HTC Thunderbolt 4G Android Smartphone Review

Browsing the Web is certainly a key feature of any smartphone, so we also conducted some formal speed tests to see how well the HTC Thunderbolt compares to some of today's hottest smartphones.

The Thunderbolt performed well in the Xtremelabs speed test while connected to a Wi-Fi network. However, 3G scores with this test were disappointing.

When looking at the results from the BA.net speed test, we see the Thunderbolt scored very well when connected to Wi-Fi and 4G networks. It also earned a respectable score with 3G connectivity.

In the Speedtest.net test, the Thunderbolt achieved killer scores while connected to Verizon Wireless' 4G network. In fact, these scores were higher than we would have expected. Unfortunately, we were only able to run this test in one market, so we don't have a lot of reference data to compare these scores to. For this reason, we feel the Speedtest.net numbers in particular must be taken with a grain of salt since the network isn't being fully taxed yet and since we don't have additional data for comparison. Scores achieved on Verizon Wireless' 3G network and our 802.11g Wi-Fi network were respectable.

Overall, the Web browsing speed tests show that 4G really does offer speed improvements over previous cellular technologies. If you're lucky enough to be in a 4G coverage area, you should see definite speed improvements over 3G.