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HTC's Bolt: Shocking? Maybe not

Sprint's exclusive large-screen HTC phone has decent enough specs and fast data capabilities, but it lacks the spark of other flagship phones.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica is a passionate content strategist and team leader across the CNET family of brands. She leads a number of teams, including commerce, performance optimization and the copy desk. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on the iPhone and Samsung devices. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began her leadership role managing CNET's How To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones to home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick in the UK.
Jessica Dolcourt
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Sprint snagged the HTC Bolt, which costs $600 and runs on its new super fast LTE-A network.

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It's a phone with a 5.5-inch screen and USB-C charging -- and no audio jack.

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That means you're plugging in headphones through USB-C or buying an adaptor. Or, you could always go the wireless route.

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There's a 16-megapixel camera on the back, and an 8-megapixel shooter up front.

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I really like the controls along the camera's top edge.

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You can jump into a Pro mode to shoot raw images and fine-tune settings for your shot.

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The angles and edges in this flat handset make it less pleasant to hold than other phones.

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A matte black finish helps cut down on the grossest of smudges.

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The Bolt runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

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It's a big phone for most pockets.

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Check out everything that's good and bad about Sprint's new HTC Bolt in my hands-on impressions.

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