Last week we saw HTC teasing a new 4G phone and now all signs point to it being the Thunderbolt 4G, which should be announced by Verizon on January 6th at CES. We had been calling this phone the Incredible HD or Mecha, but the Thunderbolt name first appeared last week on Droid Life. Now there have been new HTC ads popping up which say “It’s not your dream phone. It’s the one after that”, which Phil from Android Central points out that they link to htc.com/4G?extcid=Thunderbolt-4G-Disp.
The Thunderbolt 4G teaser.
Select members of the press (not us) also started receiving a teaser box from HTC last week that was filled with clues. The package included an Android figure, compass (hint: HTC maps), four “G” buttons attached to the keychain (hint: Verizon 4G), foam TV set (hint: V Cast video), “Froyo Lover” sticker (Android 2.2), and a video chat screen shot showing Las Vegas (hint: front-facing camera and unveiling at CES).
Based on previous leaks, we think the Thunderbolt 4G will be Verizon’s version of the Desire HD (or myTouch 4G in the U.S.). That means we should expect a 4.3 inch display, 1 GHz second-generation Snapdragon CPU, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, 768 MB RAM, and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
Verizon will have a half-dozen LTE devices at CES next week, so it will be interesting to see how they stack up. We are expecting new 4G phones from HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and maybe a few surprises.
Which handset maker do you think will have the best Android phone at CES?
Clues from HTC about their next big phone.
Update: The correct URL for the HTC sign-up page is http://www.htc.com/us/4G?extcid=Thunderbolt-4G-Disp
