HTC Magic Review

Introduction:

Last year, HTC released the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, but the second handset to run the OS is also an HTC product. Meet the Magic – a slimmer and QWERTY-less smart phone, running on the Android 1.5 Cupcake OS. It is currently offered in Europe and Canada and is going to be available as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G in the States. We’ve had a chance to spend some time with the HTC Magic from TIM and are excited to share our experience.

The Magic is packaged with a 2GB microSD card, an AC adapter, USB cable, wired stereo headset, and a carrying pouch.  One thing lacking is an adapter for using 3.5mm headphones.  Instead, you have to use miniUSB connector headphones like the ones provided unless you purchase your own adapter.

Design:

The HTC Magic is smaller than the G1 in every way.  It measures 4.45 x 2.19 x .54 inches (113 x 55.56 x 13.65 mm) and weighs in at 4.09 oz (116g) with the 1340mAh battery installed.  It is significantly thinner than the G1, making the G1 rather clunky by comparison.  The Magic’s thinness is possible due to the lack of the hardware QWERTY keyboard.  The Magic is extremely friendly to one-handed operation due to its smaller size and on-screen keyboard – more about the Magic’s keyboard in a bit.




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

Other than being thinner and sleeker, the Magic has retained the same button scheme as the G1, more of a requirement of the Android OS than anything else.  Along the bottom, it has chrome-colored Home, Menu, Back, Google Search, Send, and a double-duty End/Power buttons.  A trackball occupies the bottom center and lights up and pulses when a message is received.  A simple, elegant volume rocker button is on the upper left side and a miniUSB port is on the bottom for charging, syncing, and headphones.  The camera is located on the top center of the back, and the phone is rimmed with a strip of satin-finish material for a better grip.



Like the G1, the HTC Magic has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, making it very finger-friendly and is the main way for navigating around the Android OS.  The screen is bright, crisp and clear and very responsive to touch, like tapping and scrolling with a finger swipe.  The Magic is equipped with an accelerometer, so tilting it sideways will activate a smooth transition from portrait to landscape. Other than the home screen and dialer, screen rotation works in most other areas of the Android OS.