/or a second battery for the rare times that I may need more juice during the day or on a trip.

My biggest issues with the TBolt are fairly minor: NetFlix (though I am using HBOGo and its great), Skype, and (no fault of the phone) the lack of a way to connect my phone to my car's music system (no worries, my old iPhone can simply be a music device for my car). Oh, it appears I can't transfer my music from iTunes to my TBolt (again, not really the phones fault... appears I purchased most of my music when iTunes had DRM and so I will need to repurchase most of my music if I want it on the TBolt).

Treknologist · Jun 21, 2011

Nomad1600 said:
I went from an older Apple iPhone 3G to the Thunderbolt and have been extremely happy with the phone so far. The iPhone battery length and simplicity are better than the TBolt and the display is brighter and easier to see in sunlight, but the call quality and sheer performance of the TBolt weighs the advantage to the TBolt.

I have also noticed that after adding JuiceDefender, making a few minor changes in settings (eg lowering screen brightness) the battery seems to be lasting a lot longer and I may just get an external charger and/or a second battery for the rare times that I may need more juice during the day or on a trip.

My biggest issues with the TBolt are fairly minor: NetFlix (though I am using HBOGo and its great), Skype, and (no fault of the phone) the lack of a way to connect my phone to my car's music system (no worries, my old iPhone can simply be a music device for my car). Oh, it appears I can't transfer my music from iTunes to my TBolt (again, not really the phones fault... appears I purchased most of my music when iTunes had DRM and so I will need to repurchase most of my music if I want it on the TBolt).

Glad to see you like the phone.

Just curious, how did you transfer your music? Did you use iSyncr or DoubleTwist? I believe that may solve the DRM issue.

Does you car have a regular auxiliary input? You may be able to connect the phone that way.

Nomad1600 · Jun 21, 2011

Treknologist said:
Glad to see you like the phone.

Just curious, how did you transfer your music? Did you use iSyncr or DoubleTwist? I believe that may solve the DRM issue.

Does you car have a regular auxiliary input? You may be able to connect the phone that way.

Thanks for the suggestions and questions. I downloaded and tried DoubleTwist. Still only seems to work with non-DRM songs (so I can transfer a few of the more recent songs I purchased). I also tried simply copying to a flash drive... same problem, same result. Unless there is something I am doing wrong (which wouldn't surprise me).

And on the car, its a 2008 Infiniti G35 that comes with a cable out of the armrest area that has Apple iPhone/Ipod connector. It has a special connector at the car end of that cable. There are three RCA jacks (the normal red white yellow) you often see for audio and video connections. And a lighter connection. So unfortunately, no simple headphone jack. I believe I saw some discussion about streaming audio to the car but I wasn't able to make that happen either. The iPhone connected works great, seems a shame I can't get a connector cable to do the same with the Android, but as I said, using the iPhone as a music device isn't a bad workaround.

ekyle · Jun 21, 2011

GrandMasterB said:
So how does the comparison of battery life between the ThunderBolt and iPhone effect your new Samsung Charge? Unless of course your just looking for another reason to complain about the Bolt again

And I owned both and if you actually use the iPhone, ie streaming Slacker, and not just leave it in standby they are both down to 50% by lunch time....

GMB

You have a good point. The iPhone's good battery is really a result of better idle power management. Android will get there

It's still new

Treknologist · Jun 22, 2011

Nomad1600 said:
Thanks for the suggestions and questions. I downloaded and tried DoubleTwist. Still only seems to work with non-DRM songs (so I can transfer a few of the more recent songs I purchased). I also tried simply copying to a flash drive... same problem, same result. Unless there is something I am doing wrong (which wouldn't surprise me).

And on the car, its a 2008 Infiniti G35 that comes with a cable out of the armrest area that has Apple iPhone/Ipod connector. It has a special connector at the car end of that cable. There are three RCA jacks (the normal red white yellow) you often see for audio and video connections. And a lighter connection. So unfortunately, no simple headphone jack. I believe I saw some discussion about streaming audio to the car but I wasn't able to make that happen either. The iPhone connected works great, seems a shame I can't get a connector cable to do the same with the Android, but as I said, using the iPhone as a music device isn't a bad workaround.

Why don't you give iSyncr a try? You may also want to contact the developer and get a definitive answer from them about DRM. At least you can use the iPhone as a music player still.

Ah, so your car is only set up for iDevices. I think car manufacturers are starting to realize people have other devices they want to plug in and now include a standard aux input.

Sauk · Jun 22, 2011

iPhone 4 camera is simply awesome! The phone itself is very very well built which is really nice.

But as most know the UI is beyond old at this time. It needs to be updated again.

UBRocked · Jun 22, 2011

Sauk said:
iPhone 4 camera is simply awesome! The phone itself is very very well built which is really nice.

But as most know the UI is beyond old at this time. It needs to be updated again.

iOS 5 is gonna be a huge improvement. Of course, its looking more and more like Android so maybe that has something to do with it.

Pull down notification bar?...Where do they think up these ideas? LOL

ekyle · Jun 22, 2011

UBRocked said:
iOS 5 is gonna be a huge improvement. Of course, its looking more and more like Android so maybe that has something to do with it.

Pull down notification bar?...Where do they think up these ideas? LOL

I wonder if they'll find a way to patent it

I chose my ThunderBolt over the overrated Iphone4

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