Difference Between HTC Thunderbolt and Apple iPhone 4

HTC Thunderbolt vs Apple iPhone 4 | Full Specs Compared | Thunderbolt vs iPhone 4 Performance, Speed and Features

HTC Thunderbolt and Apple iPhone 4 are both attractive smartphones, giving customers a tough time on deciding which one to choose from both. HTC Thunderbolt was unveiled on the first week of January 2011. HTC Thunderbolt was one of the first Android 4G phone to run on the next generation 4G-LTE network. Apple iPhone 4 needs no introduction. It was the iconic of smartphones. On the second week of January 2011 Apple announced it’s iPhone 4 CDMA model, with that now iPhone 4 is compatible with all types of 3G networks. HTC Thunderbolt is a 4G Phone that support 4G-LTE network (LTE 700) while iPhone 4 is a 3G Phone that support both UMTS and CDMA networks (CDMA 1X800/1900, CDMA EvDO rev.A). This is the major difference between HTC Thunderbolt and Apple iPhone 4.

The other important difference is the operating system, HTC Thunderbolt use the Android 2.2 (Froyo) while iPhone 4 runs Apple’s proprietary OS, iOS 4.2.1. Content wise HTC Thunderbolt has access to Android market while iPhone has access to its own Apple Apps Store, both boast about its hundreds of thousands of applications. On the design side HTC thunderbolt comes with 4.3″ WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, Dolby SRS surround Sound, DLNA and built in kick stand. The Apple iPhone 4 boasts about its 3.5″ LED backlit Retina display with higher resolution of 960×640 pixels, 512 MB eDRAM, internal memory options of 16 or 32 GB and 5megapixel 5x digital zoom camera. The attraction of iPhone 4 is its ultra slim (9.3mm) design with scratch resistance oleophobic coated glass front and back panel in a stainless steel frame.

In the US market, HTC Thunderbolt has an exclusive tie up with Verizon. HTC Thunderbolt will run on Verizon’s 4G-LTE network (Network support LTE 700, CDMA EvDO Rev.A). Apple also announced its CDMA iPhone 4 to go with Verizon’s 3G-CDMA network. CDMA iPhone 4 is almost similar to the previous iPhone 4 model, except for the network support. The additional feature in CDMA iPhone 4 will be the mobile hotspot function, Verizon has enbled the mobile hotspot function in its iPhone 4 model. GSM iPhone 4 model is tied up with AT&T and runs on AT&T’s 3G-UMTS network.

HTC Thunderbolt

The HTC Thunderbolt with 4.3″ WVGA display is made powerful to support the 4G speed with 1GHz Qualcomm MSM 8655 processor in tandem with MDM9600 modem for multimode network support and 768 MB RAM. The handset has 8megapixel camera with dual LED flash, 720pHD video recording in the rear and 1.3megapixel camera in the front for video calling. The phone runs on Android 2.2 (upgradeable to 2.3) with HTC Sense 2 that offers fast boot and enhanced personalization option and new camera effects. It also has an internal storage capacity of 8 GB and preinstalled 32 GB microSD and built in kickstand for handsfree media viewing.

Qualcomm claims that they are the industry’s first to release LTE/3G Multimode Chipsets. 3G multimode is required for ubiquitous data coverage and voice services.

With 4.3” WVGA display, high speed processor, 4G speed, Dolby Surround Sound, DLNA streaming and kickstand for hands free viewing HTC THunderbolt will give you the pleasure of live music environment.

HTC Thunderbolt has integrated Skype mobile with video calling, you can make video call easily like a standard voice call. And with the mobile hotspot capability you can share your 4G connection with 8 other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

The featured applications on Thunderbolt include 4G LTE optimized apps such as EA’s Rock Band,Gameloft’s Let’s Golf! 2, Tunewiki and Bitbop.

The phone hit the market on 17 March 2011 and is sure to catch the eyes of many, especially those who are obsessed with speed.

In the US market, HTC Thunderbolt has an exclusive tie up with Verizon. HTC Thunderbolt is the first 4G phone to run on Verizon’s 4G-LTE network (Network support LTE 700, CDMA EvDO Rev.A). Verizon promises 5 to 12 Mbps download speeds and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area. Verizon is offering Thunderbolt for $250 on a new two year contract. Customers have to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a 4G LTE data package. Nationwide Talk plans starts from $39.99 monthly access and an unlimited 4G LTE data plan begins at $29.99 monthly access. Mobile hotspot is included through May 15 for no additional charge.

Apple iPhone4

The iPhone 4 is one of the slimmest smartphone (Galaxy S II has beaten iPhone’s record). It boasts about its 3.5″ LED backlit Retina display with higher resolution of 960×640 pixels, 512 MB eDRAM, internal memory options of 16 or 32 GB and dual camera, 5 megapixel 5x digital zoom rear camera with LED flash and 0.3 megapixel camera for video calling. The remarkable feature of the iPhone devices is the operating system iOS 4.2.1 and the Safari web browser. It is now upgradeable to iOS 4.3 that has included many new features, one such is the hotspot capability. The new iOS will be big boost to iPhones.

The very fact that new smartphones are being compared with Apple iPhone 4 that was launched in the middle of 2010 speaks volumes of the abilities of this amazing smartphone by Apple. It is a tribute to the innovative designing and outstanding features of iPhone 4.

The 3.5” display in iPhone4 is not huge but comfortable enough to read everything because it is extremely bright with a resolution of 960X640 pixels. The touchscreen is highly sensitive and scratch resistant.  The phone works very smoothly with a fast processor that is 1GHz Apple A4. The operating system is iOS 4 that is considered to be the best in the business. Web browsing on Safari is a pleasant experience and the user has the liberty to download thousands of apps from Apple’s app store. Emailing is fun with this smartphone as there is a full QWERTY virtual keyboard for fast typing. iPhone 4 is Facebook compatible to stay connected with friends with a single touch.

The smartphone is available in black and white colors in candy bar form. It has dimensions of 15.2 x 48.6 x 9.3 mm and weighs just 137g. For connectivity, there is Bluetooth v2.1+EDR and the phone has Wi-Fi 802.1b/g/n at 2.4 GHz.

iPhone 4’s front and back glass design though acclaimed for its beauty had criticism of  cracking when dropped. To overcome the criticism of display fragility, Apple has given a solution with vibrant color bumpers. It comes in six colors: white, black, blue, green, orange or pink.

The additional feature in the CDMA iPhone 4 compared to GSM iPhone 4 is the mobile hotspot capability, where you can connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices. This feature is now available in GSM model too with the upgrade to iOS 4.3.

iPhone 4 CDMA model is available in US with Verizon for $200 (16 GB) and $ 300 (32 GB) on new 2 year contract. And a data plan is also required for web based applications. The data plan starts at $20 monthly access (2GB allowance).

Comparison of HTC Thunderbolt and Apple iPhone 4

HTC Thunderbolt has the advantage of experiencing its features at 4G speed, while iPhone 4 lacks that. The sites that open in 30 to 40 seconds in other devices take only 4-5 seconds in HTC Thunderbolt. It is amazing to watch videos that buffers with lightening speed and plays without any interruption.