Pros
- Offers blazing fast (and very consistent) 4G LTE speeds
- The 1 GHz next-generation Snapdragon processor, while not dual-core, is an improvement over first-gen devices like the HTC EVO 4G
- It's a feature-packed device, with a 4.3-inch display, 8-megapixel camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and Android 2.2 with HTC Sense 2.0
- Comes with a 32 GB microSD card and 8 GB of internal storage to total almost 40 GB of available storage space.
Cons
- Battery life is poor to terrible, depending on usage habits
- Occasional issues with text messaging application
- The number of "force close" (similar to "this program is not responding" on a PC) messages are a potential concern
- While it comes with HTC Sense 2.0, Verizon has stripped most of the fun from it, including access to HTCSense.com and the corresponding customization options
Summary
Despite issues with the battery life and some of the applications, the HTC ThunderBolt surpasses the iPhone 4 to take over the number one spot on our list. The 4G LTE speeds are absolutely phenomenal (not to mention very consistent), and the device is feature-packed with an 8-megapixel camera, 4.3-inch display, and almost 40 GB of memory. Unfortunately, the battery life is very poor, and there are some software issues. Despite the cons, the phone makes it into the top smartphones list on Verizon and should please Android die-hards and intermediate users alike.
