HTC Thunderbolt Delayed Due to 'Terrible Battery Life'
The HTC Thunderbolt is a smartphone fan's dream device; it's a powerful phone with a large touchscreen and a 4G connection. But it seems to be continuously delayed. It turns out all the delays are due to the Thunderbolt's battery life — or, rather, the lack of it.
Several sources have informed Engadget that the HTC Thunderbolt has such horrible battery life the device can completely drain the battery in just two to three hours. In fact, testers have reportedly been carrying around a backup phone to use when the Thunderbolt inevitably dies.
The Thunderbolt has never had an official release date, but industry sources have reported release dates that have grown progressively later each time. One of Engadget's sources said that the Thunderbolt is currently experiencing its sixth retail delay — which explains why the official release date announcement never seems to come.
The Thunderbolt is (ahem … will be) Verizon's first 4G LTE phone , so it's not surprising there are so many kinks to work out. It's certainly possible the LTE radio in the device is sucking up more energy than 3G phones. Another source said the company is working on new firmware for the Thunderbolt that will improve battery life management, but that also means that the phone could be delayed for a while. The most recent industry rumor suggests Verizon is now aiming for a March 10 release.
