HTC HD7 Review

Introduction:

You want a sexy touch screen smart-phone with good, solid hardware, but you're stuck on operating systems. You think iPhones are way too expensive, BlackBerry OS doesn't give you a good enough online experience, Android 's cluttered and Symbian's dated. Up until now, you might have been bashing your head against a brick wall, longing for a clean, elegant solution that delivers an up to date user interface coupled with some smooth web browsing. Our advice? Stop head bashing and start reading: Microsoft and HTC have reunited to give you the HTC HD7. A fine piece of hardware cut from the same cloth as the EVO 4G and the HTC Desire HD. The HTC HD7 sports a 4.3 inch screen, a host of connectivity options, a 5MP camera with autofocus and dual LED flash as well as the enigmatic OS that could be the answer to the above dilemma - Windows Phone 7.

Design:

Being likened to the HTC Desire HD is for the most part a good thing in our eyes, and when we set eyes on the HTC HD7, we were hopeful. Its big fascia, curved, smooth back, solid look and feel all come together nicely. You may recall our niggle with the HTC Desire HD lay with the battery cover and card cover being  fiddly, this is remedied with the HTC HD7, which adopts a more traditional battery cover on the back. Other than the shiny new phone, inside the box, you'll also find a microUSB connector, a mains charger in-which the USB cable plugs in, headphones, foam ear pieces and a range of pamphlets on the topic of your new phone. Our HTC HD7 has 16GB of memory on board with no option for expanding memory (despite there being a microSD card slot under the non-removable back panel).



You can compare the HTC HD7 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The HTC HD7 is a very recognizable sibling of the Desire HD and EVO 4G, largely due to the screen. Delivering very similar results at the same 480x800 resolution, the Super LCD display gets the same positive remarks - big, bright and ultimately, a real eye popper. On the downside, it's also slightly dull when compared to a Super AMOLEDs, with blacks on it looking a dark shade of grey and colours lacking that AMOLED saturation people just can't seem to get enough of. Standalone, needless to say, it's a real pleasure to use.



The fascia and in call speaker are encased in a finger print loving chrome frame that lavishes all sides of the handset. There are two recessed metal grills at the top and bottom of the fascia. While these look like stereo speakers (we should be so lucky), the bottom grill is decorative while the top provides a place for the in call speaker and light sensor. These may be attractive design elements that do a decent job of framing the screen, however soon become a deposit for dust and dirt.  What's worse is that they are a pain to clean being so recessed. We much prefer the HTC Desire HD's smaller single grill up top. The fascia itself plays host to the screen and three capacitive buttons below. Unlike on the HTC Desire HD, we did find ourselves accidentally pressing these occasionally. To the left is the volume rocker and two stage camera button, both being chromed, on top is the power button and jump down to the bottom and you'll find the microUSB port, the 3.5mm headphone jack and the in-call mic. Flip over the HTC HD7 and on the back you'll find the 5MP camera with dual LED flash and a loud speaker. One element that HTC have resurrected from their EVO 4G which lay absent on the Desire HD is a flip out kick stand, though on the HD7, it subtly frames the camera on the top half unlike on the EVO 4G, which kicked out from the bottom half. As mentioned earlier, the battery cover panel secures on the back part of the phone along the top half and does a fine job of this. It is plastic, but is matted with a gun metal finish, and feels good to the touch.



Overall, the phone is a good size with a nice even weighting behind it. Despite its plastic construction, it feels pretty solid, with our biggest gripe being the grills above and below the screen and their propensity to attract dust. Despite the large form factor, it fits comfortably in the pocket and hand, and doesn't feel like a brick when held against the ear.