Thunderbolt

[noalear]

WVGA screen. 1GHz single core processor. 8MP camera. Froyo.

This was good early 2010. This is certainly not groundbreaking technology. The ONLY outstanding feature of this phone is 4G.

I preordered this phone... and Im no longer sure why. I want a new phone that will bring me the latest in technology. This is 2010 technology. This phone will be outdated on 90% of its hardware on its release date. It really sucks I have to wait longer for a true "high end" phone to come out, and I am not sure my current phone will last that long. I superglued a 3AA battery pack to the back to give it a few more months to live and my rechargeables are now getting worn out. Its a LG Scoop from Alltel, if you're wondering

So what comes 'after' the Thunderbolt? Optimus 3D seems to be edging near. Maybe WiMax will come to Phoenix soon and I can ditch Verizon for some cutting edge tech? WiMax isn't ideal, but at least my phone wont be a dud.

 

[rigorx]

Processor speed isn't everything. That's like saying Intel went backwards when they went from Pentium 4's running at like 3.4 GHz to Core2Duo's running at 2.0 GHz. It's all about CPU architecture. If I'm not mistaken, this 1 GHz processor is a newer one than found in the EVO launched just last summer. It's also been stated this is a newer 8MP camera. What phone other than the Nexus S has GingerBread 2.3 right now ? What besides the iPhone has a higher pixel density ?

And have you read about WiMax & Sprint lately ? lol
http://www.pcworld.com/article/220055/clearwire_struggles_to_profit_on_wimax.html#tk.rss_news

This phone is gonna be blazing fast. The 4G LTE speeds will be incredible to have, and I'm looking forward to using the front camera so I can video call my wife & baby when I'm away from them.

 

[bkorver]

Maybe WiMax will come to Phoenix soon and I can ditch Verizon for some cutting edge tech? WiMax isn't ideal, but at least my phone wont be a dud.

Wow.

Read This

And This

This alone is worth the price of admission on the TBolt... to me anyways.

 

[am4966]

Well if he's talking about going to Wimax and sprint...maybe he really doesnt know what cutting edge is and cant handle the power of the Thunderbolt!

 

[WhitePhone]

WiMAX is junk dude! Don't do it! Don't try to look for WiMAX in your house it won't happen. It doesn't get in buildings AT ALL!!! Trust me. I know. Its the main reason I am going TO Verizon from the EVO to the TB. Having (or should I say not having) WiMAX is like not even having 4G.

 

[noalear]

I understand the difference in the architecture, and I have no doubt the phone will be fast. I cant find a difference in architecture between snapdragons... anyone find any? I know there is only one phone bringing 2.3 to the table.... wheres the 2nd.. and the third? How long has this phone been in dev? Forever. Is it cutting edge? 4G- thats it. From here on, everything will be dual core. The screen is large.. great- but the display isnt quality. The phones only outstanding quality is being the first to 4G.

Im not saying the phones bad- im just saying its not new.

 

[noalear]

Samsung Epic-
4G, 1GHz _Hummingbird_, Super AMOLED. It beats the thunderbolt in every dimension except screen size, camera MP rating, and 200MB less ram.

Released Aug 20th, 2010. Its 7 months old and probably equivalent speed. Im not impressed by anything other than the LTE.

If anyone can tell me anything about the architecture on this chipset, and if its improved any over the original droid chipset, id greatly appreciate it. I dont WANT to not love this phone, but Verizon is making it easy.

 

[TBolt2011]

Samsung Epic-
4G, 1GHz _Hummingbird_, Super AMOLED. It beats the thunderbolt in every dimension except screen size, camera MP rating, and 200MB less ram.

Released Aug 20th, 2010. Its 7 months old and probably equivalent speed. Im not impressed by anything other than the LTE.

If anyone can tell me anything about the architecture on this chipset, and if its improved any over the original droid chipset, id greatly appreciate it. I dont WANT to not love this phone, but Verizon is making it easy.

200MB of RAM is like 30% upgraded, and that's the number one speed factor in a phone if you're not looking at the network directly.

 

[dubge]

I have to agree, while I was really looking forward to getting this phone all the delays have me second guessing my selection and wondering if I should just wait out another phone, it is not that far advanced over what I have now (DX) 4G and minor improvement. At this point I think I am going to wait and see what people are saying after a couple weeks

 

[westeman]

dual core is the latest thing, but by the time one comes along that you might like, there will likely be something better in the works that you'd rather wait for.

if you have to always have the latest tech, then purchase it on a one year contract or pick it up with buy back from best buy.

live in the now. just my 2 cents

 

[rigorx]

This was posted by "swamp" in another thread on this forum, confirming the specs that I had mentioned before.

Evo 4G uses a "1st generation" Snapdragon, the QSD8650. It has the Adreno 200 graphics system.

The TB uses a 2nd gen (basically meaning a much smaller semiconductor manufacturing process 45 nm as oppossed to 65 nm, which primarily gives is lower power consumption at the same clock speed). Its Snapdragon MSM8655 also has an updated Adreno 205 graphics system. Adreno 205 is substantially faster than Adreno 200.

Both are 1 GHz but the 2nd gen is certainly a much better system.

 

[jmsdvs]

This was posted by "swamp" in another thread on this forum, confirming the specs that I had mentioned before.

Evo 4G uses a "1st generation" Snapdragon, the QSD8650. It has the Adreno 200 graphics system.

The TB uses a 2nd gen (basically meaning a much smaller semiconductor manufacturing process 45 nm as oppossed to 65 nm, which primarily gives is lower power consumption at the same clock speed). Its Snapdragon MSM8655 also has an updated Adreno 205 graphics system. Adreno 205 is substantially faster than Adreno 200.

Both are 1 GHz but the 2nd gen is certainly a much better system.

Thanks for that insight. Good to know

 

[zshazz]

Samsung Epic-
4G, 1GHz _Hummingbird_, Super AMOLED. It beats the thunderbolt in every dimension except screen size, camera MP rating, and 200MB less ram.

Released Aug 20th, 2010. Its 7 months old and probably equivalent speed. Im not impressed by anything other than the LTE.

If anyone can tell me anything about the architecture on this chipset, and if its improved any over the original droid chipset, id greatly appreciate it. I dont WANT to not love this phone, but Verizon is making it easy.

Here's some benchmarks:

This Just In: LG Optimus 2X, Our First Tegra 2 Smartphone - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

The MyTouch 4G uses the same processor/GPU combo as the Thunderbolt does, so the benchmarks will be similar. Also, this gives you a taste of how fast dual core phones are.

These benchmarks show that the performance of the processor included in the Thunderbolt is not a joke. It is a fair bit faster than the old snapdragon in the Evo. Since Samsung has not delivered a working Froyo implementation, we can't compare them on "even grounds" (though, Nexus S performance would be somewhat indicative of what you could expect) ... but clearly Froyo'd Snapdragon is worlds apart from Eclair'd Hummingbird.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4179/ti-omap4-and-lg-optimus-3d-tested

The GPU on the Hummingbird is better. That said, the Adreno 205 is no slouch... and it's even the same graphics processor as what's in the "Playstation Phone," IIRC.

Some people don't really care too much for SAMOLED because of the pentile matrix... but to each his own. The SLCD display is supposed to be very good.

50% more memory is a fair improvement, but it will only make a difference if you use it. More open apps = faster switching between them because they don't get unloaded from RAM as much.

Personally, I'd never touch a Samsung phone merely on the fact that they cannot do software. The software is very outdated for current Samsung phones and they have immense difficulties getting Froyo to work. HTC has a very good track record of keeping their phones up to date and delivering good software. It's worth mentioning, at least.

 

[zero neck]

I have put some thought into skipping the tbolt and getting something else but i can't leave verizon, bc of where i live and travel around to, sooo what would i be waiting for? A lg phone that looks pretty much the same as the tbolt spec-wise, or the bionic or the samsung 4g that i don't want anything to do with. (not including non-lte phones bc i live in the new york metropolitan area). So, for me, i think the tbolt is the sturdiest choice, u know what you're gonna get with htc in terms of hardware quality, sense is tolerable, and the expected bump from the new proc and extra ram should be good for at least this year, and maybe longer.

 

[rigorx]

Some people don't really care too much for SAMOLED because of the pentile matrix... but to each his own. The SLCD display is supposed to be very good.

New next generation "SAMOLED Plus" is no longer a pentile matrix. Can't wait to see the screen on the Samsung S2.

 

[Cory Streater]

WVGA screen. 1GHz single core processor. 8MP camera. Froyo.

This was good early 2010. This is certainly not groundbreaking technology. The ONLY outstanding feature of this phone is 4G.

I preordered this phone... and Im no longer sure why. I want a new phone that will bring me the latest in technology. This is 2010 technology. This phone will be outdated on 90% of its hardware on its release date. It really sucks I have to wait longer for a true "high end" phone to come out, and I am not sure my current phone will last that long. I superglued a 3AA battery pack to the back to give it a few more months to live and my rechargeables are now getting worn out. Its a LG Scoop from Alltel, if you're wondering

So what comes 'after' the Thunderbolt? Optimus 3D seems to be edging near. Maybe WiMax will come to Phoenix soon and I can ditch Verizon for some cutting edge tech? WiMax isn't ideal, but at least my phone wont be a dud.

You make a lot of good and valid points, but so do a lot of others.

In my very unscientific poll, a total of 65% are upgrading from a non-smartphone, original droid, or BB. Not that the other 35% doesn't matter, but for the these 3 types, this represents a tremendous and significant upgrade. On paper the TB might not seem as "advanced" as some of the phones that are up and coming, but it is highly optimized and takes full advantage of the platform in which it was built upon, and who really knows how long it will be before they actually start hitting the streets through the end of the year. I think the best bets are probably the Bionic, and Samsung 4G, in that order. If you, in the slightest bit, fancy Sense over the "Motoblur" style UI, I would base your decision on that alone. With the Bionic, you will also be dealing with locked bootloaders, and a smaller (but still highly respected) hacker community. Do you care about that? Some do, some don't.

People like to hate on Samsung, but if you're not ready to take the plunge on the TB, and you are okay with 3G speeds, then the Fascinate is one (actually it is) my favorite phone on Verizon right now. It's blazing fast, has a beautiful screen, a small but awesome group of hackers, and it's about to get the official Froyo anytime now. The Incredible is also right up there, if you're okay with a smaller screen.

In the end, you are going to pick up any one of these phones and they are all going to appear to perform exactly the same: FAST as hell. The spec sheets are just numbers, as are the benchmarks.

A lot of these decisions are very personal. I look at my Fascinate and I see a gorgeous screen, a sleek body, and a form factor that comfortably fits in my pocket. An old Admin I used to work with on this site, see's a hunk of lightweight plastic with a terrible UI. He likes Motoblur. We fight about it constantly, and neither one of ends up talking the other into changing our minds.