Mobility

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

By // March 21, 2011, 9:56 PM PST

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  • HTC ThunderBolt retail box

    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.

  • Taking off the lid

    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.

  • Here is the ThunderBolt

    Here's the HTC ThunderBolt embedded in Verizon red.

  • HTC ThunderBolt box contents

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

  • ThunderBolt and HD7 side-by-side

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

  • Back of the ThunderBolt and HD7

    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.

  • HTC devices on their kickstands

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

  • Kickstand and speaker grille

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

  • Another kickstand shot

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

  • 4G LTE labeling

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

  • Upper back of the Thunderbolt

    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.

  • Top of the HTC Thunderbolt

    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.

  • Right side of the Thunderbolt

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

  • Bottom of the Thunderbolt

    There is only a mic opening on the bottom.

  • Bottom of the left side on the Thunderbolt

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

  • Above the Thunderbolt display

    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.

  • Front bottom under the display

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

  • HTC Thunderbolt in hand

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

  • Speaker grille hidden under the kickstand

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

  • Poor microUSB placement causes awkward situation

    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.

  • Under the back cover

    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.

  • Verizon SIM card included

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

  • Included 32GB microSD card

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

  • Back cover of the HTC Thunderbolt

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

  • HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 1

    HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 1

  • HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 2

    HTC Thunderbolt image gallery thumbnail 2

HTC ThunderBolt retail box

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.

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