Next week is going to be quite a week for new Android smartphones, with the release of the Motorola Atrix, Samsung Galaxy S 4G and possibly the HTC ThunderBolt. The HTC Inspire was released on Sunday. Which of these powerful smartphones is the best-loved and most-wanted?
As far as buzz goes, the HTC ThunderBolt has the most buzz according to Google Insights for Search. The HTC ThunderBolt is responsible for a breakout search - "best buy thunderbolt" and "buy htc thunderbolt" is at +300.
What is driving people and bloggers crazy is that the HTC ThunderBolt is available for presale at Best Buy without an official price and release date. Almost every day there is a rumor about the release date of the HTC ThunderBolt, causing fans to frantically search for an answer. It's creating a lot of buzz. The Verizon website says the HTC Thunderbolt "Strikes Soon," and Wirefly is showing an ad that introduces the HTC ThunderBolt at a "special Wirefly price" with Free FedEx shipping "coming soon." We suspect that the best price for the ThunderBolt will be Wirefly.
It's clear that Best Buy is causing a breakout search for two reasons. It's the only place where you can preorder the HTC ThunderBolt, and it is offering a free "Buy-Back" program. There has been much discussion in forums that if the release of the HTC ThunderBolt is delayed, Best Buy buyers who want to buy the ThunderBolt may miss out on Best Buy's free "Buy Back" trade-in program. Best Buy added an additional two weeks to the "free" offer through Feb. 26. The program usually costs $69.99, and Best Buy buys back products at different prices for phones.
A live chart of Google Insights for Search for these smartphones appears at the end of this article.
Update 02/24/11 5:56 pm- At a Verizon VIP event a launch date of 3/3 or 3/4 was
mentioned as well as an unlimited 4G LTE data plan for $29.99. A tweet
from Roseville Best Buy store suggests a March 4th launch date.
Update 02/20/11 2:21 pm- Best Buy publications show two different prices for the HTC ThunderBolt.
Update 02/20/11 9:13 am- A Best Buy document shows that the HTC ThunderBolt is delayed and will release without Skype.
What is driving people and bloggers crazy is that the HTC ThunderBolt is available for presale at Best Buy without an official price and release date. Almost every day there is a rumor about the release date of the HTC ThunderBolt, causing fans to frantically search for an answer. It's creating a lot of buzz. The Verizon website says the HTC Thunderbolt "Strikes Soon," and Wirefly is showing an ad that introduces the HTC ThunderBolt at a "special Wirefly price" with Free FedEx shipping "coming soon." We suspect that the best price for the ThunderBolt will be Wirefly.
It's clear that Best Buy is causing a breakout search for two reasons. It's the only place where you can preorder the HTC ThunderBolt, and it is offering a free "Buy-Back" program. There has been much discussion in forums that if the release of the HTC ThunderBolt is delayed, Best Buy buyers who want to buy the ThunderBolt may miss out on Best Buy's free "Buy Back" trade-in program. Best Buy added an additional two weeks to the "free" offer through Feb. 26. The program usually costs $69.99, and Best Buy buys back products at different prices for phones.
A live chart of Google Insight appears at the end of this article
If we go by Google Insights for Search as of this writing, the HTC ThunderBolt leads the Motorola Atrix by 10 points, the HTC Inspire has some traction at 18, while the Samsung Samsung Galaxy S 4G only has a little buzz.
Another way to compare these super phones would be to compare reviews. The Motorola Atrix has gotten good reviews, and we will publish a "Review of Reviews" on it on Sunday. The HTC Inspire has also gotten good reviews. We have not been able to find any official reviews for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and HTC ThunderBolt.
Comparison reviews of the specs of these smartphones show the Motorola Atrix and HTC ThunderBolt neck and neck on specs. Both have Android 2.2 and 4G access. The Atrix has a 4-inch touchscreen, while the ThunderBolt's screen is 4.3". Where they differ is in cameras, processors and onboard storage. The Atrix has a 5MP camera, dual-core 1GHz processor and 16GB of onboard storage. The ThunderBolt has an 8MP camera, single-core 1GHz processor and 8GB of storage on board. The Atrix has a higher capacity 1930 mAh battery as opposed to the 1400 mAh battery on the ThunderBolt.
Where the Motorola Atrix really shines is with its docks that turn it into a laptop, clock or media player.
So which of these new releases is the best available today? We can't be sure until all the specs and prices are released. Many customers are happy with T-Mobile's customer service, lower-cost data plans and fast 4G speeds. First tests of the new AT&T 4G network shows it to be on the slow side. No one has tested the Verizon 4G LTE network with a smartphone yet.
When will we know? We'll know some time in the near future when the HTC ThunderBolt strikes earth.