I recommend the Thunderbolt. I know two people with the Thunderbolt, and the battery complaints are WAY overblown (Both are fairly heavy users, and neither has had the battery die in 3 hours....) The LG does look like a pretty good option, but I have never had or used and LG phone, so I can't say much there. Unless you're fine with touchwiz, and not getting any updates, or getting them late at best, then I wouldn't get Samsung. Personally, I wouldn't touch a Samsung device if I got it for free, but that is mostly from personal experience with Samsung devices.