Tbolt or Charge?

[trsteve1]

Ok, so here is my problem.. I have a wife..

Ok, hahaha, that's not my problem, but couldn't resist a good one line zinger =)


Anyway, this is definitely the first time I have ever posted here in these forums, though I read a lot of the forum posts, and almost always the front page of the site.

Last Friday, my wife had her upgrade, she was finally going to get a chance to upgrade from her BBerry Storrm 1.. she was absolutely pumped thrilled to upgrade to the latest greatest Android phone in the Thunderbolt.

Here are the things that she cares about.

The phone works, the internet is fast, she can watch YouTube videos every now and again, is there a cute background on the phone, and are there going to be NO issues with the phone locking up on her, etc...

And of course, the day she gets the phone, it updates to the new OTA.. Ok, fine.. she can deal with the random powering down.. but the phone tends to lock up...

Here's my question.. she is running everything stock.. the only thing that is "customized" if you will, is running Handcent Messenger instead of the stock messenger cause she (and so do I) likes the smilies.. The first week she has had the phone has been near hell for her, the battery barely makes it through the day, and the most she is doing is usually texting me (maybe like 50-75 a day) watching an occasional YouTube video (maybe 1 3 minute vid) and browsing the internet for maybe 45 minutes.. is it crazy that the battery would be dying at 4pm in the afternoon (mind you, the phone is off the charger at 6am)..

Should we think about switching to the Charge? (I would push the Incredible 2, since it's CHEAPER.. but oh yea, she really likes that extra .3".. who says size doesn't matter? yikes!)

I have heard that the Charge gets better battery life.. BUT.. currently her job is in a building with minimal 3G service.. and I think that is sapping her battery.. I don't know.

I just wouldn't mind some thoughts opinions before dipping into our pockets to pay $85 ($35 to restock and $50 price difference) to change phones...


Thoughts? Help?

Thanks

 

[DroidXcon]

This is like me going over to The Iphong blog (TiPb) and asking them if i should get an iphone or android device

 

[trsteve1]

This is like me going over to The Iphong blog (TiPb) and asking them if i should get an iphone or android device

Would that be more helpful than your response?

 

[DroidXcon]

I would say go with the Incredible, the smaller screen may consume less power if she is heavy on video watching.

Otherwise my TB was a battery hog im getting better battery life from my charge. plus its lighter, i find it more comfortable to hold. with the TB since i rest my pinky finger under the phone , my finger would hurt for days at a time lol funny but true.
Plus for video and picture viewing its much more pleasant to look at

 

[h2opoloplyr_11]

The charge wouldn't be that much better battery wise. You will only get an extra 200 mah. I'm no mathematician but.I'm.guessing that'll give you am extra 20-30 min.

If she likes the phone, maybe you can spring for the extended battery? If she doesnt mind the junk in the trunk.....then it'll be a wise investment!

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

My honest opinion? Keep the Thunderbolt.

Granted, I rooted my device before the OTA was pushed, so I never ran it -- but I did run the original stock OS for a few weeks. It ran great, but a lot of folks are having a bunch of issues after installing the OTA update. If I had to guess, they'll be putting out another update as soon as they possibly can to fix many of the issues this one has created. It's unfortunate, yes, but HTC has been pretty good in the past about supporting their devices with updates, so I'd keep the faith and hold out for a bit longer. If the current performance is so bad it makes the phone "un-usable", I'd call customer service. I've read accounts on these forums of folks getting replacement devices for issues caused by the OTA.

The Charge is manufactered by Samsung. I can't really say too much about that, having never owned a Samsung device, but unlike HTC, they are notorious for NOT providing very good update support, so I usually avoid them.

Once you're used to the larger screen, it is hard to go back...I'm not sure if I could at this point, and I've only had the TBolt since March

Regarding the battery, that is definitely not one of the Thunderbolt's selling points, but no android is gonna come close to what you can get out of BlackBerry as far as battery life. If your wife works in a building with sketchy service, that sucker is drain quick no matter what phone you use. I'm lucky enough to access to WIFI in my office, which really helps, but if that isn't an option, how about keeping a spare charger at work to plug the phone in every now and then at her desk? Her old Storm charger, while not as powerful as the one that comes with the Thunderbolt, will work just fine if you don't want to purchase a new one (I use my old BB charger at work).

With some technical know-how, you could always root the device, install some better ROMs and even tinker with the CPU settings. This is exactly what I did, and my battery life is lightyears ahead of where it was before. I realize this isn't for everyone, and it requires some time and patience (and a lot of reading if you're a noob like I was a few months ago).

Regardless, just for the reasons I stated above, I'd stick with the TBolt.

 

[nate44]

touchwiz< sense

This phone isn't optimized out of the box, in fact it's pretty terrible. I would read up on the sticky threads for tips to help with maximizing battery life. And yes, a weak signal will kill your battery.

 

[AndroidXTC]

I just got back from the Verizon store and the Charge looks and feels like a nasty piece of junk. No Way would I pay $300 for that. YUCK!

 

[DroidXcon]

This is like me going over to The Iphong blog (TiPb) and asking them if i should get an iphone or android device

I just got back from the Verizon store and the Charge looks and feels like a nasty piece of junk. No Way would I pay $300 for that. YUCK!

Told you lol

 

[SF DINC]

The thunderbolt is a much better quality phone....give it some time it has only been out for a little over a month....All I have heard about the Charge is it is a supped up galxy s phone.....built cheap, and has Touch PIzz ummm i mean whizz....to each thier own though....have your wife go in and play with the Charge and see what she thinks....have her play with the Dinc2.....phones are personal, and although I love throwing the blanket statment that the bolt rocks, it may not be the best phone for all those individuals out there. Also may want to check out the DroidX2 comming out May 26th....big screen she likes....and may have a better battery. Good luck!

 

[trjnberry]

The first thought that came to mind when i first tried out the Charge in the Verizon store was, is this a dummy unit? It's plastic, very light, and felt like the dummy display units you find in T-Mobile and Best Buy stores. I didn't believe it was real until I turned it on and saw that it was real. Not necessarily a bad thing, to each his or her own. Perhaps a lighter phone can be much easier to hold for long periods of time or to hold by one hand. I read a review online that said that you don't get a lot more juice than the T Bolt, but it should it get you a few more hours than the stock T Bolt battery does. It may last your work day, but you'll still likely need to charge it a lot.

For me, the one thing that sold me on the T Bolt over any upcoming device is that none of upcoming devices feature the same format on the phone. It's not Sense on the Charge. When I was debating about returning the Bolt because of the battery life issues and holding out for the Bionic, I decided to keep the Bolt becasue I knew that this was only Sense phone with 4G on the market for the short term future. The Charge, Bionic, Doid X2, and others are not Sense. The Droid Incredible 2 is a Sense device but it doesn't do 4G. So, I'd recommend playing around with the Charge and even the Droid phones and see which skin you like the best and pick the brand that features that skin. For me, my favorite is Sense. I don't particularly care for the others. As for battery life, buy an extended battery or an external charger like the New Trent Battery listed in the T Bolt accessories forum, if you need better battery life. That New Trent will likely work for your Charge, too.

 

[trsteve1]

Of course... the X2 is now out today.. allegedly..

but she doesn't like the buttons on the bottom, lol..

I think in the long run she will keep the Bolt.. just gotta work out the kinks.. I remember when I got my Fascinate it was a lot of frustration before it finally got running right.. (Or at least, that's how I remember it...)

thanks for some of the thoughts.. all is appreciated

 

[Edwill86]

If the Thunderbolt does not meet your needs the charge def wont. it will have about the same battery life and is slower and cheaper built then the bolt, but more $.

for your wifes needs the incredible 2 will be perfect. If it had come out a few months earlier I would have gotten it over the bolt... I love my bolt but it does have issues

good luck

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

I would say go with the Incredible, the smaller screen may consume less power if she is heavy on video watching.

Otherwise my TB was a battery hog im getting better battery life from my charge. plus its lighter, i find it more comfortable to hold. with the TB since i rest my pinky finger under the phone , my finger would hurt for days at a time lol funny but true.
Plus for video and picture viewing its much more pleasant to look at

What are you... weak? I mean seriously?

 

[h2opoloplyr_11]

I forgot to add this, maybe doing a factory reset....I've read that problems have been resolved after this.