Anyone switch from the HTC Thunderbolt to the D3?

[Comp625]

So I have a dilemma in which you fine folks would be able to help me with.

I had an LG enV Touch for 2 years or so - loved the keyboard but hated the faux-smartphone software that never worked right. Although I have been dreaming of the Droid 3 for months, I bought the HTC Thunderbolt out of necessity last week in order to lock in the Unlimited Data contract. I thought that I could never use a phone without a keyboard but gave it a shot anyways...

What I think of the Thunderbolt:
- The Thunderbolt (and most HTC phones) seem very well-built and sturdy. I have to admit I love the aesthetic design of the Thunderbolt - it looks very high-end and classy.
- Like a large TV, it's the 4.3" screen is gorgeous.
- At the same time, the large 4.3" screen is killing me in terms of practicality. It's too big for my average-sized hands, so I end up pressing wrong buttons with my palm.
- I am finding typing to be difficult since I'm not used to a fully virtual keyboard.
- The 4g is ridiculously fast but it kills the battery.
- No Gingerbread and no HTC Sense 3.0 already makes me feel like I have an obsolete device.
- Similarly, I use ADW Launcher so I don't really care about Sense from a Home Dock standpoint.

What I think of the Droid 3:
- I know the Droid 3 is well-built. In-hand, it feels a bit flimsier and a little bit cheaper than the Thunderbolt.
- The smaller 4.0" screen is noticable compared to the Thunderbolt.
- I hear battery life is much, much better than the Thunderbolt.
- After playing with it, I feel right at home with the keyboard.
- No 4g LTE. If I switch to the D3, I'm still essentially paying for 4g without actually using it.
- The new Blur looks fascinating. I'd probably switch to ADW Launcher but the overall Blur GUI is quite nice (and refreshing).

Through Costco, I have been reading that I have the option of exchanging phones within 90 days without breaking contract.

What should I do? :-$

 

[johnnyshinta]

how are you paying for 4g? you pay for a data plan regardless of the speed.

 

[Comp625]

how are you paying for 4g? you pay for a data plan regardless of the speed.

That's the thing - I am paying for the 4g feature inclusive of the $30 package. It's just that if I am using a non-4g phone, I don't use 4g.

 

[johnnyshinta]

you have a verizon $30 unlimited data plan...so what are you talking about i don't use 4g but i'm paying for it. you pay $30 for data either way. you are paying to use verizon's data services not 4g vs 3g. if you are saying you could be paying $30 and getting a faster data connection then yes that's true...but you are not paying for 4g and not using it. you are paying for data that's it

 

[Joe the Insider]

I went from a tbolt to a d3 and I'm sticking with the d3. I love the extended battery and I love the overall feel of the d3.

Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk

 

[ninjataint]

I don't know about your data plan but I passed on the Thunderbolt and bought the D3. I would have to say that I also don't understand the part about it feeling flimsy. The build quality is top notch.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk

 

[Lsx346]

i switched too. cant stand the slab full touch phones. had the bolt and evo then the D1 and missed my D1. the D3 is the D1 on roids minus the bipolatiry of blur.

 

[Comp625]

So I spent 30 minutes at a Verizon store playing with the Droid 3. Here are my impressions. Feel free to comment.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Droid 3 Keyboard. It is so easy to use.

The design of the Droid 3 seems a bit more industrial than the HTC Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt seems a bit classier and polished (akin to the iPhone).

The Droid 3 seemed laggy; I think the lagginess is attributed to Motoblur. For example, I downloaded ADW Launcher and did the old school "app-scroll" test. Scrolling through seemed very choppy, which shocked me considering this was a Dual Core phone.

Speaking of the new Motoblur, I didn't care for it. I realize this is a subjective statement since it's personal preference, but it's good to point this out for others who want more information on Motoblur. For example, the turquoise-colored ninja star "Waiting"/"Hourglass" icon was a little too much for me.

The pentile screen didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Yes, I could spot the "checkerboard" pattern in some instances, but only if I tried. At quick glance, it's not a big deal.

I'm p*ed that Motorola decided to omit the 4g chip, while including it in the Canadian and Chinese versions of the phones. From a marketing standpoint, the "Droid" brand is the FLAGSHIP phone of Verizon and it should be touting the 4g LTE service that has been heavily promoted. I know they'll release a 2nd version of the Droid 3 with 4g (a la Droid 2 Global) but still...

Overall, I am still torn. The Droid 3 is a niceeee phone...!

 

[otacon#AC]

With the extended battery, which only adds maybe a millimeter to the back you can't even notice it, I can go all day with moderate heavy usage. When LTE is integrated onto one chip I'll get a device, until then I'll stick with 3G and good battery life.

 

[rushmore]

So I spent 30 minutes at a Verizon store playing with the Droid 3. Here are my impressions. Feel free to comment.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Droid 3 Keyboard. It is so easy to use.

The design of the Droid 3 seems a bit more industrial than the HTC Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt seems a bit classier and polished (akin to the iPhone).

The Droid 3 seemed laggy; I think the lagginess is attributed to Motoblur. For example, I downloaded ADW Launcher and did the old school "app-scroll" test. Scrolling through seemed very choppy, which shocked me considering this was a Dual Core phone.

Speaking of the new Motoblur, I didn't care for it. I realize this is a subjective statement since it's personal preference, but it's good to point this out for others who want more information on Motoblur. For example, the turquoise-colored ninja star "Waiting"/"Hourglass" icon was a little too much for me.

The pentile screen didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Yes, I could spot the "checkerboard" pattern in some instances, but only if I tried. At quick glance, it's not a big deal.

I'm p*ed that Motorola decided to omit the 4g chip, while including it in the Canadian and Chinese versions of the phones. From a marketing standpoint, the "Droid" brand is the FLAGSHIP phone of Verizon and it should be touting the 4g LTE service that has been heavily promoted. I know they'll release a 2nd version of the Droid 3 with 4g (a la Droid 2 Global) but still...

Overall, I am still torn. The Droid 3 is a niceeee phone...!

I guess aesthetics are subjective, since I think the D3 looks much better than the TB and even with 215 apps installed, no lag issues- yet (it is Android, so has to be lag at some point).



Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk

 

[kpageisgreat]

I just switched from a Thunderbolt to a D3(Keeping this Thunderbolt for 4G purposes only) and I must say the screen isnt as bad as people make it out to be. So far battery is working wonders compared to my thunderbolt which has a custom rom/kernal in it for extra battery life. It sort of reminds me of my D1 (Just hope we can do some damage to this bootloader and really get this thing up and running)

 

[KidCuda]

I switched from a thunderbolt after my droid x to the droid 3 with my two week trial and I certainly do not regret it. If I want a 4G phone down the road, I'll buy one, but the battery and random reboots ruined my short experience.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk

 

[kpageisgreat]

And switching back to a 4G phone is sort of a pain. Need to get new sim card every time. eh oh well

 

[WarER4X]

...I'm p*ed that Motorola decided to omit the 4g chip, while including it in the Canadian and Chinese versions of the phones. From a marketing standpoint, the "Droid" brand is the FLAGSHIP phone of Verizon and it should be touting the 4g LTE service that has been heavily promoted. I know they'll release a 2nd version of the Droid 3 with 4g (a la Droid 2 Global) but still...

Overall, I am still torn. The Droid 3 is a niceeee phone...!

Recognize that the "4G" service in the Chinese and Canadian models is simply the "3G+" GSM/UMTS service that the Droid 3 already has built in (since it is a "World phone", as VZW calls it). The 4G that Verizon has is LTE and an all together next-generation technology. While the 3G+ UMTS chip is fairly old hat these days, the LTE hardware is only on it's first generation. The LTE radio is large and power-hunger. Comparing it to the GSM/UMTS hardware that Canada/China (and other "Milestone" countries) are using is like comparing apples and oranges.

-SR-

 

[0pusX]

I have a similar story sold my Dx, bought Tbolt, kicking myself in the butt, sold Tbolt yesterday now deciding between D3 and DX2....... right now in favor of DX2.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

Recognize that the "4G" service in the Chinese and Canadian models is simply the "3G+" GSM/UMTS service that the Droid 3 already has built in (since it is a "World phone", as VZW calls it). The 4G that Verizon has is LTE and an all together next-generation technology. While the 3G+ UMTS chip is fairly old hat these days, the LTE hardware is only on it's first generation. The LTE radio is large and power-hunger. Comparing it to the GSM/UMTS hardware that Canada/China (and other "Milestone" countries) are using is like comparing apples and oranges.

-SR-

Exactly! 4G is just marketing, and HSPA+ is not true 4G. Only LTE and Wimax (which are completely new hardware not just software updates to existing hardware) are true 4G. Adding an LTE radio to this phone would have made it even thicker and most likely hotter than it already is.

And as for the comments earlier about HTC Sense 3.0 people need to just let that go or install custom roms, HTC made a decision that the Sensation and later will get the newest Sense and the older ones wont. Wee the phone any less functional. Sense 2.1 is still far and away better than Motoblur, Touch Wiz or most of the third party launchers. Focus on what you have not what you don't.

Both phones are amazing which is why I carry both of them, but if I had to make a choice I would have gone with the Thunderbolt, it will get Gingerbread soon enough.

 

[RoninX]

For those of you who switched from the Thunderbolt to the D3, which was faster for everyday web surfing in areas covered by LTE? How much of a difference did you see? Of course, the Thunderbolt would be faster in downloading data, but the D3's dual-core CPU should be faster in rendering.