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If it weren't for the terrible battery, would you recommend TB?

T

TRSN

Member
I am switching to Verizon shortly and need to pick out a new phone. I am trying the Charge and the Dinc2 for a few days. I really love everything about the Dinc2, except the lack of 4G. I am not in love with the Charge (not sure why). I think I just prefer the UI.

My area just launched 4G last week and the Charge absolutely flies. I just can't see buying a 3G phone that I will be stuck with for 2 years when 4G is available now.

So.... that brings me to the TB, which gives me an HTC phone with 4G. But, everyone has issues w/ the battery. I would either get the extended battery or a spare to have with me at all times. With that said, would you recommend the TB?

thx
 
Yes, I would. There's no point in suger coating the batter life sucks, but with the last OTA update most of the other bugs it had were worked out. It's a good phone that should go the distance with you.
 
I felt the same about the charge... can't put my finger on it. If on 3g I get battery life I consider more than adequate on my tb. The charge was no better battery wise.
Try out every feature and inspect the phone thoroughly for the two week period is all I can say... If your a non rooting type and like sense id say go for it. If you are a rooting type there's few if any better choices.
 
I own a Thunderbolt and I am using it for this post. There have been some bugs in the software but many of these issues have been resolved.

There are several solutions to the battery life problem, though this will be a bigger consideration for me when I eventually replace this phone. I have a charger in the car and at work, but because of weekend situations when I can't stop to charge, I got the extended 2750mAh battery with the bulge. So far this is the battery I usually use every day. I also have an 8000mAh external battery for air travel.

I definatly recommend 4G. I can really tell the difference when I'm somewhere that only has 3G. Though 4G does use more battery.

At this moment I believe the Thunderbolt is the best 4G phone. The Bionic or the next 4G Samsung might be better, but they still aren't available.

My intuition is based on reviews on anandtech.com in the mobile phone section. Their data shows the Thunderbolt is better than the other VZ 4G phones for many things.
 
But, everyone has issues w/ the battery.
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Sorry, but I have to disagree. On every forum I go to, there are as many people who are happy with the battery life on the TBolt as there are people who don't like it. Maybe because everyone has different expectations. I had no problem at all making it through the day with the stock battery. I do have the exended battery now, but not because I needed it, I just had the I wants and had to have it. I don't think I've been below 60% since I got it.

How long do you want it to last? What are your expectations. 10 to 12 hours of mod to heavy use is definitely possible.

What is your usage like? You know how you use your phone better than anyone else. Will you be on 4G all of the time? Surfing constantly? Or talking, texting, emailing and switching to 4G to surf occasionally?

Will you be plugging it into a charger periodically at home, work and in your car? Some people are seldom that far from a charger and some can't get to one all day.

What's your personality type? Are you the type of person who is fine with changing settings in your phone to make your battery last as long as possible, or are you the type that thinks it should last 24 hours with the brightness at 100%, everything else at the default settings and constantly searching for a 4Gsignal?

I have had no problems at all with my TBolt and am tethered to it right now while checking out different forums. However, it's also plugged into a charger. I work a 12 hour night shift and wouldn't expect the battery % to be that great after being tethered for 12 hours without charging.

My opinion is that it's a computer/wireless modem/camera/communication device that I can carry around on my belt. That means it does more than my laptop and my laptop battery only lasts 5-6 hours.

So, my opinion is it's a great device and yes I'd recommend getting it. I haven't found any other phone that I think can compare to it, but by next year I may be panting after the next latest and greatest. Considering what it does, I never expected great battery life, but it turned out to be better than I expected. Others obviously expect more out of it than I do, but every one has different expectations.
 
Nomatter what the bugs or battery life, I'm happy. I'm not waiting around with unrealistic expectations of the perfect phone only to be dumbfounded when I get one that isn't. I'm doing everything I can to make my phone perfect FOR me.

Everything that could be listed as a con is either fixable or there's a workaround. What's not to like? I remember back in the day when all we wanted was a phone that could browse the web well. Oh how complicated we've made things
 
My friend has the thunderbolt and he is not having a problem with it. This is like the DHD battery issue, they said the battery sucks but my DHD battery usually last a day or more with average to heavy use.

Go for it, man!
 
minus these so called battery issues, this is the best VZW Android phone out right now. the Charge makes a case to compete, but falls a tiny bit short. the screen is nice, but the plastic feel lost it for me when i picked it up.

the Charge and TBolt are arguably the best 2 Android smartphones on VZW as of late. 4G is a must imo. if you're on YouTube and surfing among other things, you'll notice the difference EVERY time. (being in 4G helps)

if you're not data sensitive, u can easily turn 4G off. either go back to 3G for the time being, or completely off. phone calls and text messages will NOT be affected. that's a HUGE battery saver right there!

supposedly the Bionic is right around the corner, so whatever you choose will probably go back for one of these. people have been drooling about this device for quite some time for some reason!?!

good luck in choosing!
 
Bramsy said:
<snip>

if you're not data sensitive, u can easily turn 4G off. either go back to 3G for the time being, or completely off. phone calls and text messages will NOT be affected. that's a HUGE battery saver right there!

<snip>
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I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or just not getting it but when I use phone info to switch to "CDMA auto (PRL)" I don't see any noticeable improvement. Should I use "CDMA only"?

Also, does this make a difference if you are in a fully 4G area and the phone is just on? I get that using the 4G radio might burn more battery, but what about just sitting there? (That might be my problem comparing 3G to 4G. If it there is no extra drain in standby, there would probably be no savings for me.)


FWIW
DLM
 
There was a similar post on the VZW boards and I had written that I would not recommend this phone, period. This was a while ago before the new update came out and it seemed like everyone and their grandmothers were having reboot issues. Now, yes, i would recommend the TB. It's a great phone and I've not had an issue with it. That said, I would strongly recommend the extended battery. I love my extended battery and the phone feels really good in my hand. My co-worker has the Sprint Evo and he is so jealous of the kickstand on my phone. Love the kickstand!!
 
i would def recommend the TB especially if you are i a strong 4G area. I live in Newark Delaware which i thought would have a strong 4G signal, but i was wrong. Lately i have been going up to Wilmington for my grandfather and there is a very strong 4G signal up there. Now whenever i am up there i notice that my battery lasts alot longer then usual. I can have my music playing plus search the net (which is WONDERFUL in 4G i mean WONDERFUL) for hours and hours and the battery does not die anywhere as fast when im not in a 4G area. I do keep my phone in 3G - 4G mode so when i am in a 3G area it kills my battery.

Plus the latest update really boosted the phones credibility as well. Now all we need is gingerbread and WOW. Since im getting alot more 4G speeds now a days plus the update im not really to worried about the whole GB fiasco.
 
dmunz said:
I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or just not getting it but when I use phone info to switch to "CDMA auto (PRL)" I don't see any noticeable improvement. Should I use "CDMA only"?

Also, does this make a difference if you are in a fully 4G area and the phone is just on? I get that using the 4G radio might burn more battery, but what about just sitting there? (That might be my problem comparing 3G to 4G. If it there is no extra drain in standby, there would probably be no savings for me.)


FWIW
DLM
Click to expand...

CDMA saves the battery vs LTE period. VZW is still tinkering with it and the drain with the device idle works differently. there is more drain with LTE on at the moment. i'm not sure if the battery is affected in a 3G area, in terms of LTE. i would assume that it would if it was checking for 4G all the time... but that's an assumption.

back to the OP. if u don't mind it's size, bulk and weight, GO FOR IT!
p.s. do you live in a 4G area?
 
It's still the best phone on VZW at the moment (my personal opinion of course). Battery life has been decent for me although my sister in law is now wishing she had bought an iPhone because the battery drains too fast on her tbolt. I showed her how to kill the blockbuster application and associated processes but she isn't very technical and really is geared more to the iProducts.

If you plan on rooting it...you really won't be disappointed as the battery life is much better than on stock because of all the tweaks to the ROMs and kernels.

Running the OMFGB nightlies and I'm very pleased (yep... Finally let go of Sense and not missing it because AOSP ROMs are just so nice).
 
Well I am not super qualified to answer, as I just got my phone yesterday, but coming from an incredible, the familiarity is nice, I set my screens up the same way I did the incredible. The speed is the same (UI, processor related items), which is a good thing. The screen is a downgrade IMO, AMOLED was way better, plus 3.7 meant smaller pixels vs. the 4.3 on the thunderbolt, so it seems like a lower res on the thunderbolt. battery life is a little worse, but surprisingly liveable after what I heard. I don't live in a 4G area yet, but I know I will before I am up for a new phone again. The build quality is excellent, much nicer materials than the Inc.
 
Personally I think the battery is fine. I get a days worth of battery no problem with average use.

Considering what all this thing is capable of, that's Acceptable for me.

If you want a couple days worth, you have the iPhone or blackberry and that's about it.
 
Having played with both, along with the revolution, I'd rank them thunderbolt, revolution, charge.

The thunderbolt just has such a better, more high class feel to it. The screen is nice on the charge, but the tbolt screen is definitely not a weak spot..
 
I have had my Thunderbolt for 2 weeks. I had a HTC Eris Droid before this. I was disturbed to read so many problems when I first got it. I loved my other phone for everything except being a phone (I coukd never get calls or make calls without it freezing for periods of time). But it did everything else beautifully. I have an iPad but didn't want a mini iPad so I didn,t want the iPhone. I went with the Thunderbolt. I read all the forums after the first day and did every battery saving thing I could do. Last night I checked and was at 40:33 hours of up time with about an hour of awake time and I was at exactly 50% battery. during that time I made calls, used GPS, manually updated mail, etc.

I think the the things that make thr biggest impact are:
-Dimming the screen as far down as is comfortable. Mine is set for 12% and I only turn it up if I am in bright light.
-I keep mobile off most of the time and still get calls and texts and turn it on as needed
-I use wifi whenever possible
-I update everything manually when i need it

I also did the calibrate battery thing (a weird turning on/off thing with charging) and a I also bump charge but not every time. I also turned off vibrations, animations, etc.

It all depends on what your goals are. I want a reliable phone that I can also use to check mail, surf, GPS as needed. If you need To be fully connected all the time the battery will suck.

I don't think we should have to settle for a phone that doesn,t do all the things promised however we are the victims of our own need to do everything right away and be connected 24/7 so the companies push out products to make the sale because of the demand and then we are unhappy with half assed products but it's sort of the American way at this point.

For the record I haven't done the most recent update because, thanks to the forums, I knew I would lose my hot spot and I had one day where the phone did a few random reboots but it has been fine ever since. And I had one bad day with the GPS but it has been fine ever since. Now that it seems to have settled down I really like this phone and it is blazingly fast when I need it and makes a perfect call every time.
 
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