First and foremost, make no mistake about it: The HTC Thunderbolt is a multimedia powerhouse. The Thunderbolt runs on a 1GHz processor with that aforementioned 768MB of memory. It has an 8MP rear-facing camera and 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat. Of course, there's that 4.3-inch screen with 480-by-800 resolution. And the Thunderbolt is ready to use , provided you're in a city that supports it.

Despite those impressive specs, the Droid Bionic -- set to launch sometime in the second quarter of this year -- comes out ahead in a few noteworthy measures: The Bionic runs a dual-core 1GHz processor. That distinction, also present in Android tablets like the new , makes a big difference when it comes to multitasking and resource-intensive applications. The Bionic one-ups the Thunderbolt with its HDMI output, too, as well as its higher resolution display, at 540-by-960 pixels in the same 4.3-inch size.

Hang on, though: The Thunderbolt isn't down for the count. While the Bionic has the dual-core processor, it has just 512MB of RAM -- less than the Thunderbolt's 768MB helping. And while the two phones are matched in terms of their rear cameras, the Thunderbolt's front-facing camera beats the Bionic's hands-down; the Bionic has only a 0.3MP camera on its face.

Then there's storage: The Thunderbolt comes with 8GB of internal space, plus another 32GB via an included MicroSD card. The Bionic has 16GB of internal space and can support up to 32GB of external storage; as of now, however, it isn't clear what (if any) level of SD card will be included with the phone at purchase.

Finally, consider the software: While both phones ship with , aka Froyo -- hopefully with upgrades to in the cards -- each device has its added on by its manufacturer. The Thunderbolt runs HTC's Sense UI, while the Droid Bionic runs a version of Motorola's Motoblur skin. Neither is objectively better than the other, but they're definitely different.