I bought the Thunderbolt in March and had an excellent deal on a one year plan - Effectively it was around $200. Due to a couple of issues specific to my situation and company, I was offered a Bionic upgrade for $270 with a free extended battery. I ended up not taking the deal after realizing that my plan was to be extended 2 years from a date 3 months after I bought my phone, effectively making it a 1 year and 9 month contract. Why did I do this?
The Bionic is a great phone. It has a much bigger battery than the HTC yet it remains as least as sleek and thin, perhaps a tad longer and thinner. It has an HDMI out which is tremendous. The screen resolution is better and it is easier to see in sunlight. The Dual Core processor make this phone very fast and a winner. 1080p video recording and output playback? Wow... a real winner. In many ways, this phone is much of what the Thunderbolt should have been. Still, I didn't think that this phone was worth it to nail myself into a 1 year and 9 months with the prospect of additionally paying $270. I looked online at what used Thunderbolts were selling for and I realized even moreso that it was a good decision. Oddly enough, a used Thunderbolt goes for around that upgrade price if you're fortunate - so the upgrade could be a wash, best case scenario.
While the Vigor sounds great, I think that this phone too is yet another loser from HTC and, fortunately, I can wait longer to get another phone since I'll need 6 months anyways. Not only isn't the Vigor a world phone (not such a big deal for most) but the battery is, once again, an HTC style underpowered model that is even smaller than the Bionic. HTC confounds me. After my experience with the Incredible and now the Thunderbolt, I have to say that I've had enough of the "HTC - you must also purchase an extended battery" strategy. They can stick it and their "yes, there really is 8GB or 16GB of storage in your phone" story which isn't true either and takes VZW employees a few weeks to pick this up.
For those of you able to get a 1 year contract with your Thunderbolt - that alone made it the best phone you can buy on the market. Sometimes it's more than just pure specs.
The Bionic is a great phone. It has a much bigger battery than the HTC yet it remains as least as sleek and thin, perhaps a tad longer and thinner. It has an HDMI out which is tremendous. The screen resolution is better and it is easier to see in sunlight. The Dual Core processor make this phone very fast and a winner. 1080p video recording and output playback? Wow... a real winner. In many ways, this phone is much of what the Thunderbolt should have been. Still, I didn't think that this phone was worth it to nail myself into a 1 year and 9 months with the prospect of additionally paying $270. I looked online at what used Thunderbolts were selling for and I realized even moreso that it was a good decision. Oddly enough, a used Thunderbolt goes for around that upgrade price if you're fortunate - so the upgrade could be a wash, best case scenario.
While the Vigor sounds great, I think that this phone too is yet another loser from HTC and, fortunately, I can wait longer to get another phone since I'll need 6 months anyways. Not only isn't the Vigor a world phone (not such a big deal for most) but the battery is, once again, an HTC style underpowered model that is even smaller than the Bionic. HTC confounds me. After my experience with the Incredible and now the Thunderbolt, I have to say that I've had enough of the "HTC - you must also purchase an extended battery" strategy. They can stick it and their "yes, there really is 8GB or 16GB of storage in your phone" story which isn't true either and takes VZW employees a few weeks to pick this up.
For those of you able to get a 1 year contract with your Thunderbolt - that alone made it the best phone you can buy on the market. Sometimes it's more than just pure specs.