LG Revolution vs HTC ThunderBolt

posted by FAUguy / Jun 14, 2011, 3:57 AM

Introduction:

During our last Verizon 4G LTE smartphone comparison we looked at the Samsung Droid Charge vs the HTC ThunderBolt, but this time around we’re going to compare some of the similarities and differences between the HTC ThunderBolt and the recently released LG Revolution. Both have a lot to offer customers, include a fast 1GHz processor, large display, and of course 4G data speeds.

Design:

Both the LG Revolution and HTC ThunderBolt have a candy-bar form factor, are rather big and bulky to hold, and weigh in at 6.06 oz and 6.23 oz respectfully. They are constructed out of plastic and feel reasonably sturdy, though the Revolution is black in color with chrome accents on the left and right side, and the ThunderBolt has a two-tone charcoal gray color. We like that both devices use a soft-touch coating on the back, which helps to provide a nice grip when holding them. Be that as it may, neither phone is all that striking in its appearance.

Both the LG Revolution (L) and HTC ThunderBolt (R)
are rather big and bulky to hold

Even though the LG Revolution and HTC ThunderBolt feature a 4.3” WVGA resolution TFT display on the front, the one on the Revolution is noticeably brighter, allowing it to be more viewable when used outside in the sun, and its colors are also more saturated, though it’s still not as intense as the Super AMOLED Plus display on the Samsung Droid Charge.

Both phones feature a 4.3” WVGA resolution TFT display

Both handset feature almost exactly the same stuff in terms of ports and sensors, including the 1.3MP front cam, light and proximity sensors, four capacitive keys, 3.5mm jacks and microUSB ports. The only notable difference here is that the LG Revolution also has an HDMI-out port.

The LG Revolution (left, top) and HTC ThunderBolt (right, bottom)

LG Revolution 360-degrees View:

HTC ThunderBolt 360-degrees View:

FEATURED VIDEO

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14 Comments

1. Synack unregistered

Now here's a true contest. Bad phone vs bad phone. Just do yourself a favor if you really need a Verizon 4G phone, get the Droid Charge; Better than both of these. Not the best phone out there but definitely better than these.

posted on Jun 14, 2011, 11:13 AM 0

2. MalakiMills

Posts: 257; Member since: Jun 15, 2010

That's not true at all. The thunderbolt is the winner anyday. Better processor, more ram, better UI, better camera, and far superior build quality. The only thing that the charge wins in is the screen and battery life, which aren't enough to make it the victor at all. Not to mention the file system used in the charge makes it have the most lag of those 3 phones. Hell if anything the charge is your worst choice.

posted on Jun 14, 2011, 12:19 PM 2

3. Robert Steal unregistered

Uh, no. I disagree. I've had both and the Charge is the phone to get. The battery life and screen quality alone should be the reason for purchase. I know folks say that they can root the Thunderbolt and also turn off this n that for better battery life, but for those that do not want to commit surgey on your phone, the Thunderbolts battery life is pales in comparison (even with a rooted Thunderbolt I would wager the battery is better on the stock Charge, and what about a rooted Charge?) I do like the Thunderbolt's build quality and kick stand, but it IS thicker than the Charge and the stand covers the speaker ( poor design). Also, with the recent software uprgade, the browser and overall performance of the Charge has improved significantly. In response to the Thunderbolt's better processor this, more RAM that and better UI, etc. (I do like Sense, but the updated Touch Wiz UI is no slouch now, or just get Launcher Pro and solve that issue), I don't think any of that is really that much of a difference to the majority of users. Both of these phones have somewhat similar processor performance, and anyways, their specs are both a generation behind from what's currently out there on all carriers. You're ulitimately paying Verizon to be an early adopter of the blazing fast LTE service. Bottom line, go for the the Charge until the Bionic or Galaxy SII (crossing my fingers on it having LTE even though I know preliminary reports say no). In my opinion, the Charge is the best LTE phone out right now.

posted on Jun 14, 2011, 2:23 PM 1

4. bigwavesurfer4

Posts: 13; Member since: Jun 13, 2011

this is based on preference on which interface you like imo. I personally prefer sense ui over touch wiz. Others prefer stock. My aria is running speedy on a 600 mhz processor I can only imagine the big difference between 1 gz single core vs dual core. It's out of control! Still would prefer an htc phone just because of build quality and software imo.

posted on Jun 16, 2011, 1:48 AM 1

5. ILikeBubbles

Posts: 525; Member since: Jan 17, 2011

i heart HTC, so that out of the way honestly i would be biased against the Droid Charge purely (honestly! lol) for aesthetic reasons. i do not think that the charge is pretty. and honestly i think that maybe the lg revolution is more attractive than the TB but lucky for me they're BOTH too big for my hands. my Eris at 3.2" is nice and i may be able to go as large as 3.5" but i don't think i could ever comfortably own a 4"+ phone. i understand that i may be the minority here but hey it's not all big burly men with giant hands who are interested in Android and it's hosts. Super excited for the elusive Mecha_s. really hoping it's a 3.2" (if the resolution doesn't change) tb with a 2nd or 3rd gen 1ghz snapdragon and maybe an 8mp camera. i would rather not have ffc than anything else because... well i don't want a camera looking at me every time i'm txting or checking my msg's while i'm brushing my teeth lol how much potential for embarrassing pictures! maybe i'm just paranoid... anyway i agree with the specs listed in the article. nothing less than Gingerbread, 1gb of ram, dual core processor would be nice but probably won't be released in a phone that's the right size for me until much later but that's okay because right now i'm rocking a big bad HTC Eris. :) 528MHz processor lol root ftw.

posted on Jun 16, 2011, 4:44 AM 2

6. CRICKETownz

Posts: 980; Member since: Oct 24, 2009

I may be alone in this...but I'm not feelin the SGSII. Visually this phone is not that great at all so I'm not sure why everyone on this site I'd endorsing this phone. I like HTC but I like the Charge a little better for the same reasons as an earlier poster listed in addition to sharper pictures/video capture & the simplistic look/function of Touchwiz. I also like the fact that Sammy includes their own task manager software as an icon in the applications menu so I don't have to d**k around some 3rd party app or go into settings on HTC. As far as the LG Revolution...man I have little faith in any LG smartphone b/c of failures such as the LG Vortex, LG Ally, Optimus line etc. Not a big fan.

posted on Jun 16, 2011, 8:50 AM 0

7. GP unregistered

That's exactly why I also returned the Thunderbolt for the Charge. I love the Charge's built-in task killer. I heard task killers like ATK from the Android Market can damage your phone in the long-term after prolonged use. Also, I personally have no problems with Touch Wiz. I've used Launcherpro and it was nice, but TouchWiz was fine for me. In addition, when I had the Thunderbolt, I liked the kickstand, but why the freak did HTC place the charger port so that when you used the kickstand in landscape mode to watch videos, Youtube, etc., the charger port was placed so that you couldn't have it wired up and charged? WTF HTC? The battery life is terrible to begin with, so how do you expect to use the kickstand/screen when the battery dies right before your eyes? I don't want to have to ghetto rig a contraption to be able to do this. HTC's design team f'd this one up. Also, in response to the above poster about the Thunderbolt's better processor, RAM, and file system, I honestly can't tell the difference. Both phones loaded programs at comparable times, loaded videos the same (probably more due to the LTE service), and navigating through the phone's menu was identical. I see no meaningful difference in real world performance. In my opinion, I think arguing that the Thunderbolt has better processor, RAM, etc. than the Charge, is more for bragging rights on sites here like Phonearena than actual real world functionality and usage. Also, I agree with the above poster about the speakerphone. The placement is annoying. When I used the speaker, it irritated me that I had to pull out the stand every time to have optimal volume. The stand/speaker is just another overall bad design from HTC. However, I did like the Thunderbolt, but I am much, much happier with the Charge. In addition to the all the above mentioned items, the battery life is significantly better (very important to me) than the Thunderbolt and the Super Amoled Plus screen is just amazing.

posted on Jun 17, 2011, 12:28 PM 0

10. Immolate

Posts: 310; Member since: Jun 17, 2011

You're right about spec wars. They're for gear-heads and mean nothing if the performance of the phones doesn't live up the specs. Take the Charge for example. Within six months, it will begin flaking off it's plating and expose cheap grey plastic beneath. Within a year, you'll have to buy a cover to hide the hideous wear and tear. The cover won't make it feel like a quality phone, but at least it will look okay... from a distance... if the light isn't too good.

posted on Jul 03, 2011, 12:01 AM 0

8. rayjones09

Posts: 149; Member since: Dec 16, 2010

In other words, there's no real compelling reason to get the LG Revolution over the Thunderbolt, AT ALL!!! With that being the case, why did they even release this device AFTER the Thunderbolt?

posted on Jun 17, 2011, 2:41 PM 2

9. Immolate

Posts: 310; Member since: Jun 17, 2011

The reason I'm not jonesing for the Galaxy 2 is the same reason I'm ambivalent about the Charge in spite of its superior screen: Samsungs are poorly constructed. Without a case, which enlarges an already large phone, it will be chipped and scarred by the time you trade up. My first two droids were the D1 and the DX. Both were built like a tank. I'm on the Tbolt now, and I was pleasantly surprised how tight it is and the feeling of quality it exudes in spite of its plastic housing. I really want Samsung to bring their A-game and I'm not a hater. I'm just a guy that likes nice things.

posted on Jun 17, 2011, 5:33 PM 1

11. thecomputergenius unregistered

I have the thunderbolt. Even with it's faults I wouldn't trade it. It never lags the games play great the call quality is good, and personally mine didn't have a reboot issue. When I tried the charge in the Verizon store it didn't even play media Delux game it was very slow. (the game was a take off on Break out.) the min I saw that I said forget it. With the LG revoultion it wasn't bad. But the colors were washed and the camera was 5 megapixuals. and it had bing. On top of this it had 512 meg's of ram and the bolt has 768. Ram is Ram The bolt was for me. So for me the bolt is the phone for me.

posted on Jul 13, 2011, 11:10 PM 0

12. skeletor unregistered

I have had all three phones listed above. I first purchased the Revolution... very bad idea. I had to order 3 warranty replacements within 2 weeks, due to the faulty microphone. I then swapped it out for a charge. That was my next bad step. The phone was laggy and felt very cheap. I actually had to pull the battery twice because it froze twice before I even left the Verizon store. So I talked to the manager and he told me they have had a lot of problems with the charge. ZI then found the better phone out of the three. The Thunderbolt's ram allows you to do more at a time than any other. Yes mine had very bad battery life, but after half an hour of having it at home, I rooted it and installed a custom kernel and now my battery only drops 2-3% an hour. The other phones have hardware problems that they can try to patch by making software that helps but there is no way to fix hardware in a phone unless you take it apart and replace it with more efficient parts ie. ram. My thunderbolt downloads at 21 mps with an upload of 8 mps. the max that i was able to get the other 2 up to were 13.5 mps download.