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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.
By Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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Here you can see the camera design a bit closer.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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

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Thunderbolt vs Droid Charge gallery 1

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Thunderbolt vs Droid Charge gallery 2

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