Thunderbolt Pros and Cons

[o2bnclemson]

Now that the Thunderbolt has been out a while and many of you have weeks of experience with it, I'm wondering what your thoughts are so far. I'll be upgrading my old Grandpa Eris soon and the Thunderbolt is at the top of my list. My region currently doesn't have 4G but is on the list to have it by the end of the year. A big concern is the battery life - the one thing I've heard consistently on the negative side with the TBolt. I know there is an extended battery out there, but coming from li'l ol' Grandpa Eris, the TBolt will be big enough without an extended battery. Are there tips & tricks that make the battery life more manageable now?

The Eris had such a short lifespan (I've rooted it to extend it this far) that I'm wanting to purchase a top-of-the-line phone now in hopes that it will have as long a life as the Incredible, for example. The TBolt seems to be that phone.

In short - what do you like most about the TBolt from whatever you had, and what do you see as a negative still?

 

[Gastro611]

Simply love it! The only pickle I have to pick is the battery life. Other then that it's fast in every which way. Not living in 4g area might actually help your battery life drastically. I toggle back and forth between 4g and 3g just to save battery life. But you'll love it.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

My sister and brother in law both had the Eris (my brother in law still does, actually), so I'm familiar with both devices.

Regarding battery life, yeah, the TBolt's isn't fantastic, but it's a lot better than what they were getting with the Eris. If you're worried about taking a step down in that department, don't be. I do wish the stock battery could hold more of a charge, but it's not a deal breaker.

If I'm connected to WIFI, the battery life is actually similar to my old BlackBerry (which is good), but once on 3G/4G it does drain a bit faster. I carry an extra battery with me, as a force of habit, but have yet to actually need to use it. In general, I probably get about an 7-8 hour half-life out of the battery (from 100% to 50%), which isn't bad at all.

 

[SMD]

Cons:

- Battery life in a so-so 4G area with the stock is not awesome for me even with tweaks (extended battery is awesome)
- The battery drain when restarting the phone
- The video camera audio issue
- GPS Lock takes a while unless you use an app every once in a while to reset it
- The slow release of accessories like extended battery covers and multimedia ext. battery dock
- No secure Skype with Video...yet
- No "true push" email for non-gmail IMAP and POP accounts unless you use a 3rd party app which does "help" somewhat (eg. Maildroid and K9 allow for idle push which is close but no true push)

Pros:

- Literally everything else. No desire at all to change to any phone coming out including Bionic and iPhone 5. Many of the cons above may be fixed with OTA updates so I'm totally happy with my phone! Love it!

 

[Charmed Juan]

I love my Tbolt too. The 4G is great, the faster processor is great, Sense is much better than Motorola's skin.
To deal with the battery issue, I have spare batteries and a desktop cradle charger. At the end of my day (about 10 hours) I replace the battery with a fresh one and I am good for the rest of the day.
You will learn to plug your Tbolt into a charger every chance you get.

 

[elai1108]

I have had my TBolt since week one of release, and have found it to be a great device for many reasons despite the battery limitations. Here's my take:

- Fast, smooth interface is awesome. The screen is very pretty even though it's not the latest tech (not LED/AMOLED).
- 4G is super fast but doesn't make a huge different unless you are streaming Youtube videos. I run off 3G most of the time to maximize battery life.
- The versatility of this phone is superb. I generally use it for email, news feed, some games/apps, some limited surfing, and also MP3 music/Pandora (the audio quality is surprisingly good).
- The phone is definitely on the heavy side as compared to many phones but I think it makes it feel more solid, and I got used to after a couple weeks.
- Battery life remains one of the biggest complaints/drawbacks of almost all Android devices, but the TBolt seems to be even worse due to 4G. I generally get 10-12 hours during an average day of texting, emails, and light browsing, which I think is just fine. If you don't mind charging the phone nightly then there is nothing to worry about. If you are on the go a lot, or are a heavy user, then definitely get a spare battery as others have suggested.

Overall, this is by far the best phone I've had, so I definitely recommend it!

Good luck!

 

[Mordecaidrake]

I've had the phone since 12pm EST on launch day. My only complaint is the battery life and even that isn't bad as once the battery was conditioned it lasts me through the entire day. I have no desire to switch phones, I'm in love with it!

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Regarding the battery, just to give you an example...

Right now, I'm running the Stock OS (rooted). I have 2 email accounts set to sync every 15 minutes + gmail account, plus 1 app that gets regular data updates (Tweetdeck). I haven't been on it too much today...just some light web surfing, responding to emails as they arrive, and 1 five minute voice call. I have been in my office connected to WIFI all day.

Currently, my battery level is 75%, after being unplugged for 7 hours and 46 minutes.

This is, honestly, a bit better than my "average" day, but I've been busy and not on it as much as usual. None the less, I think this is pretty good. I'll probably go home and charge it up to full before I go to bed, and then start all over.

I normally charge to full before bed, and then re-charge at my desk once again in the morning when I get to work...and that's usually it. Twice a day. *If* I know I'll be going out for the evening, however, I'll usually plug my phone in at my desk in the afternoon to fill 'er up if I think about it. My sister, who had the Eris, normally had to plug her phone in 2 or 3 times a day AND charge while sleeping, so right now my TBolt is definitely doing better than that.

 

[ricebw]

I switched from the TB to the Dinc2 and am much happier. I never got used to the size of the TB or the poor battery life. Also, I think the TB screen's viewing angle is not as good as the Dinc's and it had a washed out look to it when they are side by side.

I recommend doing what I did -- find a real VZW store (not the premium retailers with dummy phones) and play with the TB and Dinc2 or whatever you're considering side by side for an hour. It really is worth your time.

Hey man, don't knock the Eris -- special love for the phone that got me into the world of android!

 

[johnnyshinta]

well i just came from a DINC2 to a Thunderbolt. The DINC2 was the best phone i have had yet. Until it was rebooting 3 times in 6 hours.

i went into my vzw store and somehow walked out with a new Thunderbolt for $199 without signing a new contract. i had paid full retail for the DINC2. so i took the deal and ran like hell in case it was a computer or operator error.

 

[0pusX]

well i just came from a DINC2 to a Thunderbolt. The DINC2 was the best phone i have had yet. Until it was rebooting 3 times in 6 hours.

i went into my vzw store and somehow walked out with a new Thunderbolt for $199 without signing a new contract. i had paid full retail for the DINC2. so i took the deal and ran like hell in case it was a computer or operator error.

Do I understand you right? You paid $439 for DInc2 then added $199 to get the Bolt? Thats $638 final price for your bolt..... full retail is only $569.

OR Did they issue you the $439 refund and only charged you $199 for the Bolt?

 

[johnnyshinta]

the latter. they refunded me $404 after restocking fee. then charged me $199 for the Tbolt. They said i have a corporate discount. which i do but it is for my plan. 20% off my voice plan and 25% off my features and accessories. i'm a phone-a-holic an buy phones like crazy. i've never received a phone for a discount because of my work

 

[OC Nut]

I love my phone. The cons, for me, are (1) battery life, (2) screen brightness outdoors, and (3) drawbacks of not having a physical keyboard.

Battery life -- the stock battery is probably fine for most users *if* they can be on wifi for most of the business day. The wifi drain seems to be pretty low (around 2%/hour), so 8 hours on wifi and 6 hours on 4G should be pretty doable. However, the downside is that I am always thinking about battery management. Heavy users or those who are not on wifi will likely need an extended battery, spare battery, or charge at least once at night and once during the day, possibly twice.

Screen brightness -- in full or even partial sunlight, the screen can be hard (or impossible) to see. I did not expect this, and it is the one way in which my old BB9000 screen was superior.

Lack of keyboard -- for the most part, I am okay with this due to FlexT9, etc. But the lack of arrow keys, home, end, and especially *delete* make it hard to use text editors, and copy/cut/paste is clumsy. This is not a Tbolt only issue, of course.

 

[trjnberry]

Lack of keyboard -- for the most part, I am okay with this due to FlexT9, etc. But the lack of arrow keys, home, end, and especially *delete* make it hard to use text editors, and copy/cut/paste is clumsy. This is not a Tbolt only issue, of course.

Am I missing something here? My T-Bolt's keyboard has arrow keys and delete key. I use the stock keyboard.

 

[exmeaguy]

Pros:
Big, bright screen
"unlimited" app memory
Kickstand

Cons:
4g, what's that? This is the price you pay for bleeding edge technology.
Daily reboots.
Daily force close on a lot of apps.
I only use 2 apps that work with 4g streaming.
HTC weather is useless. It always shows my state, instead of my current location. This started about a month ago. GPS is fine with all other apps.

Overall, this phone has been a constant daily struggle and not a good experience. I do not recommend this phone at this time. Maybe later on with more stability with 4g and the pending upgrade, but hope springs eternal. I wish I would have kept my Dinc. It just worked all the time.

 

[akira751]

Pros:
Big, bright screen
"unlimited" app memory
Kickstand

Cons:
4g, what's that? This is the price you pay for bleeding edge technology.
Daily reboots.
Daily force close on a lot of apps.
I only use 2 apps that work with 4g streaming.
HTC weather is useless. It always shows my state, instead of my current location. This started about a month ago. GPS is fine with all other apps.

Overall, this phone has been a constant daily struggle and not a good experience. I do not recommend this phone at this time. Maybe later on with more stability with 4g and the pending upgrade, but hope springs eternal. I wish I would have kept my Dinc. It just worked all the time.

Sounds like a bad phone.

 

[OC Nut]

Am I missing something here? My T-Bolt's keyboard has arrow keys and delete key. I use the stock keyboard.

Yes, you are right -- the stock keyboard does have arrow keys. No delete key (it has a backspace). My mistake, thanks.

 

[mrtonk]

Sounds like a bad phone.

For what it's worth, I have had a Thunderbolt for two weeks and have not suffered from any of the issues mentioned in this forum thread. I love this thing!

 

[Ed Witles]

I went from a LG Voyager to the Tbolt. Not really wanting any kind of a 'fancy' phone. But a buddy showed me a Droid and I was thinking.. this might work.

But after seeing the keyboard was even more crammed vs the Voyager plus smaller screen, the Tbolt was clearly the winner.

Angry Birds keep my daughter amused (and wife annoyed). Wifey (and myself) enjoys the KJV Bible app. I have all the Nintendo emulators and a few games (very very cool).

Yes, these would work across other Droid devices but this is my first. And will NOT go back to a feature phone.

Oh, and the battery does drain fast but the LTE on/off app used during the 3G 4G outage the other week, I keep it on 3G unless docked via charger.

One more thing - this totally blows my TomTom away.

 

[Treknologist]

Pros:
Big, bright screen
"unlimited" app memory
Kickstand

Cons:
4g, what's that? This is the price you pay for bleeding edge technology.
Daily reboots.
Daily force close on a lot of apps.
I only use 2 apps that work with 4g streaming.
HTC weather is useless. It always shows my state, instead of my current location. This started about a month ago. GPS is fine with all other apps.

Overall, this phone has been a constant daily struggle and not a good experience. I do not recommend this phone at this time. Maybe later on with more stability with 4g and the pending upgrade, but hope springs eternal. I wish I would have kept my Dinc. It just worked all the time.

You must have a bad phone. I've had zero of those issues with my TBolt. Have you tried having it replaced?