LTE super smartphone showdown: HTC ThunderBolt vs. Samsung Droid Charge

Verizon rolled out the HTC ThunderBolt in March with support for its blazing fast LTE network. The Samsung Droid Charge was released just over a week ago and has an amazing Super AMOLED Plus display to go with that same blazing network.

Check out my full ZDNet Smartphones & Cell Phones postcomparing the two and discussing what my final choice was.

After sliding off the slip cover and lifting the lid you can see the Droid Charge takes up most of the storage compartment with its 4.3 inch display.

Inside the box you will find a USB cable, A/C adapter, product brochures, the battery, and the Droid Charge. A 32GB microSD card is also included in the device.

The Droid Charge and HTC ThunderBolt are not that different in size, but the Droid is much lighter and more glossy.

On the back you can see where the camera and flash lights are found on both devices. There is no handy kickstand on the Droid Charge.

It is a rarity to see a manufacturer using actual physical buttons on today's slab style all touch screen devices, but you will find them on the Droid Charge.

The front facing camera and headset speaker are found at the top of the Droid Charge.

Samsung has their power button in the same place as always, but they also included an HDMI port for when you want to share your media.

The left side house the volume buttons, lanyard opening, and microUSB port.

A 3.5mm headset jack and mic appear on the top of the Charge.

The back has stylish plastic with a Transformer-looking camera lense and single LED flash.

Here you can see the camera design a bit closer.

The Droid Charge is a long device, but still fits fine in my hand.

This is a photo of a screen trying to show you how vibrant the Super Amoled Plus display is, but you really need to see it in person to appreciate it.

This screenshot shows my primary home page with calendar and Evernote widgets.

There are some great widgets in Launcher Pro, along with the ability to customize the bottom buttons.

Here are some more customizations, including along the bottom icon slider.

I like the way the Samsung Droid Charge rotates the home screen and find this to be the most efficient of all vessels.

Thunderbolt vs Droid Charge gallery 1

Thunderbolt vs Droid Charge gallery 2