T-Mobile Tap Review

Introduction:

Huawei may not have the brand recognition here in the United States, but nonetheless they’re going to try to penetrate the market here with the T-Mobile Tap. However, this lightweight and compact touchscreen phone has numerous devices to compete against on T-Mobile’s lineup. The Tap is looking to dive head-on into fierce competition with hopes of coming out strikingly unique – let’s see if it has what it takes to win over customers looking for a refreshing new experience.

The package contains:
•    T-Mobile Tap
•    Stereo Headset
•    USB Cable
•    Start Guide
•    User Guide


Design:

From a first glance, we’ve seen the T-Mobile Tap’s design on plenty of other devices – so it doesn’t stand out as being too fancy. The conservative approach with the candybar form factor makes for a decent sized handset that’s not overbearing with its rounded corners. One item we did find nice was the soft touch material encompassing the entire body of the phone – so it always looks clean and provides for a good grip. It’s more than compact (0.5” thick) and lightweight (3.7 oz) to slip into any pocket inconspicuously without the added baggage. Fortunately, it is well constructed and radiates a sense of durability – so it’ll withstand some of the normal daily grinds that phones are put through.



You can compare the T-Mobile Tap with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Turning on the T-Mobile Tap for the first time will greet you to its 2.8” resistive LCD screen that has a resolution of 240 x 320 with support for 262k colors. Other than the tight confines, we really had to push down hard on the screen for it to recognize a press – luckily the pressure from a fingernail is a bit easier to register. Aside from being able to see clearly when brightness was set to the highest setting, the screen didn’t seem as sharp as we would’ve liked it to be. Text looked a bit fuzzy at times and colors didn’t have stronger tones to make it jump out. The Tap also suffered from some poor viewing angles – you can’t see what’s on-screen if it’s placed at more than a 45 degree angle from either direction. In addition, you’ll have to shade the phone from the sun if you’re trying to use it outdoors in direct sunlight.



The buttons found below the screen follow the conservative stance that we’ve seen so far. The end, send, and navigational pad are sized large enough to press without issues. The other keys hugging the sides of the phone are a bit trickier to press – specifically the tiny sized power button on the top edge.