HTC Thunderbolt Review-From a biased X Owner - Edited!

[faber78]

3. Plug it in and recharge it - what's the big deal?

-Mike

battery life is a big deal to a lot of people, obviously.
plug ins arent always available.
the fact that i even responded to this drives me nuts.
---------------------------------------

look people, the guy was nice enough to write a review in his own free time, digging on him for not posting a dam link to the specs or any other crap is a waste. be thankful he bothered to give you more insight into HIS OPINION of a phone you were interested in knowing about (either that or you are reading this thread just to find a reason to argue).

a simple "thank you" or giving your opinion in polite discussion should work.

oh, i almost forgot to throw this up as though it makes up for my insulting comments ....

 

[digdug1]

i came to the x from the d1 and from the x to the thunderbolt. let me say that AOSP is my main reason for getting this phone. im in a currently 3g only area. it is like the best of both worlds for me. the screen size of my x and the unlocked bootloader i enjoyed on my d1!

that said i really like sense though lol!

 

[Teegunn]

This is gonna sound dumb (but then, I specialize in dumb questions), but when you speak of the relevant "brightness" of the two phones, have you unchecked the auto brightness control and manually set the things to the same level - so you're comparing apples to apples, and not apples to oranges?

I don't find the Droid X to be brighter at all. I crank my display ALL the way up on my DX as well as my HTC Inspire and find the colors on the Inspire to be more vibrant. Not dimmer or brighter, but more vibrant.

-Mike

Uhh, of course I have. No matter if both phones are set to lowest, brightest, auto, the DX has a FAR brigther display. And of course I have them set to the same settings at the same time. One wouldn't think that would need to be explained, but I did just to clear up any confusion. Just check some youtube vids, or better yet, go into the closest place that has a Tbolt and compare for yourself. It's night and day difference. It's not even about color correctness, just basically the backlight is dim on the bolt in comparison. Beyond that, it seems to be an nice display, but not eye catchingly so. FWIW, I keep my DX at autobrightness unless I'm laying in bed with the lights off then I keep it at the dimmest setting.

 

[Teegunn]

I did a quick youtub search, fist hit shows what I am talking about - DX on top, Tbolt on bottom. Huge difference in brightness/backlighting.

YouTube - HTC ThunderBolt vs Motorola DROID X web browsing times

 

[Teegunn]

And let me state - I REALLY wanted a reason to use my upgrade before the one year contracts were up. But the dimmer display combined with the Tbolt just not being that much of an upgrade (I have no 4G where I live either) has led me to believe I'll wait till something like the SGS 2 finally hits Big Red.

 

[bigbadwulff]

I saw one Thunderbolt. It looked very nice. VERY clean look. I will stick with the X though. I'm not one that has to have the "latest and greatest" .....or am I

 

[Martimus]

I did a quick youtub search, fist hit shows what I am talking about - DX on top, Tbolt on bottom. Huge difference in brightness/backlighting.

The challenge with that analogy goes back to what others have stated... brightness on the screen is and will always be highly subjective based on the phones settings and the individuals eye sight.

What looks great to you may well look horrible to someone else. This is simply the way it is... and discussion will rarely, if ever, change this.

 

[Teegunn]

The challenge with that analogy goes back to what others have stated... brightness on the screen is and will always be highly subjective based on the phones settings and the individuals eye sight.

What looks great to you may well look horrible to someone else. This is simply the way it is... and discussion will rarely, if ever, change this.

I understand that - not everyone wants the same thing - nor was I saying they do or should. My point was simply the DX has a brighter backlit display than the Tbolt. Others may prefer the display that the Tbolt has, I do not. I prefer the brighter display of my DX. If the two phones swapped displays, I'd be rocking a Tbolt right now to be honest.

 

[deekum1627]

great write up.my wife is having alot of trouble with her droid x lately and we are on the 6 phone this month so im tring to get them to let her ger the tb but idk if thats gonna hanppen but im getting sick of returning phones every few days

 

[Outlaw71]

Why did I think the T-Bolt was a dual core?

Still waiting on your write-up on rooting. If it's anything like rooting an EVO 4G then my guess is you weren't thrilled with the process. This past weekend I rooted 3 of my friends EVO's, and it was a pain in the butt! There is no '1-click root' like we have for the DX. You have to download a program (Unrevolked) to your computer, then plug the phone in while in HBoot and push it onto it. It took 3 tries with all three devices. Very primative compared to Z4Root that we enjoy on our Moto DX's.

The thing I didn't realize about not having an unlooked bootloader is that there's more to it than just flashing a new ROM. You also have a slew of kernels to choose from to flash as well. You don't want a sense kernel if you're flashing an ASOP ROM, and vice versa. But there are several ASOP kernels to choose from. I didn't have a whole lot of time to figure it out, but it made the process seem a bit more involved that what I'm used to.

But I'm up for it. I got a taste of CyanogenMod 7 on the EVO and I want it!!!

(not the EVO, the Cyanogenmod)

 

[Thats]

Oh yeah. The root method. Haha. I'll talk about that later today. I am currently writing a paper and filling out paperwork for classes. Check back at, oh 4-5'ish (CST).

 

[faber78]

did a samsung captivate and it messed me all up, then got the hang of it and just rooted without kernal mod or lag fix with an upgrade to froyo (hasnt been released for it yet)....
later did a evo and it was gravy except that i didnt realize right off that this s-off or whatever was messing with it, so that caused me to have to keep hitting allow su....until i read that there was a zip file i could flash to make sure s-off was off....after that was all good.

anyway, hope that helps someone.

 

[jamor]

In conclusion:
I am very happy with the purchase of my HTC Thunderbolt, but there were only two reasons why I bought this phone: The chance of locking in grandfather status for 4G unlimited plans and unlocked bootloader. If you have an upgrade and really want to have the chance of locking in, go for it. You will not be disappointed. If you just want to have a phone with full-unlocked bootloader, be happy with your Droid X. You have root and ROMS; there is no need to come to this phone. I see this phone as the last of the single-core phones.

Good point. I am really thinking of getting the Thunderbolt simply so I can be grandfathered into unlimited 4G/LTE for 2 years...

The huge downfall of the X is that you cannot modify the KERNEL. This is the blood and guts of the phone. If you can't put in a modified kernel to help make it smoother or faster or to get better battery life, then that is a huge deal breaker for me. Modified Kernels have made my current phone SO much better. That is also why I will never try the Moto Bionic.. or any Motorola product.. leaving me with one option, keep my current phone or get the Thunderbolt before the unlimited LTE disappears.

 

[JB in AZ]

...
The huge downfall of the X is that you cannot modify the KERNEL. This is the blood and guts of the phone. If you can't put in a modified kernel to help make it smoother or faster or to get better battery life, then that is a huge deal breaker for me. Modified Kernels have made my current phone SO much better. That is also why I will never try the Moto Bionic.. or any Motorola product.. leaving me with one option, keep my current phone or get the Thunderbolt before the unlimited LTE disappears.

Only as a counterpoint...I disagree. And I know this will not be a popular point of view.

Having come to the DX just recently, I find the stock kernel quite sufficient. Everything works as expected: screens swipe without stutter, pushing the dial button, actually dials the number, and pushing the end call button, actually ends the call. Not much more than 3 months ago, I was using a Sprint HTC Hero, and that needed a modded kernel in the worst way. With the processor speed Moto has in the DX, the large internal memory, and reportedly the best battery performance in the smart phone world, I really don't see the need to change the kernel. There are many ROMs and themes to change the way it looks...

Now, on general principals, yes, I agree we should be able modify the product that we bought, understanding that will void any warranty.

Between the Incredible and the DX, as I have said before, the DX has better low signal call quality, and better sounding calls all together. Didn't consider the TB.

 

[Thats]

Edited for you Outlaw and others wanting to know my rooting review!

 

[DroidXer24]

Awesome review!

 

[Outlaw71]

Only as a counterpoint...I disagree. And I know this will not be a popular point of view.

Having come to the DX just recently, I find the stock kernel quite sufficient. Everything works as expected: screens swipe without stutter, pushing the dial button, actually dials the number, and pushing the end call button, actually ends the call. Not much more than 3 months ago, I was using a Sprint HTC Hero, and that needed a modded kernel in the worst way. With the processor speed Moto has in the DX, the large internal memory, and reportedly the best battery performance in the smart phone world, I really don't see the need to change the kernel. There are many ROMs and themes to change the way it looks...

Now, on general principals, yes, I agree we should be able modify the product that we bought, understanding that will void any warranty.

Between the Incredible and the DX, as I have said before, the DX has better low signal call quality, and better sounding calls all together. Didn't consider the TB.

Hey if you dig the stock kernel on the DX then that's great my man, I'm glad you're enjoying your new device as much as you are. Heck anyone who's content with the DX and the locked bootloader, I'm not mad at ya. If the phone works for you as is then there's no reason to look any further.

There are a lot of people however that enjoy tinkering to the max and tweaking out everything we possibly can. I belong to that group of people. When I saw all the kernels I could flash on the EVO my mouth began to water. I know how much fun I've had flashing Apex, GummyJAR, Ultimate Droid, DarkSlide, Liberty, Rubix, Tranquility and the leaked Gingerbread ROM. Just thinking about all the possibilities that lie behind some of those custom kernels combined with any number of the ROMs available for the EVO made my head spin with excitement!

That's the experience I'm looking towards with my next device. Which is why the Bionic doesn't interest me one iota. If it had an unlocked bootloader? Then that would be another story. But I know it won't, so I'm not even going to entertain the thought. Rumors are swirling around the Targa being the next Nexus device... I find that very hard to believe, but if it were true... oh boy!!!

I'm currently waiting on my LG G2x to arrive in the mail. I ordered it on Tuesday, but it's still processing (Damn it man!!!). Vanilla Android, unlocked bootloader, and they're already working on the CyanogenMod7 nightlies... my knees go weak when I think of the possibilities!

Now I'll be keeping the DX instead of trying to sell it. I doubt it would bring very much now anyways, but honestly why would I give this bad boy up? I can still use it as my full-time GPS/Music player in my car. My kids can use it like a mini-tablet when I connect it to the hotspot on my G2x. And IF they ever were to break the bootloader on this son of a gun... WATCH OUT!!! I honestly think this thing has so much potential that Moto had to lock it down to keep us from printing our own money and transporting ourselves to Mars and back... you know, stuff like that!

So anyways, great review Thats, I'm glad you're enjoying your new device. However I have to say bro... I do NOT envy the new crowd you're going to be hanging out with over there. I've been lurking over there a little bit here and there, and man that is the rudest crowd I've come across since joining Phandroid back in August of last year. SERIOUSLY!!! Check out this thread for instance...

http://androidforums.com/htc-thunderbolt/322232-smart-me-buy-thunderbolt-now-outdated.html

This guy came in asking very genuine questions, very well spoken, not confrontational at all... and he get's responses like...

"Cliff notes please"
"DO NOT BUY... THANK YOU"
and...
"Use the SEARCH function"...

WTF???

Not the kind of welcome I'm used to seeing given around here. Their stand-offish behavior compelled me (and I don't even have a damn T-Bolt) to send the guy a private message apologizing for their lack of hospitality. I guess I might be spoiled by all the patient, warm and caring people here on the DX forum, I dunno. But I know if he'd have asked that question around here there would have been quite a bit more information given to him than just, "use the SEARCH".

And that was one of the nicer threads I've seen. A lot of them get pretty ugly. If you happen upon a thread where someone has something negative to say about the phone, it's like walking into a knife fight! I get the distinct impression that the majority of the members over there are young and uninterested in other peoples concerns. They're just there to praise their handset of choice.

Not that this forum didn't resemble that kind of attitude a little when I first joined. Those who wandered in here with less than high praise for the DX were met with lazer beam eyeballs and acid tongues I will admit. But now it seems SOOO much more laid back.

Perhaps that's because all those young, uninterested peeps have moved on to bigger and better devices.... eh?

lol

 

[Thats]

That's the experience I'm looking towards with my next device. Which is why the Bionic doesn't interest me one iota. If it had an unlocked bootloader? Then that would be another story. But I know it won't, so I'm not even going to entertain the thought. Rumors are swirling around the Targa being the next Nexus device... I find that very hard to believe, but if it were true... oh boy!!!



So anyways, great review Thats, I'm glad you're enjoying your new device. However I have to say bro... I do NOT envy the new crowd you're going to be hanging out with over there. I've been lurking over there a little bit here and there, and man that is the rudest crowd I've come across since joining Phandroid back in August of last year. SERIOUSLY!!! Check out this thread for instance...

http://androidforums.com/htc-thunderbolt/322232-smart-me-buy-thunderbolt-now-outdated.html

This guy came in asking very genuine questions, very well spoken, not confrontational at all... and he get's responses like...

"Cliff notes please"
"DO NOT BUY... THANK YOU"
and...
"Use the SEARCH function"...

WTF???

Not the kind of welcome I'm used to seeing given around here. Their stand-offish behavior compelled me (and I don't even have a damn T-Bolt) to send the guy a private message apologizing for their lack of hospitality. I guess I might be spoiled by all the patient, warm and caring people here on the DX forum, I dunno. But I know if he'd have asked that question around here there would have been quite a bit more information given to him than just, "use the SEARCH".

And that was one of the nicer threads I've seen. A lot of them get pretty ugly. If you happen upon a thread where someone has something negative to say about the phone, it's like walking into a knife fight! I get the distinct impression that the majority of the members over there are young and uninterested in other peoples concerns. They're just there to praise their handset of choice.

Not that this forum didn't resemble that kind of attitude a little when I first joined. Those who wandered in here with less than high praise for the DX were met with lazer beam eyeballs and acid tongues I will admit. But now it seems SOOO much more laid back.

Perhaps that's because all those young, uninterested peeps have moved on to bigger and better devices.... eh?

lol

I also heard that the Targa would become the next device that would be a google experience. If that is so I am going to cry, because that was the phone I was going to hold out for before the Tbolt. If you get it, I will be jealous.

HOLY CRAP I HATE the Thunderbolt community on Phandroid. I don't even use that forum. If I am going anywhere I go to XDA or Cyanogenmod forums. They only device forum that I use on Phandroid is Droid X. There is a reason that I still check in here daily, and it's not to just post in this thread. I still help people out with their X's in the All Things Root threads. My point - I LOVE the community of the Droid X, all you guys are what made that phone THAT much better, and to be honest, allowed the bootloader locking issue to be tolerable.

Keep up the great work in here devs, android enthusiasts, and the new kids on the block. This is THE BEST community for a phone that I have been in yet. And I see no reason to leave, even without the phone you all talk about!

Edit: I'm scared to think what would happen if I posted this review on the Thunderbolt forums. Shunned for life? Hunted down and killed? All of the above?

 

[sonofaresiii]

Edit: I'm scared to think what would happen if I posted this review on the Thunderbolt forums. Shunned for life? Hunted down and killed? All of the above?

Ha, yeah, if I just spent a bunch of money on a new phone, I wouldn't be happy to hear some guy say "Well it's KIND OF better than this other phone from last year that you can probably get for free off Amazon...."

 

[Thats]

It is currently 1:25 AM where I am from. I have this phone OC'ed, UV'ed, and the latest radios installed. My battery is @ 44% and the only thing I did was a 20 minute bump charge before I started my day @ 9 AM. I am in love.

 

[Outlaw71]

I also heard that the Targa would become the next device that would be a google experience. If that is so I am going to cry, because that was the phone I was going to hold out for before the Tbolt. If you get it, I will be jealous....

Not to worry my friend, I'm moving to T-Mobile so I won't be able to get the Targa... unless they make it compatible with both CDMA & GSM networks.

HOLY CRAP I HATE the Thunderbolt community on Phandroid. I don't even use that forum. If I am going anywhere I go to XDA or Cyanogenmod forums...

Well thank goodness, glad to hear you recognize inconsiderate people, even when they are fanboys of your shiny, new device!

Edit: I'm scared to think what would happen if I posted this review on the Thunderbolt forums. Shunned for life? Hunted down and killed? All of the above?

I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about yourself as I'd be concerned about the safety and welfare of your children...

... and yes I know you're a young man without any kids... but the way some of the members over there act, even your unborn children could be at risk!!!


:eeek:

 

[jreed2560]

wow I just realized this wasn't in the Thunderbolt forum.. lol It took me a while to get used to things over in TB land, but there are a couple of really cool people. WormDoes, and Ska.t73 keep the root thread tolerable. I guess since the X only has a few devs and it has a tighter community brought together by hatred of encrypted bootloaders, it has a more user friendly environment. Another thing to remember is that the Thunderbolt is a new device, so you have a ton of people signing up and coming on here that aren't regular forum members, so they either don't know or don't care to adhere to forum rules or policies. Once they clear out you will see a much different TB community, much like the one you enjoy with the X. Glad you like the thunderbolt OP, I sure as hell love mine!

 

[Outlaw71]

Well whatever the situation is over there, it's a shame people can't make innocent inquiries, or lodge genuine complaints without being dismissed as bothersome, or accused of being a troll.

I hope time does give way to a friendlier, more helpful TB forum.

 

[JB in AZ]

....

I hope time does give way to a friendlier, more helpful TB forum.

It probably will. I think alot of the welcome and warm attitude here in the DX forum is set by the example of our wonderful Guide, Steven. Three cheers for Steven!!!

 

[Outlaw71]

Hip hip hooray!



(that's one....)