HTC Bolt Smartphone Arrives on Sprint Network With Android Nougat

The HTC Bolt smartphone, which runs Android Nougat, is now available through Sprint, featuring a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a Snapdragon 810 processor.

There’s nothing groundbreaking in the HTC Bolt’s design. In fact, it looks similar to other Android smartphones, featuring rounded corners, a small bezel and antenna lines on the back. However, that design has proven popular among consumers and enterprise users, so perhaps HTC made the smart decision to stick with a design that customers like. Giving the Bold a metal case should give the handset a bit more durability.

Android Nougat is already available to smartphone users through the Google Pixel or LG V20. The HTC Bolt also will ship with Nougat, making it the latest of a few smartphones to run the platform. Nougat comes with several improvements over its predecessor, including better notification support and enhanced security.

The HTC Bolt ships with a 5.5-inch screen. The display has a quad-HD resolution of 2,560-by-1,440 pixels and 534 pixels per inch, and features Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5, which, HTC said, can withstand a drop from more than 5 feet and not shatter the glass.

Like so many other high-end smartphones these days, the HTC Bolt is designed to be water-, splash- and dust-resistant, allowing it to work reliably in less-than-ideal environments. HTC noted its metal, unibody construction allows it to withstand some falls without causing sustaining disabling damage.

The HTC Bolt’s rear-facing camera has 16 megapixels and supports optical image stabilization that will reduce image blurring. The device also performs well in low-light conditions and has what HTC calls “Vivid Flash,” which means the camera should be able to capture outstanding photos in most conditions.

HTC Bolt owners will find the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 powering their smartphone. While that’s adequate for most applications, it’s a little underpowered compared to competitor devices. However, HTC tries to make up for that with 3GB of onboard RAM to more easily handle applications. For most users, then, the Bolt’s power offering should be just fine.

The HTC Bolt delivers 32GB of onboard storage, which is a rather small amount in a world dominated by videos and photo-capturing. However, HTC said the device can accommodate a microSD card with up to a 2TB capacity. That feature could make some folks forget about the rather paltry onboard storage in the Bolt.

HTC has bundled a 3200mAh battery in the HTC Bolt, delivering more than a day of power on a single charge. It also comes with support for Quick Charge technology, allowing users to quickly boost their battery life. On the software side, HTC offers a battery-boost technology that helps users optimize battery usage.

The Bolt comes with HTC’s free UH OH Protection warranty, which is one of the better support options in the mobile market. Customers purchasing the Bolt through HTC.com can receive a free replacement device for broken screens and water damage with no questions asked.

In a rather odd move, the HTC Bolt runs exclusively on Sprint’s network and it’s unknown whether the company plans to offer the smartphone on other networks in the future. It’s believed, however, that HTC might offer an unlocked version of Bolt within the next several weeks. For now, then, customers interested in the Bolt will need to buy it through HTC or Sprint and run it only on that carrier’s network. The Bolt costs $600.