HTC Thunderbolt vs Samsung Droid Charge vs LG Revolution vs Motorola Droid Bionic

Update: HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Droid Charge , & LG Revolution Reviews!

It’s clear that 2010 delivered mobile devices with some serious power. Last year's devices introduced Android to millions of people. I’m pretty sure that the phones of 2011 could probably deliver a swift kick in the butt to the contenders of yesteryear. In 2011, Verizon alone will release TEN Android-powered devices. Each one offers something different, which will make it harder than ever to choose your next phone.

Not only will you need to choose a device from the sea of options, you’ll also need to consider whether a 4G-enabled phone is right for you. 4G is being rolled out to selected markets with major coverage expected in the next two years. In fact, the Verizon rep I met at CES noted that we should expect to see the 3G and 4G networks offer equal coverage by 2013. We were able to experience firsthand the speed of Verizon’s 4G LTE at CES in Las Vegas, and it is blazing fast. However, since most people upgrade their phones every two years, you may not want to shell out the extra money for a 4G phone if your area does not have coverage.

So, what exactly are we going to see? Here are the first four phones that Verizon will be releasing:


HTC Thunderbolt - Samsung 4G LTE - LG Revolution - Motorola Droid Bionic

HTC Thunderbolt: The HTC Thunderbolt is one of the few devices that significantly tweaks Android with the help of HTC Sense. I really like the extra home screen widgets that come with it, especially the clock/weather. The Thunderbolt also comes with some additional Skype software and Dolby "surround" speakers. [more photos] [Read the full review]

Samsung Droid Charge (4G LTE): The Samsung 4G LTE does not have an official name. The buzz around town is that it may be called the "Inspiration". Update: it was named the Droid Charge In person, the super AMOLED screen is the most vibrant I've ever seen. Even under bright light, the screen appeared crisp and clear. In my opinion, the Samsung also had the best styling and was the only phone with physical menu, home, back and search buttons.
[more photos] [Read the full review]

LG Revolution: It's good to see that LG is finally releasing an Android-powered phone. They clearly put some time into designing the phone and giving it some power – the LG rep we met with confirmed that they wanted to enter the market with a stunning device. While I couldn't find anything wrong with the phone, I suspect that some will go for the phones from HTC or Samsung, which have experience in the Android market. In any case, the future for LG and smartphones looks promising. [more photos] [Read the full review]

Motorola Droid Bionic: The Droid Bionic is the first dual-core phone that Verizon users will see in 2011. Update: it turns out the release of the Bionic has been delayed due to software and hardware issues The model I saw didn't have the final home screen and software loaded on it (as shown in the picture), but the Verizon rep did present an initial set of apps that are likely to be standard when the device is released. They all loaded blazing fast, but I suspect that there aren’t many apps out there that fully use both cores are the same time. Of course, that will change once the phone is released. Verizon did say that Motorola will be doing some software optimization to utilize both cores, so I guess we'll see.

So, what does this all mean? If all of these phones were available now, it would be very hard to choose between them. It's going to come down to pricing and preference. People who like to watch movies will probably go for the super AMOLED screen on the Samsung. Those using multiple applications at once may enjoy the processing power of the Droid Bionic. Loyal HTC owners may want to stick with their HTC if they don't need an HDMI port, but want the speakers and extra Skype software. The LG is left for people who don't have a preference? While it’s hard to pick my favorite, I have to go with Samsung 4G LTE for now. I just couldn’t resist the super AMOLED screen.

CPFers – are you planning to upgrade to one of these devices in 2011? Post your thoughts below!


HTC Thunderbolt - showing the kick stand


Samsung 4G LTE


LG Revolution


Motorola Droid Bionic - UPDATE this is the OLD bionic that was eventually scrapped

Note: The final software was not yet installed on the phones pictured above – Cell Phone Forums had a private showing of the latest devices which are still beta versions. All four phones were running Android 2.2 at the time the above picture was taken, but that may change by the time the phones are released. All were very fast at doing everything I could throw at them.

For the techies:

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› See More: HTC Thunderbolt vs Samsung Droid Charge vs LG Revolution vs Motorola Droid Bionic

wow great information about new cell phones

Awesome and valueable infromation about the cell phone....thnx GuYs

So the Thunderbolt is coming out, what, 2013?

The Thunderbolt will actually be out on the 17th (tomorrow)

Updated memory, battery, and processor for the Droid charge. The production phone actually has a larger battery than the one we played with above. (1500 vs 1600 mAh)

updated internal memory and sd card figures

updated battery talk & stand-by time as well as size & weight

Ah,ah

revised Motorola Droid Bionic specs