Why big price diff htc inspire and thunderbolt

[servspec04]

So I cant get over the fact that the HTC Thunderbolt is 250.00 bucks. When you look at the HTC Inspire and its almost the same phone. So u get a front cam,and a few other small features on the TB but is it really worth the huge price difference??

 

[gwlaw99]

Its the first 4g phone on Verizon so you are paying the early adopter tax.

 

[dan330]

it is up to the carrier and how much they want to supplement the cost to the customers....

att is back peddling with android.. they been crippling android phones in the past because of the iphone love fest. now they need to help grab and get respect for android users.

verizon is big.. and has a big loyal android base.... which are willing to pay for a huge android phone... v can afford to supplement a lot, but they know it will sell! 6months they will have a BOGO sale!

sprint never puts out big sales! always cost the most on devices. plans are cheapest..

tmobile.. is smallest carrier and most desperate.. sales all the time and great plan prices too.

 

[mrspeedmaster]

So I cant get over the fact that the HTC Thunderbolt is 250.00 bucks. When you look at the HTC Inspire and its almost the same phone. So u get a front cam,and a few other small features on the TB but is it really worth the huge price difference??

you can't compare contract prices. They're probably both $600 off-contract. Contract prices is dependent on how carrier decide they want to rape you.

 

[Medion]

Improvements from Inspire to Thunderbolt:

• front-facing camera
• LTE radio (VERY expensive today, not like the HSPA+ radio in the Inspire)
• 32GB MicroSDHC included (these things still retail at or above $100)

We're talking about a $150 retail difference at their respective carriers, and a $110 difference at Amazon ($70 for Inspire, $180 for TB). I think that pretty much explains the price difference.

 

[shawn1224]

Improvements from Inspire to Thunderbolt:

• front-facing camera
• LTE radio (VERY expensive today, not like the HSPA+ radio in the Inspire)
• 32GB MicroSDHC included (these things still retail at or above $100)

We're talking about a $150 retail difference at their respective carriers, and a $110 difference at Amazon ($70 for Inspire, $180 for TB). I think that pretty much explains the price difference.

And yet still those are minor differences as the customer sees fit. In essence the phone is the same and Verizon customers are getting the shaft.


- Don't need or use a FFC
- Early LTE speeds I've seen are nearly the same as AT&Ts 3G speed. I BS you not. I get around a constant 4.5Mbps down and 1.5 up at home and the videos I've seen of LTE are right around 5-6 Mbps down. Really not that much of a difference and this is considering that AT&T hasn't even flipped the switch for HSPA+ yet.
- Don't need a 32 GB sd card. 8 gigs is more than enough.

EDIT - Actually I'll take the 2nd point back after seeing these newly released speeds (10-19Mbps down) that's phenomenal.

 

[Medion]

And yet still those are minor differences as the customer sees fit. In essence the phone is the same and Verizon customers are getting the shaft.


- Don't need or use a FFC
- Early LTE speeds I've seen are nearly the same as AT&Ts 3G speed. I BS you not. I get around a constant 4.5Mbps down and 1.5 up at home and the videos I've seen of LTE are right around 5-6 Mbps down. Really not that much of a difference and this is considering that AT&T hasn't even flipped the switch for HSPA+ yet.
- Don't need a 32 GB sd card. 8 gigs is more than enough.

EDIT - Actually I'll take the 2nd point back after seeing these newly released speeds (10-19Mbps down) that's phenomenal.

I'm sorry, you are sadly mistaken.

-Don't need FFC? It's in there, they have to charge for it. The camera isn't made of rainbows and sunshine.
-Speed is irrelevant. The cost of the radio itself is a huge difference. Early estimates put an LTE radio today at 4x the cost of an HSPA+ radio. It's in the phone, it has to be paid for.
-Verizon doesn't give the option of returning the MicroSDHC that's included, so you have to pay for it.

I didn't say that you had to like it, I merely explained the price gap. It's all accounted for.

 

[Guamguy]

Regardless of customer perception, it remains a fact that a LTE phone is going to pay for LTE patent royalties and a HSPA+ phone isn't.

 

[shawn1224]

Yes we all know the obvious, I'm speaking from a practical standpoint and moreso to offer the OP extra insight. None of those features IMO make it worthy of that price tag. You can grab the Inspire for nearly a fifth of the the cost, as some retailers are pricing it as low as $49.

 

[Guamguy]

Well, go get the Inspire then. Nothing wrong with that. Its an Android and its an HTC.

I know Verizon realizes the price deficiencies, which is why they're tossing a new carrot --- $30 unlimited data a month including LTE.

 

[takeshi]

So u get a front cam,and a few other small features on the TB but is it really worth the huge price difference??

Worth is always a highly subjective matter (if you can't tell from reading this or other threads). You'd have to answer that for yourself.

 

[dfreeman]

It's like buying the newest car, you know you lose money when you drive off the lot. Just the way it is