We’ve seen a handful of rumored release dates, and then see those dates be pushed back. Now, a new print ad leak indicates that the HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon’s first 4G LTE phone, may cost you somewhere near $300 at launch.
The Thunderbolt is no chump of a phone, but 3 bills is pretty expensive for a handset. It’s possible that Verizon may be charging more for the Thunderbolt, and upcoming LTE handsets, to keep their 4G data plans at the same rate as the existing 3G plans. Whatever the case, we’re having a hard time believing that the Thunderbolt will be worth $100 more than the now-standard $200 price point for subsidized high-end smartphones.
Don’t get us wrong, Verizon’s first LTE handset is a great device, we’re just not sure if it’s $300 worth of great. When you take into consideration that AT&T’s Motorola Atrix 4G will only run you $199, the lines of what constitutes a quality handset begin to blur. The Atrix may not have Verizon’s 4G LTE network under its belt, but the handset’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor is superior to the Thunderbolt’s single-core specs.
To make matters worse, and more frustrating to the end-user who’s been trying to follow the handset, we can now expect the Thunderbolt to drop on March 10th, according to the Best Buy ad leak you see above.
Either way, we’re sure that Verizon will have a good number of people waiting for the Thunderbolt when it arrives. The price point makes us love the handset itself a bit less, and the longer the Thunderbolt is delayed, the better chance that a superior phone may be announced and steal the limelight. That said, at this point, with so many delays and whatnot, we’re going to just wait and see what happens.
With the combined delays and price increase, are you still looking forward to the Thunderbolt? Hopefully this thing comes soon, as we’re tired of writing about Thunderbolt rumors.
[Via: Phonedog, Droid-Life, AndroidCentral]