X

Hands-on with HTC ThunderBolt; the first LTE smartphone from Verizon

The HTC ThunderBolt is the first LTE smartphone on the Verizon Wireless network. The device is extremely fast, but traveling at that speed also hits the battery pretty hard.
By Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
6203677.jpg
1 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The HTC ThunderBolt is the first LTE smartphone on the Verizon Wireless network. The device is extremely fast, but traveling at that speed also hits the battery pretty hard. The box is an unassuming black simple package with embossed Thunderbolt branding.

Check out my ZDNet Smartphones & Cell Phones post for a video of the HTC ThunderBolt and more details.

6203678.jpg
2 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

After you lift the top from the black box you will find blazing red all over, that matches the Verizon colors. Notice the ThunderBolt embossing on the box too.

6203679.jpg
3 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Here's the HTC ThunderBolt embedded in Verizon red.

6203680.jpg
4 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Box contents include a USB cable, charger, some pamphlets, and the SIM card. There is no headset included with the ThunderBolt.

6203681.jpg
5 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The HTC ThunderBolt is very similar in size to the HTC HD7 device and they both have 4.3 inch TFT displays.

6203682.jpg
6 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Here you can see the back of these two 4.3 inch HTC devices. The ThunderBolt has a better camera and kickstand than the HD7.

6203683.jpg
7 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

HTC likes to use kickstands on their more powerful smartphones, as you can see here.

6203684.jpg
8 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The kickstand on the back of the Thunderbolt is substantial and also covers the speaker grill.

6203685.jpg
9 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The kickstand is wide and solid while the back is made of a soft touch type material.

6203687.jpg
10 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Here you can see the kickstand closed and the 4G LTE labeling on the Thunderbolt.

6203688.jpg
11 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The 8 megapixel camera and dual LED flash are shown at the top of the back. There are also two small holes with a connector on the back that may be for an enhanced antenna.

6203689.jpg
12 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The top of the Thunderbolt includes the power button, notch to pry off back cover, and 3.5 mm headset jack. A second microphone is also found on the top to improve call quality.

6203690.jpg
13 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

There is a large volume button on the right side of the Thunderbolt.

6203691.jpg
14 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

There is only a mic opening on the bottom.

6203692.jpg
15 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The microUSB charging port is on the bottom of the left side.

6203693.jpg
16 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

There is the headset speaker and front facing camera above the display on the Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, applications cannot yet use the camera for video calling.

6203694.jpg
17 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The traditional four button configuration of an Android device is present below the display.

6203695.jpg
18 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The Thunderbolt is a big device, but it closely matches the other large 4.3 inch display devices with a bit more thickness.

6203696.jpg
19 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The speaker is loud and clear on the Thunderbolt, but you have to pull out the kickstand to hear the full effects.

6203737.jpg
20 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

HTC didn't think too much about the kickstand and microUSB placement so if you want to charge up your Thunderbolt, say while watching a movie, you will discover this doesn't work well with the kickstand.

6203697.jpg
21 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

There are some interesting bits under the battery cover including the four unknown gold dots just under the camera. The two leads in the upper left also connect with the gold part of the back cover inside.

6203698.jpg
22 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

A 4G LTE SIM card is found in the bottom of the back opening.

6203699.jpg
23 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Verizon includes a generous 32GB microSD card in the Thunderbolt so you really should have what you need for lots of storage.

6203700.jpg
24 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Notice the gold piece in the upper right of the cover? This connects to two leads on the back of the Thunderbolt.

6203702.jpg
25 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 1

6203703.jpg
26 of 26 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 2

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos