droid charge or thunderbolt

[new_user_ct]

I am due for an upgrade (finally) in a few weeks and have decided to go for a smartphone (I currently have a "dumb" phone).  Anyway, since 4G is coming to the area I live in,  I am trying to decide between the Thunderbolt or the Samsung Charge.   I have read various pros and cons about each and the biggest difference I can find is the screen resolution on the charge.  Any other thoughts?  Keep in mind I am a new smartphone user...  Thanks!

[Llavan]

I'm sure the phone by itself we work okay. If you're thinking of connecting to a car make sure you check with the dealership that that it will be compatible. Especially counseling the phone book into the car.

I personally like the Samsung charge!

Do not expect any help from Verizon wireless! Their tech-support will not help. They will  blame on the car.

If it doesn't work that will be a restocking fee of $35.

Good luck

My HTC incredible has lots of problems.

[CrimsonGuard]

I am a big HTC / Android fan, but I have to vote for the Charge on this one. There are a few reasons but the most important would have to be battery life and stability. Both could be improved with updates to the Thunderbolt, but why wait?

[Ray999]

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new_user_ct wrote:

I am due for an upgrade (finally) in a few weeks and have decided to go for a smartphone (I currently have a "dumb" phone).  Anyway, since 4G is coming to the area I live in,  I am trying to decide between the Thunderbolt or the Samsung Charge.   I have read various pros and cons about each and the biggest difference I can find is the screen resolution on the charge.  Any other thoughts?  Keep in mind I am a new smartphone user...  Thanks!

I have had a couple of HTC phones (EVO 4G and EVO Shift on Sprint)  but not the Thunderbolt. My main dislikes with those phones were that they both went through the battery in 6 hours or less, sound quality was kind of tinny, and they did not ever get a real good signal unless you were literally under the tower.

On the other hand,  I liked the HTC Sense user interface much better than Touchwiz that is on the Charge. The Charge has been very good with the battery, sound quality is very clear, and I do not have any problems with bad signal.

• Display - Charge is better
• User Interface - HTC Sense on Thunderbolt is better than Samsung's TouchWiz
• RAM - Thunderbolt has more. Charge has 512MB of which you get @120MB after VZW's bloatware loads.
• Sound Quality - Charge is better
• Battery Life - Charge is better
• Likelihood of getting timely system software updates - HTC has the better reputation
• Junk apps - both are loaded with them
• Bottom line Charge = Great hardware and mediocre software, HTC = Good hardware and good software.

[droidem]

I had a Thunderbolt, but just returned it today for the Samsung Charge. The Thunderbolt was nice but it just had terrible battery life... and the extended battery for it made the phone feel like a brick. From what I've heard the battery life is definitely better on the Charge than the Thunderbolt or the LG Revolution. I asked the guy at Verizon if many people returned the Thunderbolt and he said yes.

I'd vote for the Samsung Charge.

[GreenRobot]

Thunderbolt or Charge as your first smart phone I would say neither. I have the Charge and got it as a replacemnt for the Thunderbolt. I have had the OG Droid and the Droid X before these 4g phones and I wish I would have gotten the Droid X 2. The reason that being 4g and Verizons 4g phones need a lot of work. So if you want a great experience from your first smart phone get a Droid Incredible 2 or Droid X 2 or even a Droid X for less than a $100 plus it's one of the only Verizon phones running googles newest 2.3 Gingerbread OS. 

[AZSALUKI]

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GreenRobot wrote:

Thunderbolt or Charge as your first smart phone I would say neither. I have the Charge and got it as a replacemnt for the Thunderbolt. I have had the OG Droid and the Droid X before these 4g phones and I wish I would have gotten the Droid X 2. The reason that being 4g and Verizons 4g phones need a lot of work. So if you want a great experience from your first smart phone get a Droid Incredible 2 or Droid X 2 or even a Droid X for less than a $100 plus it's one of the only Verizon phones running googles newest 2.3 Gingerbread OS. 

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i'd agree with greenrobot here. while i do have a tbolt and love it, it does have flaws. i'm also in a very solid LTE area and have no connectivity issues. if LTE is "coming" to your area, i would be skeptical about getting a 4g phone right now. you could always get a used android now and save your upgrade until there are more 4g devices to choose from and you have reviews of the network in the are. you can get a good condition incredible, droid X, fascinate, etc, etc on ebay right now for decent prices. then wait until after the network is up and running in your area and get a 4g device then (moto bionic is also coming soon). all of these have reported issues and flaws and i would rather get a SOLID 3 g device if this is your first smart phone (i LOVED my incredible and the X seems very nice as well....heck, i still love my brother's original moto droid). i don't like the idea of using your upgrade for an X2 or Inc2 since they are not 4g and i would be afraid that a year from now they will seem VERY outdated.

[DaisyP_VZW · Accepted solution]

Thank you all for your responses. Please review the following link to assist you in comparing up to 5 devices. You will be able to compare price, features, services and applications available on each.

[TBhouston]

battery life will be improved by the end of the summer on the thunderbolt.  On this gingerbread rom/updated kernal i'm getting about 18 hours of  time with 11 awake.. The device has problems but they are being worked on

It is hard to say which would be better for you, the charge feels thin and the colors are a bit off for me-- which are selling points to others

I would say really go into a store poke around on each and see how you like the feel. As far as power they pretty much do the same thing

[nova003]

It's all about preference.i had the TB and didn't like the craftsmanship of the device led light leak,side spine u can pull on with a finger nail and battery life is none.performance wise tb claims to be better but other than the quadrant test i cant tell a noticeable diff, i would say overall the DC is the better.

[TBhouston]

You do know quadrant tests are pretty much a joke and completely useless right? There are so many ways to trick results

I do agree 100% about the craftsmanship..hands down the phone feels rushed and a lot of the design could be improved on

[VZinNC]

Purchased a thunderbolt. Battery died by 11am next day, took it back. Bought a Charge. Battery life is better, camera is better, like the screen too- easy to read outside. Charge is bigger but also lighter, so mixed advantages there. Multiple reviews pointed out the plastic on the Charge feels cheap and scratches easily - but I use a verizon shell holster so it would be encased regardless. BUT I can't get it to connect to my corporate exchange server. Verizon tried to help, we used 3 different mail clients, but couldn't connect. Going to try one more day and then take it back for a thunderbolt with extended battery. Will have to use a non-shell case for it, as the shell doesn't work with the extended battery. Also, at least at the moment, the hotspot on the Charge is not working, as verified by Verizon. Presumably the hotspot will be fixed soon, but if you need it on day 1, you may have to try the changes that others have posted in these forums. I would encourage you to consider either a spare battery (verizon has a little desk charger that will charge both) or the extended battery for either phone, depending on how you use it and whether you'll have access to a power supply.