The HTC Thunderbolt, a CDMA version of the HTC Desire HD, is Verizon’s flagship phone in the US and also the first phone to run on their 4G LTE network. Samsung Galaxy SII on the other hand is Samsung’s flagship phone which has enjoyed ground-breaking success ever since its launch. So which one’s going to stand out in the ground? Read on to find out.
Comparison Attributes
Design:
The first thing to come to mind when purchasing a phone is its design. Nobody’s going to buy a phone with a bad design. Both the phones look attractive. However if I had to choose, the HTC Thunderbolt would probably take the prize.
UI/Custom Skin:
Considering the fact that manufacturers these days almost certainly ship the phone with their own custom skin, it’s a very important factor in choosing the right phone.
HTC’s Sense has always been a winner when it comes to UI customization. Samsung’s TouchWiz 4.0 on the other hand tries to improve on its predecessor by a lot. However, when it comes to this department HTC has a clear edge over all the other OEMs.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 runs Android Gingerbread as of now with an Ice Cream Sandwich update possibly. The HTC Thunderbolt runs Android Froyo. Yes, this may be a deal-breaker for some. However people going in for custom ROMs shouldn’t worry anyway.
Screen:
Both the phones sport a gigantic 4.3″ screen. The HTC uses a WVGA TFT screen to satisfy the user. The Samsung on the other hand uses an advanced version of AMOLED, which they’re calling Super AMOLED PLUS. The Samsung shines in this department. It is obvious right from the time the phones are switched on that Super-AMOLED-PLUS wins hands down. The blacks are impermeable. Also since the S2 uses an OLED display the battery backup should be significantly better.
Camera:
The HTC Thunderbolt’s got an 8MP-dual LED sensor with 720p video recording on the rear and a 1.3MP sensor on the front for video calling. The Samsung on the other hand has an 8MP-single LED sensor with 1080p video recording.
Processor & Memory:
The Samsung clearly has an upper hand in this department. The S2’s got a 1.2GHz dual core ARMv7 coupled with a Mali-400 GPU whereas the Thunderbolt’s got the newest iteration of the 1GHz Scorpion Snapdragon processor along with an Adreno 205 GPU.
The S2 boasts of an impressive 1GB RAM while the Thunderbolt gets 768MB of it. (Note: My first computer had 64MB of RAM)
For the average Joe this may not be a real deal-breaker. Heck, most of the apps will run just fine. And I don’t think anybody would encode videos on their phone, so I’m sure the Thunderbolt will be a prospective buy just as much.
Storage:
The S2’s got an impressive 16/32GB storage with a microSD card to support an additional 32GB of storage. The ‘Bolt’s got an 8GB NAND flash with microSD supports up to 32GB.
Connectivity:
This is one area in which the ‘Bolt screams power. The Thunderbolt is the first phone to run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The S2 on the other hand supports HSPA+. How fast the network is only depends on the operator. The ‘Bolt can outrun the S2 provided it’s got good network support.
The S2 boasts of the usual plethora of connectivity: WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, a-GPS, proximity sensor, magnetometer, gyroscope, and accelerometer.
The Thunderbolt also has a similar lineup with the exception of Bluetooth 3.0 (it’s got 2.1+EDR) and a gyroscope. Not a particular deal-break, but definitely worth a mention.
The Galaxy S2 does have a worthy mention though: NFC. This can and probably will come handy in the near future with Google Wallet.
Battery:
The S2 has a ginormous battery to power its dual-core monster, 1650mAH Li-ion whereas the Thunderbolt gets a 1400mAH Li-ion battery. A bigger battery on the Thunderbolt would’ve been better considering the LTE modem.
Pricing and Verdict
The Galaxy S2 retails for about 199$ locked to multiple carriers and for 549$ unlocked. The Thunderbolt on the other hand is only available through Verizon Wireless for 150$.
The Galaxy S2 has been called the “greatest Android phone yet” by many reviewers. Coupled with a ultra-fast processor+gpu combo and oodles of RAM and Android 2.3, this baby is a very potent device.
The HTC Thunderbolt on the other hand is the first handset out of the stables to run Verizon’s LTE network. And we all know that LTE is fast.
