Amazing HTC HD2 does it again! Dated device ported with Android 5.0.1

posted by Alan F. / Jan 11, 2015, 12:00 PM

The HTC HD2 ported with Android 5.0.1

The phone that never dies, the HTC HD2, is back again, this time fitted with Android 5.0.1. The former HTC flagship originally ran Windows Mobile Professional 6.5 when it was launched overseas in 2009. A few months later, a version for the states was offered exclusively for T-Mobile. What blew everyone's mind at first was the 4.3-inch display, with one reviewer swearing that this would be the largest screen ever made for a smartphone!

Over the years, we have seen the HTC HD2 run the forked version of Android employed by the Nokia X, FirefoxOS, Windows RT (!), Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7.5, and dual boot Android and Windows Phone 7. Speaking of Android, the HTC HD2 has been fitted with KitKat, JellyBean and Froyo.

The Android 5.0.1 ROM is said to be in early alpha build, and only the display and audio are working at this point. But XDA member macs18max says that he will continue to work on the port.

There you have it. The majority of Android devices have yet to be updated with Android 5.0, but a Windows Mobile powered phone from 2009 is running Lollipop (albeit with limited capabilities).

source: XDA

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38 Comments

1. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

The phone that never dies.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:01 PM 21

15. sgodsell

Posts: 7365; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

It should be put out to pasture now. It doesn't even have 512mb of ram (448mb of ram), 512mb of rom, a single core 1 GHz scorpion CPU with adreno 200 GPU, WiFi g, Bluetooth 2.1, only gsm. Take it out back and put a bullet in it.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:29 PM 3

17. Crispin_Gatieza

Posts: 3137; Member since: Jan 23, 2014

You first. POS hater.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:43 PM 12

20. TreyTreyTaylor

Posts: 728; Member since: Dec 21, 2010

How about giving an acknowledgement that it's an amazing feat for a phone that never was intended to run anything other than Windows Mobile 6.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 2:05 PM 6

24. darkkjedii

Posts: 31039; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

So true bro, so true. I remember checking it out in CES 2010, then buying it in April I think. Tmobile had terrible coverage where I lived at the time, so I it returned and went back to AT&T, but it was huge smooth, and beautiful. It's android counterpart, the "Evo 4G" was a true beast though.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 2:47 PM 5

25. sgodsell

I guess I was a little harsh. You could buy the HTC HD2 back in November 2009. It had great specs at the time. However a number of other smartphones can run other OS's as well. Not to mention they have dual and quad core CPUs with lots of ram and much more storage. This thing is really old and slow nowadays.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 3:01 PM 2

26. Mxyzptlk unregistered

It's cool.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 3:23 PM 3

34. bigdawg23

Posts: 467; Member since: May 25, 2011

You are clueless. Had this phone and it rocked. I ran dual boot Android and WM. I only sold it because of leaving horrible TMobile service.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 5:57 PM 1

37. picka_vi_materina

Posts: 174; Member since: Nov 21, 2011

It has 576MB RAM fully enabled. Under WinMo, for some reason it was locked to 448MB.

posted on Jan 12, 2015, 4:18 AM 0

2. rsiders

Posts: 1954; Member since: Nov 17, 2011

What a legend of a phone.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:04 PM 1

3. Mxyzptlk unregistered

What a relic.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:09 PM 1

22. darkkjedii

I agree Mxy, it's a reliic, great in its day, but yep...a relic. HTC is coming back strong though, M7, M8, and M9. Whatcha think?

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 2:43 PM 0

27. Mxyzptlk unregistered

I liked the M7. I didn't check out the M8 because of the camera. If they improve the camera we would be in business. Beastly speakers though.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 3:25 PM 1

29. willard12 unregistered

So, if the M9 cuts the ultra pixel and gets a better camera then you'd buy an android device?

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 3:34 PM 4

35. Mxyzptlk unregistered

Wouldn't be the first time. Not even close.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 8:02 PM 0

30. darkkjedii

Great speakers indeed. Camera is horrible though.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 3:44 PM 1

36. Mxyzptlk unregistered

Yeah the camera needs work. Forget the ultrapixel bs. Those speakers are phenomenal though.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 8:03 PM 1

4. aayupanday

Posts: 582; Member since: Jun 28, 2012

That thing is six years old and yet they're able to run the latest iteration of Android on it. All hail HTC and XDA.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:09 PM 15

16. sgodsell

No, all hail open source.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:33 PM 5

18. Crispin_Gatieza

No, Cotulla.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:43 PM 0

5. theguy2345

Posts: 1216; Member since: Jun 24, 2014

I am going to get my only one and put android on it. I have been wanting to try a newer version of android, and this way I won't have to spend a dime. And I can reconfigure it as much as I please

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:11 PM 0

6. der_damo

Posts: 213; Member since: Sep 16, 2014

that moment when developers get older phones with the newer software earlier than modern enterprises on newer phones with older software.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:12 PM 2

9. shamrock

Posts: 75; Member since: Mar 29, 2013

sometimes the oldies work the best..

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:27 PM 1

10. bohdan4ik13 unregistered

Once upon a time it was a realy big smartphone :)

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:36 PM 2

11. darkskoliro

Posts: 1092; Member since: May 07, 2012

The only smartphone I ever needed...

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 12:56 PM 1

12. Cyberchum

Posts: 1066; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

They should give the same treatment to my SGS2 so that I can at least make it a secondary phone.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:20 PM 0

13. Tsepz_GP

Posts: 1175; Member since: Apr 12, 2012

Why does the HTC HD2 get all these ports? Is it simply due to a HD2 Community of enthusiasts who want to see how far they can take it? Or is there some piece of hardware in it that has allowed for all the ports to be done? If this can be done with a HD2 then I am sure it can be done with most old flagships from its time.

posted on Jan 11, 2015, 1:21 PM 1

32. Crispin_Gatieza

HTC sold this phone completely open because it was basically a developer platform phone. It remains the only Windows Mobile phone ever released with a capacitive screen.