HTC Thunderbolt (Verizon Wireless) Cell Phone Reviews

by Azsha -- August 6th 2011 -- Detroit, MI

I bought this phone mainly because my boyfriend has one and couldn't stop talking about how amazing it is. I went to the Verizon store and tested it out for myself (because he wouldn't let me play with his) and I have to say that I was immediately impressed. It really is easy to use-- I will say that if you have a tendency to drop things you need to get a gel case quick, fast, and in a hurry. The call clarity on my side is amazing, but sometimes other people have a problem hearing me-- that could very well just be my area. The phone has about 29 GB of free room thanks to the memory card, I believe you can buy a bigger one though if you are so inclined. The screen is so big and nice, also very easy to keep clean. The charger that comes with it doubles as a USB cord and you can just pop the AC part off and plug it into your computer. The biggest hang up I have with this phone is the battery. I don't really mind THAT much because I have a car charger too, but keep in mind that if you are on the internet all the time (which is pretty fast btw, also the phone easily switches to WiFi with just the press of a button and that saves on your data usage) that it will drain the battery much faster. You can get about two-three hours of heavy use, but keep a charger nearby. Other than that, this is the perfect phone and I probably won't be upgrading for a couple of years.

by Bill -- June 29th 2011 -- Cheney, WA

I got this phone the day they were released. I wanted to give it some time before I wrote an honest review on the phone. The battery life was horrible. This was my first android phone I have owned and to start with I had a learning experience to say the least. But I have become very comfortable with it now. To start, I couldn't hardly get over half a day without charging the phone again playing with it to some extent. I complained to Verizon and got an extended battery for $20. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. And to date the have started coming out with covers and pouches now for the extended battery on the phone which really makes me happy. This is a rather large investment and I wanted to protect it the best I could. I have also downloaded and installed "Dataswitch" from the Market. Between the two I can now run the phone 18 hours, playing with it almost constantly and still have 23% battery life. Once in a great while it will just automatically reboot but Verizon is coming out with an update shortly to Gingerbread with a cure for that. I live about 3 miles from a 4g area and on 4g it is screaming fast. The call quality is great. I heard rumors and now they apparently are coming to light that Verizon is going to a tiered plan so I wanted to get in on the unlimited data plan which I did. It is really easy to hook up to wifi which saves on the data a lot. I also installed "Battery Booster" which kills running apps that are not being used. This also helps save battery life. I also use the voice conversion feature in texting which is great. Movies and TV work really great on the phone. My son had the original Droid and he also switched over to the Thunderbolt. Even he is finding himself loving the phone. I am not a serious gamer so waiting for a dual core phone was not a sound decision for me. The speed of the processor in this phone is still screaming fast. You can set the phone for "FAST BOOT" which seems to help a lot by disabling some apps in the initial start up. The phone has been overall working GREAT for me and I am beginning to really like the phone. If you are or aren't familiar with the Android Market there is literally tons of apps and games out there you can get for the phone. Just make sure you read all the reviews as some are not compatible with the Thunderbolt. I am not a real technical android kind of person but just a general user. Knowing what I do now I would not hesitate to buy another.

by jim langley -- December 20th 2011 -- sutherlin, OR

The contract sucks, no 4g even though maps say yes, phone is stuffed with bloatware, can't get rid of it. Can't upgrade phone, Verizon won't allow. Battery life is ridiculous. Would like to see if it sends or receives through a brick wall.

by Solo -- October 7th 2011 -- Anywhere, NJ

by john -- October 6th 2011 -- rochester, NY

by Dan -- September 30th 2011 -- Downingtown, PA

Great phone all around, but you have to purchase the larger battery. I bought 2 2750 mAh batteries with charging base, which also includes the new "bumped-out" back cover. It doesn't make the phone that much bigger but it has an enormous impact on battery life. 4G is ridiculously fast, and there is more access than I expected. Love the phone.

by mark shaddix -- September 23rd 2011 -- knoxville, TN

Very pleased with the Thunderbolt phone. Not so much with the promotion and package promised.

by Scotty -- September 19th 2011 -- Warner Robins, GA

Call quality is pretty good. Not perfect since there is a slight static hiss always present. The volume however is nice and loud like I like it. I love having the option to turn it down to where I need it and on those occasions the call is rather quiet turn it up. The phone, like all androids, is very easy to use. The design is great and of great quality. The battery life however is bad with the 1400ma battery. Good thing I got the 2750. Overall though a great phone and I love it.

by Steve Furbish -- September 17th 2011 -- Eliot, ME

4G is not yet available in my area but I bought the Thunderbolt for it's onboard memory and speed. I am not disappointed. There is a ton of room on this phone for apps and the phone itself is very quick for a single core device. I've been with Verizon Wireless for several years as well and their coverage is the best you can get in this area. Although VW is not the cheapest it is very reliable and when 4G does get here it'll be a force to be dealt with.

by Steve Furbish -- September 12th 2011 -- Eliot, ME

I bought the Thunderbolt as an app junkie coming from an HTC Droid Eris. I wanted a phone that had room for all of the apps I use without using the SD card for installs and of course, I wanted something with more speed. The Thunderbolt fills the bill perfectly. I don't have 4G in my area yet, but even at 3G this phone meets my needs because it doesn't get bogged down like my rooted Eris did.