HTC Touch Pro2 for T-Mobile Review

Published on: 14 August, 2009 by PhoneArena Team

Model:: Touch Pro2 US

We have published a detailed review of
the European version of HTC Touch Pro2. Check it out here.
Click here for the review of the Sprint HTC Touch Pro2
Click here for the review of the Verizon HTC Touch Pro2



The HTC Touch Pro2 relies on plastic for its casing

It's been a long time coming for T-Mobile customers, but HTC is back with a vengeance in the form of the Touch Pro2. As this is the first US version of the smartphone to hit the market, it will surely become a major topic of discussion among business users. First unveiled during MWC earlier in the year, the juggernaut of Windows Mobile smartphones packs quite a punch in the features department – deeming it as a Swiss Army knife of mobile phones. Although the looks have been modified for this version, the underlying software remains intact – so any Windows Mobile user will fit right in.

If you've seen the GSM version of the phone available for the European market, you'll notice that this one . Gone is the chrome outer bezel that gave it that stark quality look and now replaced with a bronze color scheme that just loses its appeal slightly. There's no denying its behemoth size and weight makes it near impossible to place in a pocket without being too noticeable. Luckily though the construction feels solid all around – even with the snappy opening and closing mechanism of the device. We're just disappointed with the heavy plastic feel for such a powerhouse smartphone and would've loved to see it retain the beautiful elegance the European version radiates.

The first thing that takes prominence when you turn on the HTC Touch Pro2 for the first time is the massive 3.6” WVGA screen. With a resolution of 480x800 pixels, it'll produce the most distinct text and images without a hiccup. Unfortunately the resistive touch screen will require you to press down with a fingernail in order to register correctly. The magnetic feature used for holding the stylus in place on the HTC Touch Pro is gone and replaced with just a simple stylus slot. Flipping it over onto its back will reveal the slightly bumped up 3.2-megapixel camera with the grid guard covering most of the top portion.


The screen is massive at 3.6''	Camera

Moving the screen reveals probably one of the best QWERTY keyboards around. The five row keyboard is filled with adequate sized rectangular buttons to make anyone speed type relatively quick. On top of that, the white backlighting is bright enough to distinguish buttons from one another. Granted that you can tilt the screen at an angle to give it a laptop look, we just found it difficult to type in that position because you lose focus on the screen and prefer to have it lay flat.


The HTC Touch Pro2 has one of the best QWERTY keyboards around

Underneath the hardware, it is Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional running the smartphone. The much loved TouchFLO 3D UI is intact except for the myFaves home screen that you can choose to display, as opposed to the usual digital clock we are normally greeted to. For the most part, it runs pretty smooth with no major slowdown issues during operation.

Sure T-Mobile is the first to get this, but the only sore spot is its inferior looks compared to the European version. Customers have been starving for something to truly replace the aging T-Mobile Wing – the HTC Touch Pro2 does dethrone it and lives up to be the well rounded smartphone Windows Mobile fans have been waiting for.

HTC Touch Pro2 detailed review | Specifications

PA rating

Design 7
Display 9
Camera 6
Sound Quality 8
Battery 9
Connectivity 10
Multimedia 7
Organizer 10

Excellent

out of 10

How do we rate?

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Model	Carrier	Price Today	Price after rebate
HTC Touch Pro2 Mocha		$179.99	$179.99	Buy

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User comments

+1
1.

mmayer54 @ 14 August, 2009 07:39:23 AM

Phone arena's grading system MAKES NO SENSE! The Touch Pro 2 had very low scores across the board (7.5 avg.) but hen give it a 9 overall.
They gave Samsung i8000 FOUR 10's w/ nothing lower than a single 8 score (avg. was 9.37).....But gave it an 8 OVERALL

Where is the "credibility" here?

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2.

Vandro @ 14 August, 2009 09:33:09 AM

Not to mention the i8000 received 4 higher scores than the i8910, with only one lower (by .5), but the Symbian Omnia achieved a 9 overall compared to the WinMo's 8.

Just think "8 for great, 9 for fine" and it, somehow, makes sense. Haha.

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4.

behold--me @ 14 August, 2009 05:25:16 PM

ya rly what up wit ur damn grade system phonearena?

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+1
5.

mr. anderson @ 15 August, 2009 08:26:28 AM

did you click the "how do we rate" right below the score? obviously not

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6.

Kiltlifter @ 16 August, 2009 04:35:14 PM

I am pretty sure that Phonearena weighs certain parts of the rating heavier than others... the ones that the TP2 for T-Mo received were design and multimedia... as this is a business professional phone, hence the Tough "PRO" in the name, other objects like organizer, connectivity, battery and display are more important. Also phonearena rates the devices compared to other devices provided by the same carrier, i do not know what the i8000 recieved and where, but I would assume that this had something to do with it... if it rated similar in all these categories, I apologize, I am just speculating. But I would still say this is a good phone.

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8.

LGVX1993 @ 17 August, 2009 04:50:12 PM

Ive read that before and they still don't explain it as fully as I would like. But as I have said before in the Palm Pre review, there must be something different they do.

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3.

Vandro @ 14 August, 2009 09:35:16 AM

This phone is already sold out at my local T-Mobile's, and none of them have a display unit on the floor.

Either it's really that good of a phone or there are a lot of idiots with large business expense accounts.

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12.

Vandro @ 24 August, 2009 02:26:43 PM

Yeah, tried it out myself: awesome speaker quality, responsive and gorgeous screen, superb keyboard, and very quick performance. And, all on 6.1. Can't wait to have one of my own and run a custom ROM off that hardware.

I actually prefer the new version's color and overally feel, sort of like a mocha mirror with a soft touch back. Really glad that they got rid of the unlocked's giant speaker grille that runs the length of the back, because the speaker is only in the top third around the camera. Solid construction all around, with a reassuring feel to the slide and tilt mechanisms. The camera is relatively quick, and, maybe I'm fooled by the beatiful WVGA display, but the colors and detail are represented nicely. TouchFlo is very responsive and optimized very well to fit the architecture, as I didn't have any occurence of glitches or lag over a several hour test session.

The only thing missing IMO is a trackpad or trackball, just for the optional control. I really like the navigation on the Android HTC's. Oh well. The best phone for a power user, with all the features you could want. Android phones are still lacking, so it looks like either this or the Omnia II will be my next phone.

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7.

Schmao @ 17 August, 2009 04:32:30 PM

They tell you the ratings but the overall rating has nothing to do with the other ratings. The overall rating tells whether or not the phone is good on as a whole.

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9.

zag92 @ 17 August, 2009 08:48:14 PM

I tested the phone quite a bit at the local TMO store the other day, and was surprised by the sound quality on calls. Quite disappointing, actually. Reminded me of the Verizon Tour which I tried ever so recently and ultimately returned, owing to the muffled, anything-but-crisp voice quality of voices on the other end. I think the TMO version of the TP2 has the same flaw (call quality) that PhoneArena rightly spotted several months ago when reviewing the unlocked GSM version. I was really hoping it would be resolved with its US release. So wanted this phone to work... Will wait for the Verizon model (Sorry TMO, it's tiring to have to strain to understand whoever you're speaking with on a call) and cross my fingers. Big Red, please get this right!

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10.

Galen20K @ 19 August, 2009 11:25:43 AM

That's not correct at all. I find the Sound on the TMob TP2 Quite Excellent. Crisp CLean and Clear and don't have to strain at all to hear anybody at all.

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11.

remixfa @ 22 August, 2009 03:35:11 PM

i dont care what it sounds like. you can dress up a WinMo phone as much as you want, they have never been as stable as a BB or even a jesusphone. Concidering HTC phones dont normally come cheap, i can never recommend one to a customer unless they have a dire need for WinMo.

WinMo phones are boomerangs in the industry and I wish people would quit giving them such high scores, when their reliablity has all the stability of a 3 wheeled pinto.

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