HTC HD7 vs HTC Surround vs Samsung Focus

Introduction:

Microsoft's brand spanking new mobile platform has launched globally with much adulation from critics and owners all around to place it in the limelight, but with a wide array of offerings from the onset, it's natural to find some people at a standstill in contemplating which one to side with. Here in the US, AT&T and T-Mobile are the first two carriers to make the jump with the new platform – while the other two players wait in the shadows. Commonly available through a variety of retail and carrier stores, the HTC HD7, Surround, and Samsung Focus are three Windows Phone 7 smartphones that'll get the job done for the fledgling new platform. From the exterior they might exude some similarities, but nonetheless, they have their strengths and weaknesses to capture the attention of consumers. We're pitting up the trio to find out exactly which one consumers will probably gravitate more to in order to receive the most optimal experience of Windows Phone 7 goodness.

Design:

Without even getting a chance to hold any of them, it's clear that all exhibit a similar design approach with their clean slate form factor. However, the cursory initial opinion quickly melts away as each one sports its own unique spin. In fact, it'll ultimately come down to personal preference to gauge which handset employs the best design. HTC's expertise in crafting industrial designed smartphones is evident with both the HTC HD7 and Surround, but it's obvious that the HD7 is the larger of the two when held in the hand while the Surround packs the most weight. Conversely, the Samsung Focus carefully finds itself squarely in the middle since it feels the most lightweight and offers the most natural feel in the hand between the bunch. However, we can't say that we're too fond of its all plastic construction versus the durable feeling metallic exterior of the Surround – but then again, it makes for one streamlined and sleek construction. We're pretty confident that all three are manufactured with the utmost priority, but the HD7 doesn't feel like an evolutionary improvement over previous iterations with the HD2 or EVO 4G – still, it radiates the predictable design cues we'd expect to see. As for the Surround, it takes a new spin as it offers a minimal slide design that tucks away a well endowed speaker to itself. All in all, they all have the charm and looks to capture the gaze of people, but there isn't one we find that is necessarily leaps and bounds beyond the others in terms of design.


There's just something about Samsung's Super AMOLED display that manages to captivate and mesmerize us – that's because there's no arguing that it's by far the most superior between the three. Sure you've got the massive 4.3” TFT display of the HTC HD7 which makes the 3.8” one utilized by the Surround to be quaint in stature, but it doesn't appear as impressive alongside the 4” super AMOLED display of the Focus. Perhaps, it's the level of color production that enables the Focus to excel as it exudes some rich and saturated colors over the competition. In fact, blacks on the HD7 and Surround appear to have a smokey look to them as opposed to the pure black offered by the Focus. And it's that simple reason why the Focus packs the most appealing display – even when they all offer the same WVGA (480 x 800) resolution. Furthermore, it boasts the best viewing angles which still enables colors to look magnificent from every angle you look at it. Granted, you'll have to deal with seeing it in direct sunlight – which isn't a widespread issue with the LCD displays of the Surround and HD7. Regardless, the Focus is perfectly balanced as it employs a manageable size, perfect viewing angles, and lush looking colors – something in which that the other two pale in comparison. To see its superior performance, you can check out the comparison shots we took of the three handsets.



The placement of the touch sensitive buttons is identical between the three as they offer a decent amount of space between one another – thus almost eliminating any accidental presses. Between the three, we prefer the physical buttons in use with the HTC HD7 seeing that they're prominently raised and offer a distinguishable feel. It's extremely conspicuous with the volume rocker, two-level shutter key, and dedicated power button – although lacking in tactility. Even though its buttons might seem more recessed than the others, the Samsung Focus provides a suitable tactile response to its buttons all around – even with its completely flush power button. Typical, we find all three boasting 3.5mm headset jacks, but the HD7's placement is rather awkward since it's placed at the bottom edge alongside the microUSB port. Conversely, the slot cover for the microUSB port with the Samsung Focus is surely appreciated as it'll reduce the amount of dirt and debris from getting inside.


All three smartphones pack 5-megapixel auto-focus cameras, but it's only the HD7 that complements it with a dual-LED flash as opposed to the single LED one with the other two. Moreover, both HTC smartphones offer the distinct feature of a kickstand which may or may not be too appealing for some people – but nonetheless, it makes for an easy hands-free option when it comes to watching videos. Removing the plastic rear covers of the three won't require much effort, but it'll offer access to the battery and SIM card slot. Meanwhile, it's only the Focus that manages to offer an accessible microSD card slot to help supplement its internal storage.

Interface & Functionality:

In all honestly, we're enamored by how consistent the Windows Phone 7 experience is with each handset – which is probably due to the snappy 1GHz Snapdragon processors running within their shells. Needless to say that Microsoft's mobile platform undeniably steals the show as it exhibits a fresh new look over the competition, but there's nothing minutely different between the three smartphones. Buttery smooth scrolling, dynamic live tiles, glitzy transition effects, and tight Facebook integration are all the items we experience with the trio of smartphones. So no matter which handset you might consider purchasing, there's always going to be one thing that's not going to change – the responsive Metro UI performance of the platform.


As we mentioned already, Windows Phone 7 sports a tight integration with Facebook for those who are keen on keeping tabs with their closest mix of friends. When running the People Hub, it'll not only display the typical contacts information like phone numbers and email addresses, but a couple of swipes to another panel will allow you to see the latest happenings going on with your friends – like status updates and recent photos. And to enable quick access to the latest happenings with your closest friends, you can pin them to your homescreen so it'll continue to display status updates and their photos within their live tile. Aside from that, you can always download the official Facebook and Twitter apps for Windows Phone 7 to get additional features.


Thanks to the overall lightning quick responsive theme we see throughout the platform, the messaging experience is going to ultimately follow in a similar fashion. However, the HD7's vastly larger real estate will make anyone compose a message very easily thanks to the roomy space it's able to establish. It's not to say that there isn't room with either the Focus or Surround, but people with larger fingers will surely appreciate the slightly larger buttons displayed on the screen. Thankfully, we didn't find any issues using the on-screen keyboards with the Focus or Surround as we made little to no mistakes in sending messages. Meanwhile, switching to landscape will remedy the problem of space as all three handsets are more than capable of speed texting without any pause. Plus, it helps that auto-correct and predictive options are all at your disposal.


When it comes down to the experience of other native core apps with Windows Phone 7, there isn't particularly anything different between the smartphones. Things like the calendar, email, and Bing Maps all work like they should, so it shouldn't sway in the decision of what handset to pick up over the others. Naturally, the beauty of having consistent hardware specifications enables Microsoft's platform to work so intelligently on any device without the worry of finding one more capable than the others.


When you look at platforms like Android, manufacturers have the ability to provide specific customizations to the interface to make it very unique over others. Although Windows Phone 7 caters to a consistent theme between handsets, handset makers can still offer their unique twist with their specialized preloaded hubs and apps. As a matter of fact, both the HTC Surround and HD7 come loaded with the “HTC Hub” which strikingly borrows heavily from their Sense UI for Android. You can distinctly see it when you initially run the application as it displays the all too noticeable clock which also manages to tell the weather condition and temperature. Not only can you go further and experience some weather animations, it also offers some quick access to additional HTC apps like Stocks, Sound Enhancer, Photo Enhancer, and Converter. Oppositely, the Samsung Focus includes the Daily Briefing Hub that accomplishes the same tasks – such as viewing weather and stocks. However, it goes slightly further with the inclusion of a news feed which you can assign a specific category. Honestly though, they both function and accomplish the same things with neither one really offering more than the other. Still, it's at the early stages and we'd imagine that it'll be fine tuned to offer a richer experience outside of the box – like taking advantage of employing dynamic updates in their respective home tiles.

Camera and Multimedia:

Up until now, we realize that the performance between the trio of Windows Phone 7 devices is nearly identical in every aspect, but it quickly deviates in the photo taking department. The camera interface is fairly clean and free of much icons to provide more focus on the image you're trying to shoot. But after rummaging through the settings with each handset, it's apparent that the Samsung Focus just offers a myriad of customized settings over the other two to aptly offer experienced photographers some serious control to their shots. In our comparison, we basically left the default settings to automatic and started to shoot various scenery – but we left them at the highest resolution option.


Once we took the images, we compared the results on a computer to better gauge the level of performance with each device. First of all, there is no distinguishable device that manages to capture more detail than the others. In fact, we adore that outdoor shots in sunny conditions retain a good amount of detail while offering a sensible amount of sharpness to them. Even taking a closer look at the photos, it's rather difficult to establish which smartphone is able to capture more fine detail.

However, there is a clear winner with the Samsung Focus as it's able to produce extremely vibrant colors over the HD7 and Surround. Specifically, you can notice the deep red colors of the cars in some of the images taken by the Focus versus the somewhat bland looking colors captured by the other two.



In addition, the blue color gradients of the sky in the images just have that wonderful look to them with the Focus again. Indoors under artificial lighting, the Samsung Focus continues to show off prominence as it still manages to produce better colors. And when there's a faint amount of light present, it's still preferred over the HD7's noisy looking shots.

When using the flash to illuminate the scenery, the photos produced by the HD7 and Surround just look overexposed – thus making colors appear washed out. However, it's the opposite with the Focus as it manages to perfectly retain a respectable level of detail and color production over the competition – even with shots taken from as far as 7 feet away. In the end, photo enthusiasts will appreciate the wonderful looking photos that the Samsung Focus is able to present.



When it comes down to taking videos, the Samsung Focus once again edges out the two HTC branded devices. Even though the Focus shoots high definition videos at a rate of 23 frames per second, as opposed to the 24 fps seen with the HD7 and Surround, it's still slightly better looking with its nice rich visuals that are highlighted by its eye catching colors. Again, we see its advantage over the competition when shooting in low lighting conditions as it's able to keep a consistent frame rate. With the HD7 and Surround, you can quickly notice the blurriness of videos when jumping between areas of plentiful lighting to areas that are dark. However, it is worth noting that there is more noise evident with the video taken by the Focus in low lighting conditions. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that the Focus still manages to win in this category as well. Naturally, we find the Zune experience to be identical on all three smartphones as it establishes a slightly fresh approach to the usual music player presentation we generally witness. We like the fact that playing songs will provide relevant content regarding the artist or band – like being able to read bios and even loading pictures in the background. Even though they all offer a visually appealing look, it's the audio quality from their speakers that vastly separates them. And with that in mind, there's no arguing that the HTC Surround's equipped slide out speaker is by far the most suitable. With SRS and Dolby Mobile support in tow, we're more than ecstatic with the audible and deep tones produced by the Surround. Unfortunately for the HTC HD7, its speaker is less than desirable seeing that there is some distortion and crackling evident with its output – which makes the Focus sound much better with its sharper tones. So if you want to share your taste of music with people, the HTC Surround will be there to provide the entertainment.

HTC HD7 Sample Video:



HTC Surround Sample Video:



Samsung Focus Sample Video:



Now it's a toss up to find out exactly which device offers the best video watching experience because they all have their unique perks. First and foremost, we managed to load a video encoded in MPEG-4 1280 x 720 resolution on all three smartphones – and all of them worked flawlessly. Without any pause, stutter, or slowdown, watching high definition movies can be enjoyed by just about anyone – but it's the manner in which you experience them that matters. You've got the wonderful Super AMOLED of the Samsung Focus that'll make your eyes glisten with its stunning colors and deep contrast. But then again, the HTC HD7's gigantic display combined with its kickstand makes for one conducive setup. Likewise, the HTC Surround's usable kickstand and blasting speaker will motivate movie buffs who are all into audio performance.


The HTC Surround and HD7 might offer more internal storage out of the box at 16GB versus the 8GB on board with the Samsung Focus, but there is one trick that the Focus has to uncover up its sleeves. As we mentioned, it offers a microSD card slot which you can use to supplement its internal memory, but you'll have to place one prior to setting up the phone for the very first time. Meaning, you'll run the risk of crashing your handset in the event you remove it from the slot. Still, you can very well push the Focus to a sizable 40GB of storage after placing a 32GB into the slot.

Internet and Connectivity:

Web browsing is just fantastic with Internet Explorer for Windows Phone 7 on all three handsets as it offers some responsive scrolling, multi-touch gesture support for zooming, and optimized mobile views to make reading long passages of text very easy on the eyes. The performance is once again consistent between the three with no clear advantage seen with one specific device. Lacking Flash support doesn't necessarily lessen the experience since it's almost equal to the iPhone 4 in terms of general responsiveness as you navigate around complex web sites. Despite the wonderful experience accomplished by each handset, it'll once again come down to the manner in how you experience it. Ultimately, we're once again presented with a showdown between the HD7's massive display versus the brilliant looking Super AMOLED panel of the Samsung Focus.


Being the GSM handsets they are, you're not going to have any problems using them around the world for voice phone calls. And if you're not receiving 3G speeds in specific areas, they all come to offer Wi-Fi as an alternative wireless data connection – which will come in handy when you're abroad. Furthermore, you can connect a mix of Bluetooth devices to all three devices, while the inclusion of GPS will always allow you to know your exact coordinates at any time. Testing it out, we find that all three took approximately 15 seconds to sufficiently hone into our location from a cold start.

Performance:

For phone calling quality, the overall experience has to go the HTC HD7 for its superb clarity with its earpiece. Moreover, it delivers an experience that's free from any distortion, muffled tones, or interference. With the HTC Surround, it's earpiece is by the far the most deafening out of the bunch, but there's still some audible levels of noise which can be heard in the background. Seeing that the Focus has been excelling in other categories, it's unfortunate to find it producing some hissy voices through its earpiece. However, the Surround proves its presence once more in the audio department thanks to the boisterous, yet distinct tones from its powerful speakerphone.

When it comes down to retaining a solid connection to the network, we're overly satisfied with the levels we experienced with all three smartphones. During our time testing them, we didn't experience any dropped calls or major fluctuations in signal strength in the greater Philadelphia region.

If you require a handset to last all day, and we mean all day, you'll instantly want to grab the Samsung Focus seeing that it blows the competition out of the water. Even on heavy usage, we easily obtained a solid one day without requiring any additional charges. For the two HTC smartphones, they'll require some constant recharges if you'll be using it all the time. Just based on a day to day experience, there's no question that the Samsung Focus is way ahead in terms of offering long lasting battery life.

Conclusion:

Still in the early stages, there's nothing drastically different with the platform experience by all of the available Windows Phone 7 devices out on the market right now. Rightfully so, there's nothing to change the performance that we experience on the HTC HD7, Surround, and Samsung Focus – all of which offer a fantastic starting point for anyone curious with Microsoft's new mobile operating system. Although design will undoubtedly play a key factor in the decision of most people, it's going to be hard since all three sport the candy-bar form factor. Sure you've got the predominantly metallic exterior of the HTC Surround that makes it feel like a premium device over the other two, but the HD7 has the largest display out of the bunch while the Samsung Focus is the thinnest and lightest.

Overlooking their appreciative designs, the true telling of which device is superior comes out of hiding by looking at some key categories. With that in mind, it's no wonder that the Samsung Focus appears to be the most well rounded out of the three. Specifically, we're mesmerized by the quality of its stunning Super AMOLED display that manages to quickly differentiate itself – even despite its all plastic construction. Moreover, we've seen at how it's able to capture better looking photos and videos, offer superior long lasting battery life, and wonderful viewing angles with its display. Seeing that these three are the easiest handsets to find in the market right now, it's probably a good idea to side with the Samsung Focus as the preferable choice to enter the Windows Phone 7 arena.

HTC HD7 vs HTC Surround vs Samsung Focus Video Comparison: