We’re used to phone release dates being a bit fluid, and what we hear a month or two away from a projected release, may no longer hold up as the date approaches. Carriers want to ensure they have the needed stocks on hand for the first day of sales (some managing better than others), or maybe hope to time the release to play off of competition with another anticipated phone. The situation with the HTC Thunderbolt on Verizon LTE is just nuts, though, with rumored release dates come and gone, and new rumors popping up every other day. Verizon has wisely kept quiet on the matter, suggesting that maybe even it’s unsure as to when the phone will be ready. A few sources that Engadget claims are close to the situation have stepped up to offer an explanation for the myriad delays, pointing to a very disappointing Thunderbolt battery life.

These sources claim that the battery performance is so abysmal, you can fully deplete the Thunderbolt’s charge in under three hours of use. They haven’t said if that figure is with the phone connected over LTE the whole time, but if this info is right, there’s certainly something wrong with either hardware components or how the phone’s configured in software. The latter looks like the likely option, as another tipster told Engadget that work is in progress to come up with a new firmware that will decrease the demand on the phone’s battery. Let’s just hope that fix doesn’t come at the expense of diminished LTE performance, assuming that the new 4G radio plays some role in the crisis.

Source: Engadget