Thunderbolt off contract, worth it?

[knightshade]

I thought that I would post and see what type of feedback current thunderbolt owners have.

I've got an original droid.
Recently the touch screen started to go nuts, just selecting things randomly.
It is past the point of frustration - and pretty much to unusable.

My contract is up, but I haven't been blown away by any of the upgrades.
4G would be nice - but I'd love to see something like the Galaxy Note come to Verizon.
Because of that, I don't want to get locked into a new device if I don't need to.

Rather than locking into a new contract now (considering that 12 month contracts are a thing of the past),
I'm considering getting a used Thunderbolt.

One is on craigslist with a spare battery and bluetooth headset for $150....


Is the Thunderbolt worth it?
I'm assuming that this will be a step forward from the Original Droid....
My alternative might be to settle for a Droid 2 for a few months (They are ~$75 used)

 

[pc747]

for 150 bucks yes . Even though the tbolt started off on a rocky note its radios improved with the updates. I would not buy one on contract but off contract for 150 is surely worth it.

 

[tgyberg]

If you can bump the cash to around $200 you can get the dual core Bionic. I'd rather have that!

 

[pc747]

I dont know, bionic is having some radio issues right now.

 

[t35rk]

The original Incredible can be had for $75. I vote for that to hold you over. I found it a nice upgrade over my original Droid.

I've considered a used tbolt. There seems to be too many lemons out there for me to consider spending my money.

A $125 Inc2 is also a worthy option imo.

The tbolt has nothing major on either of the Incs other than 4G.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[JRParsons]

I got a Bionic in a swap for a Thunderbolt, 2 days later was using my thunderbolt again. Maybe I didn't give it enough time, but I couldn't stand how long it took the Bionic to switch between wifi 3G and 4G.
Although the tbolt is still not perfect, 150 with a few extras is great to save an upgrade. If your buying it from a stranger VERIFY THAT THE PHONE CAN BE ACTIVATED, either activate it b4 you pay him or have him meet you at a Verizon store. (if the phones been reported stolen or lost you will not be able to activate it, also if the seller owes Verizon $$$) (I had a friend get burnt)
The way I see it is the upgrade has a cash value of around $300. So saving one to get what you want is important.
If your interested in the Galaxy Note, Google the Galaxy Journal, I think I read somewhere that that's what would be coming to Verizon. But I could be confusing rumors.
I also tried a Samsung Stratosphere, which wasn't a bad phone but was just to underpowered.

Sent from my Illudium PU - 36 Explosive Space Modulator.

 

[knightshade]

If you can bump the cash to around $200 you can get the dual core Bionic. I'd rather have that!

I did look at second hand Bionics... but they are running $250-300 in my area....
I can't justify that type of expense for a phone that I am hoping to use for 6-12 months (it won't hold it's value).

Even the thunderbolt will depreciate, though I suspect less so over the next 6 months.

 

[knightshade]

If your interested in the Galaxy Note, Google the Galaxy Journal, I think I read somewhere that that's what would be coming to Verizon. But I could be confusing rumors.

I've read those rumors... and as bad as it is to be chasing rumors, it is enough to give me pause in "wasting" my upgrade just yet.

 

[knightshade]

If your buying it from a stranger VERIFY THAT THE PHONE CAN BE ACTIVATED, either activate it b4 you pay him or have him meet you at a Verizon store. (if the phones been reported stolen or lost you will not be able to activate it, also if the seller owes Verizon $$$) (I had a friend get burnt)

That is an important thing to be aware of, and was my plan after reading some other issues that folks have had.

 

[npro1464]

Crazy how worthless our phones are in just one year. This is why I never purchase insurance. If you break the phone a few months down the road, you can get it off Craigslist for $100-250. You end up paying $6/month plus a $100 premium for insurance in case the phone breaks. I'd sooner get a good Otterbox case if I was so concerned.

Anyway, yes it's worth it. Talk him down first. Offer him $100.

 

[JeffDenver]

Rather than locking into a new contract now (considering that 12 month contracts are a thing of the past), I'm considering getting a used Thunderbolt. One is on craigslist with a spare battery and bluetooth headset for $150....Is the Thunderbolt worth it? I'm assuming that this will be a step forward from the Original Droid....
My alternative might be to settle for a Droid 2 for a few months (They are ~$75 used)

If none of the current phones floats your boat, then yes, get a Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is a pretty good phone IMO. It is significantly faster than the Droid 1 and VERY roomy (three times the RAM). It feels much faster than a Droid 1.

Dont burn your upgrade unless you really have to. Of course, if it were me, I would say go to the Rezound right now heh heh. But if the Rezound is not that appealing to you, then yeah, save your upgrade. Quad core Phones will be on the streets in several months.

 

[knightshade]

I was looking at the Rezound/Nexus/Spectrum/Razr/Bionic....
Pros and cons to most of them, but none seemed to be leaps and bounds ahead of the Thunderbolt (dual core aside)

For work I end up carrying both my droid and a 7" Galaxy Tab (wifi only).
With that in mind, a 5-6" screen that I could get phone calls and move my unlimited data plan to would be my ideal.
Phones are moving in that direction - the Galaxy Note being one.
I'm hoping that Verizon brings one of those larger screened devices to their portfolio.

I ended up picking up the Thunderbolt and got it activated.
Lack of physical keyboard will take some adjusting, but I've been using SwiftKey for a while.

Having 4g (simultaneous data and voice) is something that I've been missing, so that is one of the biggest things that I've seen as a clear advantage to the move.

 

[JeffDenver]

I was looking at the Rezound/Nexus/Spectrum/Razr/Bionic....
Pros and cons to most of them, but none seemed to be leaps and bounds ahead of the Thunderbolt (dual core aside)

The Spectrum, Rezound, and Nexus have dramatically better displays, and the Rezound has a dramatically better camera as well. And dual core is a bigger deal than you would think IMO.

I ended up picking up the Thunderbolt and got it activated.
Lack of physical keyboard will take some adjusting, but I've been using SwiftKey for a while.

My brother-in-Law has a Thunderbolt, and it is pretty nice. It is basically a re-branded Evo, and the Evo was awesome. The only real complaint I have heard about them is the massive bloatware, but from what I have seen it doesn't appear to impact performance any. The phone is fast even with Sense.