In the clock view, in charge mode, you can see the charge of the battery.

Quite a few folks have been asking what I think of the battery life. Will I get a larger battery? How often do I have to charge it.

Before I answer those questions there is one thing I want to explain. Before my love story with the HTC Thunderbolt, I had a Blackberry Tour. I chose Blackberry over any other smartphone because it was something I was accustom to, it was efficient and it did what I wanted it to do at the time — check email, browse the internet and some SoMe here and there. However, the more I used it the more I realised that it really was just an email machine. The browser – though better than before – was still lacking and the social applications were subpar. Yet, I kept it because it was a good phone.

Then disaster.

The trackball got stuck – a known issue – and they replaced it, but for some reason the ball behaved strangely when it got cold and it sometimes decided to be sensitive and other times not. I had an unlimited data plan and I barely used it because the phone itself turned out to be a bad investment.

Then it got worse.

The battery was losing charge within 5 minutes of talk and 15 minutes of data usage. The phone would restart on its own and even though it had a full battery it would be completely drained. If it wasn’t plugged into a power supply it was just a paper weight. Or a weapon. Whatever way you want to look at it.

I waited this out for six months, just waiting for the 4G phone to come to Verizon. There were rumors of a new HTC Incredible, then the Thunderbolt, then the 4G and I just kept waiting. That was 6 months of a useless phone.

So the battery life of the Thunderbolt?

INCREDIBLE. I charge it before I go to sleep. Unplug it (so it doesn’t overcharge like the Blackberry did) while I’m asleep. Let it charge to 100% while I get ready to go out.

I use it nonstop on the train. Sometimes I use it for watching YouTube videos in HQ, or checking out blogs/tweets/facebook and other times I use the Kindle or Evernote apps. By the time I get to work — depending on what I use — it’s either 90 – 60% charged.

I usually plug it into the wall or the USB port around 2 or 3pm and let it charge until 100% or until I leave. If I’m going out after work this is sufficient for me until I get home.

I think this is normal behaviour, especially since I’ve used 2Gigs of data in 21 days of having the phone. I don’t think I’ll get a larger battery. I think that when you have a smart phone you need to be practical and understand that the more data you use, the more apps you use, the more battery you use. It’s like a mini laptop without the mega battery.

So yes, I’m satisfied with the battery life. I’m satisfied with the phone (thus far) and I’m SUPER glad that I’m not throwing away money each month because my phone is inefficient.