HTC Thunderbolt 2750mAh Extended Battery & Cover Should Be Free
Earlier on today we reported that many customers have been facing battery problems with the new Verizon HTC Thunderbolt and so far the response is bad, many Thunderbolt users are complaining of poor battery life.
To achieve better battery life many suggest you turn of 4G and off course all apps running in the background but even doing this there still seems to be a problem, obviously we are only going on what comments are coming in and our readers are not so happy.
Read all the comments coming here on our previous article titled “HTC Thunderbolt Battery Life Issues: Discuss Problems”, you can opt to buy the HTC Thunderbolt 2750mAh extended battery and battery cover via Verizon Wireless or HTCPedia for $49.99 (At the moment HTCPedia is out of stock).
If we were customers of the HTC Thunderbolt and we did everything we could to save power usage like switch apps off, WiFi off when not needed as so forth and we still experienced battery life problems we would not be happy.
Do you think Verizon should give HTC Thunderbolt customers a FREE 2750mAh extended battery? One of our readers called Bill posted a comment that could help a little:
The battery life is horrific; however, it is the best phone on the market (imo (and the stats to back it up)). Ways to save some juice:
1: Change your display brightness to the lowest setting. It may look like a lot when you first do it but after 5 minutes you will never know.
2: Turn off automatic brightness.
3: Turn screen time out to 15 seconds (30 MAX).
4: Download the Android app killer.
Simple adjustments but will save a decent amount of battery.
Anyway, the new HTC 2750mAh extended battery and battery door cover combo kit is $49.99 and will allow you to use your handset that little bit longer. Is the HTC Thunderbolt battery really that bad or is it down to the user? Check out a video below of the HTC 2750mAh battery
Comments
58 thoughts on “HTC Thunderbolt 2750mAh Extended Battery & Cover Should Be Free”
I constantly get 10-13 hours out of a charge. I wonder how many people read the directions about using the battery and the first time you power up your phone?
I agree. It isn't the greatest battery, but it is manageable. I won't say I get ideal battery life, but I get good enough to use. This was an expected issue since there were rumors of poor battery life and since this is an HTC phone (remember the incredible?). Do a few things with the phone to reduce battery use, mainly display brightness and GPS off and you should get much more life. This phone is great regardless of the battery.
I did read those directions after the sales rep in the store had already powered up my phone and set up everything for me…which is probably the case for most people.
I have gotten 6.5 hours out of each charge, and frankly it is a joke. I drained the battery and made sure to give it a full 100% charge overnight. Frankly, the above poster must look at his phone once per day. HTC and Verizon should give out a free battery upgrade to early adopters and solve the problem for later adopters. Even at 10-13 hours (which is far-fetched) you aren't getting a full day out of the device, which I believe a phone should be capable of as a standard.
I wonder how many people expect this phone to slice bread for them. Seriously? It's an HTC. Battery life isn't going to be that great unless you adjust some settings, and even then you won't get a full day out of it. Do your research, people. Don't expect a sales rep to spoon feed it to you.
I am getting 4 to 5 hours with everything on.
Battery life on today's smartphones is something everyone should really be aware of. With the larger screens, higher resolution, and 4G speed, your not going to get a charge that can last for days like back in the early days of analog and 1X phones. Remember those days, when all you used your cell phone for was to make a call?
That said, the makers should make a better effort to manufacture and design longer life batteries. But until then, we should all keep a car charger, and a charger at work. It's the trade off on where we are right now.
I don't think everyone should be so surprised and complaining about an issue that has been known since the introduction of the smartphones.
I agree, however, keep in mind that this is a political issue more than anything else. People, wake up! If we have long lasting batteries, we aren't we driving electric cars? Verizon and HTC make money on accessories noy the device itself. Accessories are cheaper to manufacture and distribute.
True, the extended battery is RIDICULOUS at best! In these new times of “sleek”, Verizon and HTC REALLY dropped the ball on this. It seems the (standard 1400mAh) battery is pretty good on Verizon’s 3G network. Well, the OBVIOUS short term fix would be change the firmware that allows manual switching between 3G and 4G networks.
I have had the Thunderbolt since launch day, prior to that I had a 3G iphone for two years. The battery life I have experienced thus far is I would estimate about 20% less than the 3G iphone. I don't run apps in the background, or play video constantly. That said I am one that would gladly trade weight for battery life, and will research the local availability of the larger battery today. I would have bought a larger battery for the iphone had it been available. Not sure why the poster characterizes it as a 'little' increase in battery life, going from 1450 to 2750mAh is an 89% increase.
Buyer beware! The battery life is beyond pathetic! Keep a backup phone if traveling long distance and an outlet isn't available.
Probably would be cheaper to buy a spare battery or two. I have been using the original droid for a couple years. I have 3 spares, often going to the 2nd one on a trip where charging is unavailable or inconvenient. I expect to purchase at least 2 of the 2750mAh batteries when I get this phone next month.
Also, you REALLY should ignore that comment about downloading a task manager/app killer. The OS that these phones run on is very closely related to Linux. As such, these background applications are SUPPOSED to be running in the background and have next to no effect on your battery life. "Killing" these apps running in the background can actually do more harm than good. There are several articles on the subject.
Absolutely agree about app killers. Android does its thing – killing apps, only causes android to reopen them because they're supposed to be utilizing them, and therefor drains more battery. Android 2.2 is designed to manage memory very well, using a app killer only works AGAINST the OS.
Battery life is very poor for me.
In a 3g area only
I have wifi off. gps off, bluetooth off, email sync at 15 minutes. Advanced Task manager running.
Phone unpluged for 8hrs 37mins Already at 66% battery. This is with only only 4:59secs of awake time and screen brightness at about 30.
Even worse battery usage seen previous days since purchase.
You need a phone to be able to last all work from leaving your house to returning. It would be understandable if I used it heavly, but come on, Under 5 mins of usage of awake time and a few minutes of phone calls.
The keywords to your poor battery life is "email sync at 15 minutes". This means, every 15 minutes, your phone is coming out of sleep mode and searching for emails and depending on how many emails you receive and how many email accounts you have setup, this will greatly eat your battery. Not rocket science.
When I turn Data Off, I get great battery life, but as soon as I turn on data and on 4G LTE, my battery dies very quickly…Try making a video call over 4G and see how fast your battery dies…1 5min call, I lost 1/2 my battery over 4G…..
Video calls should be done over wi-fi to enhance battery life.
Last Friday was the real test. Used my phone as I expect that I would normally. The battery lasted 8 hrs. I think that's great, since I plug it in when I get into my car. What else would I expect, when I have the best phone on the market? I think that the battery is pretty good considering all that I can do with this phone!!!
The extended battery is RIDICULOUS at best! In these new times of “sleek”, Verizon and HTC REALLY dropped the ball on this. It seems the (standard 1400mAh) battery is pretty good on Verizon’s 3G network. Well, the OBVIOUS short term fix would be change the firmware that allows manual switching between 3G and 4G networks.
there is an application on the market which can be downloaded for free is call phone info you can change the setting from 4gLte to 3g once you download the app go to phone and set the preferred network type from cdma +Lte/EvDo auto to CDMA auto(PRL) and you will be on 3G
Good video. Im wondering how much difference there will be with the bionic which will have a similar screen size.
The phone is great, but it's like having a Mercedes hooked up to a power cord with a 100-yard length. A great phone is pointless if you have to live life near a power outlet!
i don't really care about the battery life. I knew it was gonna suck just like my hero did. This phone us so much more powerful which makes up for the terrible battery life (for me at least).
Purchased the Thunderbolt last Thursday morning – was appalled by the battery life on the first day, but I only managed to charge it for an hour then I was out the door, playing with it and dialing it in. Day two – after a full night's charge – and after adjusting the screen timeout period down to 15 seconds, plus adjusting screen brightness all the way down (like the other poster commented – you really can't tell) – I have zero complaints. Adjust your display settings – you'll have no issues – even with 4G LTE running (I live in an area with the 4G LTE coverage)
Absolutely LOVE the phone – no complaints whatsoever
Yesterday – disconnected at 6am – didn't charge until 11.45 – no worries at all. The display soaks up most of the juice – just go into the battery manager to see what's using the battery – you'll quickly get a feel for JUST HOW MUCH the display beats up on battery life. Turn down the brightness, speed up the time outs – you'll be glad you did
i don't think batter life will be an issue for to long, give it a month and we will be able to root the phone and double battery life. my droid inc was the same way when i got it, battery wouldn't last a full day, then i rooted it, currently i'm running android 2.3 on it and changed the kernel and im getting 3 days on a single charge, mind you i keep everything off, ie. location,gps,data, background data and only turn them on when i need them. if it wasn't for the fact my wife is going to Korea and i need a phone with a webcam and skype i would keep my droid inc. one more thing to mention, rooting your phone isn't for everyone but it is the best way to actually make the phone yours, and get rid of apps you don't want or need.
how do you root a htc increditbile?
I've never heardd of the term "rooting". please explain as i am seriously considering the Thunderbolt but this bettery issue is making me hesitant. Thanks!
The comments about the batter appear to be true. I am running the phone on 50 percent brightness, email push, and lots of phone calls. I am now at 40 percent of batter life remaining from 6 am this morning until 2:48 pm. I am a heavy business user and expect these phones to last all day. I am using the HTC 2750 extended life battery. I expect to be out of power before the end of the work day. I am purposefully running the phone without putting it on a charger to see how much real world use I will get out of the phone. I was previously using the Motorola Droid X with extended life battery. That phone did last longer, but Motoblur was a pain. The best solution I see is the further perfection of a docking station similar to the Motorola Atrix. That system CHARGES the phone when connected while still allowing you the use of the product as a phone and laptop. Very smart, very business friendly…but very AT&T. Sorry, but that network is so unacceptable for business use it prevents me from using them. Thanks for the great site and the feedback is very useful.
You folks that are having an issue with the Battery then maybe try this:
"Calibrate" battery – (1) Turn device ON, charge it for 8 hours (or until LED turns green), (2) unplug and turn it OFF, plug it back in and charge for 1 hour (or until LED turns green), (3) unplug and turn it ON, wait 2 minutes, turn it OFF, plug it back in, and charge for 1 hour (or until LED turns green), (4) unplug it, turn it ON, and use normally.
Give ut a try and see if it helps.
Sounds interesting. What will that do?
Poor battery life should not be expected. I hate Apple but atleast they do it right. Atleast they understand people expect a smartphone to last all day even if you use it alot. Heck is a smartphone and you should be expected to use all its functions.
The battery life on this phone is an absolute joke. HTC should be embarassed and yes they should give a new battery. Heck this phone is similar (not the same) to the EVO and both made by HTC yet EVO got 1500 battery and Thunderbolt 1400.
They gave a smaller battery because its cheaper and they wanted to maximize profit. Its pathetic
There is very little cost difference in the two battery sizes. Like any tech accessory out there, the cost to the end user comes down to the markup. It is not realistic to say it's a profit thing.
And sure, you shouldn't expect poor battery life, but consider that this isn't a phone, it's a computer that makes phone calls. I have not compared performance specs head to head, but as far as I know, the T-bolt is orders of magnitude more capable than the iPhone. With greater capability and a larger screen comes less battery life no matter how you shake it. It's entirely a tradeoff.
In all honesty, is it really that big of a deal to get into the habit of keeping the thing plugged in when you're gonna be at an outlet anyway? Sure, it's a pain, but if you're looking at a tradeoff between performance and battery life, it might be worth it. At least you can charge it on any mini-usb charger, unlike that proprietary garbage you're stuck with with an iPhone.
I have the same problem . I recommend draining the battery for the fist time you use and then leave to fully charge for 24 hrs.
Then use it .. Check out battery saver apps .like juice Defender
juice defender doesn't work on the thunderbolt. sadly it was the first app I downloaded and it was a no go. hopefully they'll come out with an updated version that will save us all because the battery life on this phone is a joke. I had it fully charged when I went to bed and when I woke up the phone was completely dead. so much for my alarm.. thanks verizon..
I cannot get the phone to keep a charge for more than 3 hours and I haven't even used it?!?!? I took it off the charger and it was at 15% in 2.5 hrs with a task killer, display at 20% and no calls made. Everyone I talked to at Verizon says it has to do with 4G service area and the phone "searching for 4g" that kills the battery. Love the phone but not the battery life! Will take back if something doesn't get better!!!!
I got the bolt the first day it came out. I got the app killer changed settings even got a power Boost off the Android market. Still only got about 10 hrs out of my battery. Don't get me wrong I love this phone and I did my research b4 I bought it. However ten hours just isn't working for me so today I got he extended battory. It looks like my phone is pregers or something but to bad. I just don't get y u would make such a powerful phone and not give it enough juice to perform. I also bad juice defender app on my old Droid ally and it worked great but it didn't work on the tbolt.
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I had a problem with the battery also at first but someone at Verizon suggested that I remove the Lookout security app because they read that it caused more problems then it fixed. After removing the app I went from four hours of battery life to a whopping twelve hours on the original battery.
really?? No one read about these issuesbefore they bought the phone? It is my first smart phone and I went in knowing to buy car charger plus extra charger for work. I love the phone and its worth the lame battery life. I will however probably look into the extended battery.
New reports suggest ATK doesn't do anything immensely positive in Froyo. I cannot say I have noticed a huge difference when I use it and when I don't. The first few days of usage, I was setting up the phone and glued to it constantly, it ran out very fast. Not to say i am not still glued to it, but not in such a battery-hungry manor as my initial explorations with the phone.
My advice to save batteries:
1) Put links on your home screen to wifi, gps and mobil so you can toggle them on and off as needed!
I put my wifi on at home, gps only when I am lost, mobil when I want internet access outside of wifi. I turn all three off when I am, say, traveling because I do not need to get email when I am driving since I cannot read it then anyway.
2) Also, the USB that it comes with can charge from any USB, including the one you might have in your car, computer at work, laptop. This is much smaller to carry than an actual charger.
But, we should not have to hassle with this, to truly take full advantage of this phone, it needs the bigger battery. I am certain I will get tired of switching from wifi to mobil and turning off GPS, plus I want to use apps that require GPS, I mean, the phone comes stock with a clock/weather widget on the home page that requires GPS and it is really not useable with the current battery life. The bigger battery ought to be free, will it? I doubt it. Will I spring for it? Yes, this is an amazing phone IMO.
(Just need to iron out the messages app and double tap as a function for copy paste as these clash with swype).
Here is the deal, guys. You all want a slim, sleek phone that also has the functionality to take over the world. The problem is that you cant have both. If you guys want a phone that will last all day, buy a landline. Realize that batteries are capable of only so much with the current state of technology, so you should quit being lazy, suck it up and plug in your phone when it needs to be charged. Better yet, buy a combo pack of batteries on eBay for less than 15 bucks. As a proud owner of this phone, I have no complaints. Great job HTC! Everyone else, quit whining. Can YOU develop a better phone and sell it for $250??!?!?! I didn't think so…..
I'm not sure if it is out yet, but for about 15 bucks shipped you can get 2 standard sized batteries from china. I have been using these for my HTC EVO for about 6 months and they work fine. It also comes with a separate battery charger and usb attachment to the battery charger.
It takes me less than 30 seconds to power down and switch the battery, then BAM full battery life again.
I also had root access and used a custom variable voltage kernel and setCPU so when the screen was off the cpu ran at 128 megahertz. With that and the data connection turned off (for long periods of standby) I could get over 20 hours of battery life out of my phone.
Just got the extended battery in the mail. It's charging up now. Honestly, it looks worse in these videos than in person IMO. I'm not just saying that to make myself feel better either 🙂 Yes, I wish I didn't have to get an extended battery but since I do, I'm not that put off by it. In fact, I know this sounds odd, but it looks and feels REALLY nice. I'd say the phone is even easier to hold actually because of the "hump" and the way it rests in your hands when making a call. I thought it would be much fatter but in person it looks pretty damn good. It does add weight but that doesn't bother me. We'll see how much more juice I get now. Before it was 5 hours with moderate usage.
i made a quick purchase on ebay and got 3 wall chargers and 6 batteries for 33 dollars and I can still use my case and car dock.This is the same thing I had to do with the incredible.
The batteries on ebay say 1500 mab but the htc says 1400 will it damage the phone?
All those that say we should have known from the prior reports – all reports before the phone was released were rumors – htc or verizon have still not confirmed the battery was why it was delayed. Trying to find a way with Verizon and HTC for a solution they are handling people, lying, saying I am the only one. If they are going to lie and pretend it doesn't have a battery problem (which is all over the internet that it does) – I will be returning it. Watching the ones that get the money lie and try to keep you trying things or telling me that breaking in the battery will take two weeks – guess what happens in two weeks – stuck in a two year contract. If they were honest, they would at least get return business or more content customers.
I have my screen setting to the lowest and everything else off minus phone calls and my email checking once every 15 minutes. I have drained it down fully, fully charged it and today I had to charge it to 100% twice, to get to the evening. It lasted a little over 4 hours after charging all night and charging it in the afternoon to 100% took 2 hours and I got the same out of it, a little over 4 hours.
wow, you should take it back right away…
Strange I got over 27 hours out of my first charge! Thats moderate use, Facebook, Youtube, Pandora, Text, Email and Downloading Apps. I followed all the tips on saving battery life and turned off my 4g since it is not available where I am and have had no problems!! Also if you CALL Verizon the will give you the battery for FREE if you tell them you are not satisfied, got mine! Unfortunately not going to use it at this time since they don't make a case for it yet. I might just throw it in draw until 4G coverage comes my way!
Battery Tips: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/htc-thunderbolt/…
Turn Off 4G IF NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA: http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-thunderbolt/7…
You were extremely lucky if you received a free battery. I just called and was told they are working on a software update. No free battery for me.
Guys, do your research before you purchase a phone. As for Verizon giving extended batteries away, I wouldn't hold my breathe. I keep extra chargers around, cheapest way to get around the battery situation. The phone is great I love it, but it is a smartphone – battery life is going to suck., the only smartphone that I have every owned that had great battery life were blackberries.
My suggestion? Stop complaining and expecting people to give you thing for free, adjust your settings, keep a charger handy, and enjoy the phone!
Ha Ha…. Very good article on free battery from verizon.. Well I have been using the thunderbolt for 5 days and still battery life sucks. I turned down the display setting, syn, wifi, bluetooth, gps—–all off and still lousy battery life in the range of 4-5hrs tops… What good is a phone if you can't use it and besides who carries a charger with them while working. Isn't a phone supposed to be on you rather then charger…charge only night time.
Well… I called verizon customer service and complained saying what good is phone if battery dies 3-4hrs. —–Rep— said basic corporate response…..this is first time I heard and you should try bla,bla—like I don't know about basic setting adjustment to turn off or dim the brightness,,4g is hogging battery life.
Me— I told them phone cost like $$, plan cost $$ and now verizon is telling me spend more $$ on extended battery so that phone could work longer then 3-4hrs..I am not going to spend anymore $$ and taking it back if I don't find solution to it…. My friend got free battery from verizon as customer statisfaction policy.
rep—sir, we can send out another phone or you could take it back to store but we're not offering free extended battery. We don't give out free extended batteries but it is $50.
me…so you would rather have bunch of people return phones and lose contract $$$, phone $$ and customers like me…I have been with verizon for 10yrs or longer. Can you ask your supervisor.
rep… my supervisor said no also..you should go to store or we can send out new phone.
sir…have I resolve all your problems today?
me… No you have not resolve my problem, only thing you are suggesting is new phone, return it or buy $$ new battery. Well, to me it doesn't make sense for verizon to have phone returned and that billon $$$ company is playing nickel and diming me for buying more stuff when phone should be ready to go and last whole day. Who carries a battery charger in their pocket with the phone. The charger is getting more use then the phone.. Okay, no choice, return the phone I guess and look for regular phone not smartphone and drop out of dataplan…cancel policy..
I was ready to hang up but she wouldn't let me and said let me check for higher up supervisor to see what can be done. You know she is plaing game, initial response was no but that was a lie……Basically they will get you new extended battery if you complain and tell me that the call or problem was not resolve because verizon…………….it almost seemed like she was worried about the call service interaction because I guess they must be graded on their phone interacton with customer to solve problems… She was more worried towards the end when she asked if she resolved the solution to the customer phone call.. HAHA… I said big NO….and she sounded concerned about her ratinfg or something,,,because after that free battery was just coming my way.
rep….sir I checked with higher supervisor and based on your years of service with us and payment… we will send out a FREE EXTENDED BATTERY for you at this time as a customer courtesy..
Me… thanks….Now you have resolve my complain or problem with the phone… thanks again for fixing my problem and hopefully it will solve the phone battery problem.
rep—thank you for being a verizon customer and have a nice day…
WOW…stuck to my guns and got the damn free extended battery but it was like playing poker to see who fold first… but really in reality I was reading to return phone and wait it out for iphone 5….and pay the $35 return fee.
beside what good is phone if you can't use what it is intended for and have to disable feature so battery can last… didn't I buy the phone for its feature only to disable it????
good job bro. wish i did that instead of shelling out the money for a battery.
also, does anyone know about wall chargers that can charge the battery without needing the phone? i figure i can carry both my extended and stock battery along with this battery wall charger.
Get an app called TASKER, you can have it toggle your data connection when the screen turns on and off. This will save you tons of battery power. This app is capable of controlling nearly every aspect of your phone and you will find tons of uses for it once you dig in to it. I use this on my Nexus one because my battery life was pretty poor with it as well about 8 hours. After making a few toggling tweaks my battery is at about 45% at 9pm. Considering it is off the charger from 6am on, this is an amazing feat. I will be doing the same with my Thunderbolt when I get it.
Manage your battery… I am getting 24 hours with extended battery. Turn brightness down you don't need it, time out screen in 15 seconds, 30 seconds max. Best phone out by far.
DROID BIONIC: So I have until April 17 to return the Thunderbolt, and Bionic won't be out till April 21, earliest. So you guys all sound like experts to me, what would you speculate Bionic's battery. Longer? How much? 15 min? 2 hours? from what we know about battery capacity, dual core, and different display. Please reply. And be nice. : )
I waited for the Thunderbolt to be released opting for an android phone over the iphone. The day I got the new Verizon Thunderbolt I plugged it into the wall and forced myself to go to sleep without playing with it. I woke up the next morning to a green light hidden under the earpiece screen (pretty cool place to hide a light). I proceeded to learn the new opperations of the phone. After using the Blackberry Storm 2 it was quite the learning curve. I am not exagerating when I say my battery was dead within 45 minutes!
I thought there was something wrong so I did what any normal tech savy person would, I "Googled it". I was shocked to find thousands of others who had the same issue knowing that the phone was released only the night before. I went back to the store where I purchased the phone to get some advice. The sales person told me to "buy an extended battery" I thought that was crazy to have to spend another $50 to double the 45 minutes that the phone lasts. So for $300 I can get an hour and a half. She told me that it was normal for the battery to drain quickly but thought I might try an app killer and "see if it was any better". After a week of trials with the app killer and juice defender I am unhappy to say that I get 2 hours of standby time. Thats right 2 hours of STANDBY!!! That is without using the phone. It gets better, with a fully charged battery I can unplug it from the wall and make a 19 minute phone call before the phone shuts off. Verizon's answer is to buy another battery for $50 oh and if that does not work I can pay the $35 restocking fee to return the phone that is obviously a pile of …..
Aware of the lousy battery life on the Thunderbolt……How can HTC/Verizon market such a smartphone with such insufficient battery life for even those of us who are not heavy users???? I will give it a little more time tweaking it with various power offs but it is most discouraging how the battery drains so fast. It defeats having this smartphone in the first place. Finally, I don't care how fast this phone is with all that "G" speed. It doesn't mean anything if you have to recharge it so frequently……
I use my phone extensively with the extended battery and I am getting 13 hours and that is ok for the most part. It gets me through the day…but if I use the hotspot…forget it. Then I get 2 hours total usage. I also have huge problems if I am traveling…because i am on the phone all day…and remember..this is with the extended battery in place…also, still the best phone on the market…no comparison.