Is the Thunderbolt a worthy upgrade from Droid X?

[Mindcloud]

Currently I have a Droid X that I bought on launch day and Verizon is offering me an early upgrade. I like the Thunderbolt, but I'm wondering since it seems fairly close hardware-wise, is it a worthy upgrade or should I wait? I don't really want another Motorola because of how they lock their phones down and I like HTC as a company.

Thanks all!

 

[Jux]

What are you looking for in your next phone? Is LTE a must? Any preference on single core vs. dual core?

The X is solid, and if you weren't against Moto I'd recommend waiting to compare the TB against the Bionic, or waiting to see if the SGSII will be LTE (unlikely though). I'm sure in the next few months we will have a better idea of what's coming down the pipe, and while I really like the TB, I have to admit that a lot of it's specs are either outdated or will be with the next few releases.

 

[mclarryjr]

I agree with Jux post that there will be more device released with better specs then the TB but there always be something coming out that is better. If the specs fit your needs on the TB I would say it's a very good upgrade coming from the X. We have some great developers working on some pretty sweet Roms and mods so if your a hacker it's a great device.

 

[Just a Guy]

My wife has the X and I just got the tb. I think the X is still a really good phone, but I am really liking my tb. I may still be in the "honeymoon" with my phone since I've only had it 4 days though. One reason I did go with the thunderbolt was to try out sense. I'd had the og droid and both Samsung phones with Verizon so I just wanted to see what sense was like. I will say that I will probably never have another Samsung phone just because I felt like I had an iPhone using touchwiz and I felt the only good thing was the displays.

Ultimately It's gonna come down to your personal preference, but my personal opinion is that you can't really go wrong as long as you stick with HTC or MOTO.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

If rooting is important to you, you very well may want to consider getting a Thunderbolt now.

Newer devices seem to get harder and harder to root, and with the next update (Gingerbread), the rumor is that the Thunderbolt won't be rootable using the current methods either. The TB also has a very large development community.

If none of that matters to you, then all I can really say is that I am very happy with my Thunderbolt, but I've never used a DX, so that's about all I got there.

 

[Mindcloud]

Yes, rooting is very important so thanks for letting me know. Being able to run custom roms is the main reason I run Android, so thanks for the replies everyone.

 

[radar320]

I had a droid X and like you, was eligible for an upgrade, so I went with the X2. Big mistake! In a lot of ways it was like taking two steps back, plus it was only running froyo when my X was running gingerbread. I returned the phone and was trying to decide between the thunderbolt and the charge. I did a lot of research and talked to people, all were telling me to stay away from the thunderbolt. Well when I told the rep at the store was I was trying to decide on, they also steered me away from the thunderbolt. I have had my charge now for over almost two weeks and absolutely love it. Yeah it too is only running froyo, but I live in a 4G area and this phone is fast and I have had no problems with it and the battery life has been excellent after tinkering around with some of the settings to help conserve battery life.

 

[Small_law]

I wouldn't get it at this point. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but newer dual core LTE phones are simply going to out class it within the next few months. I'm personally hoping the new Nexus will be on Verizon, but I'm not holding my breath either.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Yes, rooting is very important so thanks for letting me know. Being able to run custom roms is the main reason I run Android, so thanks for the replies everyone.

Yeah, if that's the case, you do want to make sure you get one before the GB update comes out. (or do something else).

 

[nate44]

I wouldn't get it at this point. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but newer dual core LTE phones are simply going to out class it within the next few months. I'm personally hoping the new Nexus will be on Verizon, but I'm not holding my breath either.

I doubt you'll notice any significant difference with dual core than what we have now. Now quad core which will be out this time next year, along with Ice Cream Sandwich will be something to look forward to.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I had a droid X and like you, was eligible for an upgrade, so I went with the X2. Big mistake! In a lot of ways it was like taking two steps back, plus it was only running froyo when my X was running gingerbread. I returned the phone and was trying to decide between the thunderbolt and the charge. I did a lot of research and talked to people, all were telling me to stay away from the thunderbolt. Well when I told the rep at the store was I was trying to decide on, they also steered me away from the thunderbolt. I have had my charge now for over almost two weeks and absolutely love it. Yeah it too is only running froyo, but I live in a 4G area and this phone is fast and I have had no problems with it and the battery life has been excellent after tinkering around with some of the settings to help conserve battery life.

I wouldn't get it at this point. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but newer dual core LTE phones are simply going to out class it within the next few months. I'm personally hoping the new Nexus will be on Verizon, but I'm not holding my breath either.

Fact: A lot of folks had real, legitimate issues with the MR1 update. I'm not trying to dispute that. MR2 has resolved almost all of those issues it would seem.

Most of us rooted users have never had any real problems and have had very positive experiences with our devices. I do believe, however, that the reboot issues that plagued MR1 are the primary reason anyone would really recommend you stay away from this device, and they've since been addressed by the MR2 update.

Since the OP has already said he would plan on rooting the phone, it seems trivial to dwell on issues that were almost exclusively being experienced by non-root stock OS users.

I've also learned that the game of waiting for next big thing on the horizon (i.e. multi-core devices and new OS versions) can leave you waiting forever...there's always something right around the corner...

 

[KJ78]

if you will be in an LTE area, yes, it is worth it.

 

[turdbogls]

I have had a rooted DX, and now have a rooted TB. i have to say, while i loved my DX, the TB just blows it away. Sense is 10X smoother and better looking than blur ever was. i was amazed that the TB could run a live wallpaper and not LAG...lol

the TB is an awesome phone, battery life kinda sucks, but extra batteries are like $10 so i dont even worry about it any more.
other than that, 4G is AMAZING, screen is VERY nice. it makes the DX screen look washed out. the TB is slightly lower resolution, but it is still an above average screen IMO. the camera on the TB is better (with gingerbread at least) call quality is better on the TB IMO, signal strength is right on par with the DX. no HDMI output on the TB if that is a big deal to you.
front camera on the TB works pretty well.
the TB feels nice in the hand. it is shorter but wider than the DX was, it is also more rounded so it feels better in the hand but it is heavier by quite a bit.
kickstand is nice, even if HTC put it on up-side-down
the main draw of this phone for me was the developer support....and the TB has about 8 really nice ROMs out. always updating, always tweaked, easily skinned, sense 3.0 is cool, the process is easily overclocked, i just cant say enough about what the developers have done with this phone. it is really fun to play around with.

however, i would check out craigslist and get one from there. around here, they are in the $200 range. which is what they go for new. this way you can keep your upgrade for something in the future. thats what it did. bought my TB about 2 months ago, and i have an upgrade in march....should be seeing ICS and quad core is a possibility by then

 

[thinknate]

I'd say it depends on how much you use data-intensive apps or tethering... because the main differentiator is 4G on the Thunderbolt. Otherwise, if you're rooting and running custom ROMs, there's not much else that will make a huge difference. I guess there's the front-facing camera too, if you like to video chat. Otherwise I don't see major differences between my TB and my coworkers' DXs.