Review: HTC ThunderBolt

If I told you I test-drove a Lamborghini Aventador, what features would you most want to hear about? The feel of the perforated leather steering wheel? The purr of the 700-horsepower, 6.5-liter V-12 engine? Or would you rather hear a poetic description of the gas in the tank and the highway I raced it on?

Indeed, the HTC ThunderBolt is an excellent piece of hardware. It's not quite the Lamborghini of the mobile phone world, but it certainly tops every other 4G device currently available from HTC, and it's the first phone to run on Verizon's 4G LTE network (That's the "highway," and don't worry, we'll get to that in a minute).

Unlike HTC's EVO or Inspire, the ThunderBolt's 8-megapixel camera sits flush against the back of the device. It's a perfect gesture of form and function, which vastly improves the feel of the phone, and also prevents the lens from scratching. There's also a front-facing camera for video chat. The optics are satisfying: The dual-LED flash was surprisingly effective, even in pitch dark. The 720p video quality and color saturation were solid.

The ThunderBolt's brushed metal kickstand is as well-constructed as it is practical: I used our ThunderBolt like a Chumby – to stream e-mail or RSS while working at a desktop. And the phone's vivid, oversized 4.3" WVGA TFT touchscreen was also fantastic for video playback.

Under the hood, too, the ThunderBolt is no slouch. The 1-GHz Snapdragon processor is zippy, to say the least. It comes loaded with Android 2.2 and with version 2.0 of HTC's own Sense user interface on top.

OK, so what about that highway? The ThunderBolt is the first phone to run on Verizon's 4G LTE, a network which – up until now – was reserved for laptop data cards or dongles. The short of it: LTE is really, really fast. While web-browsing, I experienced minimal clipping. Pages loaded, at times, in a matter of half-seconds. On average, downloading apps took about 10 seconds, literally.

We ran a few side-by-side speed tests in various locations throughout San Francisco. LTE mightily outperformed the other networks. In one instance, we tethered an iPhone 3GS on AT&T to the ThunderBolt. According to SpeedTest.net's latest app, the Wi-Fi clocked in at 5.77 Mbps (down) and 3.15 Mbps (up), whereas prior to tethering, the iPhone only logged 0.14 and 0.03 Mbps, respectively. In another instance, we fired up an HTC EVO 4G on Sprint. The absolute best (4.862 down, 1.025 up) was no match for the ThunderBolt (7.529 down; 6.261 up).

Of course, it's worth wondering whether LTE can continue serving up the same speeds as more users flock to the network. Because, hey, a newly paved backcountry road can't stay traffic-free and smooth forever, right? But if you're considering this phone, you should take solace that Verizon is expanding its 4G network to 147 cities this year.

So, what's not to like about the ThunderBolt? Test-driving the device felt a lot like racing a sports car with a 3-gallon engine. The high speeds are alluring, but really punching it means you won't get nearly as far.

When tethering the phone and streaming music via Rdio, the 1400-mAh battery served up a measly 2 hours, 45 minutes. That said, dialing the data usage back down to basic web surfing and e-mail, along with reducing the screen brightness, granted us closer to 6 hours. Sure it's no fun driving a car 35 mph when you know you can get up to 125. Then again, it beats walking.

WIRED An ample 8 GB of on-board memory (woot), plus a whopping 32 GB microSD included (WOOT!). At 0.56 inches, profile is trimmer than a supermodel. Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera makes you look good when chatting. Standard-sized 3.5-mm headphone jack. 2750-mAh battery upgrade available. Prestocked with apps like Adobe Reader and Kindle.

TIRED Battery tended to heat up faster than a car with a faulty radiator cap. A tad on the heavy side at 6.23 ounces. Loudspeaker is rather tinny – and hidden behind the kickstand. Flash content cannot be viewed while Wi-Fi hotspot is in use. No HDMI port.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

See Also:- Hands-On With HTC’s 4G Thunderbolt Smartphone

• Report: Motorola Xoom, HTC Thunderbolt Due This Month
• Verizon Expanding 4G Coverage to 145 Markets by 2012
• Sprint Leapfrogs Verizon With Fast 4G Hot-Spot Device