By 
If you are like me, you’ve probably given up on trying to keep up with the latest HTC Thunderbolt release date rumor. Yesterday I think we heard March 3rd or 4th, and today it has switched up to March 10th. Who knows where we will be by this time next week, but if a few things turning up at Best Buy are any suggestion maybe we’ll have the phone in our hands. One of our loyal readers found HTC Thunderbolt cases already out and on sale and an accompanying display advertising the Thunderbolt, but holding a Samsung Fascinate.
It may mean nothing. There is a chance Best Buy was just going with the original date for accessory release and store display change with the release of the phone no where in sight. We continue to hope it is a good sign.
[Thanks, Will!]
FURST, there my job is done for today!! :D
Maybe VZW is still tryna make sure nobody can bring back their iPhone for this thing. Who knows.
I’m starting to not care any more! The excitement was at it’s High poing, and now it’s on the rollercoaster ride down hill fast!
I am waiting for this device and I’m excited but honestly, they (Verizon) never said it was coming a certain date so why are we all going so crazy?
I was following this from Feb 7th, now I don’t care anymore just like BIGTo. You can only deal with the hype for so long, then it just gets old. Enough of all these ‘leaks’ and speculation; it’s pointless.
The phone will come out when it’s ready, and when Verizon finally announces it officially in writing.
for me it is a big deal and very frustrating. this is the first smart phone for me and my wife. my current phone is a POS but i have been patiently waiting and am now so frustrated that i may just go get a iphone. if verizon would just say something it would be easier to wait but think im done waiting. sucks!
This means nothing. My Best Buy store has had the cases and screen protectors on display for weeks now. I just want Verizon to give us a date. I don’t care if it’s 3/3, 3/10, or 3/21, just tell me when so I can decide if it’s worth the wait or if I should go elsewhere.
I followed this phone before it was official, now I am almost over it. I could care less about my preorder, it was a mislead sales slogan to get people to purchase gift cards.
I’ve been touting March 3rd since the end of January so this isn’t a big deal for me. I’ve been NE2-eligible since November 5th, and my contract officially ends March 4th, so…I’d say that’s all pretty good timing. :)
At this point I’m just going to wait on the Bionic.
I have repeatedly visited my Verizon store and talked to my consultant about this phone. He says the latest news they have heard is that the phone will be coming out on Feb 28th. They have received the demo phone and I was told to call on Sun (27th) to see if the shipment has come in.
Basically not new information to anyone. BUT when I asked the question WHY….WHY is there so much confusion and “secrecy” with this phone this is what I was told.
The Iphone. Everyone knows the Iphone was just released to Verizon and they want to give it as much time to sell as possible before bringing in another phone. A better phone. Not just talking about the Thunderbolt, The Iphone 5 is scheduled to release in June. There were also rumors about Skype not working correctly. No one will know for certain until Verizon says so. Im keeping my fingers crossed for the 28th, even though they said that Mondays are a weird day to release a phone. UGH! who knows. Just quit bitching, thank Best Buy for claiming a release date that they pulled out of their butts without any evidence, and suck it up and wait. This phone is amazing and it will be worth the wait.
I was at the local verizon partner store looking at android phones. The Rep told me the Thunderbolt would be out March 4th.
I am an iPhone user on ATT with grandfathered (real) unlimited data. While waiting for a decent 4G phone from Vz, they have virtually done away with unlimited data via throttling, and their next move will probably be to have a surcharge on 4G. If this is any indication how Vz operates (much hype on TV and print media but no product), I just might get a new iPhone and stay with ATT,
I don’t care anymore either. I was pumped for this. Now I am thinking iPhone or just waiting altogether for one of the more powerful phones. If this is Verizon’s issue, wouldn’t HTC be a little annoyed that Verizon is allowing people who want the Thunderbolt to get fed up and maybe purchase the iPhone instead?
if this doesnt come out on the 28th im either gonna get the iphone 4 or wait for the Droid Bionic even though i want sense ui so bad!!!
Wish that ment we knew when the phone was going to be availible.
the people who don’t browse sites like these have never even heard about the Thunderbolt. We (phandroid visitors) are such a small amount of voice that Verizon doesn’t care to make us happy with details just yet. I’m sure once this phone comes out it will be awesome and they’ll advertise forever (like the droid x). It would be nice for those of us who follow this in detail if they didn’t string us along with rumors, accessories showing up in stores, 3rd party (Best Buy) fueling the madness, etc etc
Actually…. VERIZON IS A JOKE… This device would have already been out on anyother carrier this is what happens when you do business with the DEVIL YOUR STANDARDS CHANGE.. This Thunderbolt DESERVED TO TREATED WITH MORE RESPECT…. Now it’s just old FODDER. Verizon… SUCKS ASS
@Richard Yarrell you just freaked me out talking about a phone like its a living thing
IMHO, VZW has screwed this and the iPhone deal up like FUBAR style. I was waiting for years for the iPhone to land at VZW, then I hear about thTB. I thought man the TB is the real deal, but now, even though I have an up-grade available, I think I’ll keep my DX. Hell by the time the TB is out the iPhone 5 will be around the corner. And don’t give me any stupid yea but it’s not coming to VZW the same time as AT&T ridiculousness. Hey way to go VZW. Just think y’all could have had the iPhone first but you screwed that up and now you’re screwing this up too.
This is a really good sign, maybe the phone is gonna be here next week after all. God I hope so.
Don’t y’all get it?! Y would u buy an iPhone from verizon when u know that it’s a rip off?! They’re not speaking about the thunderbolt b/c they want the speculation and suspense to make u sick of waiting and buy the verizon iPhone! All these articles and websites that r generating this hype and speculating these false release dates could very well be working together with verizon on this evil scheme! Best Buy is being the good guy here but verizon is the carrier and has power over them so they can’t really do anything but help the people and try to advertise it. I know you all are smarter than this!
Dick, go take your EVO and jump off a cliff. Verizon sucks? Lol. You are just to broke to afford them! Go climb back in your box, and only come to phandroid, only when there is sprint or EVO news. In the two years I’ve been coming to these sites you are the biggest troll ever!
Verizon has put bestbuy in a very awkward situation. The first week of february, bestbuy started taking a $50 deposit with a promise of availability on feb 14th. This was then pushed back to feb 24th shortly before that date, (feb 10th). Bestbuy again started taking $ 50 on the phone with a promise of delivery of feb 24th. Up until Wednesday feb 23th at 2:00 pm, bestbuy was still saying that the phone may still show up by that evening. Then later that day, the big let down by verizon not just to consumers but to bestbuy. Where is the respect? Why should they mislead them and make them look like fools. A local verizon manager gave me the excuse that the phone’s firmware still had issues and verizon want to perfect it first before the release. If this was true, why didn’t they inform bestbuy in advance? Why wait til last minute and make them look like a joke? Arrogant and ruthless on verizon’s part.
Bgr did say a march release so I stopped worying after it missed the first release date. I still cant wait tho.
I got to handle the dummy unit and I just love the feel.
Avoiding returns of the IPhone is a strong reason for delaying the release of the Thunderbolt since today Consumer Reports said it does not recommend the IPhone on Verizon because it has the same antenna problem the original IPhone 4 had. Therefore, Verizon must have a lot of unhappy IPhone customers that they want to stick with that phone. SO, Verizon is sticking it to the Thunderbolt “wanabees” as well as the IPhone “has beens” Verizon is quite a tirant of a company,
Bgr actually said feb 28th and verizo n said a little early. And I just called d diff bb and vzw and majarity was 28th u never know maybe the launch for 4g phones will b monfays a little change. But in the end if this phone would have been on any other network. Vzw service is awesome and now they will be fastest broadband. They must get there act toghther
All this delay sounds like there are problems htc/verizon are trying to work out. Even when it is released, I think I will wait a month or so to see what the problems and reactions are.
I would not hold your breath for the March 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th ect… release date. I have been dead on thus far with my info and predictions. Verizon just keeps dropping the ball. The Thunderbolt is going to be a big disappointment. This phone will be marked down to $150.00 before the summer even starts and everyone will have forgotten all about the Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is alot of rumbling and no big thunder bang or lightning to follow. What a joke so far. I am going to pass on the Thunderbolt. Also, no Skype upon release (per rumors)and no comfirmed release date. What a disappointment for a phone that had so much hype. It is not that hard if they just think of customer relations and keep people imformed. The iphone four (or was that the iphone 3 ha ha)was a bust and the Thunderbolt is going to be a bigger bust. I would like to see the quarterly earnings for Verizon after not delivering once again. Furthermore, crappy ass Sprint has managed to roll out the EVO 4g sucessfully. HTC and the Android consumers are the ones losing out.
@ksizzle9….. About time the real person came…. To you i say… GO FUCK A DUCK… Your truly an asshole anyway.. Verizon yeah ok Mr. Millionare I’d love to know what you do for a living… pretty sure your not making any kind of difference to the world… Again GO FUCK OFF…
By the time it is actually released there will already be 15 “better” phones planned for release within a couple months. Instead of jumping the gun, I’m going to wait until summer and have a few choices to compare. Although HTC makes nice phones, I’m seeing some shortcomings on the Thunderbolt.
The battery is whimpy (a 1400mAh??? even the Evo has a 1500mAh and it’s BIGGEST problem is/was battery life!!)
Android 2.2 (STILL?!!!)
single core processor (I’m sure it’s fast enough and FINE, but it should drop the phone out of the PREMIUM PRICE category!!!!
single 1ghz processors are standard base processors now, NOT high end!!!)
WVGA display (but can record in 720p HD? why not play in HD too? Especially since it’s got Dolby SRS… hear in good sound, but not watch in HD? again NOT PREMIUM PRICE material!!!) (a side note… what good is Dolby SRS on a cell phone speaker???? waste of money)
no HDMI port (how are you going to output those 720p videos you can record to your HD TV?)
This doesn’t seem much better than the EVO. I know the EVO is a GREAT phone, I love the EVO… but the Thunderbolt costs $50-$100 more than the EVO and it’s not much different. And since it’s so similar to the EVO, why is it taking so long to release? Even the Evo 4g is available aready on Sprint and the Inspire is already available on AT&T. The Thunderbolt is not actually much better than the Incredible either, aside from the larger screen. I had been excited, because I know HTC has a good record and makes really nice phones… but I’ve been excited for 2 months now and it’s waning… quickly. Plus I’m reading RUMORS about a Droid X2, a Droid Bionic, and a HTC Incredible 2. I think the problem is all with VERIZON personally. HTC could have had the phone released by now… they aren’t having problems on the other networks. I’ve been with Verizon for 10 years, but I’m pretty sure that they are to blame. The Thunderbolt is entering as a Premium Phone, but really is a midrange standard now… should only cost $150.00
I have been waiting for TB just like everyone else. My ne2 was available feb 12. i am anxious to get a droid phone. i am still using a blackberry pearl. i had thought about getting the droid x but i want the 4g. imo i think it will be worth the wait
EDUCATE YOURSELF’S… THE TRUE REASON BEHIND THE THUNDERBOLT DELAY’S AND WHAT VERIZON DOES NOT WANT US TO KNOW….. This article is from.. http://www.engadget.com HTC Thunderbolt said to have terrible battery life, might explain delay?
By Chris Ziegler posted Feb 25th 2011 7:42PM
We’re hearing from… well, let’s call them “people familiar with the matter” that HTC’s Thunderbolt — a phone that’s supposed to be Verizon’s first with LTE — is experiencing positively miserable battery life that’s making it difficult for testers to avoid carrying a second phone around as a backup. How bad? Two to three hours from full to empty in some cases. Of course, we wouldn’t be surprised if battery life was really bad with the LTE radio left on — the EVO 4G wasn’t much different at launch with WiMAX lit up — but the word on the street is that the power situation is largely responsible for the delays we’ve been seeing. In fact, our source tells us the phone is currently working on its sixth retail delay at the moment. More on this situation as we get it.
Update: We’ve just heard from another trusted tipster that there’s definitely a new firmware in the works to address battery life and signal issues (which — you guessed it — are interrelated). Thanks, HTC Kid!
@Rex… Man that’s laying it down and keeping it real to dweebs like ksizzle9 and Dj… Coming from an honest verizon customer i respect that… Wish others KEPT IT REAL.. All our devices and carriers have some kind of flaw i know that we as consumers can only CHOOSE THE BEST DEVICE POSSIBLE and WAITING till the end of CTIA MARCH 22 THRU MARCH 25 is the best way to go cause you figure another 4 to 5 device will be ANNOUNCED THERE AT CTIA. May not be anymore for Verizon but one thing is for sure the HTC MERGE and HTC INCREDIBLE S is on it’s way to BIG RED both great handsets… Enjoy
Engadget is reporting its due to a poor battery performance, 3 hours to be exact. I must admit its dampen my enthusiasm.
Waiting is the best way to go… when all the cards are on the table people can play a better hand. The XOOM is out… but doesn’t have LTE enabled… doesn’t have the sd card slot enabled… doesn’t have apps for 3.0 in the market… that is what happens when people push for things before they are ready. Now they “may” release the Thunderbolt without Skype enabled, from some reports. When people settle for less, that is what they get. Would anyone buy a car without BRAKES with the promise of brakes to come in the future?? Silly. If you wait to buy… they will be forced to reduce prices and to DELIVER the updates and upgrades
When will HTC Thunderbolt 4G arrive, finally??!
Verizon, WTF?!
@REx
Motorola Xoom
> ‘doesn’t have apps for 3.0 in the market’
Pad didn’t has apps before its launch last year!;)
> ‘doesn’t have LTE enabled’
Verizon new 4G network still isn’t ready enough for now!
HTC Thunderbolt
> ‘without Skype enabled’
Skype in this case is only a matter of 4G/LTE-CDMA-3G-wifi technical solution, thanks to Verizon it has a lot of very different and even not very compatible frequencies!
Don’t doubt, all will be ok. I saw today that HTC Thunderbolt is for sale in HTC store without a contract, is it true? I want it.
@Rex/@Honeycombmw
Xoom has about 25 apps in the market place. Most other apps are available to download still and work just fine. A lot of dev are currently working on more apps. Being brand new and only x amount of actual people having this device-the only one on Honeycomb right now, of course this is still in the works. Like Honeycombmw said, iPad was the same; apps would play at iphone size on screen or you can zoom in on them to fill the screen.
32G SD slot not working yet-I know this sucks, but it comes with an internal 32gb already and you can easily transfer stuff to it via the USB cord. It will have 64gb when it becomes active!
LTE not enabled- Your right, but at least it is coming, and for free. They could have easily sold this as just a 3G device with high end specs.
@My two-cents – Thanks
@Honeycombmw – Thanks also
But neither of your comments really make a good argument. Did anyone notice the Atrix on AT&T is also already out? And it’s ONLY $199. The sister to the Bionic is already available… just like the 3 sisters to the Thunderbolt are also already available
Evo 4G at Sprint for
Regular price $449.99
Instant savings -$150.00
Mail-in Rebate -$100.00
New price $199.99
and the Evo 3g
Regular price $399.99
Instant savings -$150.00
Mail-in Rebate -$100.00
New price $149.99
The Inspire at At&T
No Commitment Pricing $399.99
2-yr Contract Price $99.99
Total Due at Time of Shipping $99.99
Yet somehow on Verizon we have neither the Bionic nor the Thunderbolt available yet, and not even release dates for either of them. Hmmmmmmm…. pretty clear who’s to blame for delays. The GOOD news though is that this would set Thunderbolt pricing more like $199 or maybe even around $159. Much more worth it!!
I’m reading on engadget and talking to some people that in irc that are saying that the thunderbolt is having miserable battery life. If unread engadget, some users are reporting only seeing 2-3 hours max, from empty to full. That is not going to go over well with anyone. No matter how awesome the phone is.
My local best buy…..(danvers, ma)……has said the last 4 days in a row that it is gonna be the 28th……and that was from a different person every day …..call them and see for yourself……978-774-9494
It’s amazing that this site is only concerned with the release date of this device. Why are you not concerned about the root cause of the delay? Investigate that! I’ll give you a hint: It has nothing to do with Verizon and the iphone, etc. but everything to do with the battery drain this device is experiencing due to LTE. And no, I will not site the source – this is YOUR blog site – do the legwork and investigate/report yourselves! Geez….
my bestbuy as of today said its being released monday. if not im going to get iphone 4 and sell it when iphone 5 comes out..
the thunderbolt doesnt even have better hardware than the iphone 4. Hahaha and as im typing this i see HTC comercial on TV and bam theres the Thunderbolt
Don’t buy iPhone 4g without contract until you read this!
People need to stop following what Best Buy leaks. Obviously BB has no say whatsoever in when the Thunderbolt will be released. The only reason they started the rumors of the phone being released in February was so they could get that $50 deposit to preorder the phone. There is not one Verizon Store that was ever given a release date. Smart move by BB, because now they were able to trick people into throwing down $50 to “pre-order” the HTC Thunderbolt, so that they were pretty much guaranteed the sales for the device. Just remember this in the future, dont trust everything Best Buy cons you into.